When does one use complacence, and when does one use complacency? Both of them are nouns, so obviously they have different meanings and usage. Complacence is a calm satisfaction with oneself. A monk is likely to be someone with a sense of complacence, at peace with oneself and with his lot in life. Complacency is a whole lot more dangerous - complacency means a self-satisfaction but coupled with a lack of awareness of what is happening around it. It is normally used to describe a person or nation which has become so self-absorbed and satisfied that it does not see looming danger until it is too late. A champion swimmer who has a sense of complacency is unlikely to put in the effort to train, until his young upstart takes the medal from him. So there you are, some tips from your friendly neighbourhood English teacher.
This article first appeared in Domain of Experts , a website where selected academic experts write. Introduction One of my students recently asked me if there is a difference between "backward" and "backwards". "Is it another of those American English versus British English thing?" he wondered aloud. I smiled. My students have become very used to my explaining how my American friends use different terms or spell certain words differently, compared to we Singaporeans (who use British English). In fact, it is not just "backward" and "backwards" that many students got in a bind over, but all the various "wards" in English. Forward vs Forwards Forward can be used as an adverb or an adjective, and is used to describe a direction of motion, to the front, or describe a position. Forwards, on the other hand, can only be used as an adverb, and is used interchangeably with "forward" The squad commander took a forward position ...
A good post in Quora: https://qr.ae/pyLVmK Basically when the youths of today no longer see they have the same hope for a better life that their parents have, the nation goes boom.
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