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Describe or Explain - are they the same? How do they differ?
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Difference between Descriptions and Explanations
- Thread starter Almonds
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CrystaI
The Pokemon Observer
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Explain: To give clear definition and/or meaning of something. This is usually used for reasoning and justification of the respective matter, barring the subjective opinions of the speaker, hence explanation must be objective without bias.
Describe: To depict or to portray the lifelike image of something using words. This is usually used for physical presentation of the respective matter. As the external appearance of something may look differently in the eyes of many people due to different prejudice, hence the description generally sound subjective.
E.g. Given a scene on a busy high street, a quarrelsome woman was disputing with a gentleman for something, but the man continues to protest he didn't do it, hoping the case to be settle peacefully as soon as possible. Unfortunately the woman didn't give in, went further on accusing the man for other unjust faults. The conflict causes quite a large circle of onlookers disturbing the traffic, where policeman need to come in to resolve the situation.
As one of the onlooker saw through the whole situation, your job is to tell the story to the policeman.
Explain the situation:
The woman was quarreling with the man because she said she lost her wallet just immediately after accidentally colliding with the gentleman, accusing him to be a pickpocket. The gentleman apologized for the knock up against her, but insisted that he didn't steal anything from her. This seems to oppositely fused the lady further as she already deemed him to be the sole suspect, further accusing him unjustly for sexual harassment and inflicting injuries, need to prosecute him immediately and compensate her lost right now. Such unreasonable accusation is obviously unacceptable in the eyes of the gentleman, he loses his temper, enter into a fierce argument between the two, and causing the passerby to gathered out of curiosity.
Describe the situation:
"Where's my wallet!?" That was the first sentence I heard from that middle-aged lady as I passed by. She was franticly searching inside her handbag and all the pockets on her coat.
"You! Give back my wallet immediately!!" She ordered the gentlemen in front of her accusingly. Though very obviously the man didn't obey the instruction.
"Hold on a second, ma'am. I apologized for ran into you even that was just an accident. But I swear that I didn't took anything from you." He replied guiltlessly.
"Who on earth will a thief admit himself as a thief? Take off all your clothings and let me check all your belongings, then I'll believe in you" Unfortunately she already deemed him as the criminal, without going through any confirmation process.
"What!? Are you telling me to humiliate myself right in the middle of this high street? This is unreasonable." The man immediately denied the command, and suggested an alternative solution "Ma'am, I would suggest you rather going to the police station and report for lost item."
"So you are trying to run away, huh?" The woman said in despise. "OK then, give me your ID and contact, I'll report to the police that not only you stole my wallet, but also harass and injured me. Just you wait to be summon to the court, sucker."
"This is ridiculous!" The man was irritated. "I didn't do any of these things, where does these accusation came from?"
"So if you don't wanted to be in jail, compensate my lost immediately, right now, in here!"
"I said I didn't steal your wallet! Why the hell must I pay your lost!? This is just f*ckin' crazy!" The man became unable to control his temper, later on interchanging all sorts of vulgar swear words between him and her.
It is very obviously the woman is the one to be blamed for having a chip on her shoulder, which not only irritated the gentleman, but also gather up many spectators causing trouble to the traffic. The focus of the quarrel had already went from the lady's lost wallet to the false accusation of the suspect.
Describe: To depict or to portray the lifelike image of something using words. This is usually used for physical presentation of the respective matter. As the external appearance of something may look differently in the eyes of many people due to different prejudice, hence the description generally sound subjective.
E.g. Given a scene on a busy high street, a quarrelsome woman was disputing with a gentleman for something, but the man continues to protest he didn't do it, hoping the case to be settle peacefully as soon as possible. Unfortunately the woman didn't give in, went further on accusing the man for other unjust faults. The conflict causes quite a large circle of onlookers disturbing the traffic, where policeman need to come in to resolve the situation.
As one of the onlooker saw through the whole situation, your job is to tell the story to the policeman.
Explain the situation:
The woman was quarreling with the man because she said she lost her wallet just immediately after accidentally colliding with the gentleman, accusing him to be a pickpocket. The gentleman apologized for the knock up against her, but insisted that he didn't steal anything from her. This seems to oppositely fused the lady further as she already deemed him to be the sole suspect, further accusing him unjustly for sexual harassment and inflicting injuries, need to prosecute him immediately and compensate her lost right now. Such unreasonable accusation is obviously unacceptable in the eyes of the gentleman, he loses his temper, enter into a fierce argument between the two, and causing the passerby to gathered out of curiosity.
Describe the situation:
"Where's my wallet!?" That was the first sentence I heard from that middle-aged lady as I passed by. She was franticly searching inside her handbag and all the pockets on her coat.
"You! Give back my wallet immediately!!" She ordered the gentlemen in front of her accusingly. Though very obviously the man didn't obey the instruction.
"Hold on a second, ma'am. I apologized for ran into you even that was just an accident. But I swear that I didn't took anything from you." He replied guiltlessly.
"Who on earth will a thief admit himself as a thief? Take off all your clothings and let me check all your belongings, then I'll believe in you" Unfortunately she already deemed him as the criminal, without going through any confirmation process.
"What!? Are you telling me to humiliate myself right in the middle of this high street? This is unreasonable." The man immediately denied the command, and suggested an alternative solution "Ma'am, I would suggest you rather going to the police station and report for lost item."
"So you are trying to run away, huh?" The woman said in despise. "OK then, give me your ID and contact, I'll report to the police that not only you stole my wallet, but also harass and injured me. Just you wait to be summon to the court, sucker."
"This is ridiculous!" The man was irritated. "I didn't do any of these things, where does these accusation came from?"
"So if you don't wanted to be in jail, compensate my lost immediately, right now, in here!"
"I said I didn't steal your wallet! Why the hell must I pay your lost!? This is just f*ckin' crazy!" The man became unable to control his temper, later on interchanging all sorts of vulgar swear words between him and her.
It is very obviously the woman is the one to be blamed for having a chip on her shoulder, which not only irritated the gentleman, but also gather up many spectators causing trouble to the traffic. The focus of the quarrel had already went from the lady's lost wallet to the false accusation of the suspect.
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"Description" is the present tense and is impersonally spoken of. Even if you're describing what happened it still involves doing so in a sense of the present. IE, you're "describing" something to someone in a way they could relate. "Explanation", however, always carries a past tense and is personal. You can only ever explain what has already occurred and based souly on how you remember it.
If someone asks you to explain whats happening you'll most likely describe it to them. However, if you're defusing a bomb and trying to remember which wires to cut in which order you're going to be explaining the steps of your training to yourself.
Hope this didn't get too confusing. Think I may have gone a bit off track with that second paragraph. :/
If someone asks you to explain whats happening you'll most likely describe it to them. However, if you're defusing a bomb and trying to remember which wires to cut in which order you're going to be explaining the steps of your training to yourself.
Hope this didn't get too confusing. Think I may have gone a bit off track with that second paragraph. :/
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