Month: January 2008

“Imply” vs. “Infer”

Common English Blunders, Devolution toward Simpler, Verbs, Versus

I often hear “infer” when people mean “imply”.

Problem:
The verbs “imply” and “infer” are not synonyms!

Explanation:
The primary definition of the verb “imply” is convey or suggest without stating outright.

The primary definition of the verb “infer” is draw conclusions that are not explicit in what is stated.

In other words, “imply” is what the speaker or writer does, whereas “infer” is what the listener or reader does.

Many will use “infer” when what they mean is “imply”. I believe that this is consistent with my “Devolution toward Simpler” linguistic hypothesis. The verb “infer” is simpler to say than is the verb “imply”. In particular, it’s simpler to follow the “n” sound with an “f” sound than it is to follow an “m” sound with a “pl” sound. (Try it!) Plus, it’s simpler to speak a word that ends with “er” than it is to speak a word that ends with “y” (which has to be held longer than “er”).

Solution:
Use “imply” when you’re talking about suggesting without writing (or speaking) outright. Use “infer” when you’re talking about reading (or hearing) more than what is written (or spoken).

“She cleaved to her mother.” vs. “She cleaved the limb from the tree.”

Foreign Languages, Verbs, Versus

Here is the verb “cleave” used in contradictory ways.

The verb in the statement “She cleaved to her mother.” means stick fast, cling or adhere. “Cleave” in this case is derived from the Old English cleofian.

The verb in the statement “She cleaved the limb from the tree.” means cut off or split. “Cleave” in this case is derived from the Old English cléofan.

So “cleave” can mean either adhering or splitting.

Talk about confusing English verbs for non-native English speakers!