student asking question

What's the main difference between "rip" and "tear"? Are they interchangeable?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

They are interchangeable! I'd say the one difference is that rip has more of a violent or harsh action connected to it. "Tear" can also be violent and harsh, but it's also used for less violent and smaller actions. Ex: I tore off a piece of paper from your notebook for the shopping list. Ex: My jeans are ripped from riding my skateboard every day. Ex: I'm going to tear up all my letters from him when I get home! Ex: Martin already ripped up the document. What do we do now?

Popular Q&As

11/29

Complete the expression with a quiz!