ESEN
Which one to use?Intermediateadjective / nounnoun
SerialvsCereal
'Serial' means occurring in a series or repeated pattern; 'cereal' is grain or the breakfast food.
Side-by-side comparison
Serial
adjective / noun"Serial" describes something occurring in a series or repeated episodes. "A serial killer" = a killer who commits multiple murders. "Serial number" = a unique identifying number. Also a TV show told in episodes.
Each device has a unique serial number for tracking and warranty purposes.
He is a serial entrepreneur who has launched six companies.
The TV serial attracted millions of viewers every week.
Cereal
noun"Cereal" is the grain crop grown for food (wheat, maize, oats). Also the processed grain breakfast food you eat with milk. Pronounced the same as "serial".
She poured a bowl of cereal and added cold milk for a quick breakfast.
Cereal crops such as wheat and rice feed most of the world.
Oat cereal is high in fibre and keeps you full longer.
Common mistake
- •"She ate a bowl of serial" when meaning the breakfast food is wrong (correct: cereal).
- •And "The cereal number" when meaning the identifier number is wrong (correct: serial number).
Trick to remember it
- •"Serial" contains SERIAL, like a series, in order.
- •"Cereal" has CERE like "Ceres" (the Roman goddess of grain), the word literally comes from her name.
Quick rule
Is it in a series, a serial number, or a show with episodes? "Serial." Is it the grain crop or the breakfast food? "Cereal."
Did you know?
CEREAL comes from Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain, who also names the dwarf planet Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt. Boxed breakfast cereal was invented in 1877 by John Harvey Kellogg as health food for patients at his Michigan sanitarium. His brother Will Keith Kellogg later commercialised it as Kellogg's Corn Flakes. The "cereal killer" pun playing on "serial killer" is one of the most widespread wordplays in English, appearing on T-shirts, humor books, and café breakfast names throughout the English-speaking world.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She has a bowl of _____ with cold milk every morning before work.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The police were looking for a _____ thief who had robbed twelve houses in the area.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
AcceptvsExcept
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
AdvicevsAdvise
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
AffectvsEffect
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
AislevsIsle
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy