Choosing amongst synonyms is an important skill in the IELTS test. In the listening or reading test, the correct answer often involves writing a synonym of a given word. Or, when writing an essay, you will need to decide which particular word works best with your text. Sometimes this can be difficult when there are several words with the same, or similar, meaning; these groups of words are called โsynonymsโ. As an example, the word โparticularโ is a synonym for โspecificโ, โexactโ, and โpreciseโ.
Synonyms do not have the exact same meaning. The words โminimalโ and โminimumโ, along with โoptimalโ and โoptimumโ are often used interchangeably. However, there is a small difference between โminimumโ and โminimalโ, and โoptimumโ and โoptimalโ which can help you distinguish between them.
โOptimumโ and โoptimalโ, and โminimumโ and โminimalโ can be both nouns and adjectives, and each of these words can be the subject of a sentence or a word that describes a noun (adjective). However, only โoptimumโ and โminimumโ can operate as nouns.
So, while you could use โoptimumโ and โoptimalโ interchangeably as an adjective to describe a nounโโan optimum conditionโ or โan optimal resultโโyou can only use โoptimumโ as a noun itself. For instance, โan example of the optimum is the best growing condition for a plantโ.
โMinimumโ as a noun is defined as โthe lowest or the lowest possible number, amount, intensity; as an adjective it is โ[something] that is a minimumโ. The word โminimalโ, also an adjective, is defined as โvery small, the least possibleโ.
So we can have a โminimum amountโ or a โminimal effectโ, with the words working as adjectives describing the nouns โamountโ and โeffect. โMinimumโ is used as a noun in the following sentence: โthe minimum is 100 kph.
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