Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[learner1]

Hello,

1."Could you please keep/stay as quiet as possible when I study?"

2."I tried to stay/keep calm and not lose my temper."

3."Don't turn off here; stay/keep on this road."

4."Stay/Keep away from my daughter."

Are 'stay' and 'keep' interchangeable in the sentences above? If not, which is appropriate here and why?

Thank you very much.

[Philo Kevetch]

Hello - Yes, they sound interchangeable.

[learner1]

Hello Philo,

Thank you for your help.

"The dress stays/keep wet after repeated attempts to dry it"

Do you think 'keep' would be fine to be used instead of 'stay' here without changing the original meaning?

Thank you very much.

[Philo Kevetch]

No, doesn't seem to work in this example.

If, however, you want the dress to 'remain' wet (not be allowed to dry)after washing, you might say....

"Keep the dress wet after washing."

[learner1]

Hello Philo,

Thank you very much for your answer.
It seems like 'stay' and 'keep' don't have the same meaning, why are 'stay' and 'keep' interchangeable here in the following sentences? What do they mean here?

1."Could you please keep/stay as quiet as possible when I study?"

2."I tried to stay/keep calm and not lose my temper."

3."Don't turn off here; stay/keep on this road."

4."Stay/Keep away from my daughter."

Thank you very much.