|
Alternate vs. Alternative:
Which Word Do You Need?
|
|
You are probably familiar with the words alternate and alternative. You may have even used them interchangeably. Many native speakers of American English think the words mean the same thing, but they have slightly separate definitions and uses.
Which word do you need in a particular sentence? In this article we'll give you the answers you need.
The Meaning of Alternate
Alternate can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adjective.
As a noun, it means "one thing that can substitute for another":
| I wasn't chosen for the debate team, but I will serve as an alternate if another debater is unavailable. |
As a verb, alternate means "to go back and forth":
| The weather will alternate between sun and rain each day next week. |
As an adjective, alternate means "constituting a replacement":
| While driving home, we took the alternate route instead of the highway. |
The Meaning of Alternative
The word alternative is similar to alternate, but it has a slightly different meaning. It can be used as both a noun and an adjective in referring to different choices or possibilities. Here are a couple of examples:
Sheila wanted to remove sugar and butter from her cake recipe but couldn't find any suitable alternatives (noun).
Alternative (adjective) medicine offers different solutions to the open-minded. |
One good way to remember the difference is to use a metaphor. If you were looking at a chessboard, you would see a pattern of alternate light and dark squares. But, if you were thinking of the best move for your knight, you would be considering different alternatives.
|
View and comment on this
article on our website.
|
|
|
|
Pop Quiz
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate choice of alternate or alternative(s).
1. John requested an _____ flight that wouldn't require him to wake up before dawn.
2. My humanities professor likes to _____ his lectures between English and Latin.
3. You should never take your cousin to prom without first considering all other _____.
4. I wasn't sure whether Sam was playing ______ music or a recording of construction sound effects.
5. Sue and her husband _____ weekends for taking the dog to the park.
|
 |
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
by Lester Kaufman and Jane Straus |
The Authority on English Grammar! Twelfth Edition Now Available
An indispensable tool for busy professionals, teachers, students, homeschool families, editors, writers, and proofreaders.
Available in print AND as an e-Book! Over 2,000 copies are purchased every month!
To order the book, simply click the link to order the book from the GrammarBook.com website.
|
Free BONUS Quiz for You!
[[firstname]], because you are a subscriber to the newsletter, you get access to one of the Subscribers-Only Quizzes. Click here to take a Finding Nouns, Verbs, and Subjects Quiz and get your scores and explanations instantly!
We will be adding many more quizzes this year to our already substantial list of them. If you have suggestions for topics we have not yet covered, please send us a message at help@grammarbook.com.
|
Hundreds of Additional Quizzes
at Your Fingertips
Subscribe now to receive hundreds of additional English usage quizzes not found anywhere else!
Teachers and Employers
Save hours of valuable time! You may assign quizzes to your students and employees and have their scores tallied, organized, and reported to you! Let GrammarBook.com take the hassle out of teaching English!
"Fun to test my skills."
"The explanations really help ... thanks!"
"I can select the quizzes to assign to my students, and then the results are reported to me automatically!"
If you think you have found an error in a quiz, please email us at help@grammarbook.com
|
Wordplay
Pop Quiz Answers
1. John requested an alternate flight that wouldn't require him to wake up before dawn.
2. My humanities professor likes to alternate his lectures between English and Latin.
3. You should never take your cousin to prom without first considering all other alternatives.
4. I wasn't sure whether Sam was playing alternative music or a recording of construction sound effects.
5. Sue and her husband alternate weekends for taking the dog to the park.
|
 |
English in a Snap:
68 One-Minute English Usage Videos FREE |
Learn all about who and whom, affect and effect, subjects and verbs, adjectives and adverbs, commas, semicolons, quotation marks, and much more by just sitting back and enjoying these easy-to-follow lessons. Share them with your colleagues (and boss), children, teachers, and friends as well! Click here to watch.
|
|
