Put vs Place
Put and Place are two words used in English language that show some difference between them when it comes to their usage and application. It is important to know that they should be looked upon as different words that have different connotations as well.
The word ‘put’ is used in the sense of ‘deposit’ and the word ‘place’ is used in the sense of ‘leave’. This is the main and subtle difference between the two words. Observe the two sentences,
1. Francis puts the book in the shelf.
2. Angela puts the sachet in the basket.
In both the sentences, you can see that the word ‘put’ is used in the sense of ‘deposit’ and hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘Francis deposits the book in the shelf’, and the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘Angela deposits the sachet in the basket’.
The word ‘put’ is sometimes used in the sense of ‘wear’ as in the sentence ‘Angela puts on her garment’. In this sentence, the word ‘put’ is used in the sense of ‘wear’ and hence, the meaning of the sentence would be ‘Angela wears her garment’.
Observe the two sentences,
1. He placed the book on the table.
2. Angela placed the plant in her garden.
In both the sentences, you can see that the word ‘place’ is used in the sense of ‘leave’ and hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘He left the book on the table’, and the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘Angela left the plant in her garden’.
The word ‘place’ is sometimes used in the sense of ‘lay’ as in the sentences
1. A wreath was placed on his body.
2. She placed a flower on the book.
In both the sentence, you can find that the word ‘place’ is used in the sense of ‘lay’ and hence, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘a wreath was laid on his body’, and the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘she laid a flower on the book’. This is an important observation to make when it comes to the usage of the word ‘place’.
It is interesting to note that both the words, namely, put and place are used chiefly as verbs. On the other hand, the word ‘put’ has the present participle and the past participle forms as ‘put’. It is interesting to note that the past participle form of ‘place’ is ‘placed’. This is one of the main differences between the two words.
The noun forms of the two words also differ for that matter. The verb ‘put’ does not have a noun form, but it has an abstract noun form in the word ‘putting’. On the other hand, the verb ‘place’ has the noun form in the word ‘placement’. It also has an abstract noun form in the word ‘placing’. These are the differences between the two important words in English language, namely, put and place.
I’m an ESL speaker and I felt as if native English speakers prefer ‘put’ over ‘place’ in everyday conversations. Is that fair to say?
Yeah, that’s true. But there’s native english speakers that prefer ‘place’.