Question
7 Feb 2016
- Polish
-
English (US)
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English (UK)
Question about English (US)
What is the difference between to scam and to deceive ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between to scam and to deceive ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
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- English (US)
To scam usually implies some planning and coordination in the deception, usually for monetary gain.
To scam will always also mean to deceive but to deceive will not always mean to scam.
She deceived her husband into thinking she had stopped drinking.
(Scam would not be used here.)
He scammed the boy into buying worthless watches at a high price.
(Deceived can also be used here.)
Highly-rated answerer
- Portuguese (Brazil)
@lrika Hello Irika, Is ''scam'' the same like ''scheme''? Could I use them interchangeably ?
So, let's take your sentence as example: He scammed(schemed) the boy into buying worthless watches at a high price.
Is it possible to use ''scheme'' there?
- Polish
I've never heard this word used as a verb, but something tells me it can't be used transitively as "to scam" can. By the way, thanks Irika :)
- English (US)
You're welcome @lukasz! And you are right. Scheme is not used as a transitive verb. It is, however, a verb, and @Student_89, you could say
He schemed to get the boy to buy worthless watches at a high price. But scam is a stronger word than scheme, and a little different in meaning. To scheme means to plan, and is usually devious, but can be more "innocent," too. She is scheming to get her father to buy her a new phone. Hope that helps.
Highly-rated answerer
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