Anticipating and expecting

Question

What are the difference between aniticipating and expecting? Please provide some examples, if you could.Thanks.

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]What are the difference between aniticipating and expecting? Please provide some examples, if you could. Thanks.[/nq]
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=anticipating

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=expecting

Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]What are the difference between aniticipating and expecting? Please provide some examples, if you could. Thanks.[/nq]
They are often treated as synonyms, but it is possible to make a distinction.
Anticipation is expectation plus preparation.
I expect his visit at the weekend.
I anticipate his visit at the weekend by clearing my diary.

Matti (British)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]What are the difference between aniticipating and expecting? Please provide some examples, if you could. Thanks.[/nq]
Off the top of my head, anticipating has more of a feel of hope about it, whereas, expecting has more certainty to it.

Hope that helps
Kind regards
Bill

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]What are the difference between aniticipating and expecting? Please provide some examples, if you could. Thanks.[/nq]
[nq:1]They are often treated as synonyms, but it is possible to make a distinction. Anticipation is expectation plus preparation. I expect his visit at the weekend. I anticipate his visit at the weekend by clearing my diary.[/nq]
Would you write that? I would use "I anticipated his visit (this) weekend by clearing my diary." Without the "d" it looks strange in that context.
I would add that "anticipation" implies at least a mild form of excitement and desire, where "expecting" is just descriptive of knowledge of what is to come.
There is a nuance to "In anticipation of his arrival.." compared to "In expectation of his arrival...".

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]They are often treated as synonyms, but it is possible ... anticipate his visit at the weekend by clearing my diary.[/nq]
[nq:1]Would you write that? I would use "I anticipated his visit (this) weekend by clearing my diary." Without the "d" it looks strange in that context.[/nq]
I should have used the past tense for both examples, yes.

Matti

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]What are the difference between aniticipating and expecting? Please provide some examples, if you could. Thanks.[/nq]
[nq:1]They are often treated as synonyms, but it is possible to make a distinction. Anticipation is expectation plus preparation. I expect his visit at the weekend. I anticipate his visit at the weekend by clearing my diary. Matti (British)[/nq]
By diary do you mean your schedule? I always thought of a diary as a place to keep secrets and record events and not as a date book for future doings/

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]They are often treated as synonyms, but it is possible ... visit at the weekend by clearing my diary. Matti (British)[/nq]
[nq:1]By diary do you mean your schedule? I always thought of a diary as a place to keep secrets and record events and not as a date book for future doings/[/nq]
In BrE "diary" has two meanings.
From the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

diary
a book with a separate space or page for each day, in which you write down your future arrangements, meetings, etc. or one used to record your thoughts and feelings or what has happened on that day:
Don't forgot to write/enter the date of the meeting in your diary. I've never kept (= written about what has happened to me in) a diary.
The "future arrangements" meaning is by far the most common.

As far as I'm aware the phrase "date book" (a.k.a. calendar book) is unknown in BrE.
Diaries come in various sizes: there are pocket diaries (small), desk diaries (large), and sizes in between.
A major publisher of diaries is Letts (part of the Filofax Group) http://www.letts.co.uk/

Peter Duncanson
UK (posting from a.e.u)

Anticipating and expecting

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