Questions tagged [difference]
This tag is for questions about the difference in meaning between certain words, phrases, or sentences.
4,488
questions
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Assessment v. evaluation
What is the difference between "assessment" and "evaluation"? For example, when you try to make a judgement as to whether a particular source of information is trustworthy or not, ...
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15
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speak to vs talk to
My question is about "English Grammar in Use" by Raymond Murphy Unit 36, Exercise 36.5.3.
In this context, which sounds more natural?
The instruction given in the book is to use wouldn't + a ...
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1
answer
22
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Sign v. sign off
When you finish your letter by writing, for instance, "Love, John", do you "sign" your letter or "sign it off"? Both seem to fit, semantically speaking.
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2
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26
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Always Almost or Almost Always?
Is there any difference between:
I always almost burn myself when I cook.
I almost always burn myself when I cook.
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2
answers
25
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What is the semantic difference between "paid" and "payed? " [closed]
What is the semantic difference between "paid" and "payed?"
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1
answer
20
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People want to be a teacher or teachers?
If I want to talk about some people in general who want to be X. Is the X should be plural or not? I have this doubt since I remember there's a grammar book explains about this (I couldn't find which ...
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1
answer
32
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"to pull all of the data" vs "to pull all the data"
I have these two phrases: "to pull all of the data" and "to pull all the data".
The second phrase seems a bit off, but it's used a lot in technical writing, so I guess I'm missing ...
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1
answer
16
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Smartphone use among visually impaired person: A report of two cases study or two case studies
A report of two cases study OR two case studies
in the above, which one will be correct or appropriate?
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16
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life/personal life
I want to say that it's important for people to make risky moves both in their professional lives and their personal lives. But I want to make it neater. Do I have to use "personal life"? ...
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1
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Is there a difference between "supplicant" and "sycophant"?
Cambridge Dictionary defines "supplicant" as:
a person who asks a god or someone who is in a position of power for
something in a humble way
whereas the same dictionary defines "...
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1
answer
36
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a fourteen-day holiday vs fourteen days' holiday
I'm going on holiday on the 12th. I have to be back at work on the 26th.
So I've got
a) a fourteen-day holiday
b) fourteen days' holiday
I chose a), but the answer in the book is b).
Is "a ...
1
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2
answers
43
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What is the difference between "vehicle" "outlet" and "avenue"?
According to Lexico Dictionary, the three words are defined as:
Vehicle
a thing used to express, embody, or fulfill something:
Example: "I use paint as a vehicle for my ideas"
Outlet
a ...
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2
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16
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what is the difference of the meanings?
Could you tell me the difference between the two below?
I wish I had asked him his phone number.
I wish I had listened to him his phone number.
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3
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I was baptized/christened (as) a Catholic
oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com:
(1a) I was baptized a Catholic.
My variants:
(1b) I was christened a Catholic.
(2a) I was baptized as a Catholic.
(2b) I was christened as a Catholic.
Which of my ...
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0
answers
48
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in the/their hundreds [duplicate]
Which word is correct in the following?
Tourists arrived in the/their hundreds.
People flocked in the/their thousands to see her.
The region attracts tourists in the/their multitudes.
The second ...
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2
answers
30
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What is the difference between "He made it through the crowd to me" and "He made his way through the crowd to me" in this context?
I am inside a crowd and he is outside the crowd.
What is the difference between "He made it through the crowd to me" and "He made his way through the crowd to me" in this context?
...
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4
answers
43
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Wasn't you Vs Weren't you? [closed]
I was wondering which one is grammatically correct and why?
I got corrected when I said the following "wasn't you singing this song the other day" from wasn't to weren't.
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1
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27
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The use of the present simple and the future simple after "if-clauses" when making threats
Would you tell me if there is any difference in meaning between the present simple and the future simple in the context below?
If you don't pay up, I file a lawsuit.
If you don't pay up, I will file ...
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1
answer
60
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Are there any distinctions between "du jour" and "currency"? [closed]
Source: Dictionary.com
du jour
1)as prepared on the particular day; of the kind being served today:
The soup du jour is split pea.
2)fashionable; current:
environmentalism and other issues du jour.
...
3
votes
2
answers
137
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Why is it "learner's dictionary" and not "learners' dictionary"?
I think the title learner's dictionary means a learner's dictionary, but why omit the indefinite article? Wouldn't it be clearer to say learners' dictionary?
2
votes
2
answers
45
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Their luxurious lifestyle/lifestyles
I'm interested in celebrities' luxurious lifestyle/lifestyles.
Should lifestyle be plural because celebrities is plural? Or maybe it should be singular if those celebrities only have one lifestyle?
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1
answer
56
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What are the differences between "dubious" and "incredulous", if any?
Cambridge Dictionary defines the words in the question as follows:
Dubious:
Definition: feeling doubt or not feeling certain
Examples:
These claims are dubious and not scientifically proven.
He has ...
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0
answers
62
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What are the differences between "blithe" and "beatific", if any?
The Free Dictionary defines the words in question as follows:
blithe (blaɪð, blaɪθ)
Definition:
lighthearted in disposition; cheerful.
heedless: a blithe disregard for someone's feelings.
beatific (...
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0
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15
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I'll always think of you / I'll always be thinking of you
What's the difference between "I'll always think of you" and "I'll always be thinking of you"?
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1
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What's the difference between "we have grown to be" and "we have grown to become"?
When I google "we have grown to be" and "we have grown to become" respectively, I get a decent number of hits for both (22 pages and 24 pages respectively, set to UK pages only), ...
0
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1
answer
29
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until vs before
What's the difference between until and before in this sentence?
He won't be home until/before noon.
I know the general difference between the two words, but in this particular sentence they seem to ...
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2
answers
20
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topical vs thematic
One of the meanings of "topical" from lexico.com:
relating to a particular subject; classified according to subject:
topical categories / descriptors / menus / interest / themes / ...
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0
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I lost all my money X/in/to gambling
I saw a sentence, "I lost all my money gambling." Is it grammatical? I just can't figure out why this sentence structure is acceptable. Is there any word omitted before the word "...
0
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2
answers
32
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Two-year-olds and Two-year-old babies
Why do some say:
After a child's second birthday, the rate of growth continues to slow. Two-year-olds are very active and begin to lose the appearance of a baby.
Two-year-olds, not, say, Two-year-...
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1
answer
37
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I have eaten / had eaten / ate seaweed when I was in Thailand three years ago
quora.com:
1a) I have eaten seaweed when I was in Thailand three years ago.
My variants:
1b) I had eaten seaweed when I was in Thailand three years ago.
1c) I ate seaweed when I was in Thailand three ...
1
vote
1
answer
184
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Is "the establishment" a formal word for "store"?
I have looked up in three different dictionaries, but I didn't find anything that mentions establishment can also mean "a store". Now, I'm questioning myself whether I have understood the ...
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1
answer
23
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"in the hundreds" vs "in hundreds"
I'd like to know the difference between "in the hundreds" and "in hundreds". For this purpose I've found some examples:
collinsdictionary.com: 1a The temperature was in the ...
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0
answers
30
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I read/was reading a book until I fell asleep
Can we use the past simple with "from .. to.." even if we didn't finish the book/the ship etc. or is it necessary to use the past continuous?
Examples with "from .. to ..":
I read ...
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1
answer
15
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What is the difference between "take in hand" and "take by the hand"?
Is there a difference between "take in hand" and "take by the hand"? I tried to google the meanings but it's still a little vague.
1
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1
answer
30
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About Algerian Constitution [closed]
Which is the correct sentence and why?
1 - The Algerian people are a free people; and they are resolved to remain so
or
2 - The Algerian people is a free people, decided to remain free
What is the ...
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1
answer
23
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"allocated" or "relocated" in this context? [closed]
For the slogan of a company we would are considering something with the following meaning:
"European technology allocated in Africa"
"European technology relocated in Africa"
It is ...
0
votes
1
answer
27
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around vs round
I will walk around the park
vs
I will walk round the park.
Everyone, what do you feel the difference as a native speaker?
around for me = go around the park to avoid it AND walk here and there ...
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votes
1
answer
10
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Different ways of writing a sentence for clarity
I got the following suggestion from one of the online grammar checker tools.
I wrote:
In the sum, the nth integer is divided by q.
The correction made shows
The nth integer is divided by q in the ...
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1
answer
19
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I'll be gone IN or ON the train?
Obviously we say ''I am on the train'' but if there's ''I'll be gone...'' in the sentence does it affect the grammar in any way? Is it ''I'll be gone IN or ON the train?''
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1
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43
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What is the difference between "a park" and "the park" [duplicate]
What is the difference between "a park" and "the park". Except the fact that we use "a" when we mention a park in the first time and then we need "the" when we ...
0
votes
1
answer
35
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Perfect or perfect continuous?
Perfect simple and perfect continuous are sometimes confusing for learners. I know we can use "I've worked for twenty years" in place of "I've been working for twenty years". Both ...
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2
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18
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'I wouldn't lie' vs 'I wouldn't be lying'
Is there any difference between those two forms:
I wouldn't be lying
I wouldn't lie
For example:
I wouldn't be lying if I said this is the best evening in my life!
I wouldn't lie if I said this is ...
1
vote
1
answer
23
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Any distinctions between "amenable" and "receptive"?
amenable
Definition: ready or willing to answer, act, agree, or yield; open to influence, persuasion, or advice; agreeable; submissive; tractable tractable:
an amenable child
The children are ...
2
votes
2
answers
28
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Difference between so and very
In the following situation, does "very" or "so" sound more natural?
You usually go to bed early. Last night you went to bed very late (for you) and as a result you are very tired ...
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Representation and view
The film offers a realistic representation/view of life in rural Spain.
Abstract representation/view of the components of a computer system.
What is the difference between these words ?
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0
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What is the difference between "receptive" and "amenable"?
receptive:
Definition: willing to listen to or accept ideas, suggestions, etc.
Examples: I was happy to be speaking before such a receptive audience.
He was receptive to the idea of going back to ...
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1
answer
63
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What is the difference between hitherto and heretofore? [closed]
Hitherto:
Definition:
Until now or until a particular time:\
Example:
Mira revealed hitherto unsuspected talents on the dance floor.
heretofore:
Definition:
Until this time, before now
Examples:
...
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0
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18
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haven't been swimming vs haven't gone swimming
In the following text:
A: Do you ever go swimming?
B: Not these days. I haven't ________________ a long time.
Can I say
I haven't been going swimming for a long time.
I haven't gone swimming for a ...
0
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2
answers
25
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"See that" vs "See something V-ed"
Is there any difference between these two constructions, for example, can I paraphrase sentence (1) as (2)?
She saw him killed last night.
She saw (that) he was killed last night.
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3
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46
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This is mashed potatoes or These are mashed potatoes
This question arose in the discussion of a language learning app. Its original sentence is in Russian and it says
Это пюре а вот пицца.
The translation from the app is
This is mashed potatoes and ...