italki – In holiday or on holiday Hi could you please tell me the difference: In holiday/ on holiday/ in holi

* In British English we say ‘on holiday’. This is the equivalent of the American ‘on vacation’. It can either mean ‘not at work’, for example,

‘Is Jack in the office today?’
‘No, he’s on holiday this week. He’ll be back at next Monday’

or away on a recreational trip somewhere, for example:

‘I bought this beautiful carpet when I was on holiday in Turkey last summer’.

* In Australian English, you can say ‘on holidays’.

* I have never heard anyone say ‘in holiday’ or ‘in holidays’.

We do say ‘in the holidays’ in British English, though. This usually refers to the period in the summer when schools and other educational establishments are closed. For example, ‘My birthday’s in the holidays so I was never able to celebrate it with my schoolfriends.’