a socket<\/strong>: a hollow or hole into which a plug is inserted<\/p>\n In English we often refer to plugs and sockets in terms of male ends and female ends.\u00a0 Just to clarify, the plug is the male end and the socket the female end.<\/p>\n Here is some more helpful vocabulary:<\/p>\n prongs<\/strong>: the metal pieces that stick out of an electric plug Be careful! If you stick something metal, other than a plug, into an electrical socket, you might get a shock.<\/p>\n a shock<\/strong>: a feeling of electricity, or more generally a feeling of surprise<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Electric plugs around the world have varying numbers of prongs which must fit into the right or correct sockets.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t have the right outlet for your plug, you are going to need an adaptor.<\/p>\n an adaptor<\/strong>: a small device that is used for connecting two electronics that don\u2019t fit together on their own because of mismatched plugs and sockets<\/p>\n If you are traveling internationally or if you are buying an electronic device made in a different country you are likely going to need an adaptor for your electronics.\u00a0 Usually, the way an adaptor works is you put the prongs of you\u2019re electronic device into the socket of the adaptor, and then put the prongs of the adaptor into the socket.<\/p>\n Before you travel to a new place it might be helpful to ask someone in that place the following questions related to plugs and sockets:<\/p>\n What type of wall outlets do you use? <\/em> One last note about wall sockets and plugs.\u00a0 In addition to the different types of outlets, electrical currents differ in different parts of the world too!\u00a0 So it is usually helpful to know if electricity is provided by AC (alternating current) or DC (direct current).\u00a0 Certain electronics can only operate on AC or DC, and if you plug an electronic device that only runs on DC into an AC outlet you could have some problems.<\/p>\n I hope this information was not too shocking and that it will be helpful the next time you travel.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019m sure you have noticed, either in travel or when buying electronics, that we don\u2019t all use the same plugs and sockets for our electronics.\u00a0 This can be more than a little annoying, especially when traveling, but today this little annoyance is going to offer us that chance to talk about some new vocabulary! First…<\/p>\n
\noutlet or terminal:<\/strong> synonyms for socket<\/p>\n
\nWhat do they look like? How many holes are there in the outlet?\u00a0 Are the holes round, flat, or square?\u00a0 Are they straight up and down or at an angle? <\/em>
\nDo you use AC or DC electricity?<\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2013\/02\/shock.jpg\")