ESEN
Which one to use?Beginnernounnoun
HistoryvsStory
"History" is the record of real past events; "story" is a narrative, whether true or invented.
Side-by-side comparison
History
noun"History" is the record and study of real past events. Also the academic subject. It always refers to things that actually happened.
She studied the history of ancient Rome.
The history of this building goes back to 1850.
History tends to repeat itself.
Story
noun"Story" is a narrative or account: it can be real or fictional. A tale, a movie plot, an anecdote, or any structured account with a beginning, middle, and end.
She told the children a bedtime story.
That movie has a great story.
Tell me the story of how you two met.
Common mistake
- •"Tell me your history" sounds odd; the natural phrase is "Tell me your story".
- •"History" = real recorded facts (textbooks, archives).
- •"Story" = a narrative someone tells you, real or invented.
Trick to remember it
"History" = what actually happened and was recorded. "Story" = a narrative (can be real or fictional). Your life has a "story". The world has a "history".
Quick rule
- •"History" = real past facts (record).
- •"Story" = narrative (real or fictional).
Did you know?
"Story" also means FLOOR of a building in American English: "a five-story building." British English uses "storey" for that meaning. Both words: "history" and "story", come from Latin "historia" (account of facts), which came from Greek "historia" (inquiry, knowledge obtained by investigation). English borrowed them from different sources at different times and separated them into different meanings. "Short story" is a brief work of fiction. "News story" is a journalistic report. The word "story" is one of the most versatile nouns in English.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She told us a _____ about a dragon who lived under the bridge.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
We studied the _____ of the Roman Empire at school last year.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
HistoricvsHistorical
One is an event that made history, the other simply belongs to the past.
OldvsAncient
Both can mean 'antiguo', but one is relative in age and the other implies thousands of years.
AbovevsOver
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
ActuallyvsReally
"Actually" corrects or contrasts an assumption; "really" intensifies or confirms.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy