Desert vs abandon

[Harshitha]

hi,

The esl tests and the forum has been very useful.....
Am lost with respect to the difference between desert and abandon... Can u tell me the distinguishing fact n it's usage???

[Alan]

Hi Harshitha,

Both have the sense of leaving behind. Desert is best remembered as giving the idea of leaving fellow soldiers behind in a military sense. A soldier who runs away in a military action is called a deserter. Abandon is also best remembered as leaving behind a ship if it is sinking. The order given is: Abandon ship! Then again both verbs are often linked with other nouns and used in a metaphorical sense as in: my courage deserted me (I panicked) - abandon hope (give up all hope).

Alan
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English as a Second Language
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