Main Difference – Course vs Coarse
Course and coarse are two words that are commonly confused by many people. Although these two words share a similar pronunciation, they are completely in different in meaning. Coarse is an adjective meaning rough or crude. Course, on the other hand, have many meanings, but none of these meanings are related to coarse. This is the main difference between course and coarse.
Course – Meaning and Usage
The word course has many different meanings. Given below are some of these meanings.
Course as a Noun
The route or direction followed
The ship changed its course to rescue some castaways.
His decision changed the course of the history.
Education delivered in a series of lessons
I enrolled in a Business English course.
You’ll have to face two examinations at the end of the course.
Part of a meal
Asians do not serve meals in courses but set all the dishes on the table at once.
We had a four-course dinner at the restaurant.
An area of land
This hotel has its own golf course.
Course as a Verb
Course can also be used as a verb. As a verb, coarse means to move without obstruction. This is mainly used to refer to liquids and ships.
The American ship coursed the Indian Ocean.
A single tear coursed down her cheek.
In addition, course is commonly used in the expression of course. Of course is similar in meaning to clearly and naturally.
It was a three-course meal.
Coarse – Meaning and Usage
Coarse is an adjective meaning rough and crude. When coarse is used to talk about an object, it will refer to the texture of the object. But when describing people, coarse would refer to the rude or vulgar nature of a person. Given below are some examples of this adjective.
He is coarse and vulgar, and I find him disgusting.
The coarse coat hurt her soft skin.
A shark’s skin is extremely coarse.
The coarse sand hurt their tender legs.
She scrubbed her coarse skin with scented soap.
Coarse Sand
Difference Between Course and Coarse
Grammatical Category
Course is a noun and a verb.
Coarse is an adjective.
Meaning
Course has many meanings, but none of them are related to coarse.
Coarse means rough and crude.
Image Courtesy:
“Repulse Bay sand” By Enochlau assumed (based on copyright claims). Own work assumed (based on copyright claims).(CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
“USDA dinner cropped” By Peggy Greb, USDA ARS – Agricultural Research Service, the research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture – ID K9315-1 (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia
