Editor's Corner

Good morning, friends.

While use of the words suspect and expect does not seem to be an issue for most people, a good friend asked me to explain the difference, so I thought maybe it was worth discussing here. Let’s start with some inquiry:

· When dark clouds are gathering, and you declare that it could rain this evening—do you expect it might rain or suspect it might rain?

· When Fatima bursts into the room with a red face, do you expect or suspect that she is angry?

· When you’re told that Uncle Seamus, who vowed never to get married is engaged to a very wealthy heiress, do you expect or suspect that he’s marrying her for her money?

I bet you have some good guesses about which word to choose in each of the examples above, but maybe you’re not sure why. That’s where I come in! I think, maybe, you expect me to provide a distinction between the two words. Expectation granted!

When you expect something, you have some proof or evidence that it is likely to occur. If you see dark clouds rolling in, there’s a good chance that it will rain.

When you suspect something, you have weaker proof, or maybe just a feeling—basically, you are simply guessing. Fatima’s red face and quick entrance could signal anger, but it could be something else entirely—she could be running late for an appointment, or she could have been out for a run.

The example about Uncle Seamus is a little more difficult, but there is still a pretty clear choice. We do have a suspicion that he’s gold digging since he vowed never to get married, but we really don’t have any proof, so until we have more evidence, we only suspect his motives.

To reiterate, use expect when you have proof or evidence that something will happen and use suspect when you have a feeling or a suspicion that something might happen.

I’m expecting today to be a good day. What’s my evidence? It’s a sunny day, I have a happy dog, and I’m having pizza for dinner. What can go wrong?

Donna Bradley Burcher |Technical Editor, Advisory | jack henry

Pronouns she/her/hers

Symitar Education Resources (sharepoint.com)

About Editor’s Corner

Editor’s Corner keeps your communication skills sharp by providing information on grammar, punctuation, JHA style, and all things English. As editors, we spend our days reading, researching, and revising other people’s writing. We love to spend a few extra minutes to share what we learn with you and keep it fun while we’re doing it.

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