Similar but Different
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A) There's only a phone in our office.
B) There's only one phone in our office.
What's the difference between these two sentences? In Spanish there's no difference. Solo hay un teléfono en nuestra oficina. But in English there's an important difference.
The office in sentence "A" is completely empty except for the telephone.
The office in sentence "B" has many things but only one phone.
Opposite means facing, on the other side of something.
In front of means before, the opposite of behind.
In front of also means the most forward part, the opposite of the back.
In my classroom the chairs are arranged in a circle. The teacher stands in the middle, so he is always in front of everybody.
John is on the other side of the room from me so we are exactly opposite each other.
Across means from one side to another, usually of a level surface. (a street)
If you're crossing something high, over is better. (a bridge)
Through means in at one end and out the other so there's a sense of volume. (a tunnel)
So, I go across the street over the bridge and through the tunnel.
Alone means without or separated from others.
He lived alone for two years before he met his wife.
Lonely means unhappy because of being alone.
He's been very lonely since his children moved away from home.
Only means with no others in the same group or of the same type.
They say that I was the only one who could understand what my brother said when he was a baby.
To be out is to be away from the inside, away from home or a building, not in one's place; absent.
I'm afraid he's out at the moment. Can I take a message?
To be away means to be in another place.
I'm afraid he can't be reached. He's away on a business trip.