Inflicting Confusion: Afflict v. Inflict
2022-10-15
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Ray in Hong Kong about the difference between two very similar sounding words "afflict" and "inflict."
2Hello VOA Learning English,
3What is the difference is between "afflict" and "inflict?"
4Thank you,
5Ray from Hong Kong
6Thank you, Ray, for writing to us!
7These two words are often confused. Not only do they sound the same - especially in fast speech - but they also have very similar meanings.
8Both of these verbs can mean, "to cause harm or to bring pain to."
9However, their correct use depends on who or what is doing the action and who or what is affected by the action.
10The verb "inflict" takes a direct object.
11But that direct object is usually the harm that someone is suffering. For example:
12Paper cuts always inflict much more pain than you expect.
13Here the object of "inflict" is the pain from the paper cut.
14We often use a prepositional phrase starting with "on" to tell who is suffering the harm. For example,
15The war inflicted suffering on the people.
16"Inflict" can also mean, "to impose" or "force."
17His job inflicts a lot of pressure on him, as he works very long days.
18I do not want to inflict my bad mood on you, so I'm going to stay home.
19Let us move on to "afflict!"
20The verb, "afflict," also means, "to cause harm to."
21But the direct object of "afflict" is often the sufferer.
22COVID still afflicts many at-risk populations.
23Water-borne diseases sometimes afflict flood survivors.
24If "afflict" is used in the passive voice, we often use the preposition "with" followed by the cause of the harm.
25For example:
26She was afflicted with depression for many months before asking for help.
27My cat was afflicted with extreme sickness after he ate an insect.
28Let's review these two verbs.
29For "inflict":
30Someone or something inflicts harm, pain or damage on something else.
31For "afflict":
32Something, like an illness, afflicts someone.
33In the case of the passive voice, someone is afflicted with something that causes harm - like an illness.
34Please let us know if these explanations have helped you, Ray!
35What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
36And that's Ask a Teacher.
37I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Ray in Hong Kong about the difference between two very similar sounding words "afflict" and "inflict." 2Question: 3Hello VOA Learning English, 4What is the difference is between "afflict" and "inflict?" 5Thank you, 6Ray from Hong Kong 7Answer: 8Thank you, Ray, for writing to us! 9These two words are often confused. Not only do they sound the same - especially in fast speech - but they also have very similar meanings. 10Both of these verbs can mean, "to cause harm or to bring pain to." However, their correct use depends on who or what is doing the action and who or what is affected by the action. 11Inflict 12The verb "inflict" takes a direct object. But that direct object is usually the harm that someone is suffering. For example: 13Paper cuts always inflict much more pain than you expect. 14Here the object of "inflict" is the pain from the paper cut. 15We often use a prepositional phrase starting with "on" to tell who is suffering the harm. For example, 16The war inflicted suffering on the people. 17"Inflict" can also mean, "to impose" or "force." 18His job inflicts a lot of pressure on him, as he works very long days. 19I do not want to inflict my bad mood on you, so I'm going to stay home. 20Let us move on to "afflict!" 21The verb, "afflict," also means, "to cause harm to." But the direct object of "afflict" is often the sufferer. 22COVID still afflicts many at-risk populations. 23Water-borne diseases sometimes afflict flood survivors. 24If "afflict" is used in the passive voice, we often use the preposition "with" followed by the cause of the harm. 25For example: 26She was afflicted with depression for many months before asking for help. 27My cat was afflicted with extreme sickness after he ate an insect. 28Summary 29Let's review these two verbs. 30For "inflict": 31Someone or something inflicts harm, pain or damage on something else. 32For "afflict": 33Something, like an illness, afflicts someone. In the case of the passive voice, someone is afflicted with something that causes harm - like an illness. 34Please let us know if these explanations have helped you, Ray! 35What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 36And that's Ask a Teacher. 37I'm Faith Pirlo. 38Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 39_____________________________________________________________________ 40Words in This Story 41confused - adj. to be uncertain or unable to understand something 42impose - v. to establish; to bring about as if by force 43mood - n. the way someone feels at a particular time 44______________________________________________________________________ 45Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 46Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.