VOA名师答疑2023--Change and Vary

Change and Vary

Hi there! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question about the words "change" and "vary."

Question:

Hello Teacher,

I'm Ali, and I live in Mashhad, Iran.

What is the difference between "change" and "vary?"

I'm keen on knowing how American people use "vary" in different forms in daily conversations.

Thank you,

Ali

Answer

Thanks for writing to us, Ali!

Here is the first major difference between the word "change" and the word "vary": Only one of them is a noun and a verb.

"Change" is that word. You can "change your opinion" for example. That's change as a verb.

You can also have "a change of opinion." That's change as a noun!

"Vary" is more narrow in meaning. It means to make a partial change in something, or to diversify¹ something.

Sometimes change and vary are synonyms³.

Let's look at each one more closely.

Change as a verb

While "change" can be either a noun or a verb, we will compare the verbal meanings and uses to "vary."

It can be used in a lot of different situations and can be a synonym² for many other verbs like transform, exchange, switch or alter.

"Change" meanings range from making a difference or altering something particular to completely transforming or replacing something.

Many schools are changing the college application requirements in response to the ending of Affirmative Action.

Water changes from a liquid to a solid when it freezes at zero degrees Celsius⁴.

"Change" can also mean making a slight modification⁵ in something to switching or making a shift from one thing to another.

The leaves change colors every autumn.

Emma changed her shirt because she spilled something on it.

Derek changed his money from dollars to euros when he went to France.

Andrey's accent changed after he moved to the big city.

Vary

Now let's look at "vary."

"Vary" is a verb. It can mean to make a partial change or to differentiate⁶ between items by size, amount or degree.

I like to vary my meals with different types of grains and greens.

Insects vary in size from large to very small.

It can also mean to show or experience a change.

The night sky varies depending on the Earth's rotation⁷ and orbit around the sun.

Interest rates vary due to how the economy is.

Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Ali.

Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at [email protected].

And that's Ask a Teacher.

Words in This Story

synonyms – n. a word that is similar in meaning to another word

accent – n. a way of pronouncing words that occurs among the people in a particular region or country

1 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

2 synonym   

n.同义词，换喻词

参考例句：

• Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
• The term 'industrial democracy' is often used as a synonym for worker participation. “工业民主”这个词常被用作“工人参与”的同义词。

3 synonyms   

同义词( synonym的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• If you want to grasp English, you must carefully discriminate synonyms. 如果你想掌握好英语，你必须仔细区分同义词。
• Study the idioms and synonyms l wrote down before your test. 学考试前我给你写的习惯用语和同义字。

4 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

5 modification   

n.修改，改进，缓和，减轻

参考例句：

• The law,in its present form,is unjust;it needs modification.现行的法律是不公正的，它需要修改。
• The design requires considerable modification.这个设计需要作大的修改。

6 differentiate   

vi.(between)区分；vt.区别；使不同

参考例句：

• You can differentiate between the houses by the shape of their chimneys.你可以凭借烟囱形状的不同来区分这两幢房子。
• He never learned to differentiate between good and evil.他从未学会分辨善恶。

7 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。