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Mr. Tom Posted 9 years ago
Vocabulary

The road was gridlocked

Hi

Would you say that both of these are equally natural and synonymous?

The road was gridlocked. It was impossible to make it through.

The road was jammed. It was impossible to make it through.

https://www.google.com.pk/search?q=gridlocked+road&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3lvKyzr3TAhWIhRoKHZb8DJkQ_AUIBygC&biw=1366&bih=662#tbm=isch&q=jammed+road

https://www.google.com.pk/search?q=gridlocked+road&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3lvKyzr3TAhWIhRoKHZb8DJkQ_AUIBygC&biw=1366&bih=662

Thanks,

Tom

  

Top answer

The road was jammed. I usually hear and say There was a traffic jam or The traffic was all backed-up. The road was gridlocked.

— Clive

  • The road was jammed.
  • I usually hear and say There was a traffic jam or The traffic was all backed-up.
  • The road was gridlocked.
  • This means a traffic jam at an intersection, where cars are unsuccessfully trying to go in different directions.
  • org%25252Fgridlock&source=iu&pf=m&fir=l8-miZkCVN79mM%253A%252CeMtHJljoKpdMkM%252C_&usg=__BDYrS_dcCSYwIDFtC0H0341jDYI%3D&biw=1440&bih=760&ved=0ahUKEwiItJS-gr7TAhUK_4MKHX1MAHAQyjcIOw&ei=wmv-WIjLEIr-jwT9mIGABw#imgrc=l8-miZkCVN79mM :
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2 Answers
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The road was jammed. I usually hear and say There was a traffic jam or The traffic was all backed-up.


The road was gridlocked. This means a traffic jam at an intersection, where cars are unsuccessfully trying to go in different directions.

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In the US (Clive is Canadian), you might hear the following:


It was gridlock. It was impossible to make it through. ("The road was gridlocked" is not used here.)


The road was jammed, we couldn't make it through. ("Impossible" is too strong a word to use with "jammed.")

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