Whats the difference between these English Verbs
Hey there I’m Emma from mmmEnglish!
There are many different ways to express
a single idea in English and these verbs
are a good example of that.
Knowing the subtle differences and understanding
how to use each of these verbs
accurately and naturally is a really good sign of
the difference between an intermediate student
and an advanced English speaker because
these verbs can all be used in really
similar situations, they’re synonyms.
I suppose it can be confusing to know when
and how to use them.
I think you know what I mean right?
But I believe that by the end of watching this video
you’ll be clear on how to use all of them correctly.
I anticipate you’ll have some questions
but I’ll do my best to answer as many of them as I can.
I predict that by the time we get to the mini quiz
at the end, you’ll have no trouble at all.
Let’s go!
Of all of these verbs, think is the one I’m certain
you know and you feel comfortable using.
Suppose, believe, anticipate,
predict, they can all be synonyms of think.
And think has quite a few meanings as well.
It can be used in phrasal verbs and other expressions
but if we focus on the meaning that is
similar to the verbs we’ve been talking about,
then think means to feel that something is true,
based on facts or knowledge that you have.
So we use it to take an educated guess.
I think it’s going to be a hot day tomorrow.
So I’m making a guess and it’s based on
the weather that we’ve had in previous days this week
and maybe I’ve seen the weather report so I’m not
a hundred per cent confident that it’s going to be hot
but I’m using the information that I have
to make that guess.
And by using think, we’re communicating
that we’re unsure.
We’re not a hundred per cent certain right?
If I was certain then I would say:
It will be a hot day tomorrow.
I think we need to turn left but I’m a bit lost.
Now if you’re a regular student of mine,
then you’ll know that I’m often talking about
how important collocations are
and even with simple verbs like think,
it’s often the words that are used with it
where my students make mistakes.
So collocations are words that are commonly
used together in naturally spoken English.
And with the verb think,
the preposition of is often used.
When we think of something or someone, we’re
remembering them
and often
keeping their needs or their happiness in mind.
Our neighbour is always thinking of us
and dropping home-baked goodies on our doorstep.
If I think of someone as something then
I have a specific opinion about them.
I always thought of him as a great athlete.
Or I’ve always thought of myself as a city person
but I really enjoyed the peace and quiet of the farm.
If you think about something, then you’re
carefully considering it right? You’re weighing up
different options to make a decision.
I know I said I’d make the offer by the end of the week
but I need more time to think about it.
It’s a tough decision.
Quick note. It is much more natural when you’re
showing appreciation to someone to say:
Thanks for thinking of me.
Rather than: Thanks for thinking about me.
I suppose you’ve heard this verb before
but I wonder
if you are completely confident in how to use it.
We use the verb suppose when you generally
believe or you think that something is true or possible
but you’re not completely sure.
So of course
that sounds very similar to the definition of think, right?
Let’s look at an example.
I suppose he’s going to show up late again.
He always does.
I think he’s going to show up again.
He always does.
So both of these examples are correct.
You can use each of these verbs like this
but there is a subtle difference.
Think is just a little bit more certain
like you feel that you are right
whereas suppose suggests that
you’re not quite convinced of your own feelings.
Maybe you have some information,
enough to take a guess but you don’t really have any
solid proof.
And when you’re using think,
well you might also have some information
that helps you feel more confident about your feelings.
Maybe someone has said to you that they
hadn’t seen him in the office all day.
Maybe he regularly turns up late
so you’re using the information that you’ve got
to confidently take a guess.
When you’re using suppose
it puts your feelings in a little more doubt.
Now you can also use suppose when you are
being sarcastic when you
think that something is true or correct
but you’re not really happy about it.
I suppose I should finish my homework
before I come over.
You can also say
I suppose so as a way to agree with someone
and again to show that you have some
doubts or maybe that you’re not loving the idea.
Could you help me to edit this
report by the end of the day?
I suppose so.
We use believe when we have an opinion
that something is true or that
what someone is saying is true.
But it doesn’t have to be an opinion based on fact,
it can simply be something that you feel is true.
I believe that we’ll find the right person for the job.
We can’t give up yet.
So again, it’s a synonym of think right?
So the differences are really subtle
but like the verb suppose, when we use believe,
it does sound a little less certain.
However it is a verb that has power like you
trust in your instinct. You feel that you’re correct
but perhaps you don’t have the evidence to support it
but you do have your faith or trust
that it will be.
Now believe is a verb that can be used and is often
used in the passive voice.
We say it is believed that…
And you’ll often hear the adverb widely used as well.
It is widely believed that
and that’s to emphasise that it’s thought to be true
by many people.
So we use the passive voice when
we don’t know or maybe we don’t want to say
who believes that so it’s a really great
sort of collocation, chunk of words
to learn and practise using together.
Now we use the verb anticipate when we
think that something will probably happen
so you believe
that something is coming in the future.
You can’t anticipate that something has happened
in the past or the present, we anticipate the future, right?
We anticipate our sales will triple by next year.
So if I say that I believe our sales will triple,
well it’s just my own personal opinion or my
feelings right?
However, if I use the verb anticipate
well then I usually have some kind of information
or facts to back that up.
I’ve got reasons to believe that something
is going to happen in the future.
And when we anticipate something we usually prepare
ourselves to deal with it too.
We know or we think that we know that something
is coming so we can prepare
for that moment or that event in the future.
I anticipated the test would be difficult
so I studied extra hard.
It’s a good thing that we anticipated such a large crowd
and provided the extra parking.
And last but not least, we use the verb predict
which is actually quite similar to anticipate
because we use predict to guess or to explain
what we think will happen in the future before it actually
does happen.
But the very subtle difference is that we use
anticipate when the event that will happen in the future
is going to happen at a specific time
and we usually use predict when the event will happen
further into the future or we don’t know
what time it’s going to happen.
Scientists predict that machines will be quicker
in learning and predicting the future than humans!
But we could equally say:
We anticipate that machines will be quicker
and faster at learning than humans by next year.
Now remember that in many situations,
you could use several of these verbs correctly but
the meaning of each of those sentences
would be slightly different.
Let’s just look at a comparison.
She believes that 2021 will be a great year.
She predicts that 2021 will be a great year.
She thinks that 2021 will be a great year.
She anticipates that 2021 will be a great year.
And she supposes that 2021 will be a great year.
So all of these sentences make sense
but there are some really subtle differences.
In the first example, by using the verb believe,
well it doesn’t sound very factual, right? She
might not have much information to back up that belief
but she has faith,
she has the feeling that 2021 is going to be great.
So in the second example,
she not only believes but she’s told someone
that she believes. She’s announced her belief, right?
In the third example, if she thinks that 2021 will be great
then she’s formed that opinion based on some
information. Maybe she’s
considered some facts or some ideas, right?
We know that coronavirus vaccine is coming right so
we think next year is going to be better.
When we use anticipate, well we can assume that she’s
planning for 2021 to be great.
She’s based her belief on some information
and she’s organising or she’s preparing everything
to make that happen.
In this example, think and anticipate can be used
pretty interchangeably but anticipate is definitely a more
advanced way of expressing that idea. It also
suggests more specific and more formal language.
And lastly, well she’s got some doubts about
2021 being great. She’s not sure.
The facts and the ideas, maybe they suggest that it’s
gonna be great but she’s not totally convinced so she’s
really expressing her doubt by using the word suppose.
I suppose it’s gonna be good.
All right as always, we’ve got a little quiz to help you
test what you’ve learned. Are you ready to get started?
I’ve got some sentences for you
and I want you to do your best just to pick the best fit
for the space.
Don’t forget that you need to change the
form of the verb
to make sure that the sentence is correct
so that might mean
conjugating the verb so the grammar’s accurate.
Most of these examples are really common expressions
or collocations where
one verb fits better than the others so think about
the meaning and the intention of that verb first
and look for clues in the prepositions and words
around that verb, those collocations.
We’re not
any major issues will be raised at the meeting
tomorrow.
Anticipating is correct.
Everybody likes her and
highly of her.
Now the clue is here.
Thinks.
If you had asked me to
how I would spend the year 2020 last year,
I would have been wrong.
Predict.
Since you have been so good today, I
we can stop for ice cream on the way home.
Suppose.
After watching a few sci-fi documentaries, he now
in aliens.
So again, look at that preposition for a clue.
Believe, you’re right.
So how did you do?
Tell me down in the comments especially if
any of them were quite challenging for you
and can you think of any other synonyms of the word
think?
If you can, share them down in the comments below,
there are definitely a few more to explore.
I love that you have stuck with me all the way through
to the end of the lesson and you’ve done the hard work.
You’re awesome! Well done.
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