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Mon 23 Aug, 2004 01:27 am
I get these words:
destroy, damage, devastate, ruin, and many words belong to this knid
what is the difference between each other and how to use eveyone properly?
Hi there. Welcome to A2K!
Destroy: This implies complete destruction of a thing, "Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius."
Damage: This means partial destruction, "The building was damaged by the earthquake, but repairs are underway."
Devastate: to lay waste or plunder, it is similar to destroy but it has more emotional connotations as it also denotes havoc or wastage, as in "The woman was devastated by the loss of her son."
Ruin: A word which can be used as a synonym for destroy or damage ("The fire will ruin the paintings"), it can also mean that which is in a state of ruin, "We visited the ruins of Pompeii last year"
In many cases, choosing one of these words is merely a matter of taste, one of the more confusing aspects of the English language.