What is the difference between simple and easy? The Difference Between Simple and Easy.

As soon as we begin to learn words meaningfully, and this means not mechanically, like parrots, memorizing one meaning of a word that is listed in the dictionary, we truly begin to use a vocabulary, even if it is small. And this is exactly what we need, to introduce the English language into real life: that is, to be able to speak and write, correctly understand the meaning of the text read and understand English speech. Learning words meaningfully means understanding that the information contained in a word is always voluminous and cannot be limited to one meaning. This means that many words (primarily verbs and adjectives) have not only a literal, but also a figurative meaning. And if adverbs are formed from adjectives, then it turns out that adverbs can have the literal and figurative meaning of the corresponding adjectives.

Adverbs with the same stem (which we have already covered) are a topic in which confusion constantly occurs, especially since there are often no rules, and the use of such adverbs is determined by tradition. In a word - THEY DO NOT SAY THIS, which means that you just need to take this into account, this is UZUS. To avoid mistakes, I will write in detail about each pair of such adverbs with examples. Let's look at three more pairs - direct-direct; easy-easy; fair-fairly.

1. DIRECT – DIRECTLY; The word “direct” as an adjective has the meaning = direct (also in a figurative sense), immediate, open, honest, truthful;

Adverb DIRECT= straight, in a straight line without turning or stopping. Often associated with movement or flight. For example:

We went direct to the station. = We went straight to the station.

This train goes direct to London. = This train is going straight to London.

I shall communicate with you direct. = I will keep in touch directly (directly) with you.

The plane goes direct from London to New-York without stopping. = The plane flies from London directly to New York without stopping.

Adverb DIRECTLY= directly (by method or manner of action); soon, immediately, immediately.

For example:

She answered me very directly. = She answered me very directly.

He left directly after dinner. = He left immediately after lunch.

I'll come here directly. = I'll come here right away.

2. EASY – EASILY; The word “easy”, as an adjective, has the meaning = light (in a figurative sense, easy to communicate), relaxed, free;

Adverb EASY= calmly, leisurely; occurs only in certain phrases that occur frequently in colloquial speech. They are worth remembering and adding to the homemade registry.

Take it easy. = Calmer. Don't worry, don't rush.

Easy come, easy go. = What comes easily is easily spent. Easy to put on. easily lived. (proverb)

Easier said than done. = Easier said than done.

Stand easy = Stand freely.

Go easy on someone = treat someone softer, kinder. For example: Go easy on your son. Don't punish him. = Be gentle with your son. Don't punish him.

Go easy with something = do not use something in excess quantities. For example: Go easy with the butter = Don’t go heavy on the butter.

easy does it = Little by little. The quieter you go, the further you'll get.

easy as pie = Mere trifles; as easy as pie; a couple of trifles;

easy – going = good-natured, cheerful, carefree;

Adverb – EASILY= easily, without difficulty - this is an adverb of manner of action and is used in all other cases.

I have easily translated this text. = I easily translated this text.

You can easily imagine my surprise. = You can easily imagine my surprise.

I can easily finish the work today. = I can easily finish this work today.

She is not easily to please. = She is not easy to please.

3. FAIR – FAIRLY; The word “fair”, as an adjective, means honest, fair, impartial, legal; polite, courteous, amiable. There are also meanings: beautiful, beautiful, clean, spotless, blond, light - but such meaning is not conveyed by adverbs.

Adverb FAIR= honestly, kindly, courteously; occurs only in certain phrases that you should know.

to play fair = to act honestly, play fair;

to fight fair = fight according to the rules, honestly;

to hit fair = Hit according to the rules (in boxing);

fair and square = honestly, fairly, in an honest way; For example:

It was a good game and they beat us fair and square. = It was a good game and they beat us fairly.

Adverb FAIRLY= fair, impartial; is a common adverb of manner, and its meaning corresponds to the adjective from which it is derived. Often adjacent to verbs: “to treat” - to treat someone; treat someone; to do to someone; or “to act” - to act, to act;

Treat him fairly. = Treat him fairly.

Act fairly by all men = Act fairly towards all people.

I think I was fairly treated by the police. = I believe that the police treated me fairly.

Adverb FAIRLY= quite, quite; is an adverb of measure and degree, like QUITE RATHER. It defines adjectives and adverbs.

For example:

He answered the questions fairly well. = He answered questions quite well.

She speaks English fairly well. = She speaks English quite well.

They returned fairly soon. = They returned pretty soon.

Question:
What is the semantic difference between easy = easy/effortless And easily = easy/effortless?

Exercise:

1) Fill in the blanks easy/easy

1. The door closes… - the door closes easily
2. It was … enough to get in, as there was a hole in the roof. - It was easy enough to get inside because the roof was leaky
3. Problem after problem was given to the computer. It solved all of them... - Problem after problem was put in front of the computer, it solved them all without effort.
4. Take it... - don't worry
5. The text is specially formatted to be ... readable. - This text has been specially prepared to make it easier to read
6. Other countries have big, strong rivers, and these turn turbines and make electricity more… and cheaply. - Other countries have mighty rivers and they can install turbines on them to get electricity easier and cheaper
7. It "s not ... to perform before a live audience. - Don’t just perform in front of a live audience.

2) Fill in the blanks with both easy/easy where possible. How can I change the translation?

Reflections:
easy - adverb of manner - how? Just
easily - also an adverb of manner of action - how? simple, but can also act as an adverb of degree - to what extent? very simple
easily allows combinations with comparative adverbs more/less easily.
easy becomes comparative adverb easier
It seems that easy is an objective/static characteristic (adjective sense), and easily is a subjective/dynamic characteristic (adverbial sense). For now I'm stalling.

1. The door closes easily - the door closes easily
2. It was easy enough to get in, as there was a hole in the roof. - It was easy enough to get inside because the roof was leaky
3. Problem after problem was given to the computer. It solved all of them easily. - Problem after problem was presented to the computer, it solved them all without effort.
4. Take it easy - don't worry
5. The text is specially formatted to be easily readable. - This text has been specially prepared to make it easier to read
6. Other countries have big, strong rivers, and these turn turbines and make electricity more easily and cheaply. - Other countries have mighty rivers and they can install turbines on them to get electricity easier and cheaper

Discussion

1. The door closes easily - the door closes easily
1. The door closes easy - the door closes easily

3. Problem after problem was given to the computer. It solved all of them easily. - Problem after problem was presented to the computer, it solved them all without effort. (=super computer)
3. Issue after issue was given to the computer. It solved all of them easy. - Problem after problem was put in front of the computer, they were solved easily. (=an ordinary computer, but the tasks are easy)

4. Take it easy - don't worry
4. Take it easily - take it carefully/without excessive effort, there are fragile objects

5. The text is specially formatted to be easily readable. - This text has been specially prepared to make it easier to read.
5. The text is specially formatted to be easier to read. - This text has been specially prepared to make it easier to read.

6. Other countries have big, strong rivers, and these turn turbines and make electricity easily and cheaply. - In other countries there are mighty rivers and it is possible to install turbines to generate electricity easier and cheaper.
6. Other countries have big, strong rivers, and these turn turbines and make electricity easy and cheap. - In other countries there are mighty rivers and turbines can be installed on them, in this case electricity is produced easier and cheaper.

these two examples are with adjectives.
2. It was easy enough to get in, as there was a hole in the roof. “It was easy enough to get inside because the roof was leaky.”
7. It's not easy to perform before a live audience. - It's not easy to perform in front of a live audience.

Why can't it be an adverb?

adverb = sign of action, and here the structure of the state → no action → impossible adverb

Hello everyone, let's understand the difference between two English adjectives simple and easy. Very often we use these adjectives automatically, without thinking (those who have quite extensive experience in English may even sometimes manage to do it correctly :)), and yet, most Russian-speaking people do not understand the difference between simple and easy. Now we will put everything in its place.

So, and simple and easy can be translated as “simple”. I think it would be more correct (to better understand the difference) to translate simple as “simple”, and easy as “easy”. This already helps a little.

The main difference between simple and easy thing is simple means “simple, easy to understand, having a simple structure”, while easy more means “easy to do.” Let's look at this example:

The boss gives the subordinate the task: “You must bring all these heavy boxes to my office today.” Is this task easy? Well, of course - carry boxes - it does not require higher education and is very easy to understand. But here easy is it? Most likely no. In this case we can say that: This task is very simple. But this task is not easy .

Or can the same task be simple and easy at the same time? Of course it can. If the boss asks an employee to bring one small box to his office in 5 minutes, then This task is both simple and easy .

Let's look at a couple more examples:

Easy life vs simple life

Simple life = simple life (inconspicuous, unostentatious, simple work, moderate appetites for goods, in general, a simple hard worker).

Easy life = easy life (usually implies a lot of money, not having to work, wealth, in general, a life without worries).

Being simple vs being easy

She is simple= she is a simpleton, often has a negative connotation (she is stupid, primitive, straightforward)

She is easy= she takes life lightly, flighty, frivolous (in general, a fidgety person).

For example, if we are talking about losing weight and considering the process of losing weight, meaning that we simply “need to eat less,” then our process of losing weight is simple or easy? In this case Losing weight is simple, but it is not easy(we understand that eating less is very simple to understand and do, but is it easy, implying volitional efforts?)

For example, quantum physics - we have it simple And easy or not? Most likely, quantum physics is not simple and not easy either. Quantum physics is a complex science, and it is not easy to study either.

Some people can explain the solution to a problem very simply. And others can easily solve a problem of any complexity. There are two words in English: easy and simple, which are translated into Russian as “easy”. Is there a difference between them? Find out the answer to this question in the article.

Easy

Pronunciation and translation:

Easy [ˈiːzi] / [i"zi] - easy

Meaning of the word:
It's not hard to do

Use:
We use this word when doing something that doesn't cost us much effort. For example: you can easily cross the river because you are a good swimmer.

Example:

The test was easy.
The test was easy.

The house was easy to find.
The house was easy to find.

Swimming is easy for me.
Swimming is easy for me.

Simple

Pronunciation and translation:

Simple [ˈsɪmpəl] / [si "mpel] - just

Meaning of the word:
Easy and not difficult to understand

Use:
This word is used when something is very easy to understand. It is used to refer to things such as instructions and explanations, a machine or a system.

Example:

A simple but effective solution to the problem.
A simple but effective solution to the problem.

The system is relatively simple to operate.
The system is relatively easy to operate.

A simple recipe for chocolate cake.
A simple chocolate cake recipe.

What is the difference?

Easy we use it when we can do something without much effort. Perhaps because you have special skills or are good at something. For example, you have a mathematical background and solving even a complex equation is easy for you.

Simple used when something is very simple and clear. You don't need any special education or skills to understand this. For example, the explanation of a math problem is so simple that anyone can understand and solve it.

Consolidation exercise

Now, arrange the words into the following sentences. Write the sentence number and the correct word.

1. I ___ can run two kilometers.
2. The map was very ___.
3. My younger sister can already solve ___ examples.
4. He ___ can speak English.
5. Drive the car ___ for her.
6. The instructions for the phone are very ___.
7. His explanation was very ___.
8. You ___ will be able to use this program if I teach you.

Leave your answers in the comments and I'll check them.