Differences between verbs that students often ask about

The difference between [understandunderstand,know,see,find]
. understand:think and understand (action), agree on information that is not good (formal expression)
. know:already know (state), progressive form not possible
. don't understand:I thought about it but didn't understand
. don't know:I don't know the information in the first place
.
see:I found out because the other person told me, (progressive not possible)
find:know through experience
get:understand, understand (explanation) (casual)
have got:already understood, understood

[Difference between talk speak and talk]
talk:exchange words with a listener
speak: to speak aloud (speak can be used even if there is no listener, e.g.,
if you can speak a language (e.g., Chinese), you speak)
[Difference between speak and talk]

[Difference between borrow lend,rent]
borrow:to borrow for free
lend:to lend something for free
rent:the lender is in the business of renting or lending for a certain period of time for a fee
. hire:pay to rent for a temporary period of time
.
[difference between see,look,watch]
see is to see (unconsciously) naturally
. LOOK looks at the object [sometimes the object is not visible]
. watch is to look at a moving object for a long time. (follow with the eyes)
. Examples: see a movie,look ,watch TV,watch a movie(watch a movie DVD at home)

Difference between [hear hear,listen]

hear is unconsciously heard naturally
. Listen is consciously and concentrated listening
.
[meet,see]
meet:meet and talk
. see:saw
.
[the difference between come back,go back,return]
go back=leave your current location and return to your original location
come back=approach the original place, return
return=to return to the original place
. Tom returned to school
Translation: (Tom has already arrived at school, not sure where he was before he returned.)

Tom came back to school.
(Unknown if Tom has arrived at school, but he is moving.
（The speaker (of the line) is at the place (school) to which he will return).

[watch TV TV]
watch TV: watch a TV program (correct answer)
watch the TV: I watched the main body of the TV (incorrect)
watch on TV: (incorrect)
(Reason: watch is transitive verb, so it takes object (noun), prepositions like on and at are unnecessary)
watch A on TV: I saw A on TV.
e.g. watch a soccer game on TV:I watched a soccer game on TV.

take: take the speaker and listener from one place to another.
bring: to bring from the speaker's and listener's place to the other place.
carry: to carry with you. Carry: to carry around.
[meat]
meat:meat
. -----------------------------------
beef:beef(plural not allowed)
cow,bull:cow,bull(plural is acceptable)
-----------------------------------
pork:pork, pig
. chicken:live chicken (countable), edible chicken (uncountable)

[school]
he is at school: he is at school (usually studying)
he is in school: he is a student (is in school)
the school(school(building)
. He went to the school(he goes to the school
[for purposes other than studying or going to school]
. [University]
university: a comprehensive university with departments in many fields, a graduate school, a large university (USA)
college: a department within a comprehensive university, or a small university without a graduate school (USA)


adverbs

100%:always:always
80%:usually
60%:often:often
50%:sometimes:sometimes
20%:seldom,rarely:seldom
0%:never,not:never

Number

thousand:1000
million:one million
billion:one billion
(trillion:one trillion)
ten thousand:ten thousand (thatsand is singular)

[eat]
eat:the act of putting something in the mouth (a bit graphic)
have:to go out to eat
. There is not that much difference between eat and have at the middle school level
.

Short Notes

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