Extend, Expand, etc.
2025-02-22



This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Ann in China. Here is part of Ann's question:

Hello Teachers,

Could you please help me understand the difference between "extend," "expand," "stretch," [and] "enlarge" when I describe an activity that makes something larger than its current state?

Thank you, Ann.

We can use the four verbs Ann asked about to express an increase in physical size or amount. We can also use them to express increasing the time an activity takes.

Extend

We often use the verb "extend" to talk about increasing the amount of time for an activity or program. For example:

Officials want to extend the school year by six weeks.

We can use the verb "extend" to express an increase in people, things, or ideas. Consider the following examples:

The new rule extends to all employees in the company.

They want to extend the benefits of freedom to people around the world.

This research will extend our knowledge.

We can also use "extend" to express the distance or the area something reaches. For example:

The Rocky Mountains extend from the United States into Canada.

Expand

We use "expand" to express an increase in the size of a project or program. And, like "extend," we can use "expand" to talk about including more people. Consider the following example:

Officials want to expand the program to include people from developing countries.

We commonly use "expand" in connection with business or industry:

We want to expand our business to reach more customers.

Stretch

We can use the phrasal verb "stretch out" to express increasing the time to continue an activity:

I wanted to stretch out my vacation for an extra two or three days.

We can use the verb "stretch" to express improving our ability to do something:

Learning a new language will stretch your mind and improve your problem-solving abilities.

Note that when we use the verb "stretch" in this way, we communicate the idea that the improvement might be a little difficult or take a lot of effort.

Enlarge

Unlike the verb "extend," we do not use "enlarge" to talk about an increase in time. Instead, it simply means to increase in size or scope. Scope means all of the things connected to an activity or project. Consider the following example:

They have enlarged their research team to examine the effects of pollution on animals.

For our readers and listeners, what are your questions about American English? How are you trying to expand your knowledge? We want to hear from you! Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com. And please let us know where you are from, too.

And that's Ask a Teacher.

I'm Andrew Smith.

Andrew Smith wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

benefits -n. the good things that result from an action or situation