This is an 100% original post, not sourced from other articles (unlike my other posts). Enjoy!
Many people get confused easily by words in the English language. I am here to solve this issue.
Today's words will be abuse and misuse, which commonly get mixed up.
abuse
People usually use the word abuse to show moral disapproval of someone's actions. If you abuse a person or an animal, you treat them cruelly. Likewise, if you abuse a drug, you use it simply to give yourself pleasure, not for a useful purpose.
For example:
- Inspector Brown abused her powers when she sent a team of police officers to search her former husband's house.
- He blamed his psychological problems on the fact that he had been abused as a child
- The boys were suspected of drug abuse
misuse
When someone misuses something, they use in a way that it was not intended to be used. If you misuse a word, for example, you might use it with the wrong meaning. If you misuse a drug, you might use it to treat an illness that it is not designed to treat.
For example:
- They misused the money that was intended to pay for their daughter's medical treatment.
- To call that small hill a mountain is a misuse of the word 'mountain'
Happy Writing!