Quote:
Originally Posted by YuriTokoro
Hi.
I don’t understand the difference between “apprehend/apprehension” and “comprehend/comprehension”.
My English-Japanese dictionary says that “both apprehension and comprehension mean understanding”, and my English-English dictionary says “If you apprehend something, you understand it”, and “If you can not comprehend something, you cannot understand it.
u! |
'Apprehend' and 'Comprehend' are verbs and 'Apprehension' and 'Comprehension' are nouns. As Doug said, whilst almost 'comprehend/comprehension' always means 'to understand', 'apprehend/ apprehension' has several different meanings. It comes from a French word, meaning 'to grasp/grab'. The uses are:
Apprehend/ Apprehension-> 'to capture' / 'the capture' (which Doug has explained)
Apprehension -> to anticipate something with worry or fear. Often used as 'apprehensive' as in "I am apprehensive about this exam" Very rarely "apprehend" is used in this context; we tend to say "I have apprehensions about this exam" or "This exam has made me sick with apprehension".
Apprehend/ Apprehension-> 'I understand/ I have an understanding'
This is an old use, and it's not something you hear much now. However, it is not incorrect. For example, Shakespeare wrote about mankind :"in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god!" Here it means "men act like angels and can understand (something) like gods". Other examples would be "I have apprehended the truth!".
The ~difference~ between the two is very slight when they mean 'understand'. Firstly the tone is different; 'apprehend' sounds slightly more archaic. Secondly, think on the meaning "to grasp". When you 'apprehend' something, you have come to quite a sudden understanding. "Aha! Now I apprehend the situation!" 'Comprehend' is more gradual, or you already partly understood it. "Yes, I comprehend the situation."
Just for reference 'Comprehend' can also mean 'to include'. It's another old use of the word, but we sometimes still use it, as in "I have written a comprehensive report". In this context "Comprehensive report" has nothing to do with how easily or how much the report is understood. It's a statement to say that the writer has included absolutely everything they can on the topic they are reporting about.