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lengoc97
Can anyone tell me the difference between " practical" and " practicable" ? Thanks a lot
May 27, 2014 1:50 PM
Answers · 1
while both words have "practica...." they are actually different and not related.
practicable means you can practice something. (pronounced prac-tis-uh-ble)
"able to be done or put into practice successfully."
ex.
No one is born knowing how to play soccer. Soccer is a practicable skill.
(meaning it can be learned with practice)
practical
--to be concerned with the actual way something could be done or produced rather then just an idea
-- likely to succeed or work in real life
ex.
If you are cooking it is practical to only buy the ingredients you need.
(meaning, you would be impractical or not practical if you bought chicken when you are going to make a hamburger. It is probably a waste of money)
the "-able" suffix requires a transitive verb. You can not do practical to something. You practice soccer but you can not practical soccer. You can be practical about soccer. If you want an adjective for "practical" you can use pragmatic.
ex.
He is very pragmatic about his money. (meaning he is very practical when he uses his money or makes decisions about his money)
hope that is not too confusing. Good luck with your studies!
May 29, 2014
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lengoc97
Language Skills
English, Vietnamese
Learning Language
English
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