It doesn’t matter who we are and the level of education we acquire there is always something new to know about, considering the truth that no one knows everything—except probably the god who is prescient and all-knowing.
As a lexiphile, I have some words having such disparities that I guarantee not each of you would be aware of— particularly those of my friends learning English as a second language. So that is what we will be focusing on today. So let’s begin because it’s code-red time!
Table of contents:
- Center vs centre
- Mind vs brain
- Discrete vs discreet
- Click vs tap vs press
- ‘Inter-‘ vs ‘trans-‘ vs ‘cross-‘
- ‘Non-‘ vs ‘un-‘
- Cumulative vs total
- Translate vs transliterate
- Especially vs specially
- Personality vs character
Centre vs center
I have seen many people think that they might mistake the one (of the two given above) for the other. But you simply can’t because in this case, both are correct. Yes! You heard it right. ‘Centre’ is the one used by the British people while ‘center’ is used by Americans.
Mind vs brain
If you are also a non-native English speaker you must know the difference between the two. When we say ‘brain’ we generally refer to the organ present inside our skull. It simply means that the brain has a physical form, something which the mind lacks. But when we say ‘mind’ we are talking about what without which our brain is of no use. Put in a non-circumlocutionary way, the brain is an organ while the mind is what is working inside the brain.
Let’s elucidate/simplify it by using an analogical approach. Think of your computer. It has a C.P.U., an abbreviated form for the central processing unit. Can you touch a computer’s C.P.U. cabinet? Of course! Yes!
Now think of Windows 7. Can you touch it? Of course not!
Why? Because it lacks physicality. This is the main difference between the brain and the mind. Now applying this analogy to differentiate between the brain and the mind, we can envisage ‘brain’ as a C.P.U. cabinet containing a software called ‘mind’.
So now I have a question if instead if saying “mind it” I say “brain it”, what would it mean?
Hahaha! Funny, isn’t it? Do comment down about it.
Discrete vs discreet
Despite the two having a phonological resemblance, they differ a lot in meaning. ‘Discrete’ refers to separate, which is lucid to make out. On the other hand, discreet means being sly/cunning or shrewd or careful so as not to reveal or disclose anything not intended to go public.
E.g. “I have visited the hostel. It’s of course unisex, having discrete lavatories for both: boys and girls.”
E.g. “Didn’t you notice his talks? He sounded quite discreet as if trying to hide something from us.”
Click vs tap vs press
Despite being used interchangeably, the trio has nuances having to do with the device used and the action performed.
‘Click’ is mostly associated with the mouse or touchpad, the action being pressing and releasing the button on the mouse.
‘Press’ is supposed to be used with keyboards or physical buttons on other devices too, the action involving pressing down on a button and holding it for a moment.
‘Tap’ is exclusively meant for touch-sensitive surfaces like your smartphone, the action requiring no definition.
‘Inter-‘ vs ‘trans-‘ vs ‘cross’
I have seen these three bothering me innumerable times. But not anymore!
‘Inter’ means between or among and ‘cross’ refers to an action or movement across something often with a sense of contradiction or opposition. While ‘trans’ shows movement or action beyond, across or through something.
I know it might sound a bit perplexing but focusing on the nuances can help you comprehend these words profoundly. When using ‘inter’ just think of a relationship or interaction between or among two or more things for example international relations. While making use of ‘cross’ focus on whether or not it gives a sense of opposition or contradiction, generally in return for an action previously undertaken by someone, as an example — crossfire or cross-examination. In terms of ‘trans’, just of a movement or action across, beyond or through something like transport.
‘non-‘ vs ‘un-‘
‘Un’ basically means the opposite or reverse of the base word: like happy and unhappy. While ‘Non’ means absence or lack of something: such as nonexistent. The nuance is that ‘un’ expresses an inherent state or condition that is opposite to the base word and on the other hand ‘non’ renders a neutral statement about the absence of a quality or state.
Cumulative vs total
You must have seen cumulative marks or things like CGPA. Why don’t they use ‘total’ instead of ‘cumulative’? See ‘total’ simply means complete or whole, entire amount or quantity of something (as we all know) but ‘cumulative’ refers to an increase by successive addition or accumulation. To show the entire sum or amount without any consideration to the way it was accumulated, we use ‘total’ but to show the gradual accumulation of something to form a total we should use ‘cumulative’.
Now I consider it to be sufficient to convey a proper differentiation between the two.
Translate vs transliterate
For some of you this one could be the first encounter with the word ‘transliterate’, but let’s look at what it means and of course how it is discernible from ‘translate’. To translate something means to convert it into another language: conversion of text from one language to another with a scrupulous eye on its meaning. To transliterate something means using a language’s script or letters to represent another language’s text based on its pronunciation or phonetic representation.
Here is what I mean:
” My name is Jerry. “
Its translation into Urdu would be:
میرا نام جیری ہے۔
Now how will you pronounce it?
“Mera naam jerry hai.”
This is how you pronounce it: it’s the transliterated Urdu version of the Urdu sentence given above.
Especially vs specially
These are common ones an individual might stumble upon. ‘Specially’ means in a special way perhaps to gain something or meet a purpose, on the other hand ‘especially’ means particularly which shows focus on a particular object or thing.
E.g. ” I made the cake specially for you.”
( Implying a special or different way of cake creation).
E.g. “I made the cake especially for you.”
( Conveying the sense of focus on a particular person as if ‘particularly for you’ ).
Personality vs character
This one is my favorite one. We tend to end up using character and personality interchangeably. But here is why we shouldn’t.
The term ‘personality’ has been derived from the Latin ‘persona’ meaning a ‘mask’, generally worn by an actor. So it refers to one’s social facade: the outer you. The way you talk, the way you walk and the way you dress up constitute your personality. But the character is what is judged on a more individual level. Character is whether a person pays attention to values, takes a stand to protect others’ rights, is moral/ethical or not. A person with a dashing personality may have a rotten character and vice versa.
Hope you enjoyed reading this blog!
Thanks for reading it and I will see you in my upcoming blog. Bye for now!