[Suggestion] A list of word/phrases for the non-native english users

[OiSkout]

Can there be tolls on highways/freeways/expressways or is there only one or two of them that can have tolls due to the name?

[chimpyang]

"Hey up." (pronounced ehoop) Often heard as a greeting in northern england. often followed by "love" depending on the person.

[TheAmazingYant]

Originally Posted by OiSkout

Can there be tolls on highways/freeways/expressways or is there only one or two of them that can have tolls due to the name?

The name doesn't explicitly denote the absence of tolls. In other words, you can have tolls on pretty much anything, but in the vernacular (common speech amongst the locals), such a road would be described as a toll road. For example: "Tampa's Crosstown Expressway is a Toll Road".

Certain names are more likely to imply the presence of tolls, particularly Expressways and Turnpikes (I can only name a couple turnpikes - Jersey and Florida - and both are toll roads).

In these instances I'm referring to the official names of these highways. In casual conversation any high-occupancy roads in the style of the Autobahn will often be called a highway, or sometimes a freeway.

As an example of how one would talk about these roads, I'll bring back Tampa's Crosstown Expressway. (*Note*: "One" in that sentence is used to speak of a hypothetical, or imaginary, person, and not any specific person, and not as a substitute for "I".): The official name of the road is the "Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway". The road begins at Interstate 75, and ends on the west side of Tampa. If one was giving directions to another person, they would say something like: "Take I-75 North to the Crosstown Expressway, and take that West to Exit ##"

In the above example, Interstate 75 - a massive north/south highway that runs from Miami to Ontario - is shortened to I-75, which is the common way to refer to an Interstate. The name of the expressway is also shortened, as it is assumed that there would be no confusion as to which Crosstown Expressway the speaker is referring to (there's only one Crosstown Expressway in the area). One might even shorten it to just "The Crosstown", if it's assumed that it would be known which road is being spoken of.

If you got off the Crosstown Expressway, and stopped in a gas station to ask someone for directions to your destination, they might respond something like this: "Get back on the highway, going west, and get off at Exit ##."

In this case the speaker is still referring to the same Expressway, and is just referring to it as a highway as a general term. Again it is assumed that there can be no mistaking which highway the speaker is talking about.

Now for the moral of the story: There is little real difference between the various names for American highways. All the names describe the same kind of multi-lane, limited access, high-occupancy roads. Each one will use a specific name as their designation, but they are still highways. For common speech, no one will look at you funny for calling everything a highway, nor will they care if you use the official designation.