What's the main difference between "demand" and "request?"

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

The difference between "request" and "demand" lies in the strength of the action. When you are requesting something, you are politely asking someone to do something for you. When you demand something, you are insistently stating that something MUST be done for you. It is no longer asking someone to do something for you. Thus, you must be careful with your tone and intention when using this word. In a lot of situations, demanding something is considered to be rude. Ex: I requested a day of leave because I felt sick. Ex: The man demanded that the salesperson help him immediately.

How do native speakers use this expression?

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Popular Q&As

09/13

1
What does this "Q" stand for?
"Q" here stands for quarter, which is a period of time used to measure the financial year. There are 4 quarters in a financial year, and each quarter lasts 3 months each time. It was created to allow for better planning and success measurement within organizations. Ex: I met all my work goals this quarter. Ex: We only have one quarter left for this year.

2
What's "swell" mean?
"Swell" is an adjective that means "fantastic" or "very good." It can also be a verb for something to grow and become bigger, usually a body part due to an injury. Here, she's being sarcastic and saying that something is very good when it isn't good at all for her. Ex: Oh, swell. My ex is coming to the party tonight. Ex: My leg is swollen from a sports injury.

3
As a verb, what does "honor" mean?
Good question! As a verb, "honor" means to regard with great respect or fulfill an obligation. Ex: She honored her word, and that meant a lot to me. => fulfilled a promise Ex: Growing up, I was taught to honor my parents.

4
What does "laughingstock" mean?
This is a rather negative term. A laughingstock is a person that is the target of jokes, mockery, or ridicule. It's similar in meaning to "butt of the joke." Ex: The boy felt like a laughingstock. All his friends were making fun of him. Ex: My classmate made fun of me in front of all my friends. I became a laughingstock at school.

5
What does "tie up" mean?
"Tied up" in this scenario means to be very busy or occupied by someone or something. Ex: She's tied up in a meeting right now. Ex: I'm so tied up with work that I can't go tonight.

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