Insights and Thoughts
2024-09-28
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1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Alvaro about the usage of the words "insight" and "thought."
2Dear Teacher,
3I want to ask you the difference between "insights" and "thoughts."
4Best Regards,
5Alvaro
6Thank you for writing to us, Alvaro. I'm happy to answer this question.
7"Thoughts" is a more general word than "insights."
8A thought can be specific, as the following examples show:
9I think we should go shopping tomorrow.
10I think the dog might be hungry.
11Thoughts can also be a collection of ideas about a subject.
12For example, we ask, "What are your thoughts on this?" That can mean we want people to share any ideas that they have about the subject.
13It can also mean that we want to know a person's opinion.
14To have insight means to have a special understanding of something.
15A person with insight might notice something that most people do not see or understand.
16A person with insight might find a new solution to a problem.
17Insight often results from having a lot of experience with a particular subject or activity.
18We can say that someone has "insight into someone or something."
19For example, a good psychologist might have insight into why a person is feeling or behaving in a particular way.
20Notice that with the noun "insight," we often use the preposition "into" after it.
21With "insight," we often use the verbs "have" or "gain," as in the following examples:
22Their manager has a lot of insight into what the workers need.
23By carefully watching the children's behavior, the researchers gained insight into how children try to solve problems.
24The adjective form of "insight" is "insightful," and the adjective form of "thought" is "thoughtful."
25To be thoughtful has two meanings. It can mean to be kind or to take care of the needs of others.
26For example, a thoughtful person may listen carefully to a friend who is upset and then offer to help that person.
27So, when someone does something nice to help us, we might say:
28Oh, that is so thoughtful of you. Thanks.
29"Thoughtful" can also describe someone who has been thinking carefully.
30For our readers and listeners, what are your thoughts about American English?
31Do you have any insights to share?
32Or perhaps you simply have a question about particular words.
33We'd like to hear from you. Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
34And please include where you are from in your email, too.
35And that's Ask a Teacher.
36I'm Andrew Smith.
1Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Alvaro about the usage of the words "insight" and "thought." 2Question 3Dear Teacher, 4I want to ask you the difference between "insights" and "thoughts." 5Best Regards, 6Alvaro 7Answer 8Thank you for writing to us, Alvaro. I'm happy to answer this question. 9"Thoughts" is a more general word than "insights." A thought can be specific, as the following examples show: 10I think we should go shopping tomorrow. 11I think the dog might be hungry. 12Thoughts can also be a collection of ideas about a subject. For example, we ask, "What are your thoughts on this?" That can mean we want people to share any ideas that they have about the subject. It can also mean that we want to know a person's opinion. 13To have insight means to have a special understanding of something. A person with insight might notice something that most people do not see or understand. A person with insight might find a new solution to a problem. Insight often results from having a lot of experience with a particular subject or activity. 14We can say that someone has "insight into someone or something." For example, a good psychologist might have insight into why a person is feeling or behaving in a particular way. 15Notice that with the noun "insight," we often use the preposition "into" after it. 16With "insight," we often use the verbs "have" or "gain," as in the following examples: 17Their manager has a lot of insight into what the workers need. 18By carefully watching the children's behavior, the researchers gained insight into how children try to solve problems. 19The adjective form of "insight" is "insightful," and the adjective form of "thought" is "thoughtful." To be thoughtful has two meanings. It can mean to be kind or to take care of the needs of others. For example, a thoughtful person may listen carefully to a friend who is upset and then offer to help that person. So, when someone does something nice to help us, we might say: 20Oh, that is so thoughtful of you. Thanks. 21"Thoughtful" can also describe someone who has been thinking carefully. 22For our readers and listeners, what are your thoughts about American English? Do you have any insights to share? Or perhaps you simply have a question about particular words. We'd like to hear from you. Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. And please include where you are from in your email, too. 23And that's Ask a Teacher. 24I'm Andrew Smith. 25Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English. 26______________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28specific -adj. the exact example of something and not any of other similar things 29particular -adj. the specific thing that is being discussed 30preposition -n. a small word that provides additional information about a noun, such as direction, degree or location