Difference between revisions of "Exacerbated - exasperated"
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PeterWilson (Talk | contribs) (New page: Some students have confused the two verbs '''exacerbate''' and '''exasperate''', along with their forms '''exacerbates''' and exasperates (the 3rd person singular of the [[pres...) |
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| − | Some students have confused the two [[verb]]s '''exacerbate''' and '''exasperate''', along with their forms '''exacerbates''' and exasperates (the [[3rd person]] [[singular]] of the [[present tense]]); '''exacerbating''' and '''exasperating''' (the [[-ing participle]]; and '''exacerbated''' and '''exasperated''' (the [[past tense]] and [[past participle|participle]]. | + | Some students have confused the two [[verb]]s '''exacerbate''' and '''exasperate''', along with their forms '''exacerbates''' and '''exasperates''' (the [[3rd person]] [[singular]] of the [[present tense]]); '''exacerbating''' and '''exasperating''' (the [[-ing participle]]; and '''exacerbated''' and '''exasperated''' (the [[past tense]] and [[past participle|participle]]. |
| − | *'To '''exacerbate'''<nowiki>'</nowiki> is 'to make worse' ( | + | *'To '''exacerbate'''<nowiki>'</nowiki> is 'to make worse' |
| − | *The most common meaning of 'to '''exasperate'''<nowiki>'</nowiki> nowadays is 'to make [someone] angry', 'to irritate', 'to enrage'. It too has changed its meaning. It originally meant 'to make [laws, sounds, language etc] more harsh', or 'to make [a disease etc] worse'; 'to make more painful', or 'to make worse'. (In [[Latin]], ''ex-'' here intensified ''asper'', 'rough' and made the [[verb]] ''exasperare'', meaning 'to roughen', 'to irritate'. | + | ::(Originally it meant 'to make pain more bitter' from the [[Latin]] ''ex-'', here an [[intensifier|intensive]] particle, and ''acerb[us]'' 'bitter' + the "verbal formative '''-ate''', ('''ate ''suffix<sup>3</sup>'''''" (''[[OED]]''), but now used of many other troubles as well as pain. |
| + | *The most common meaning of 'to '''exasperate'''<nowiki>'</nowiki> nowadays is 'to make [someone] angry', 'to irritate', 'to enrage'. | ||
| + | ::It too has changed its meaning. It originally meant 'to make [laws, sounds, language etc] more harsh', or 'to make [a disease etc] worse'; 'to make more painful', or 'to make worse'. (In [[Latin]], ''ex-'' here [[intensifier|intensified]] ''asper'', 'rough' and made the [[verb]] ''exasperare'', meaning 'to roughen', 'to irritate'. | ||
The confusion between the two may have been more understandable than it is now, when the most important reason for the confusion seems to be due to a process of [[metathesis]]. | The confusion between the two may have been more understandable than it is now, when the most important reason for the confusion seems to be due to a process of [[metathesis]]. | ||
Revision as of 12:27, 22 October 2013
Some students have confused the two verbs exacerbate and exasperate, along with their forms exacerbates and exasperates (the 3rd person singular of the present tense); exacerbating and exasperating (the -ing participle; and exacerbated and exasperated (the past tense and participle.
- 'To exacerbate' is 'to make worse'
- The most common meaning of 'to exasperate' nowadays is 'to make [someone] angry', 'to irritate', 'to enrage'.
- It too has changed its meaning. It originally meant 'to make [laws, sounds, language etc] more harsh', or 'to make [a disease etc] worse'; 'to make more painful', or 'to make worse'. (In Latin, ex- here intensified asper, 'rough' and made the verb exasperare, meaning 'to roughen', 'to irritate'.
The confusion between the two may have been more understandable than it is now, when the most important reason for the confusion seems to be due to a process of metathesis.
It is not good to muddle the two in academic writing.
