italki - Reverse back and rear - difference Dears, what's the difference between these 3?

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Paulina

Reverse back and rear - difference Dears, what's the difference between these 3?

2017年10月19日 09:54

Thank you! It helped me a lot to understand!!

2017年10月19日

You can't use "rear" because it has the sense of behind what is in front. It is usually used in 3-dimensional situation.

You could say "the reverse (side)" of the envelope but this is unusual and formal. "back" is definitely the best choice.

back can also be used in 3D situation e.g. the back of the room, the back of the car. Rear is possible in these situations too, and again is more formal than back. "Back" is the normal choice in many situations so if you are not sure, back is usually the safer guess.

2017年10月19日

"He began to sketch on the BACK of an envelope" - but I could choose also Reverse and Rear there. Do we use Back in case of flat objects? Does my understanding seem correct?:)

2017年10月19日

They are common words used in many different contexts. It would take a long time to give you a comprehensive reply. Do you have a specific query? Have you seen a sentence and wondered why one word was chosen and not the others?

2017年10月19日