English to English. My understanding of “quite” has always been that British people (or English people in particular) use the word really just to say nothing in a pointed way. If you say something is “quite nice” you are saying that it is nice—no more and no less. It is not saying that it is wonderful, but it also is not saying that it is not nice. The intention in this case is to register the limits of an assessment without implying any specific reservations. Barton-Confusing And Embarrassing Differences between American and British English. The Internet TESL Journal We speak English in the UK.So do you in the US.But yet we don't speak the same language.
David BartonDept. of Geological Sciences, Durham University, South Road,Durham, United Kingdom, DH1 3LEd.j.barton [at] durham.ac.uk David Barton maintains an extensive list ofWords That Could Be Confusing And Embarrassing In The UK & USSee the complete list at It was said by Sir George Bernard Shaw that 'England and America are two countries separated by the same language'.
My first personal experience of this was when I worked as a camp counsellor for two months in 1993 in a Summer Camp run by the Boy Scouts of America, as part of an international leader exchange scheme. Comparison of American and British English. Separated by a common language.