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Difference Between Born and Borne

Confusing Words: Born (verb) and Borne (verb)
Meaning:
Born (come into existence as a result of birth.)
Borne (to contain” or “to give birth to)
Born vs Borne Clarification: Born and borne are the two different spellings of the same word that can be used as the past tense and past participle of bear, which means to hold on to something or to give birth.

Born vs Borne – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

As you can see that born and borne are just one-letter apart but their pronunciation is same. In this post, I will reveal the differences between born and borne. Moreover, I will define these terms and use them in example sentences.

First of all, I will define the verb ‘bear’ because born or borne is used as the past participle of bear.

Bear means to tolerate something terrible; to hold something; to give birth; OR to produce fruit, flower or plants. 

1. I can’t bear this kind of awful attitude in my class.

2. I hope that the tree will bear fruits in the coming season.

Born or Borne

Born and borne are the two different spellings of the same word that can be used as the past tense and past participle of bear. However, both need different contexts to be used in. In the light of past tense, born is used when it is, only, related to birth whereas, borne is not restricted as it is, mostly, used to refer to hold, to tolerate, to produce or to give birth .

1. I had already borne his sad stories.

2. His brother was born in Istanbul when the whole city was covered with snow.

3. The boy, who has not yet been named, was born with polymelia — a rare congenital birth defect that results in extra limbs or organs, which are usually deformed. (CNN)

4. China and Mexico have borne the brunt of his early threats, he now has a prime opportunity to box out some of Europe’s most famous exports. (POLITICO.eu)

Check Out: Difference Between Bear and Bare.

Correct Way to Use Born and Borne

Note the above example sentences. Remember to use borne with helping or auxiliary verbs. On the other hand, if you are referring to someone’s birth date or place, remember to use was or were with born.

There are other phrases like Australian-born person, Canadian-born person, water-borne diseases, mosquito-born viruses etc.

In water-borne diseases and mosquito-borne viruses, borne has been used to mean ‘carried by’ (i.e. the diseases are carried by water and viruses are carried by mosquito).

In Australian-born person and Canadian-born person, born is used to refer the place of birth of that person.

1. Last week witnessed a significant spike in cases of water-borne diseases in the city. (Times of India)

2. Australian-born acoustic guitar player travels the world to play his way to fame. (Virginian-Pilot)

What Did You Learn?

Born and borne are the two different spellings of the same word, that is used as the past tense of the verb ‘bear’. However, you need to be careful about the contexts because both of these words are used in different contexts.

Born is used when it is related to childbirth. On the other hand, borne is used in all other senses like to carry or to tolerate, except childbirth.

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Definition of Accept

Definition of Accept: It is a verb.’ It means “to receive, take or to have something.”

For instance;

  1. I was helpless, that’s why I accepted his proposal.
  2. I can’t accept this kind of rude behavior from my friends.

Usage of “Accept” In Different Contexts

The word can be applied in various settings, from everyday social situations to more formal or emotional contexts. Its meaning subtly changes based on the scenario, making it a versatile word in communication.

  • Social: In social interactions, it typically means agreeing to invitations or offers. For example, “He accepted the dinner invitation without hesitation,” shows a positive response to a social event or opportunity.
  • Professional: In the workplace, “accept” can mean agreeing to take on responsibility, tasks, or offers. For example, “She accepted the job offer after considering the benefits,” illustrates a professional decision made after weighing options.
  • Emotional: On an emotional level, “accept” often refers to coming to terms with reality, especially difficult situations. “It was hard, but I had to accept the truth,” demonstrates personal growth through acknowledgment of facts or feelings.

Different Forms of the Word “Accept”

It can be transformed into different grammatical forms, each with its own specific meaning, allowing the word to fit into various sentence structures and contexts.

  • Accepted (adjective): This form means that something has been agreed upon or is generally acknowledged as valid or true. For instance, “The proposal was widely accepted,” shows consensus or approval.
  • Acceptance (noun): As a noun, “acceptance” refers to the act of accepting or the state of being accepted. “His acceptance into the program was a proud moment,” highlights a formal admission or approval.

Synonyms and Antonyms

To better understand, it helps to explore words with similar and opposite meanings. Synonyms provide alternative ways to convey agreement, while antonyms offer contrast by expressing refusal or rejection.

  • Synonyms: Words like “receive,” “embrace,” “take on,” “agree to,” and “acknowledge” all share a similar meaning to “accept.” These synonyms can be used interchangeably depending on the tone or context.
  • Antonyms: On the other hand, “refuse,” “reject,” “deny,” and “decline” are antonyms that express the opposite of acceptance, meaning to disagree or not allow something.

Check Out: The Difference Between Except and Accept.

What Did You Learn?

“Accept” is a versatile verb that applies in different contexts, from social to professional and emotional settings. Whether used in everyday conversations or formal situations, the word plays a vital role in communication by expressing agreement, approval, or acknowledgement.

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What is the Accusative Case? – Examples & Definition

The accusative case is one of the four cases in English grammar. Case is known as the grammatical function of a noun or pronoun. In a sentence, case shows the relationship of a noun or a pronoun to the other words.

Other than accusative case, the three cases are nominative case, genitive case, and dative case.

Accusative Case

The accusative case is the case in English that indicates a direct object. That direct object is a noun or a pronoun on which the action is being performed.

Accusative Case = Objective Case

For example,

1. She broke the toy.

2. She cut the vegetables.

In the above examples, find out the verb and ask “What?”

The verbs in the examples are ‘broke’ and ‘cut’. So, to find out the direct object, ask “broke what?” or “cut what?” The subject “she” broke “the toy”. It means that “the toy” is the direct object on which the action is being performed and hence, it will be in the accusative case.

In the same way, “the vegetables” is the direct object in the second example.

Nominative Case

The nominative case is the subjective case. It means that it is used for a noun or a pronoun, who is the subject in a sentence. Subject is the one who performs an action.

Nominative Case = Subjective Case

For example,

1. He runs a business.

2. They broke our glass.

In the above examples, ‘he’ and ‘they’ can be in the nominative case because they are the subjects (i.e. who performs an action).

Genitive Case

Genitive case is the possessive case that shows possession. It means that they can be those nouns or pronouns that show ownership.

Genetive Case = Possessive Case

For example,

1. I did not like Jack’s haircut.

2. We are removing our pictures.

In the first example, ‘Jack’s’ is the genitive case whereas, ‘our’ is the genitive case in the second example.

Dative Case

The dative case is the case that is used to show the indirect case in a sentence, which is a noun or a pronoun.

For example,

1. We are removing these pictures just for you.

In the above example, the direct object is ‘pictures’. On the other hand, ‘you’ is the indirect object in this particular case (i.e. dative case).

An Important Point

The accusative case should be used when a word is used as an object of the preposition. For instance, for whom, with her, to him, etc.

Check Out: What Is a Simple Subject?

What Did You Learn?

The accusative case is the case in English that indicates a direct object of a verb. It is also known as the objective case. It is also used as an object of the prepositions.

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What is an Active Voice? – Examples & Definition

One of the styles of writing is active voice in which the subject is the first word who completes the overall action in a sentence.

Learn about Active Voice

Active voice refers to that style of writing in which the subject is required to do the action of the sentence. The subject is the first word that comes before the verb.

You can see this style of writing in most of the writings. Writers tend to write in this style as it is the most common and acceptable style. Writing in active voice helps the readers to clearly understand the writings.

For example,

1. I clean up my room every week.

2. She lives in her grandparents’ place.

You can see in the above examples, the subjects ‘I’ and ‘she’ are doing the action verbs. Also, in each sentence, the subject is the first word that comes before the verb and object.

Points to Remember

In a sentence, when the subject completes an action, the sentence will be formed as an active sentence. Just remember that the subject should do the verb otherwise, the sentence will not be considered as an active sentence.

For example,

1. She ran.

• Yesterday, she ran.
• In the morning, she ran to the beach.

You see that the subject ‘she’ comes before the verb and it is the only one who is doing the action verb ‘ran’.

Some famous quotes in Active Voice

1. If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with. (Michael Jackson)

2. I destroy my enemy when I make him my friend. (Abraham Lincoln)

Active vs. Passive Voice

What is passive voice? It is another style of writing in which the object becomes the subject of the sentence.
You can say that it may be the opposite of active voice.

For example,

1. I clean up my room. (Active voice)
• My room was cleaned up by me. (Passive voice)

Point to remember: If you find any difficulty to identify passive sentences, then look at the subject who is not taking a direct object in the sentence. Mostly, it’s the object that comes before the verb and the subject undergoes the action verb in passive sentences.

Note: Active voice is much preferred writing style. It does not mean that passive voice is incorrect, but you should avoid writing in passive voice, especially in academic writings.

Change the following Active Voice into Passive Voice

1. I sing a song.

2. Yesterday, he slapped him.

3. She is bringing the book.

4. The boy was writing a poem.

(Answers at the end)

What Did You Learn?

Active voice is one of the most commonly used styles of writing. In such sentences, the subjects do the action verbs and come before verbs. This is the preferred writing style than passive voice.

Answers:

1. A song is sung by me.
2. Yesterday, he was slapped by him.
3. The book is being brought by her.
4. A poem was being written by the boy.

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Abstract and Concrete Nouns – Examples & Definition

Abstract and concrete nouns are two different classes of nouns. Noun is defined as a word that is used to refer to a place, thing, person, events, or quality.

Abstract Nouns

Abstract nouns are those nouns that are not concrete. It means that these nouns are intangible. You cannot touch, see, smell, hear, or taste it. It is used to refer an idea, quality, or a state.

Some examples of abstract nouns are,

• Happiness
• Bravery
• Courage
• Beauty
• Envy
• Honesty
• Hope
• Intelligence
• Jealousy
• Trust
• Poverty
• Depression

Example sentences

1. Everyone is talking about his bravery that he showed yesterday.

2. Trust is very important for a relationship; don’t break it.

From the above examples, ‘bravery’, ‘trust’, and ‘relationship’ are known as abstract nouns, which are intangible.

Here are some abstract nouns that are used in some famous quotes.

1. Happiness is not a goal… it’s a by-product of a life well lived. (Eleanor Roosevelt)

2. Honesty is the best policy. (Benjamin Franklin)

3. Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. (Mark Twain)

Concrete Nouns

Concrete nouns are those nouns that you can see, hear, feel (touch), taste, or smell (i.e. that you can experience with your five senses). They are not abstract. It means that these nouns are used to refer something that exists.

Some examples of concrete nouns are,

• Pen
• Table
• Student
• Mobile
• Flowers
• Trousers
• Bookstore
• Glass
• Bed
• Room
• Girl
• Notebook

Example Sentences

1. Let’s go to the nearby bookstore to buy some new English novels.

2. The students are excited to participate in the beauty contest.

From the above examples, ‘bookstore’, ‘novels’, and ‘students’ are concrete nouns, which are tangible.

Concrete Noun = Tangible

Abstract Noun = Intangible

Find out Abstract and Concrete Nouns from the following sentences.

1. Girls had no idea about your relationship.

2. Kindly bring those gadgets for me.

3. Do you have enough strength to go inside that haunted house?

(Answers are at the end.)

Connecting to Other Types of Nouns

Abstract and concrete nouns also relate to other types of nouns, such as proper and collective nouns.

  • Proper Nouns: These are specific names of people, places, or organizations, often tangible in nature (e.g., “Paris” is a concrete proper noun because it refers to a specific place you can visit).
  • Collective Nouns: These refer to groups of things or people and can be either concrete or abstract. For example, “team” is a concrete collective noun because it refers to a group of people (e.g., “The team played well“). “Society,” however, can be an abstract collective noun because it refers to an organized group of people with shared values or institutions (e.g., “A healthy society values equality“).

Dual Nouns (Nouns that Can Be Both Abstract and Concrete)

Some nouns can function as both abstract and concrete depending on the context in which they are used. These nouns have flexible meanings, shifting from something tangible to intangible based on their usage.

  • Love: As an abstract noun, “love” refers to an emotion or feeling (e.g., “Her love for her family is unconditional“). However, it can also be concrete when referring to a physical manifestation of that feeling (e.g., “The love letter she wrote“).
  • Experience: When “experience” refers to knowledge or emotions gained over time, it is abstract (e.g., “He gained a lot of experience from traveling“). It becomes concrete when referring to a specific event or activity (e.g., “That was an unforgettable experience at the concert“).

What Did You Learn?

It is concluded that abstract nouns are intangible that are used to refer an idea, state, or a quality. Concrete nouns, on the other hand, are used to refer something that exists; or is not abstract. Both nouns are opposite from each other.

Answers:
1. Girls (Concrete Noun), Idea (Abstract Noun), Relationship (Abstract Noun).

2. Gadgets (Concrete Noun)

3. Strength (Abstract Noun), House (Concrete Noun)