POWER or STRENGTH? 💪🏼 Confusing English Vocabulary

Hello I'm Emma from mmmEnglish!

In this lesson, I'm going to talk about

two very similar English words.

Power and strength.

They're both bold, strong, serious words

and very similar in their meaning.

But if you use these words incorrectly,

it will start to sound unnatural or just a bit weird.

So that's why we're going to spend a little time today

talking about the differences between them.

Now we're more familiar with these words

when it comes to fitness, right?

Power relates to energy and an ability to do something,

whereas strength relates to muscles

and also an ability to do something.

It's really easy to see physical power and strength

in athletes, right? You can see it.

But they both have a more intangible,

less visible meaning too.

And that's where these words often

get confused by English learners.

So the word power refers to the ability of somebody

or something to change or affect something.

So physically, a sprinter, who's someone who

runs really fast over short distances,

they need power to change

their speed and position quickly.

But it can refer to mechanical situations as well,

where a machine does something.

Or it can refer to social or political situations

where a person or a group does something

and this is often related to the ability to influence

or control people or a situation.

Now, power can also refer to your internal ability

to change a situation.

You have the power to change your life

if you really want to.

Now the word strength has a few different meanings

but most relevant here is that it refers to a

person's physical or mental ability to do something.

Obviously, it relates to physical strength,

the strength of muscles to lift weights for example.

But also mental strength, so the strength of your mind

to believe in yourself, to persevere,

to overcome problems and doubts.

Now, elite athletes are strong physically and mentally

because they must believe that they are the best,

to be able to perform at their best.

When describing people's ability to do something,

power usually refers to control over yourself,

control over others or control over a situation.

So in some ways, this can be a negative expression of

dominance or something that must be fought for

or taken away from others.

Where strength is positive and often

it comes from within,

within a person or within a group.

Generally, strength is a more positive and pure way

of expressing an ability to do something.

Both the words power and strength are nouns

but just as common, are their adjective forms,

powerful and strong,

which, when used, tend to sound a little more informal.

She's a strong and determined woman.

This is the most powerful and proactive

government since the 1950s.

Strength can also mean an advantage or

a positive part about you.

In a job interview, you might get asked this question,

"What are your strengths?"

For me, that's the dreaded question!

I hate having to talk about my strengths.

But what are the good features or characteristics

that you have? That you'll be able to use

to help you do your job well.

One of her biggest strengths

is her determination to succeed.

Keep in mind that strength has a direct opposite.

Weakness.

We need to identify the weaknesses in our team.

But power does not have a direct opposite.

We would just say lack of power

or describe someone as powerless,

unable to change a situation.

The community were powerless

to stop the resort development.

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Bye for now!