Cool MateEncouraging vs They're both promising
When to use each in English, with meaning, register, and examples.
Encouraging
Top 2,000 (common)C1adjective
They're both promising
Top 2,000 (common)
| Encouraging | They're both promising | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | 🇬🇧 /["/ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒɪŋ/"]/🇺🇸 /["/ɪnˈkɜːrɪdʒɪŋ/"]/ | 🇬🇧 //ðeəːr bəʊθ ˈprɒmɪsɪŋ//🇺🇸 //ðɛr boʊθ ˈprɑːmɪsɪŋ// |
| Meaning | Making someone feel good and want to try harder. | They both have potential for success. |
| Example | This month's unemployment figures are not very encouraging. | In the competition, they're both promising candidates for the award. |
| Register | Neutral | Neutral |
| How common | Top 2,000 (common) | Top 2,000 (common) |
| CEFR level | C1 | - |
| Part of speech | adjective | |
| Collocations | encouraging words, encouraging message, encouraging feedback | promising career, promising future, promising start, promising results, promising technology |
| Antonyms | discouraging, demotivating | - |
| Common mistakes | Confused with 'encouraged' which is the past tense., Overusing it in negative contexts, instead of positive support., Using 'encouraging' incorrectly as a noun. | Using 'they're' incorrectly, often confused with 'their' or 'there'., Misplacing 'both' when discussing more than two subjects., 'Promising' confused with 'promised' in different contexts. |
| Usage notes | Use 'encouraging' when talking about support. It's appropriate in both casual and professional contexts, but avoid it in very critical situations or when giving tough feedback. | Use this phrase to indicate that two people or ideas show good potential, often in academic, professional, or optimistic contexts. |
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Frequently asked questions: Encouraging vs They're both promising
What's the difference between Encouraging and They're both promising?
Encouraging: Making someone feel good and want to try harder. They're both promising: They both have potential for success.
Can you show an example of each?
Encouraging: This month's unemployment figures are not very encouraging. They're both promising: In the competition, they're both promising candidates for the award.
Can I use Encouraging and They're both promising interchangeably?
Not always. Encouraging and They're both promising are related and overlap in some contexts, but they differ in register, how common they are, and usage, so swapping one for another can change the meaning or tone. Check the differences above before substituting.