2021-05-10 ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด – A – assume & presume

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2021-05-10

ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด – A – assume & presume

แนะนำการใช้ ตามที่ส่วนใหญ่ใช้ แต่ละท้องถิ่น

ความหมาย อาจผันแปร ตาม ตำแหน่ง/หน้าที่ ในประโยค

Dictionary.com

ออกเสียง assume = ‘uh-SOOM’

ออกเสียง presume = ‘pri-ZOOM’

Dictionary.com

ASSUME VS. PRESUME

What's the difference between assume and presume?

Assume and presume have very similar meanings

—they both mean

to suppose that something is true

withoutbeing able to confirm it.

Assume,however, usually

implies thatthe conclusion reached

by the person doingthe assuming

is not based on much.

Presume,on the other hand, often

implies thatthe conclusion is

basedon something a bit stronger,

such as someevidence or past situations

in which the samething happened.

For example,

you might presume that

someone will be attending a meeting

because they always attend

and you have no reason to think they won’t be there.

The word assume could also be used in this scenario,

but it’s most likely to be used in

situationsin which there was less of a reason

to have come to a certain conclusion.

For example,

you might assume something about someone

you’ve just met based only on

how they look(which is never a good idea).

A good way to remember

this difference in howthe two words are used

is thatthe prefix pre- in presume means “before”

—when you presume things,

you’re often basingthat presumption

on something that has happened before.

As for assume, well, we’ll just assume

you know a good way of remembering how it’s used.

Assume and presume also have a few meanings that don’t overlap.

Assume can mean

to take on, adopt, or be endowed with something,

as in I don’t want to assume any new responsibilities.

Presume can mean

to undertake or do something without permission or justification,

as in I don’t presume to speak for the entire class.

Here are examples

of assume and presume used correctly in a sentence.

Example:

I assumed you knew what you were doing

when you volunteered to bake the cake,

but apparently I shouldn’t have.

Example:

I presumed, based on your resume,

that you knew how to work with this software.

Dictionary.com

Assumevs. Presume

The words assume and presume

both mean that you take something for granted as being true,

but the difference isbased on how certain you are.

Assume is typically used in situations

where someone takes something as the truth

with a very low levelof certainty

orwith no proof at all.

Presume usually involves a higher level of certainty

and is used in situations

where someone makes an educated guess

based on reasonable proof or evidence.

Examples

One exampleof assume

comes from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling:

“The teenaged Sirius had plastered the walls with

so many posters and pictures

that little of the walls’ silvery-grey silk was visible.

Harry could only assume that

Sirius’s parents had been unable to remove

the Permanent Sticking Charm that kept them on the wall,

because he was sure

they would not have appreciated their eldest son’s taste in decoration.”

In this case, Harry doesn’t know for sure

whether this is the reason the posters remain on the wall.

He’s making a guesswithout actual proof,

So, assume is the best choice of word.

An example of presume is in this line from

“The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor”

from the collection

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:

“I understand that you have already managed

several delicate cases of this sort, sir,

though I presume that they were hardly from the same class of society.”

In this case, the speaker is making an educated guess

based oninformation he already knows about previous cases,

so, presume is the most appropriate word choice.

Other Formsof Assume and Presume

Assumption is a noun related to the verb assume,

and refers to the act of taking for granted or supposing something.

Likewise,

presumption is a noun related to the verb presume,

and refers to a beliefon reasonable grounds or probable evidence.

Presume and assume are often used interchangeably

and have similarmeanings.

When you’re tryingto decide which word to use,

think about the level of certainty involved

and whether it’s a guess with no proof (an assumption)

or a guess with reasonable evidence (a presumption).

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Choosethe Right Synonym for assume

ASSUME, AFFECT, PRETEND, SIMULATE, FEIGN, COUNTERFEIT, SHAM

meanto put on a false or deceptive appearance.

ASSUME often implies a justifiable motive rather than an intent to deceive.

assumed an air of cheerfulness around the patients

AFFECT implies making a false show of possessing, using, or feeling.

affected an interest in art

PRETEND implies an overt and sustained false appearance.

pretended that nothing had happened

SIMULATE suggests a close imitation of the appearance of something.

cosmetics that simulate a suntan

FEIGN implies more artful invention than PRETEND, less specific mimicry than SIMULATE.

feigned sickness

COUNTERFEIT implies achieving the highest degree of verisimilitude of any of these words.

an actor counterfeiting drunkenness

SHAM implies an obvious falseness that fools only the gullible.

shammed a most unconvincing limp

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The Difference Between Assume and Presume

Assume and presume both mean

"to take something for granted" or

"to take something as true,"

but the words differ

in the degree of confidence the person assuming or presuming has.

Presume is used when someone is

makingan informed guess based on reasonable evidence.

Assume isused when the guess is based on little or no evidence.

Presume functions a little differently in the legal catchphrase

"presumed innocent until proven guilty."

That sense of presume is separately defined as

"to suppose to be true without proof."

It is based on the factthat

legal systems granta defendant the presumption of innocence,

thereby placing the burden of proof on the prosecution.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Usage Notes

Are 'Assume' and 'Presume' Synonyms?

Yes, but one implies confidence

What to Know

Although presume and assume both mean

"to take something astrue,"

"presume" implies more confidence or evidence backed reasoning.

An "assumption" suggests there is little evidence supporting your guess.

Think carefully before usingthem interchangeably

or you may lose some meaning.

Assume and presume both mean

"to take something forgranted" or "to take something as true."

The difference betweenthe words

lies inthe degree of confidence held by the speaker or writer.

If he or she is making an informed guess based on reasonable evidence,

presume isthe word to use;

ifa guess is made based on little or no evidence, assume isusually used.

(This is not true, however, in the legal catchphrase

"presumed innocent until proven guilty."

That sense of presume isseparately defined as

"to suppose to betrue without proof"

and is based onthe fact that

legal systems grantthe presumption of innocence,

thereby placing the burden of proof on the prosecution.)

Origin of Presume vs. Assume

In the 1828 An American Dictionary of the English Language,

Noah Webster nicely distinguishesthe different uses of the words.

He defines presume

as"to take or suppose to be true or entitled to belief,

withoutexamination or positive proof, or on the strength of probability,"

and assume

as"to take for granted, or without proof;

tosuppose as a fact."

The etymologies of these words reflect Webster's defining.

Both words ultimately derive from

the Latin verb sumere, meaning "to take."

The ancestor of presume was formed by joining that verb

with the Latin prefix prae- (pre- in English), meaning "before,"

whereas the ancestor of assume

was formed with ad-, meaning "to" or "toward."

Translated: praesumere means "to take in advance,"

and adsumere, "to take to oneself."

Hence, for Webster,

to presume something was to take it to be true

orlikely in advance because it is "entitled to belief"

orbecause of "the strength of probability,"

and to assume something was to take it and adopt it as fact.

The current definition of presume

is"to expect or assume especially with confidence,"

which indicatesthat assume and presume have becomeinterchangeable, and in actual usage this is often the case.

An observer would assume thatall of us

—humans and shorebirds alike

—are guilty of heliolatry (worship of the sun).
— George Thatcher, The Biloxi (Mississippi) Sun Herald, 22 Jan. 2013

Consumers acceptthe fact

that decaffeinated coffee costs more than regular coffee.

They assume that decaffeinated coffee

is made by putting regular coffee through an extra process

that removes part of the caffeine,

and it is logical that

an extra process should add to the cost of the finished product.
— Bill Gold, The Washington Post, 2 Dec. 1980

The push for men to express their feelings

presumes that we have feelings,

and we do have a few, but they remain submerged,

and the airing of them often violates their authenticity.

 — Roger Rosenblatt, Time, 7 Dec. 1998

The animal is presumed to have died

fromdelayed complications,

such as severe malnutrition and general debilitation,

the systemic spread of infection, or possibly … pneumonia.
— Janet D. Gross et al., Research & Exploration, Summer 1993

This book is meant to be accessible to anyone,

without presuming any in-depth knowledge of Canadian society

on the part of the reader.
— Will Ferguson, Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw, 2004

Though presume is generally interchangeable with assume,

it still tends to imply a confidence held by the speaker

or writer that is notassociated with assume

—which is defined as "to take as granted or true."

This distinct quality of presume

means that the word is not a true synonym of assume.

When assume is substituted for presume, something may be lost.

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree

assume

to takefor granted:

Don’t assume the old bridge is safe.; suppose; postulate;

to takeupon oneself: assume an obligation;

to take on, adopt: assume a virtue;

to feign: assume an innocent demeanor;

to take on the debts or obligations of another: assume the loan

Not to be confused with:

presume – beliefon reasonable grounds;

in law, to assume as true in the absence of proof to the contrary;

to undertake with unwarrantable boldness;

to undertakewithout permission:

presume to speak for someone else;

go too far in taking liberties;

also, some of the samemeanings as assume,

such aspresuppose and take for granted

The A-Z of Correct English Common Errors in English Dictionary

Assume& presume

To ASSUMEsomething to be the case

is to take it for granted

without any proof.

To PRESUMEsomething to be the case

is to base it on the evidence available

Dictionary of Problem Words in English

assume & presume

These words have related but distinguishable meanings.

To assumeis

“to take for granted,”

“to infer without proof”:
“Mrs. Black assumed that her husband had paid the bill.”

To presume is

“to believe something to be a fact,”

“to infer as true without actual proof to the contrary.”

When Stanley came upon another explorer in the jungle,

he did not say “Dr. Livingstone, I assume”

but “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”

because circumstances clearly indicated

that the man he was meeting could not be no one else.

In ordinary conversation,

however, the words may be used interchangeably.