Can vs. Be Able To
Be able to often has the same meaning as can. I am unable to/can’t understand his motive. He is able to/can support her. Can is preferred in expression like can see, can hear etc....
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By vs. With
By and with can both be used to say how somebody does something, but there is an important difference. By refers to the method; with refers to the tool. He killed the spider by...
But vs. Though vs. Despite vs. In Spite Of
All of these words show contrast. But and though are conjunctions. They are used to join two clauses together. In spite of and despite are prepositions. They are followed by a noun or an...
But As A Conjunction
As a conjunction But, as a conjunction, is used to join contrasting ideas. Their front door was open, but nobody was at home. The rope was thin but it was strong. He is hardworking,...
Bring vs. Take
Bring is used when something is being moved towards the speaker. Bring me that book. Take is used when something is being moved away from the area of the speaker. Take that paper with...
Both vs. Both Of
Both means the one and also the other of two persons/things etc. I want both books. Both shirts are good. Both and both of Before a noun with a determiner (the, this, my, your,...
Born vs. Borne
The passive form of the verb born (be + born) is used to talk about coming into the world at birth. He was born to poor parents. I was born on a Friday. She...
Big vs. Large vs. Great
Big and large are used mostly with concrete nouns – the names of things you can see, touch etc. They have a big/large house in the city. Great is used mostly with abstract nouns...
Between vs. During
The words between and during are often confused. During is used to say when something happens. We were in Switzerland during last summer. I was unwell during the whole of last week. He got...
Between vs. Among
We use between to say that somebody or something is between two or more clearly separate objects. The letter B comes between A and C. The Mediterranean Sea is between Europe and Africa. He...