'Precedent' is an earlier case used as a reference; 'president' is the political title, the head of state or company.
"Precedent" is a legal or general noun referring to an earlier case or decision used as a reference or justification for future cases.
This ruling sets a precedent that could affect future cases.
There's no precedent for handling a situation like this one.
The judge referred to a similar case as a precedent for her decision.
"President" is the title of the person who leads a country, company, or organization, the top executive authority.
The president of the university announced new scholarships for international students.
She was elected president of the company at just 34 years old.
The president signed the new law yesterday afternoon.
Common mistake
They're easy to mix up in writing because they share almost every letter, only the "ced/sid" part changes order. "Precedent" has nothing to do with a political title, it's an earlier reference case; "president" is exclusively the top leader's title.
Trick to remember it
"Precedent" has "cede" in it, something that came BEFORE and paved the way. "President" has "side" in it, related to "preside", to sit at the head of a table or country.
Quick rule
Is it an earlier case used as a reference? "Precedent". Is it the title of a country or company's leader? "President".
Did you know?
"Precedent" comes from Latin "praecedere" (to go before, "prae-" before + "cedere" to go), literally "what came before". "President" comes from Latin "praesidere" (to sit at the front, "prae-" before + "sedere" to sit), literally "the one who sits at the front". Both share the prefix "prae-" (before/in front), but one is about TIME (what happened earlier) and the other about POSITION (who sits at the head).
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Allowing one employee to work from home sets a _____ for the rest of the team.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The company's new _____ has over twenty years of experience in the industry.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy