former vs. ex

[Rosalisa]

Hello teachers,

what are the differences between former and ex?

Thanks a lot for yuor answer.
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If you want to change the world, be one of the change.

[Mister Micawber]

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As they stand, no difference in meaning; 'former' is generally more formal-- you wouldn't have, for instance, 'The Association of Ex-Students'. How about coming up with some problematic examples? There are probably many cases where they are not interchangeable, like 'I am a shell of my former self'.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Rosalisa]

HI Mr. MM,

For example, I say 'ex-girlfriend'...Is it okay to say 'former-girlfriend'?

Thanks
_________________
If you want to change the world, be one of the change.

[Mister Micawber]

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Yes, but don't hyphenate. 'Ex-' is a prefix, but 'former' is a word in itself.
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Alan]

Hi Rosalisa,

Just to add a little more on this topic - 'former ' tends very much to refer to a previous holder of a job/position/occupation rather than referring to personal relationships. 'Ex' on the other hand can be used for both formal and informal descriptions. It's perhaps worth noting than 'ex' has now been upgraded to a noun as when people are talking about their 'ex', they mean their 'former' husband/wife/partner/lover.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Relative Pronoun

[Rebecca]

Hi teachers,
"Former" can't go alone, isn't it?

Thanks.