The Many Kinds of Roads
2021-03-20
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1This week, we answer a question from a reader about the many words used for different kinds of roads.
2Here's the question:
3What are the differences between avenues, roads, streets, lanes, drives, ways, trails, boulevards and highways?
4Well, that is a good question and one that even some native speakers wonder about.
5Let's talk first about roads.
6A road is a long piece of hard ground built between two places so people can walk, drive or ride easily from one place to the other.
7Roads can be paved or even made of dirt or stone.
8Roads exist in cities, towns and rural areas.
9They can be large or small.
10The word "road" is the most general of today's terms and is sometimes used in place of "street" or "highway" or other related words.
11A street is a public road in a city or town that has buildings on one or both sides of it.
12Sometimes, we use the word "street" for many kinds of roads.
13Streets often run across avenues, which are wider streets.
14Let's take the borough of Manhattan in New York City.
15It has more than two-hundred numbered streets that run east to west.
1642nd Street is one example.
17Manhattan also has 12 numbered avenues that run north to south. An example is 5th avenue.
18An avenue is a very wide street, usually inside a city.
19In Manhattan, most avenues are around 30 meters wide while the streets are narrower.
20Now, let's talk about smaller streets: lanes and ways.
21A way is a small side street that is connected to a larger street.
22And a lane is a very narrow street or path.
23Ways and lanes are often found in residential areas.
24A boulevard is a wide and usually important city street that often has trees, grass, or flowers planted down its center or along its sides.
25"Drive" is used in the name of some public roads.
26Drives may be big or small.
27In Manhattan, for example, there is FDR Drive - a six-lane highway.
28Highways are paved main roads that have several lanes for traffic and connect cities, towns and other areas.
29Vehicles on highways drive at higher speeds than they do on other kinds of roads.
30And finally, we have trails.
31A trail is usually a rough path through a field or a forest.
32Some trails are for people and animals to walk or ride on.
33Others are for outdoor activities, like hiking and bicycling.
34And that's Ask a Teacher.
35I'm Alice Bryant.
1This week, we answer a question from a reader about the many words used for different kinds of roads. Here's the question: 2Question: 3What are the differences between avenues, roads, streets, lanes, drives, ways, trails, boulevards and highways? 4-An English Learner 5Answer: 6Well, that is a good question and one that even some native speakers wonder about. 7Let's talk first about roads. 8Road 9A road is a long piece of hard ground built between two places so people can walk, drive or ride easily from one place to the other. 10Roads can be paved or even made of dirt or stone. Roads exist in cities, towns and rural areas. They can be large or small. 11The word "road" is the most general of today's terms and is sometimes used in place of "street" or "highway" or other related words. 12Street 13A street is a public road in a city or town that has buildings on one or both sides of it. Sometimes, we use the word "street" for many kinds of roads. 14Streets often run across avenues, which are wider streets. 15Let's take the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It has more than two-hundred numbered streets that run east to west. 42nd Street is one example. 16Avenue 17Manhattan also has 12 numbered avenues that run north to south. An example is 5th avenue. 18An avenue is a very wide street, usually inside a city. In Manhattan, most avenues are around 30 meters wide while the streets are narrower. 19Lanes and ways 20Now, let's talk about smaller streets: lanes and ways. 21A way is a small side street that is connected to a larger street. And a lane is a very narrow street or path. Ways and lanes are often found in residential areas. 22Boulevard 23A boulevard is a wide and usually important city street that often has trees, grass, or flowers planted down its center or along its sides. 24Drive 25"Drive" is used in the name of some public roads. Drives may be big or small. In Manhattan, for example, there is FDR Drive - a six-lane highway. 26Highway 27Highways are paved main roads that have several lanes for traffic and connect cities, towns and other areas. Vehicles on highways drive at higher speeds than they do on other kinds of roads. 28Trail 29And finally, we have trails. 30A trail is usually a rough path through a field or a forest. Some trails are for people and animals to walk or ride on. Others are for outdoor activities, like hiking and bicycling. 31And that's Ask a Teacher. 32I'm Alice Bryant. 33Alice Bryant wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 34Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section below or email us at learningenglish@voanews.com. 35________________________________________________________________ 36Words in This Story 37pave - v. to cover something with a material (such as stone, tar or concrete) that forms a hard, level surface for walking, driving or something else 38borough - n. one of the five main sections of New York City 39residential - adj. of or relating to the places where people live 40lane - n. a part of road that is marked by painted lines and that is for a single line of vehicles 41rough - adj. having a surface that is not even