YesEnglish
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I saw that this topic has been addressed previously, but the thread was closed.
I wanted to offer my personal take on how to use these terms correctly.
Practically can be associated with the idea of "in practice". For example, you could say "In a small town, practically everyone is on a first-name basis with the mayor."
Whereas virtually can be associated with "the virtues of". For example, "These two pencils are virtually indistinguishable." Meaning both pencils possess the same virtues. In this sentence, practically could be substituted without a problem (as both pencils are the same "in practice" as well), but virtually seems to be more appropriate as it refers to the inherent qualities of the pencils, not the practice of using them.
Just my take on it! Any other views?
I wanted to offer my personal take on how to use these terms correctly.
Practically can be associated with the idea of "in practice". For example, you could say "In a small town, practically everyone is on a first-name basis with the mayor."
Whereas virtually can be associated with "the virtues of". For example, "These two pencils are virtually indistinguishable." Meaning both pencils possess the same virtues. In this sentence, practically could be substituted without a problem (as both pencils are the same "in practice" as well), but virtually seems to be more appropriate as it refers to the inherent qualities of the pencils, not the practice of using them.
Just my take on it! Any other views?