can contain or can hold

Question

I know both these workThe glass contains/holds 16oz.but  with 'can' which is correct?The glass can contain/hold 16oz.Can you only say The glass can contain/hold a lot of liquidor can you say the metric amount of liquid it holds like 16oz?The glass can contain/hold 16oz. Are both correct? Is it correct to say how much weight it can hold?The envelope can hold/contain 2 pages.The envelope can hold/contain 50 grams.Is this naturally written?How much weight can the envelope hold/contain? [if you want the answer to be '50 grams'How much metric amount of liquid can the glass hold/contain? [if you want the answer to be '16 oz' and not 'alot of liquid'Thanks

Doctor D · Accepted Answer

Let's start with the difference between "hold" and "contain."

The glass contains 16 fluid ounces of water. (The water is in the glass right now)
The glass holds 16 fluid ounces of water. (The glass is capable of holding that amount, but it is currently empty. To make it presently happening, you would say: The glass is holding 16 fluid ounces of water.)
[Note that I specify fluid ounces of a particular liquid).

In addition, "contain" usually means "enclose" or "surround," while "hold" can mean either "enclose" or "support." So you could have a case where, say, a plate can "hold" a pile of peas (sustain the weight) but cannot "enclose" them (they would roll off).

That said, "can hold" and "can contain" are generally interchangeable.

I would not specify the weight, unless, as I said, it is a container and the weight is in fluid ounces. If we are talking a dry weight, what it can hold depends on the density of the material. It might hold 16 ounces of steel marbles, but not 16 ounces of banana bread (the volume is so much more). Clear?

So
The envelope can hold/contain 2 pages.
The envelope can hold/contain 50 grams. [Not without explaining what material is being held.]

And
Is this naturally written?
How much weight can the envelope hold/contain? [if you want the answer to be '50 grams']
[No, this is not a reasonable statement, because what determines how much the envelope can hold is not the weight but the volume.]
How much metric amount of liquid can the glass hold/contain? [if you want the answer to be '16 oz' and not 'a lot of liquid']
[I would name the measurement: How many ounces of liquid can the glass hold/contain?]

I hope this helps.

can contain or can hold

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