Smooth v Soft

                                                                                  Source: Jason Leung on Unsplash 

Another difficult one that came up in class. Let's see if I can explain the difference...

Someone can have smooth, soft hair.

Soft: it's probably just been washed and dried, and nice to touch.

Smooth: it isn't curly and it is probably long. There are no imperfections in it as you run your fingers through it. 

Skin can also be smooth or soft.

If you stay in the bath for ages, your skin is soft to touch.

Smooth skin has no imperfections, so no spots or hair. Imagine a woman whose legs have been waxed.

Maybe it's easier if we consider the opposites:

soft / hard

smooth / rough

Fabric can be soft or smooth.

Imagine you close your eyes and feel the fabric between your fingers, it could be soft to touch.You add fabric softener when you was things like towels.

Imagine you close your eyes and your hand travels down the fabric (silk). You don't feel any differences in texture so it is smooth.

Are you getting the idea?

How about a soft drink?

Soft drinks are fizzy drinks and other non-alcoholic drinks.

Whisky isn't a soft drink but it can have a smooth taste. Close your eyes again and take a sip of the finest whisky. It is smooth as it travels down your throat and has a pleasant feeling. They advertise coffee claiming it has the smoothest taste.

Have you heard of a smoothie? 

They have a milkshake-like consistency and are usually 100% fruit. Get some recipes here. So smooth means there are no lumps in the liquid.

What else?

If you describe a man as a smoothie, you mean that he is extremely smart, polite and confident, often in a way that you find quite unpleasant. A smooth talker is someone who flatters you, often in order to obtain something.

Do you remember the 80s Sade song Smooth Operator? Try to complete the lyrics.

Someone can be soft spoken or speak in a soft voice. This means they are not loud and speak gently.

Someone can also be soft-natured. This means they are gentle in manner.

A hard man is someone who is unafraid of a fight and/or can take lots of physical punishment and drink.

You can imagine yourselves what the following mean:

soft drugs/hard drugs, soft porn/hard-core porn, a soft/hard sweet, soft music/hard rock, a soft/hard pillow or mattress, a soft-boiled / hard-boiled egg, soft-hearted / hard-hearted ...

a smooth journey/flight, a smooth surface, everything went smoothly ...

Source: Christina Deravedisian on Unsplash