We're back with another set of confusing words! What's the difference between especially and specially? What about elder and older? Read on!
1. Especially vs. specially
Both especially and specially are used to mean "particularly."
• I made this especially for you.
• I made this specially for you.
Lucy baked a cake especially for the occasion.
You can also use either of the two if you want say that something is done for a special purpose.
• Lucy baked a cake especially for the occasion.
• Lucy baked a cake specially for the occasion.
However, especially is used when you want to say that something stands out from all the others.
• She hates vegetables, especially broccoli.
• He's enjoying all his classes, especially mathematics.
Specially is used when you want to talk about the specific purpose of something.
• Specially trained dogs can help blind people get around.
• The kitchen was specially designed for large dinner parties.
2. Older vs. elder
You use older to compare the ages of people.
• Sarah is older than her brother Clark. Sarah is six years old, while Clark is four.
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Sarah is older than her brother Clark.
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You use elder when you're comparing the ages of family members, especially siblings.
• Sarah is Clark's elder sister.
You can use older for things, but you can use elder only for people.
3. Farther vs. further
Farther is used to talk about physical distance. This is easy to remember: it has the word "far" in it!
• Tony's house is farther than mine from school.
• I ran farther than usual today. I ran ten miles, instead of the usual five!
I ran farther than usual today. I ran ten miles, instead of the usual five!
Further is used to refer to figurative distance. It can mean "in addition to."
• Do you have anything further to say?
• I'll discuss this topic further next time.
4. Stationary vs. stationery
Stationary means "not moving."
• Tanya exercises on a stationary bike in her room.
• Traffic was so bad this evening. We were stationary for hours!
Traffic was so bad this evening. We were stationary for hours!
Stationery refers to paper goods and items, such as pens, notebooks, and folders, which are used in an office.
• I need to go to the bookstore to buy more stationery.
• Kevin and Tiffany had special stationery made for their wedding invitations.
5. Beside vs. besides
Beside means "next to."
• Randall lives beside a nice coffee shop. He has breakfast there every morning.
• Paula sat beside me in the library.
Paula sat beside me in the library.
Besides means "in addition to" or "apart from."
• Besides baking, Yani also enjoys knitting.
• Midge has no other friends besides me.
We hope you found this helpful!
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