Relation v Relationship
What's the difference between relation and relationship?
This isn't an easy one. They are sometimes similar in meaning but cannot be used interchangeably.
It's best to look at examples in context.
This isn't an easy one. They are sometimes similar in meaning but cannot be used interchangeably.
It's best to look at examples in context.
- Is she in a relationship? = Does she have a boyfriend? or Is she seeing anyone?
- She finished their relationship because he didn't want to have children. This is more than friendship; it involves romantic feelings.
- Is there a relationship between Swine Flu and the human form of the disease? = Is there a connection?
- Since the election of the President, the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated rapidly. The way the two groups behave towards each other has changed.
- They have an excellent business relationship. You should indicate the connection between the two people otherwise it could be understood as a romantic one.
Source: Oziel Gómez on Unsplash
- What are your relations like? = What are the people in your family (relatives) like? Srephen Connor and Mary Connor (no relation) are both government ministers. = They are not related.
- Relations between the two countries have deteriorated rapidly. Compare with sentence number 4 above. The link between two groups is again described but relations is plural while relationship is singular.
- The two countries resumed diplomatic relations 10 years after the end of the war. We don't talk about diplomatic relationships. It's the same idea with race relations.
- Bill Clinton famously said: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" = a formal way to describe sexual activity :-)
Who is your favourite relation and why?
Describe the relationship between two countries in the world,
What are relations like with Spain and other countries?
Are you in a relationship?
Comments
I don’t understand well the difference between relation and relationship. This doesn’t mean that you don’t explain very well. In this post of September 24, 2009 (when you were a child LOL), you gave an explanation with several examples. You distinguished two groups, one group for relationship and other for relation. In the first group you related examples about people in love, disease, business and countries. In the second group you talk about family, countries, diplomacy and sex.
The couple of instances about countries are confused and clear, at the same time. On the one hand, it said: “the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated rapidly” and “relation between the two countries have deteriorated rapidly” what looks like the same. But, on the other hand, it seems that relationship is refered to singular noun and relations to plural nouns. In my opinion, it is the key to understand the difference between relation and relationship.
According to the anterior exposition, we must use the relationship to talk about a singular “situation” like in love, disease and business and we must use relation to talk about plural “situations” like in family, countries, diplomacy and sex, in general terms. In other words, the relationship is to a small link and relation to a large link. Is it okay teacher? ¡OMG!
See you.
Sir Joseph.
Congratulations!
When did you receive your knighthood?
What for? For services to science?
Welcome to the world of the aristocracy.
I don’t understand the difference between relation and relationship very well (verb + object + adverb). This doesn’t mean that you haven't explained it very well. In this post of September 24, 2009 (when you were a child LOL), you gave an explanation with several examples. You distinguished two groups, one group for relationship and another one for relation. In the first group you gave examples about people in love, disease, business and countries. In the second group you talk about family, countries, diplomacy and sex.
The couple of instances about countries are confusing and clear at the same time. Uh? On the one hand, it said: “the relationship between the two countries has deteriorated rapidly” and “relations between the two countries have deteriorated rapidly”, which looks the same. But, on the other hand, it seems that relationship refers to singular noun and relations to plural nouns. In my opinion, it is the key to understand the difference between relation and relationship. It's not that simple:(relations = how people get on = plural form, a relation = somebody in your family)
According to the previous examples, we must use relationship to talk about a singular “situation” like in love, disease and business and we must use relation to talk about plural “situations” like in family, countries, diplomacy and sex, in general terms. In other words, relationship is for weak links and relation for strong links. Is it okay teacher? ¡OMG! As I said, it's not that simple. I reckon it's easier to learn from the examples than to struggle to find an explanation.