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Andy jia
Joined: 16 Nov 2013
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Mon Nov 18, 2013 9:41 pm Post subject: The difference between confirm, ascertain, verify, affirm... |
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Dear teachers,
Could you please help me make the difference between the words: confirm, ascertain, verify, affirm, attest, testify. I read them as synonyms in my book but I couldn't distinguish them exactly. 
Thank you very much.  |
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IanT
Joined: 13 Sep 2012
Posts: 340
Location: Spain
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| Posted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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Confirm, and verify are similar. They both have the meaning of saying "yes, it is true". Verify sounds a bit more scientific.
Ascertain means find out, discover (more or less).
Affirm means you make a statement saying something is true. But you might be wrong, because no-one has verified it yet!
Testify is something you do in court. It means you give your evidence as a witness, saying what you heard or saw.
Attest means to support a point of view. It is normally used with information rather than people. "As this report will attest, there is no truth in the story..."
Hope helps,
Ian
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Andy jia
Joined: 16 Nov 2013
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 5:13 am Post subject: |
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Now I could make the difference.
Thanks for help.  |
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