economic .. economical...classic.. classical ..etc

[wind]

how do these differ from each other ???the -ic and -ical adjectives in general?

[jnelson0612]

how do these differ from each other ???the -ic and -ical adjectives in general?

There is very little difference. For example, "classic" and "classical" are synonyms of each other, as are "economic" and "economical". They are all adjectives.

[wind]

how do these differ from each other ???the -ic and -ical adjectives in general?

There is very little difference. For example, "classic" and "classical" are synonyms of each other, as are "economic" and "economical". They are all adjectives.

what if stuck between two answer choices? Haven't seen a certain problem but in just in case

[Willy]

how do these differ from each other ???the -ic and -ical adjectives in general?

There is very little difference. For example, "classic" and "classical" are synonyms of each other, as are "economic" and "economical". They are all adjectives.

what if stuck between two answer choices? Haven't seen a certain problem but in just in case

You have to go by meaning, i.e. what sentence is saying. See if economic (Of or relating to economics or the economy) or economical (Giving good value or service in relation to the amount of money, time, or effort spent) fits.

You can check out Q no. 37, 41 and 72 in OG12. (Strangely, in all these questions 'economical' is wrong. :) )

[tim]

thanks Willy. let us know if there are any further questions on this one. i'll reiterate Jamie's point though that it is extremely unlikely you'll be tested on this distinction..

[Eddie Gutia]

Hi,

In MGMAT Sentence correction, Chapter 2, there is an example as shown below.

1) My decision to drive a hybrid car was motivated by economic considerations.
2) Economical considerations motivated my decision to drive a hybrid car.

The author states that the first sentence is correct because economic means monetary and economical means thrifty.

My question: As economical means thrifty which means "careful with money" as you also confirmed, why isn't the second sentence correct?

[RonPurewal]

Yeah, the post above is mistaken. "Economic" and "economical" are totally different.

"Economic" = pertaining to economics (finance, monetary policy, utility functions, and all that)

"Economical" = not wasting resources.

"Economical" is used for the person/thing that uses small amounts of resources. I.e., your car can be "economical" (in terms of fuel consumption), but you can't have "economical thoughts" while you're deciding to buy it.

("Economical thoughts" would mean "thoughts that don't use much brainpower". Funny, but that's the only possible interpretation, since thoughts don't use up any other resource!)

[Eddie Gutia]

Yes, totally makes sense. Thanks for the interpreting it for me.

Thanks,
Aditya

[tim]

:)

[RonPurewal]

In the future, you can get a good sense of word usage by using Google and reading random pages containing that word.

Two hints:

• Make sure you're reading pages from reputable sites with good writing (e.g., formal publications, not random blogs).

• When you use Google, include a few random keywords, just to make sure you get things other than dictionary pages. (E.g., if you just Google "economical", you'll probably get dictionary pages. If you google "economical Obama campaign" or "economical pharmaceutical industry Medicare" or whatever, you'll see the word used in real-life contexts.)