Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Pain in the English
Pain in the English

Unpacking English, Bit by Bit

A community for questioning, nitpicking, and debating the quirks and rules of the English language.

Username

Johnolywa

Member Since

September 21, 2011

Total number of comments

1

Total number of votes received

14

Bio

Latest Comments

Substantial vs. substantive

  • September 21, 2011, 9:22am

It appears there is substantial disagreement amongst the commentators on the question whether the difference between the two words is substantive or only superficial. Certainly we could not say that the difference between the two words is "substantial" since it's only 2 letters. However those 2 letters of difference may nevertheless result in a substantive difference in meaning and usage.