Dear teachers,
Would you be kind enough to tell me whether there is a marked differences in the meaning of both verbs “calm” and “quiet”?
I know, calm (v) = to make or become calm or quiet and quiet (v) = to cause to become quiet.
I know also that while the adjective calm and quiet may sometimes be used in the same situation, calm refers to to absence of excitement, while an important meaning of quiet refers to absence of noise. Thus we may say to a child:
Sit quiet!
but:
She was calm.
She was quiet means she was not noisy; she was calm means she was not excited. The two words may be found in one sentence:
He felt calm and spoke quietly.
There is a secondary question:
Would you be kind enough to tell me why there is a common occurance the expression “The two words…” but “The both words…” is unacceptable?
Thank you for your efforts.
Regards,
V.
Calm, as you know, is the absence of excitement, while quiet is the absence of noise. The two words (calm and quiet) certainly go together. In fact, we expect to find both of them (calm and quiet) at the same time. As for both, it is usually used without the article (the).
The two verbs are very close in meaning and sometimes they are even interchangeable, as in these definitions of quiet:
15. to make tranquil or peaceful; pacify: to quiet a crying baby.
16. to calm mentally, as a person.
quiet definition | Dictionary.com
calm definition | Dictionary.com
Posting Permissions
Bookmarks