A few questions

[shivver13]

Hi there! I have a few questions about British language, customs, and geography for some fanfics I'm working on that I hope you can answer. Thank you in advance for any assistance

Comments

[littlered2]

1. In most school systems (independent, i.e. fee-paying, schools may have different terminology, and a few areas of the country have first, middle and high school rather than the more usual primary and secondary school, which I think affects matters), 12-13 year olds will be in Year Eight, the second year of secondary school

[shivver13]

I did a Google search on "row house", and yes, that turns out to be an American term. I had no idea what that type of house was called in either the US or Britain. Now I know. :)

It seems to me that the two-up-two-down terrace house is similar to what Craig had in "The Lodger"? That's kind of what I have in mind in the story I'm working on.

[sollersuk]

I'm in the process of moving out of a two up two down, a very typical one: opens directly onto the pavement and each room is roughly 13 feet by 13 feet. I lived there on my own, but in the 950s the one next door was inhabited by 4 adults and 3 children.

[littlered2]

Similar, yes, although Craig's is a larger house - it's definitely got more than just two rooms on each floor and looks fairly spacious inside. The sort I'm referring to looks more like this. But yes, both are terraced houses.

[shivver13]

Ah yes, I see. I took a look at floor plans for terraced houses on the web, and the one I'm picturing is bigger than those. Basically it has a kitchen/dining room, a lounge (living room?), and a third room on the ground floor which could serve as a guest room, and then two bedrooms upstairs. Craig's definitely is larger downstairs (since there's the kitchen, the lounge, Craig's room, and the Doctor's room), but rather undefined upstairs (since the stairs goes directly into the door of the illusionary upstairs, but from the outside, the upstairs is the same size as the downstairs).