student asking question

Would a nuance of the sentence changed if I use the word "smart" or "intelligent" instead of "clever"?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"Smart", "intelligent" and "clever" all have a similar meaning. They are all used to describe someone who is smart in one way or another. The big difference between them is the situations when you should use them. "Smart" means that a person, is able to solve a problem. You use the word "smart" to describe someone who can think logically and make a good choice in the situation. Ex: Parents all think their kids are smart. "Intelligent" is a little more than just "smart". It is used to describe people, that can think on their own, and act on their instincts. When someone is "smart" they might act based only on the information they get. But, when someone is intelligent they find their own information, come to understand it by themselves, and then make a decision. Ex: Most of her students are smart, but she says some of them are so intelligent that they outshine the rest. Unlike "smart" or "intelligent", "clever" is defined by the situation more than the person's level of intelligence. When someone, or something, is clever it means they can act quickly in that type of situation. It can also sometimes mean that someone is funny, although that is not the case in this clip. "Clever" is not used in the same way as smart or intelligent. It does not describe someone’s intellect. Because of this, switching clever would affect the nuance of the statement. Ex: I made a joke yesterday and Jake was clever enough to add to it. We laughed for hours.

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