Main Difference – Alive vs Live
Live and alive may sound and look alike to many English learners. Live means to exist; it is the opposite of die. Live is a verb, and the noun form of live is life. Alive is the adjectival form of live. Therefore, the main difference between alive and live is that alive is an adjective whereas live is a verb. The other differences between these two terms stem mainly from this grammatical difference.
Alive – Definition, Meaning and Usage
Alive is an adjective. It is a predicative adjective; therefore, it is always preceded by a verb. Alive can have the following meanings.
Living, not dead
We were so glad to know that you were alive.
It makes no difference to us whether he is dead or alive.
Alert and active; animated
The audience came alive by his energetic performance.
He comes alive when we talk about politics.
Swarming or teeming with:
The beach was alive with gulfs.
In December, the town will be alive with tourists.
Live – Definition, Meaning and Usage
Live is a verb. Live basically means to remain alive or exist. Live is generally an intransitive verb (it does not take an object) But, it can also be used as a transitive verb.
Apart from its basic meaning, it can be also used to talk about home i.e. to indicate where or with whom someone is living. The following examples will illustrate the different meanings and usages of this verb.
He didn’t want to live in France.
I live with my grandparents.
The doctors told us she had only six months to live.
You live a life of luxury.
She lives in Kandy, and her parents live in Colombo.
His name will live on forever.
She lived four centuries ago.
Difference Between Alive and Live
Grammatical Category
Alive is an adjective.
Live is a verb.
Meaning
Alive can refer to
- State of living
- Alert and active; animated
Live mainly refers to being alive or existing.
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