Question
Actualizado en
11 dic 2019
- Español (España)
-
Italiano
-
Japonés
-
Inglés (US)
Pregunta de Inglés (US)
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre wide y broad ?Puedes dar oraciones como ejemplo.
¿Cuál es la diferencia entre wide y broad ?Puedes dar oraciones como ejemplo.
Respuestas
11 dic 2019
Respuesta destacada
- Inglés (US)
They are similar in meaning.
But-
we use them differently, especially in idiomatic phrases.
We say a man has broad shoulders. We don’t say he has wide shoulders.
We say someone has their eyes wide open and a wide smile.
We don’t use broad in these phrases at all.
I think it is actually very difficult to characterize the differences into rules.
Here are some other kinds of examples- this time of similar use.
The prairie is a wide open space.
There is a broad expanse of prairie.
Here you can see we are using the words to mean the exact same kind of idea,
but we use the words differently in the sentence.
We say a wide open space, not a broad open space.
This is what is tricky to get a handle on.
A bridge is broad.
A bridge has wide lanes.
Other uses-
A woman is a broad. Very idiomatic language.
This is a broad outline of the facts.
We don’t use wide here.
We say there is a wide scope though.
Hope that helps a bit. It is a beginning.
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- Inglés (US)
They are similar in meaning.
But-
we use them differently, especially in idiomatic phrases.
We say a man has broad shoulders. We don’t say he has wide shoulders.
We say someone has their eyes wide open and a wide smile.
We don’t use broad in these phrases at all.
I think it is actually very difficult to characterize the differences into rules.
Here are some other kinds of examples- this time of similar use.
The prairie is a wide open space.
There is a broad expanse of prairie.
Here you can see we are using the words to mean the exact same kind of idea,
but we use the words differently in the sentence.
We say a wide open space, not a broad open space.
This is what is tricky to get a handle on.
A bridge is broad.
A bridge has wide lanes.
Other uses-
A woman is a broad. Very idiomatic language.
This is a broad outline of the facts.
We don’t use wide here.
We say there is a wide scope though.
Hope that helps a bit. It is a beginning.
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- Inglés (US)
Correction- We can say a man has wide shoulders - it just doesn’t quite mean the same thing as broad shoulders.
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- Español (España)
@redtsuru what is the difference in that case of the man shoulders?
and thank you so much for the detailed explanation!
and thank you so much for the detailed explanation!
- Inglés (US)
He has wide shoulders - that means if you were a tailor making him a suit, and you took a measurement of his shoulders, the number would be larger than one of a skinny guy.
That a man has broad shoulders means he is strong.
More importantly- this phrase ( unlike the wide shoulders phrase)
is an idiom and means he is capable of supporting other people.
It says something about his character as a man, ie who he IS as a man.
He is able to carry others,
take care of others
like a good father
or good leader does.
This is a very very interesting question you have asked.
As I think about it, I realize the following:
these two words, that have similar meanings ( their meaning we say is “close”)
are each an opening ( like a gateway or door or window) into different WORLDS of metaphor and meaning.
The metaphor is rich, complex and filled with American and British cultural meaning and history.
So as you read and study English you will gather unconsciously -understandings of what we use these words to express.
I was thinking about Spain and Spanish culture and art. I do not know much Spanish ( my loss)
but
if I say the word or see the word “Guernica”
a whole painting comes into my mind, the famous painting by Pablo Picasso that I saw as a child in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, controversy and all.
This word, a name of a town in the Basque Country, is more than that town. This painting is more than a scene. It is one of the greatest paintings ever made and it changes us and how we think about war and people’s lives.
This is the kind of difference- between wide and broad that a native speaker hears when we use these to words and the metaphors they take us to.
It is hard to articulate the full length of each word’s journey. I think you will gather your understanding as you get to read them in our literature and hear them in their use.
Hope that helps.
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- Inglés (US)
Typo when we hear these TWO words
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- Español (España)
@redtsuru guau, you've impressed me so much with your ideas. Such a great reflexion. I have already heard someone says that when you learn a language you learn a new culture too. This is precisely what it means. I've enjoy reading your impressions and I'm pleased that you also find my culture interesting. Have you read about this topic before? or maybe you're studying something related with languages? I've always wanted to find some text or book that talk about this kind of details in English and how it build a whole culture (and way of thinking).
- Inglés (US)
Hi Tuki4,
I’m glad what I wrote helped and made sense to you.
Your question is what caused me to do all this thinking!
I had to ask myself:
what am I doing with these 2 words and why?
It took me down an interesting path!
I studied English poetry in college and Anthropology
(how words shape what people see and think).
I have not read on this specific topic before,
but I have studied the use of words in poetry in depth.
This I think is “the earth” of the people and culture,
and where the digging must happen.
But I don’t know of a book on this.
I think the art, the literature, the music and the food of a people
can help show us a way into the culture and what matters most
and what is in the soul of the people and the land where they live.
What do you think?
What would be good ways to learn about your language and culture?
And what matters most and is important to people in Spain?
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- Español (España)
@redtsuru maybe a way of learning about these thing could be through traditional tales or idioms (I specially love them, in Spain we call them "refranes"), because they talk about our roots.
And your question is a difficult one. I've given it some thought, and maybe it's because Christmas is close, but we find our family to be very important, as well as our social network. Help and being helped in return. Because of our good weather we spend plenty of time socialising so it represents a great part of our priorities.
In general, we are passionate and proud, which makes us be loud and headstrong at times.
Also our culture is the result of a number of contributions. We can appreciate this on our language (words from Latin and Arabic for ex.), the weight of the Catholic religion (in artistical representations), and the technological progress with each ocupation. Our history is old and therefore out present is complex.
What is important for American people? how can we better learn about your culture?
And your question is a difficult one. I've given it some thought, and maybe it's because Christmas is close, but we find our family to be very important, as well as our social network. Help and being helped in return. Because of our good weather we spend plenty of time socialising so it represents a great part of our priorities.
In general, we are passionate and proud, which makes us be loud and headstrong at times.
Also our culture is the result of a number of contributions. We can appreciate this on our language (words from Latin and Arabic for ex.), the weight of the Catholic religion (in artistical representations), and the technological progress with each ocupation. Our history is old and therefore out present is complex.
What is important for American people? how can we better learn about your culture?
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