When you think that there are more than one unlike events involved, use plural. For example: Are there any differences? If you talk about one particular What is the major difference?
1 "What is a difference between X and Y?" is also grammatical, but it means something that one hardly ever wants to say: the speaker has deliberately refused to indicate how many differences he or she thinks there are, and no matter how many the listener thinks there are, the speaker only wants to hear about one of them.
Whenever I read advanced grammar articles I come across these two terms quite often : be and to be. What is the difference between these two and how to identify the difference between these two? Pl...
feels more natural than: "I can't see any differences between the two" unless it was understood that it is expected that the speaker ought to be able to find a number of specific differences, for example, as in a "spot the difference" puzzle, which would be worded "Can you find the 10 differences between these two cartoons?".
But even knowing that there are, technically, multiple differences, unless the person asking the question is doing so as a kind of quiz or they are deliberately calling attention to the plural number of differences, it's still often idiomatic to phrase it in the singular. For example, let's say I'm shopping at a store for a new coffee maker.
What are the differences between a circle and a sphere? I know, that we use article a to speak about single countable noun, and also single countable noun mentioned for the first time, or speak about something single and countable in general.
As you say, the differences between "when" and "as" can be subtle, but nevertheless distinct. "When" implies a particular moment in time, and "as" implies concurrent action -- which is to say, a distinct moment in time vs. a period of time.
Is there any difference between the following sentences? What is the difference in meaning between those words? What is the difference of meaning between those words?
In everyday spoken language when you, as native English speakers, say " glass " and " cup " are they considered as a synonym for you or you have a special meaning for each one of them? As a non native English speaker I don't find a difference between "I would like to have a glass of water." or "I would like to have a cup of water." Then my question is: Is the name of the vessel - in the spoken ...
We use a plural form when we expect that there are (or may be) multiple differences. Are there any differences between these pictures? One has more people, fewer cars, and a cloudier sky than the other. Are there any differences between these models of the same car? One has air conditioning, a radio, and heated seats. The other does not, and is ...
