Could you please explain the difference between "legendary" and "fabled" ?
In a multiple choice I have a sentence:

Wilfred Thesinger, the LEGENDARY explorer once said, ‘We live our lives second-hand’.

Why not fabled?

Thanks!The problem is that it's a multiple choice test for Cambridge Proficiency exam and there is only one right answer, even though the words are synonymous.

Question

Could you please explain the difference between "legendary" and "fabled" ?
In a multiple choice I have a sentence:

Wilfred Thesinger, the LEGENDARY explorer once said, ‘We live our lives second-hand’.

Why not fabled?

Thanks!The problem is that it's a multiple choice test for Cambridge Proficiency exam and there is only one right answer, even though the words are synonymous.

Answer

It depends on the context. I would use fabled if writing fiction. Although both words are synonymous legendary is in my view more common and carries the same meaning.

Answer

You could... The two words are similar, although the word "fabled" has more of a tendency to imply that something is not true, that it is just fantasy.

Answer

Then I guess that I should have know if Wilfred Thesinge is a real person or not. If he is, I use "legendary", if he is not a real person, I use "fabled".

Verpassen Sie nicht die Gelegenheit, bequem von zu Hause aus eine Sprache zu lernen. Stöbern Sie in unserer Auswahl an erfahrenen Sprachlehrern und melden Sie sich jetzt zu Ihrer ersten Unterrichtsstunde an!