Upon/on

For the record, using "differentiate" has a technical significance in the realm of Education, where I drew this quote while editing. However, I am not to defend it's original existence, as many words used with understood definitions in Education commonly contradict their true definitions. This just drives those of us English-minded educators batty!

The common misuse of "standards" in education is a major faux pas for many of my colleagues, as we wince each time media and government use the term.

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Thanks. XD

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Persephone... subtle, subtle. LOL

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Seconded.

The use of 'differentiate' is integral to the tone of the response. Were it replaced by 'distinguish' or 'discriminate', the text would be left with a fraction of the clarity, and the words may add undesired layers of ambiguity or inference which would subtend and distort the true meaning. The discriminant use of the word in its proper function serves only to provide a prime example of neutral yet precise language. Indeed, (and not to be hyperbolic) using a subset of language that avoids terms from other domains would cause an exponential growth in length of texts, as an expanding range of complex meanings would be forced on fewer words.

Of course, we should probably avoid dragging the conversation off onto this particular tangent.

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Pet, the use of "differentiated" is correct in this sentence. The word can be used, and often is used, outside of a mathematical context--for instance in biology, to refer to 'cell differentiation."

But technical meanings aside, both the transitive and intransitive meanings of the word are well attested and correct, even in situations in which you may personally prefer a synonym such as "discriminate" or "distinguish."

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I am bothered by people who use the term "differentiate" as a synonym for "distinguish" or "discriminate." Such usage is admittedly correct, but the term "differentiate" has specific, technical meanings in mathematical analysis, and is occasionally confusing.

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hmmm, Shawn comes up fine in my spell-checker :)

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Sorry, S-E-A-N. :) My husband's name is spelled the other way...I make that mistake often. Mea maxima culpa

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CQ is absolutely right in that "upon" is slightly more formal--but could could I get a spell check on my name? :P

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Thank you! Great points.

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I agree with Shawn, only to add that I think "upon" is a bit more formal sounding.

I also 100% agree with his 2nd comment about "by"...otherwise what your sentence says is "differentiated (up)on and dependent (up)on" which doesn't really make sense

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Both on and upon can be used. In no situation would there ever be a difference in the meaning between "dependent on" and "dependent upon."

On a side note, I think "differentiated" in the original sentence should be immediately followed by the word "by," since the coursework is both differentiated by the grade level and ELA designation and dependent on (or upon, whichever you prefer) the grade level and ELA designation.

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