ESEN
Which one to use?Intermediatenoun / verbnoun / verb
SighsvsSize
'Sighs' are the long audible breaths of tiredness or relief (plural), or he/she sighs; 'size' is the measurement or dimensions of something.
Side-by-side comparison
Sighs
noun / verb"Sighs" is the plural of "sigh" or the third-person singular verb form. A sigh is the long, audible breath that expresses weariness, relief, or longing. "She sighs heavily" = she breathes out deeply.
She let out a long sigh of relief when the client approved the final design.
He sighs every time someone mentions the deadline, it clearly stresses him.
The collective sighs in the room made it clear that no one was happy with the outcome.
Size
noun / verb"Size" refers to the dimensions or extent of something: how big or small it is. "What size do you wear?" = which clothing measurement fits you? "Size up" = to assess or evaluate someone or something quickly.
What size do you need, small, medium, or large?
The company has grown to a size that requires dedicated human resources management.
She sized up the situation quickly and decided to withdraw the offer.
Common mistake
- •"The sighs of the building" when meaning dimensions is wrong (correct: size).
- •And "She sizes deeply when stressed" when meaning exhales is wrong (correct: sighs deeply).
Trick to remember it
- •"Sighs" has silent GH like "night," "light," "high", the silent GH cluster in Old English words.
- •"Size" has Z like "zero to large", measurement, scale, dimension.
Quick rule
Are they the emotional exhaled breaths or the verb? "Sighs." Is it the measurement or clothing size? "Size."
Did you know?
The sigh has a real and necessary physiological function: during normal breathing, the millions of tiny air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs tend to progressively collapse. A deep sigh reinflates them completely, preventing carbon dioxide buildup. People sigh an average of about twelve times per hour without noticing. The silent GH in "sigh" comes from Old English "sican": in the Middle Ages, GH represented a guttural fricative similar to the Spanish J, which disappeared from pronunciation between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries but remained frozen in spelling.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
What _____ shoes do you take? We have everything from 36 to 45.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She _____ deeply before beginning to explain what had happened.
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