Help me distinguish between these words.

[hasibul212003]

Hi I have come across few words which seem to be similar in meaning. Maybe you can help me to point out the differences.
1.Foresight and foreshadow
2.premonition and presage
3.crotchety,contumacious,morose
4.allay,ameliorate,alleviate.
Thanks.

[tommywallach]

Hey Hasibul,

All of these words can and should be looked up in the dictionary, but to be short about it:

1. These have nothing to do with each other. One is a noun and one is a verb.

2. Same idea, but one is a noun and one is a verb.

3. These have nothing to do with each other.

4. These are all similar, and could be used more or less interchangeably on the test (though "allay" is used primarily to describe what you do to set someone's fears or anxiety at rest, while ameliorate means "to improve" and alleviate means to lessens someone's pain or stress.

-t

[mcgarryseanm]

Also, presage and premonition are used ion different contexts. a premonition is almost like a 6th sense that something is doing to happen.

Presage is more concrete.

[tommywallach]

I'd disagree there. They have vastly different meanings, primarily because it's an issue of part of speech.

Presage is a verb meaning "to foreshadow" something.

Premonition is a noun. It is a feeling about what will happen in the future.

They are both fairly "non concrete" (go look them up). So I wouldn't use that.

-t