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Updated on
27 Feb 2015
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English (US)
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Question about English (US)
What is the difference between manifest and demonstrate and prove ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between manifest and demonstrate and prove ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
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28 Feb 2015
Featured answer
- English (US)
Demonstrate and prove can be synonyms, but all three have very different uses...
Definitions from Webster's Dictionary:
prove - "to show the existence, truth, or correctness of (something) by using evidence, logic, etc." / " to show (oneself) to be worthy or capable"
It originates from the Latin probare, "to test."
demonstrate - "to prove or make clear by reasoning or evidence" / "to illustrate and explain especially with many examples"
It originates from the Latin monstrare, "to show."
I would say prove can be used more generally than demonstrate because demonstrate is specifically related to showing someone something. Some examples...
"Before they can arrest him, the detectives need to prove that Tom committed the crime." is correct.
"Before they can arrest him, the detectives need to demonstrate how they know that Tom committed the crime." is also correct.
"The teacher gave a pop quiz for his students to prove that they had done the reading homework." is correct.
"The teacher gave a pop quiz for his students to demonstrate their knowledge of the reading homework." is also correct.
"Nick wants to prove himself to the coach of his baseball team." is correct.
"Nick wants to demonstrate his skill to the coach of his baseball team." is unnatural and holds a different meaning. (...because "to prove oneself" does not specify what about oneself one wants to prove, but "demonstrate his skill" does. But "demonstrate" alone is insufficient.)
Also: "The coach asked Nick to demonstrate his pitch to the younger members of the team." is correct, but "The coach asked Nick to prove his pitch to the younger members of the team." is not.
Manifest is usually unrelated to demonstrate or prove. But it is a difficult word.
Definition:
adjective: "able to be seen / clearly shown or visible / easy to understand or recognize"
verb: "to show (something) clearly"
In my opinion, manifest also means to show but is less scientific than demonstrate. It is also something that people do not do. For example...
"Javier manifested his project to the class." is incorrect. Manifest cannot be used in place of demonstrate or show.
"Camille's upbringing manifested itself in the way she spoke." is correct.
"Jackie's depression began to manifest itself after the family dog died." is correct.
"Racism can be manifested in every aspect of American life." is correct.
I think manifest is closer to reveal than to demonstrate. It is not at all related to prove.
But it is not common to use manifest anyway.
Sorry this is so long! I hope it helps!! :)
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- English (US)
Demonstrate and prove can be synonyms, but all three have very different uses...
Definitions from Webster's Dictionary:
prove - "to show the existence, truth, or correctness of (something) by using evidence, logic, etc." / " to show (oneself) to be worthy or capable"
It originates from the Latin probare, "to test."
demonstrate - "to prove or make clear by reasoning or evidence" / "to illustrate and explain especially with many examples"
It originates from the Latin monstrare, "to show."
I would say prove can be used more generally than demonstrate because demonstrate is specifically related to showing someone something. Some examples...
"Before they can arrest him, the detectives need to prove that Tom committed the crime." is correct.
"Before they can arrest him, the detectives need to demonstrate how they know that Tom committed the crime." is also correct.
"The teacher gave a pop quiz for his students to prove that they had done the reading homework." is correct.
"The teacher gave a pop quiz for his students to demonstrate their knowledge of the reading homework." is also correct.
"Nick wants to prove himself to the coach of his baseball team." is correct.
"Nick wants to demonstrate his skill to the coach of his baseball team." is unnatural and holds a different meaning. (...because "to prove oneself" does not specify what about oneself one wants to prove, but "demonstrate his skill" does. But "demonstrate" alone is insufficient.)
Also: "The coach asked Nick to demonstrate his pitch to the younger members of the team." is correct, but "The coach asked Nick to prove his pitch to the younger members of the team." is not.
Manifest is usually unrelated to demonstrate or prove. But it is a difficult word.
Definition:
adjective: "able to be seen / clearly shown or visible / easy to understand or recognize"
verb: "to show (something) clearly"
In my opinion, manifest also means to show but is less scientific than demonstrate. It is also something that people do not do. For example...
"Javier manifested his project to the class." is incorrect. Manifest cannot be used in place of demonstrate or show.
"Camille's upbringing manifested itself in the way she spoke." is correct.
"Jackie's depression began to manifest itself after the family dog died." is correct.
"Racism can be manifested in every aspect of American life." is correct.
I think manifest is closer to reveal than to demonstrate. It is not at all related to prove.
But it is not common to use manifest anyway.
Sorry this is so long! I hope it helps!! :)
Was this answer helpful?
- Simplified Chinese (China)
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