Google
English-Test.net
Find penpals and make new friends today!
 
written order directing a bank to pay a specific amount of money
negotiator
cheque
privacy
implement
TOEIC test: Word games: Free Online Verbs Nouns Adjectives Game Answer
 
Username
Password
 Remember me? 
Search   FAQ   Memberlist   Profile   Private messages   Register   Log in 

Difference between assure and ensure



 
ESL/EFL Worksheets and Handouts for Students Printable, photocopiable, clearly structured
Designed for teachers and individual learners
For use in a classroom, at home, on your PC
ESL Forums | English Teacher Explanations (ESL Tests)
How to answer mulitiple choice questions? | Some sort of punctuation after the word coin would do the trick.
Message Author
Difference between assure and ensure Sun Jul 10, 2005 2:04 am  Difference between assure and ensure
 

Test No. incompl/inter-81 "Save Our Animals (1)", question 3

These people were not at all fuddy duddy (uninteresting) or indeed hoity toity (supercilious) and their main interest in life was to ......... that all animals were well treated.

(a) ensure
(b) assure
(c) convince
(d) convict

Test No. incompl/inter-81 "Save Our Animals (1)", answer 3

These people were not at all fuddy duddy (uninteresting) or indeed hoity toity (supercilious) and their main interest in life was to ensure that all animals were well treated.

Correct answer: (a) ensure

Your answer was: incorrect
These people were not at all fuddy duddy (uninteresting) or indeed hoity toity (supercilious) and their main interest in life was to assure that all animals were well treated.
_________________________

when can we use ASSURE? Why can not be used here?

Kriss
Kriss
Guest





Ensure/assure Sun Jul 10, 2005 10:40 am  Ensure/assure
 

Ensure means make sure that something happens - in other words it is followed by a noun clause that .....

Assure on the other hand means convince someone.

We assured them that there was no danger because we had ensured that they were in a safe place.
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story A day in the life of a student teacher
Alan
Co-founder
Alan Townend

Joined: 27 Sep 2003
Posts: 7583
Location: UK

Are you a native speaker of English? Then you should read this!What do you know about the progressive forms?English grammar exercises — improve your English knowledge and vocabulary skillsHow many different ways with words do you know? Subscribe to free email English course
Thanks! Mon Jul 11, 2005 4:27 am  Thanks!
 

I was very excited when I saw your reply. I just want to say that I really like this website, I have been working on these tests for few days and I have learned a lot.
kris
Guest





Good Mon Jul 11, 2005 20:02 pm  Good
 

Keep it up....... Laughing
_________________
I should have been born in the USA.
I've got this thing about America.
Rich7
I'm here quite often ;-)


Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 518
Location: Caracas, Venezuela

Difference between assure and ensure Mon May 19, 2008 20:14 pm  Difference between assure and ensure
 

Having seen Alan's somewhat misleading comment I thought I would ask him whether the word 'assure' when used in the following context means to 'make sure that something happens' or not.

"Nothing in history assures the success of our civilization" Herbert J. Mulle

You see, Alan (& Kris), the word assure means 'to make something certain to happen' (as any dictionary would tell you), as well as to dispel doubts.

In fact the words assure, insure and ensure all mean to make certain, the only differential as I believe Alan was trying to convey in his rather convinced manner is that assure tends to be used with reference to a person with the sense of 'setting the mind to rest'

I hope this has cleared up any confusion.
Jonnywestbrook
New Member


Joined: 19 May 2008
Posts: 1

Difference between assure and ensure Mon May 19, 2008 23:25 pm  Difference between assure and ensure
 

Hi,

Welcome to the site.

I am intrigued to know why you have picked up on a reply I wrote some 3 years ago. We do of course have people who trawl through past comments/explanations in order to show off their talents. I have read through your patronising comments and my earlier explanation and I am quite happy with the sentence I provided: We assured them that there was no danger because we had ensured that they were in a safe place. I don't honestly think there was any confusion in that and so I don't think you have 'cleared up' anything. I gather from your use of language as illustrated with this phrase rather convinced manner that English is not your first language. I look forward to further posts.

Alan
_________________
English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Phrasal Verbs/bring
Alan
Co-founder
Alan Townend

Joined: 27 Sep 2003
Posts: 7583
Location: UK

Difference between assure and ensure Fri Jun 13, 2008 22:16 pm  Difference between assure and ensure
 

Alan, I'd think you should feel it a compliment that someone would quote something you said 3 years ago rather than assume you've been thrashed.

What you have said in your sentence, in a paraphrase, is "We convinced them that there was no danger because we had guaranteed that they were in a safe place." That said, how can the answer to the test question not be "ensure"? This would be EXACTLY opposite of the response you so earnestly support.

Jonnywestbrook's definitions of the words are correct in that they are interchangeable. Unless, of course, you are the editor of a test and determine that there is one, and only one, correct answer to a question. One would presume then that the author is rather pompous himself and must be trying to ensure others of the same.
Pauly
New Member


Joined: 13 Jun 2008
Posts: 1

Difference between assure and ensure Fri Jun 13, 2008 22:59 pm  Difference between assure and ensure
 

Hi Pauly,

Thanks a lot for your contribution. Let's take a look at the difference between assure and ensure again: You can assure somebody that something will happen. If you ensure that something happens, you make certain that it happens.

Hope this helps you understand the difference between assure and ensure. Maybe if you read Alan's explanation again, you will see that the words 'ensure' and 'assure' are not interchangeable. By the way, you are not the only person who tend to confuse these two verbs.

Best regards,
Torsten
_________________
Test Of English for International Communication
TOEIC Preparation & TOEIC Vocabulary
Torsten
Site Admin
Torsten Daerr

Joined: 25 Sep 2003
Posts: 7898
Location: EU

Difference between assure and ensure Sat Jun 14, 2008 14:52 pm  Difference between assure and ensure
 

Hi Torsten

I agree with you and Alan that 'ensure' would be the best choice for the sentence. That is typical usage.

However, I agree with Johnny and Pauly that 'assure' could be also be used. Though much less common, it would nevertheless be a valid usage.
.
_________________
Amy
.
ESL teacher, and native speaker of American English
Yankee
I'm a Communicator ;-)


Joined: 16 Apr 2006
Posts: 8265
Location: USA

Display posts from previous:   
How to answer mulitiple choice questions? | Some sort of punctuation after the word coin would do the trick.
ESL Forums | English Teacher Explanations (ESL Tests) Difference between assure and ensure All times are GMT + 2 Hours
Page 1 of 1
Latest topics on ESL EFL Forums
meaning of "Mow my lawn"There should be spaces between the following words: restarting and unionExpression "the gig/jig is up"what is the meaning of sparse?Phrase "little peace and halt at the office"meaning of "Are you alright?"lead to vs. result intravel to vs. arrive atIs "run-in" informal?Usage of ourselves'rack out' sv 'eat something'What is warring?sympathized vs regrettedbalance vs controlmeaning of "down-to-earth sort of person"Meaning of intentExpression "A dead language"Went to vs. visitedDifference between assure and ensure

Discover English-test.net
Difference between lend and borrow?Do you find Michael Jackson difficult to understand?A Phrase "An unexpected happening came"Good Morning (I'm looking for a term means that when an employee has no fear...)SAT verbal preparation: Vocabulary Games: Adjective TestSAT preparation test: Free online word games: Adjective QuizDefine convex, melodious, patronymic, primeval, adherent, eatable, non-residentDefinition of short, long, half, tear, final, face, food, game, measure, honestPreposition exercise: From Shakespeare originallyGrammar rules for beans, tea, watch, bag, pebble: English Slang Idioms (140)The Return of Sherlock Holmes: Volume Three audiobook download

 
You can post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Subscribe to FREE email English course
First name E-mail