Victim vs. Casualty
2023-07-01
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between the words, "victim" and "casualty."
2Dear teacher,
3I am Mayer from Colombia. I hope you are well.
4I would like to ask you about the difference between the words, "casualty" and "victim."
5Thanks,
6Mayer
7Thank you, Mayer, for this question.
8Both "casualty" and "victim" are nouns.
9They have similar meanings and usually describe people who have suffered in some way.
10Let's look closer at each word.
11A "victim" is someone who has been hurt or even killed because of a crime or natural disaster.
12Rescuers gave shelter to the flood victims.
13We often use the preposition "of" after the word, followed by what happened.
14She was a victim of a robbery.
15"Victim" can also mean someone who has suffered because of someone else's actions.
16The TV show was an interview with victims of religious abuse.
17Also, a victim does not always have to be a person.
18The school's theater and music programs were the main victims of budget cuts.
19Let's move on to "casualty."
20Like "victim," "casualty" means someone who has been hurt or killed, but the difference is in the cause.
21If that person has been harmed in a war or accident, then they are a "casualty."
22The implosion of the Titan submarine resulted in five casualties.
23We also use "casualty" with the preposition "of" to say that someone suffered because of a situation or an event.
24The four children were the only surviving casualties of the plane crash in the Amazon rainforest.
25And, like the word victim, a casualty can be something other than a person.
26My succulent plant became a casualty of overwatering.
27The easiest way to remember which word to use is to understand the situation that harmed the person.
28If the incident you are talking about was a natural disaster or a crime, the word "victim" is most often used.
29If you are describing the damage of a war or accident, use "casualty."
30Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Mayer.
31What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
32And that's Ask a Teacher.
33I'm Faith Pirlo.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between the words, "victim" and "casualty." 2Question: 3Dear teacher, 4I am Mayer from Colombia. I hope you are well. 5I would like to ask you about the difference between the words, "casualty" and "victim." 6Thanks, 7Mayer 8Answer: 9Thank you, Mayer, for this question. Both "casualty" and "victim" are nouns. They have similar meanings and usually describe people who have suffered in some way. Let's look closer at each word. 10Victim 11A "victim" is someone who has been hurt or even killed because of a crime or natural disaster. 12Rescuers gave shelter to the flood victims. 13We often use the preposition "of" after the word, followed by what happened. 14She was a victim of a robbery. 15"Victim" can also mean someone who has suffered because of someone else's actions. 16The TV show was an interview with victims of religious abuse. 17Also, a victim does not always have to be a person. 18The school's theater and music programs were the main victims of budget cuts. 19Let's move on to "casualty." 20Casualty 21Like "victim," "casualty" means someone who has been hurt or killed, but the difference is in the cause. If that person has been harmed in a war or accident, then they are a "casualty." 22The implosion of the Titan submarine resulted in five casualties. 23We also use "casualty" with the preposition "of" to say that someone suffered because of a situation or an event. 24The four children were the only surviving casualties of the plane crash in the Amazon rainforest. 25And, like the word victim, a casualty can be something other than a person. 26My succulent plant became a casualty of overwatering. 27The easiest way to remember which word to use is to understand the situation that harmed the person. If the incident you are talking about was a natural disaster or a crime, the word "victim" is most often used. If you are describing the damage of a war or accident, use "casualty." 28Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Mayer. 29What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com 30And that's Ask a Teacher. 31I'm Faith Pirlo. 32Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 33________________________________________________________________ 34Words in This Story 35implosion - n. a collapse inward or a crushing effect 36succulents - n. plants with thick, heavy leaves or stems that store water 37________________________________________________________________ 38Do you have a question for the teacher? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 39Each 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.