Profit v Benefit, Take Advantage v Make The Most Of

-

 profit (n) - money that you get from selling goods or services for more than they cost to produce or provide (beneficio(s), ganancia(s))

e.g. He sold the property at a huge profit.

e,g, Company profits are down from last year's figures.

e.g. It's very hard for a new business to make a profit in its first year.

to profit from sth - to earn money from something or to get an advantage from sth (beneficarse de algo, sacar provecho de algo)

e.g. The company will profit from the merger.

e.g. I profited enormously from working with them.

 

 


 

benefit (n) - something that helps you or gives you an advantage (beneficio, ventajas)

e.g. The benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks.

e.g. I had the benefit of a great education.

(n) - the money given by the government to people who need financial help (subsidio)

e.g. He's been on unemployment benefit for almost a year now.

e.g. Parents can claim child benefit in the UK.


to benefit - to be helped by something or help someone (beneficiar)

e.g. Young people, in particular, will benefit from the new employment law.

e.g. The changes will benefit all employees in the company.


 




take advantage of sth - to use the things that are good or that can help you in a situation (aprovechar algo, sacar provecho de algo)

e.g. I took advantage of the holiday to get things done that I had been putting off.

e.g. You should take advantage of the opportunity to get to know people.


But be careful because take advantage (of sth/sb) can have a negative sense - to use someone's weakness to improve your situation or to use an opportunity in an unfair way (aprocecharse de algo/algn)

e.g. She is very generous and some people take pure advantage.

e.g. Pickpockets took advantage of the crowds.


 


make the most of sth - to use or enjoy something as much as possible because it will end soon (sacar el máximo partido de algo)

e.g. Try to make the most of these classes. Do your homework and study hard.

e.g. We made the most of the good weather and went hiking in the mountains.


 

Comments

Sir Joseph said…
Hi Graham,

I can see your effort to your students improve their English. I just see that your blog is successful. I think your dedication was worth. Congratulations.

Although it seems that the word profit is close to companies and the word benefit can be nearby to people, after reading their definitions and their examples, my conclusion is that both are similar. I´m not an expert on languages, but if I rented my flat, I would profit from it, like a company. In another way, if companies settled in my village they would benefit a lot of villagers. Even, take advantage of and make the most of are similar too. If I say: "I wish I had taken advantage more my English class before". I means: "I wish had made the most of last English class". What is more, in my opinion, I can use profit, benefit, take advantage of and make the most of in the same way.

Furthermore, I think take advantage has a negative sense in Spanish language and we use it in unfair situations.

When you arrive to this line, you will be thinking: "What does it mean? This man is crazy". You was right. The head doesn´t work well after so much confinement.

See you.
Saturday, 12 June, 2021
Graham said…
Good afternoon Joey,

You know that thousands upon thousands of budgies are called Joey too, don't you? Whose a pretty boy? LOL

Thank you for your kind words about the blog. I dread to think how much time I have spent on it over the years. The thing is - I haven't profited from it at all. And most students have not made the most of it, One of the benefits of the blog for students is the opportunity to use real language. I am surprised, but at the same time relieved, that more students have not taken advantage of me.



I can see the effort you are making to help your students improve their English. I see that your blog is successful so I think your dedication has been worth it. Congratulations.

Although it seems that the word profit is close to companies and the word benefit can be applied to people, after reading their definitions and their examples, my conclusion is that both are similar. I´m not an expert on languages, but if I rented my flat, I would profit from it, like a company. In another way, if companies settled in my village, they would benefit a lot of villagers. (The examples that you give are good ones. A profit is related to money (though the verb form can be similar to benefit) whereas a benefit is more like an advantage)

Even, take advantage of and make the most of are similar too. If I say: "I wish I had taken more advantage of my English classes". I mean: "I wish had made the most of my last English course". What is more, in my opinion, I can use profit, benefit, take advantage of and make the most of in the same way. (There are similarites but the four are not interchangeable. Take advantage of sth can have a negative sense. It can mean that you are using a situation or sb when you really shoudln't. Make the most of a situation can suggest that the situation will not last e.g. Scottish people have to make the most of the sunshine.)

Furthermore (one of the most formal linkers), I think take advantage has a negative sense in Spanish language and we use it in unfair situations. (OK)

When you arrive to this line, you will be thinking: "What does it mean? This man is crazy". You are right. The head doesn´t work well after so much confinement. (Don't worry - I'm used to it. I don't think there is so much difference between the Jose prior to lockdown and the José of today.)
Sunday, 13 June, 2021
Rafa said…
Hi Graham, after reading your blog about the differences between profit and benefit and others expresions like "take advantage of", etc. I'd like to share with you some examples of use to confirm I've understood the real meaning of those..

For instance:

I'm trying to benefit from your blog by reading some articles and giving back my comments in a post.

One of the main responsabilities/duties of my job is to keep on track (under a certain threshold) the expected profit at the end of the project that I manage, by executing an efficient control of necessary resources to achieved the expected outcomes.

Currently, I'm taking advantage of an Education Platform called Udemy Academy to find on line courses that can follow during breaks or free time in my daily tasks and making profit of these by earning PDU's for my PMP certification.

The best way to make the most of english classes is to prepare in advance by doing some homework on the three aspects: speaking, listening and writing.



Tuesday, 22 June, 2021
Graham said…
Morning Rafa,

You'll see that I have inserted some tweets in this post. You can click on them and read any linked articles. You should also read comments from other students and my replies to them - you can learn from the mistakes of others too.

It seems to me that you have understood the differences between the expressions.


... I'd like to share with you some of my own examples to confirm I've understood the real meaning.

For instance:

I'm trying to benefit from your blog by reading some articles and giving back my comments in a post.

One of the main responsabilities/duties of my job is to keep (under a certain threshold) the expected profit at the end of the project that I manage on track, by executing efficient control of necessary resources to achieve the expected outcomes.

Currently, I'm taking advantage of an Education Platform called Udemy Academy to find on line courses that I can follow during breaks between my daily tasks or free time and profitting from them by earning PDUs for my PMP certification. (make a profit from sth = make money / to profit from sth is similar to benefit from sth)

The best way to make the most of English classes is to prepare in advance by doing some homework on the three aspects: speaking, listening and writing.
Thursday, 24 June, 2021
Post a Comment