Broad vs Wide
Broad and Wide are two words that seem to give the same meaning but strictly speaking they do not give the same meaning. The word ‘wide’ is expressive of physical distance from one side of an object to another side. Observe the two sentences:
1. The lion opened its mouth wide.
2. The bus is too wide to enter into the lane.
In both the sentences given above you can see that the word ‘wide’ is used expressive of physical distance from one side of something to another.
On the other hand the word ‘broad’ is used mainly in expressions such as ‘broad shouldered’, ‘broad faced’ and the like. The word ‘broad’ is more used in figurative expressions in poetry than the word ‘wide’. It is in fact used by the poets to describe fields, valleys, rivers and several spots of landscape.
It is interesting to note that the word ‘broad’ is often used in expressions that are abstract in nature. Observe the three sentences:
1. The robbery took place in broad day light.
2. He gave a broad hint to me.
3. The two parties entered into a broad agreement between them.
In all the sentences given above you would see that the word ‘broad’ is used in abstract expressions.
On the other hand the word ‘wide’ is also used in expressions such as ‘wide apart’, ‘wide awake’, ‘widespread’ and the like as in sentences:
1. The two screws stand wide apart.
2. He kept wide awake all through the night.
3. There was widespread rain in the city yesterday.
In all the sentences given above you may notice that the word ‘wide’ is nicely used in various expressions. The noun form of ‘broad’ is ‘breadth’ whereas the noun form of the word ‘wide’ is ‘width’.
Govind Prajapatisays
is English is a Language?
it seems Joke to me