Confusing English Words
Choose v Choice
Choose and choice are two commonly used words in the English language that are often confused. Although they may seem similar, they have different meanings and uses that are important to understand.
Choose (verb) To make a decision or select from a number of options.
When we choose something, we’re making a conscious decision to pick one option over others. For example, “I will choose the red dress for the party” implies that the person will deliberately select the red dress from many options, disregarding the other options.
Choice (noun) The act of choosing or the options available to us.
It can also mean the freedom to make a decision. For example, “The new restaurant has a lot of choice on the menu” implies that there are many options available, and the person is not limited to only one.
It’s important to note that choose is an action word while choice is a noun word. Choose indicates an action of making a decision, while choice is a noun describing what you get to choose from.
Another way to describe this difference is that choose is a verb (a ‘doing’ word) while choice is a noun (a ‘thing’ word).
Let us consider another example:
- I get the choice to work with different teams on my project.
- I will choose to work with team A.
In the first sentence, the word ‘choice’ is used to describe the options available to work with different teams. In the second sentence, the word ‘choose’ is used to imply that the speaker has made a decision to work with the A team.
To summarize, the main difference between choose and choice is that choose is an action verb indicating the act of making a decision, while choice is a noun referring to the options or decisions available to us. Knowing the difference between these two words can help us use them correctly and effectively in language.
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