school

leena   Sun Mar 25, 2007 8:15 am GMT
hello
why do we use the word (school) instead of university? why should i say school and not university?
Uriel   Sun Mar 25, 2007 8:28 am GMT
It may vary from one dialect to another, but in US English, school is a generic term -- it can apply to any level of institutional learning, from kindergarten to university. So you can use either school or a more specific term, like university.
Guest   Sun Mar 25, 2007 9:03 am GMT
everything is possible in US English. You are considered GRADUATED after high school.
Guest   Sun Mar 25, 2007 9:13 am GMT
Fellow guest, what else would you be other than a graduate of high school after graduating high school? Are you stupid or something?
Guest   Sun Mar 25, 2007 9:28 am GMT
a graduate is someone who holds a four year degree in a specialized field.

A: What is your minimum qualification?

B: I am a graduate in Electrical Engineering.
Guest   Sun Mar 25, 2007 10:00 am GMT
In addition to that. I'd just say that I finished my high school.
Uriel   Sun Mar 25, 2007 4:41 pm GMT
In US English, graduation is another generic term -- it happens after the successful completion of any level of schooling. Generally we qualify it by saying "high school graduate" or "college graduate" or specify the degree obtained -- bachelor's, master's, Ph.D., post-doc, etc. We wouldn't usually say "I am a graduate in Electrical Engineering" -- we would say "I have a degree in Electrical Engineering" or "I have a (master's, bachelor's, etc.) in Electrical Engineering."

So it's not that "anything is possible" in US English -- we may simply apply specific terms differently than other varieties.
leena   Mon Mar 26, 2007 7:54 am GMT
Uriel
thanks a lot for clarifying the point
Liz   Mon Mar 26, 2007 8:14 am GMT
Yes, in the US school is a generic term -- it can apply to any educational institution as opposed to Britain, where this word is hardly ever used in connection with universities.