Closet?

Guest   Fri Dec 23, 2005 12:01 am GMT
What is a closet? I looked in a dictionary and it said

''US:Small private room.....''
Is it a ensuite?

Another problem is that I was told not to use 'thus' or 'hence' which is quite useful for me.

*The sun was out thus the high temperate of 35*C.

*The car was a old model hence it had no A/C.

I was told not many people use it often in everyday speech. Does that mean some Native speakers won't understand me?

If so what other words could I use instead of 'Thus' and 'Hence'.
Guest   Fri Dec 23, 2005 1:18 am GMT
The sun was out, so the high temperature was 35*C.

The car was an old model, so it had no A/C.
Rick Johnson   Fri Dec 23, 2005 1:26 am GMT
Closet- while it's usually used mostly in the US (people in Britain hang their clothes in a wardrobe) it is a word used universally for a small enclosed room.

There is nothing wrong with using thus or hence, although they tend to be used more in written English than spoken English.
Larissa   Fri Dec 23, 2005 7:08 am GMT
closet: AE, cupboard:BE
Uriel   Fri Dec 23, 2005 7:10 am GMT
Thus and hence are still in use, but if you want to avoid them you can use "so" or "therefore".
Uriel   Fri Dec 23, 2005 7:15 am GMT
closet: AE, cupboard:BE

True; in the US, a "cupboard" is more like a kitchen cabinet.
Boy   Sun Dec 25, 2005 5:26 pm GMT
Uriel,

Correct me if I'm wrong. I think there is a difference between a cupboard and a closet as far as a physical appearance goes. I mean, the former can be moved from one room to another but the latter can't be moved because it is fixed onto a wall. Anyways, I have a movable cupboard in my room.
Uriel   Sun Dec 25, 2005 5:36 pm GMT
Not in the US. Here, what we call closets and cupboards would both be built into the wall. But you may be right if you are using a British usage.

What you might be referring to we would probably call an armoire -- a big free-standing peiece of furniture you can hang clothes in (I think the British would call this a "wardrobe").
Rick Johnson   Sun Dec 25, 2005 7:21 pm GMT
<<I think the British would call this a "wardrobe">>

Yes we would although most wardrobes tend to be fitted these days.

Cupboards can be both small spaces and cabinets, e.g. the cupboard under the stairs or the kitchen cupboard.
Rick Johnson   Sun Dec 25, 2005 7:26 pm GMT
........So "wardrobe malfunction" has a slightly different meaning in the US and Britain. In the US it means someone's saggy tit has popped out at the Superbowl, whereas in Britain it means you've probably bought some shoddy furniture, from Ikea, made by 7 year olds in the far east with assembly instructions written by a chimpanzee.
Larissa   Sun Dec 25, 2005 8:50 pm GMT
"dresser" is it an American word? And if it is, could you please give me the British equivalent! "dresser" what does this word mean exactly? thanks in advance
Rick Johnson   Mon Dec 26, 2005 12:38 am GMT
<<"dresser" is it an American word? And if it is, could you please give me the British equivalent! "dresser" what does this word mean exactly? thanks in advance>>

It's an old British word which is somewhat antiquated. My Grandma might have referred to it as a "dresser", but I would say "chest of drawers". It's a piece of furniture in where socks and underwear are stored.
Guest   Mon Dec 26, 2005 2:40 am GMT
What is the phase 'Out of the closet' means?

I was thinking of a new line of fashion (eg. Clothes)for the coming up of the new season.
Tiffany   Mon Dec 26, 2005 6:35 am GMT
If someone comes "out of the closet" that means they have stopped trying to hide/deny a fact from other people - used most often with being gay. I have actually never heard it used to refer to anything else.
Larissa   Mon Dec 26, 2005 7:29 am GMT
"It's an old British word" but I heard this word in an American movie, so I'm wondering if it is still used in the US instead of "chest of drawers"?Thanks and sorry for the mistakes, I don't speak much English :-)