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HSS Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Distinctive, Distinct
What is the difference between 'distinctive' and 'distinct'? I'd appreciate it if anyone could please enlighten me on how switching the 'distinctive' to 'distinct' change the reader's perception of Allie's attention in the following passage.
I perceive if 'distinct' were used, Allie's focus would have been more on Noah's smell than himself. She would have marveled at his familiar 'smell,' rather than his attractiveness on the whole. Am I on the right track?
Hiro
(Noah and Allie went out for a summer, but they had been separated since then. She found him, and told him that she had been engaged. Somehow she had been invited to his dinner, and she was helping him cook)
Allie carried the bowl to the icebox and found some okra, zucchini, onions, and carrots on the bottom shelf. Noah joined her in front of the open door, and she moved to make room for him. She could smell him as he stood next to her --- clean, familiar, distinctive --- and felt his arm brush against her as he leaned over and reached inside. ('The Notebook' by Nicholas Sparks)
I perceive if 'distinct' were used, Allie's focus would have been more on Noah's smell than himself. She would have marveled at his familiar 'smell,' rather than his attractiveness on the whole. Am I on the right track?
Hiro
(Noah and Allie went out for a summer, but they had been separated since then. She found him, and told him that she had been engaged. Somehow she had been invited to his dinner, and she was helping him cook)
Allie carried the bowl to the icebox and found some okra, zucchini, onions, and carrots on the bottom shelf. Noah joined her in front of the open door, and she moved to make room for him. She could smell him as he stood next to her --- clean, familiar, distinctive --- and felt his arm brush against her as he leaned over and reached inside. ('The Notebook' by Nicholas Sparks)
Top answer
" The odor of skunk was distinct. " In some cases they might be interchangeable: The distinct/distinctive smell of balsam permeated the clean air. The meaning is slightly different, though.
- " The odor of skunk was distinct.
- " In some cases they might be interchangeable: The distinct/distinctive smell of balsam permeated the clean air.
- The meaning is slightly different, though.
- In the first case, you mean it was easily identifiable.
- In the second, you'd usually be implying that you like it.
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2 Answers
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Distinctive means "unique."
Distinct means "clear."
The odor of skunk was distinct. (unmistakable)
I guess you could say they both mean "set apart from others."
In some cases they might be interchangeable:
The distinct/distinctive smell of balsam permeated the clean air. The meaning is slightly different, though.
Distinct means "clear."
The odor of skunk was distinct. (unmistakable)
I guess you could say they both mean "set apart from others."
In some cases they might be interchangeable:
The distinct/distinctive smell of balsam permeated the clean air. The meaning is slightly different, though.
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The distinct smell of balsam permeated the clean air. -- It was clear and strong.
The distinctive smell of balsam permeated the clean air. -- It was balsam, not anything else.
The distinctive smell of balsam permeated the clean air. -- It was balsam, not anything else.
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