[Help] Differences between some words

I'm no expert at this, but it seems to me that group 1 words are achievements sought by a person, whereas group 2 words are for things not sought by a person.

Thank you very much!
But, I'm sorry it's not quite what I mean.
Actually, I can't differentiate the words within the groups, such as the differences between "obtain"and"acquire".
I hope I made myself understood at this time.
Thanks.

I'll take a humble crack at number 1.

All of the words have multiple meanings, but together they share the common meaning "come into possession of something physical or abstract," so I'll assume that this is the sense that concerns you. They differ in the degree to which the following apply :


- effort is required to come into possession;
- possession is restricted to something abstract or physical;
- possession suggests augmentation.

1. Obtain: some effort
2. Acquire: some effort
3. Gain: suggests augmentation
4. Get: neutral
5. Derive: restricted to abstract
6. Earn: some effort, restricted to abstract
7. Procure: effort, restricted to physical
8. Receive: passive

These are not absolute rules and I may have missed some other nuances, but it's a fairly good guide. "Get" is probably the most neutral of the eight words, so I've included some sample sentences using "get." Try to determine which synonyms would or wouldn't work well in each of the sentences based on the guidelines above. (I've given you a clue for the first one.)

I got a gift. Passive, physical
I got some valuable experience from the seminar.
I got a pay raise (rise).
I got some bullets for our gun.

Thank you very much!
Your reply is really useful to me.
I will study it over and over.