Question
22 Jan 2015
- Japanese
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English (US)
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Korean
Question about English (US)
What is the difference between litter and trash ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between litter and trash ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
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- English (UK)
Trash is quite general and refers to anything that can or should be thrown away. It refers to rubbish, but can refer to other things too. People often use this word when talking about the ゴミ箱 – e.g. "Throw it in the trash(can)". It can also be used as an adjective (but this is a bit slang-y) – e.g. "This song is trash". This means that the song is really bad.
Litter is trash/rubbish that you find on the ground in public areas. In this case, it is a noun. However, it can also be used as a verb, which is very common. You might hear people say "Don't litter", which means "Don't throw your rubbish on the ground".
- Japanese
Thanks. So, what do you call the garbage on the tray at a McDonalds when you finish eating food? A trash? Trashes? A litter? Litters?
- English (UK)
Haha that's an interesting question because when we eat at a restaurant here, we don't throw away anything and instead leave everything there for the staff to clean up, so I don't think we usually refer to it :L
It definitely would not be litter. I would call it rubbish. Now that I think about it, I never use the word "trash", only "rubbish". That's just me though. It might be different in America - I don't know, but if you want to be safe, use "rubbish" because you can use it in any situation I think, and you can call a trashcan a rubbish bin too.
- English (UK)
Also I believe "rubbish", "litter" and "trash" are always used in singular form just like all collective nouns.
- Japanese
komorebi, I'm afraid my dictionary says "rubbish" is British English!
- English (UK)
Oh okay. Maybe that's why I always use "rubbish".
I just did a quick google search and it said that Americans know and use the word "rubbish" (probably not all though), but not as much as the British do.
But, if you want to use "trash" or "garbage", you can use them in the same way:
- Throw your trash/garbage in the bin.
- trash can/garbage can.
- This song is trash/garbage. (Slangish)
So, just to sum up - litter refers to ゴミ that has been thrown on the ground in a public area.
Rubbish/trash/garbage is general waste or things you should throw out. Hope that helps.
- Japanese
- English (US)
Yeah, in the US I don't hear "rubbish" too often. It sounds a little old-fashioned. I would call the papers and stuff on your tray at a restaurant trash or garbage.
Also, with the example of "This song is trash/garbage." for slang use, I've also been hearing something like "This song is trash can." lately, but this is really slangy and might just be my boyfriend and his friends. XD
- Japanese
- English (US)
- Filipino
litter is to drop or throw trash without properly disposing of it.
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