Alone vs lonely - (Level: Intermediate)

Download the mp3 file length: 2 min 31 secs file size: 2.31 Mb __________ In today's episode we'll be looking at the difference between 'alone' and 'lonely'. The basic difference between 'alone' and 'lonely' is that when you 'feel lonely', you feel unhappy about it. The meaning of 'alone', on the other hand, basically refers to having no one else around you. It is also interesting to observe that even though their meanings are very closely related, they are used in distinct contexts. 'Lonely' is generally an adjective while 'alone' can be either an adjective or an adverb. Let's have a look at the following sentences. 1) Susan is alone in her bedroom. 2) George is a very lonely old man. So, we can see that in the first example 'alone' simply means that there is no one else there with her. In other words Susan is by herself. In the second example the meaning refers to an unhappy feeling that comes from being deprived of family members and close friends' company - it's like saying: "George is a very 'sad' old man". Here are some other examples: 3) When her parents got home she was alone in her bedroom. 4) John started feeling lonely after moving to Japan, so he decided to come back home. 5) I like to travel alone, so I can take my own decisions about where to go. 6) Julia was a lonely woman, she never wanted to go anywhere. But now she is studying art and has met a lot of nice people. Well, this is it! Thanks for listening!!! I'm Marcos Gazzana and this is English Language Podcast. __________ Download the mp3 file Subscribe to this podcast by visiting http://englishlanguagepodcast.blogspot.com/ and send your comments either by e-mail or post them on the blog.