Extend, Expand - February 20, 2025

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1. 0:01This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Anne in China.
2. 0:08Here is part of Anne's question.
3. 0:12Hello, teachers. Could you please help me understand the difference between extend, expand,
4. 0:22stretch, and enlarge when I describe an activity
5. 0:27that makes something larger than its current state?
6. 0:33Thank you, Anne.
7. 0:35We can use the four verbs Anne asked about to express an increase in physical size or amount.
8. 0:45We can also use them to express increasing the time an activity takes.
9. 0:52extend.
10. 0:55We often use the verb extend to talk about increasing the amount of time
11. 1:03for an activity or program.
12. 1:07For example, Officials want to extend the school year by six weeks.
13. 1:14We can use the verb extend to express an increase in people, things, or ideas.
14. 1:25Consider the following examples.
15. 1:29The new rule extends to all employees in the company.
16. 1:34They want to extend the benefits of freedom to people around the world.
17. 1:39world. This research will extend our knowledge.
18. 1:45We can also use extend to express the distance or the area something reaches.
19. 1:54For example. The Rocky Mountains extend from the United States into Canada.
20. 2:04We use expand to express an increase in the size of a project or program,
21. 2:12and, like extend, we can use expand to talk about including more people.
22. 2:22Consider the following example.
23. 2:24Officials want to expand the program to include people from developing countries.
24. 2:33We commonly use expand in connection with business or industry.
25. 2:40We want to expand our business to reach more customers.
26. 2:47We can use the phrasal verb stretch out
27. 2:52to express increasing the time to continue an activity.
28. 2:59I wanted to stretch out my vacation for an extra two or three days.
29. 3:05We can use the verb stretch to express improving our ability to do something.
30. 3:12Learning a new language will stretch your mind and improve your problem-solving abilities.
31. 3:22Note that when we use the verb stretch in this way,
32. 3:27we communicate the idea that the improvement might be a little difficult or take a lot of effort.
33. 3:37Enlarge Unlike the verb extend,
34. 3:42we do not use enlarge to talk about an increase in time.
35. 3:48Instead, it simply means to increase in size or scope.
36. 3:55Scope means all of the things connected to an activity or project.
37. 4:02Consider the following example.
38. 4:05They have enlarged their research team to examine the effects of pollution on animals.
39. 4:13For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English?
40. 4:20How are you trying to expand your knowledge?
41. 4:24We want to hear from you.
42. 4:26Send us an email at learningenglish .com
43. 4:31and please let us know where you are from, too.
44. 4:38And that's Ask a Teacher.
45. 4:40I'm Andrew Smith.