Key is C but I am wondering why B is not right? I check the meaning of lengthen in Oxford Dictionary and it tells me that lengthen is to make st longer. I checked lengthen your life and felt like the word can be used to lengthen a visit, why not? Please help me.
prolong/ lengthen
- Thread starter trunghq
- Start date
Hi Wendy,
Can you provide me with some specific examples for each case you mentioned?
I think Wendy is on the right track with "the thing that is affected".
Where Wendy says "invisible" and "visible", I would say "making something longer in time (prolonging) or in space (lengthening)".
But that's not the whole story.
"Prolong" always refers to time; you cannot "prolong" in space.
But "lengthen"—although usually in space—can also refer to some things in time. Healthy practices can lengthen your life. So why not "lengthen" with "visit"?
Here is a hypothesis: that "prolonging" is preferred for something undesirable, like "war", "agony", or a visit that keeps Grandpa from resting.
Where Wendy says "invisible" and "visible", I would say "making something longer in time (prolonging) or in space (lengthening)".
But that's not the whole story.
"Prolong" always refers to time; you cannot "prolong" in space.
But "lengthen"—although usually in space—can also refer to some things in time. Healthy practices can lengthen your life. So why not "lengthen" with "visit"?
Here is a hypothesis: that "prolonging" is preferred for something undesirable, like "war", "agony", or a visit that keeps Grandpa from resting.
We lengthen a skirt, making it physically longer.
We prolong a visit, because we're talking about time.
We prolong a visit, because we're talking about time.
I think prolong also has an implication or suggestion that the increase is somehow extra, beyond what was originally planned, and often done when you are already in that meeting, visit, or whatever.
For example:
The discussions were scheduled to last two hours, but we had to prolong the meeting because some participants talked too much.
Janet and John prolonged their visit to England because Janet injured her back.
BUT:
The conference organizing committee decided to lengthen next year's plenary session to accommodate more discussion.
The government has announced that statutory holidays will be increased (NOT prolonged) by five days per annum from 2020.
For example:
The discussions were scheduled to last two hours, but we had to prolong the meeting because some participants talked too much.
Janet and John prolonged their visit to England because Janet injured her back.
BUT:
The conference organizing committee decided to lengthen next year's plenary session to accommodate more discussion.
The government has announced that statutory holidays will be increased (NOT prolonged) by five days per annum from 2020.