3 ms·

Can you explain the (" and ") on public when you refer to private in the UK?

• jrkatz 9y ago
  Over there, "public school" means what "private school" means in the States. It's confusing.
  • jk563 9y ago
    Both "public school" and "private school" are used to refer to schools which require a fee to be paid.
• sclangdon 9y ago
  Selective, private-sector, paid-for schools in the UK are called Public Schools. I assume the quotes are because the schools are anything but public.
• arethuza 9y ago
  Some private schools (not all though - wouldn't be the UK if things were that simple) are termed "public" schools. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_school_(United_Kingdom) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_school_(United_Kingdom) What the rest of the world calls public schools are usually called state schools.
• lucozade 9y ago
  We call the schools you pay for public schools. We call the schools that are paid from taxation state schools. It's just us being quirky. It's not intended as a deliberate attempt to confuse and confound non-natives. Honest guvnor.