different

The word "different" is the opposite of "same." When something is different, we understand what the difference is by making a comparison.

These sentences and questions provide examples of the adjective "different."

• An apple is very different from an orange.
• How are those two men different from each other?
• She’s different from all the other girls that Bill has gone out with. (Notice that "from" often follows the word "different.")
• I didn’t realize they each spoke a different language. She speaks Cantonese and he speaks Mandarin.
• How are those two ideas different?
• You should sit in a different seat–one that’s closer to the board.

Instead of eating a hamburger, he’s going to try something different–a veggie burger!

These sentences provide examples of the noun "difference."

• There are many differences between an apple and an orange.
• There’s no difference between those two people. They’re exactly the same.
• There’s a big difference between the girl that Bill is going out with now and the girls he has gone out with in the past.
• Differences between Cantonese and Mandarin are hard to distinguish by someone who speaks neither language.
• It doesn’t make any difference to me whether you like my ideas or not.
• Sitting in front of the classroom made a big difference in her grades. Now she’s an "A" student.

To learn how to make comparisons, go to Yellow Level Lesson Six.

Click here to go to the Word of the Day page.

Updated on February 17, 2018