✅ Prepare refers to getting yourself or something ready (prepare the table for dinner; prepare for a presentation), but also to getting someone else ready for something (We prepared them for the news).

✅ Train refers to working at something through disciplined practice in order to become good at it, or helping someone else become good at something (train for the tennis match; They had to train him on the new database).

✅ Train implies a longer period of instruction than prepare, and suggests that the person doing the training is in a leadership role.

Train is often used in the context of jobs—and job applications. Prepare a brilliant résumé with these action verbs!

✅ Decrease refers to something getting smaller or lesser in number, generally at a steady pace over time (The swelling slowly decreased; The number of students taking languages kept decreasing).

✅ Diminish refers to something getting smaller, too, but because something is being taken away or is fading (Pollution diminished the beauty of the old city over the years).

✅ Decrease suggests that the cause is inherent to the thing, or that there is some unknown cause for the lessening (The size of the cloud rapidly decreased).

✅ Diminish suggests that the cause is external, and implies something has been subtracted from a whole (Frustration diminished her desire to keep up with the sport).

Try writing about a time when something caused your anger or sadness to diminish with the help of Grammar Coach.

✅ Immediately is the best word to use when you mean at once, or with no delay (I’ll do that immediately).

✅ Directly is the best word to use when you mean very soon (I’ll be there directly).

✅ Immediately suggests that there’s no significant passing of time (When the thunderstorm hit, they changed their beach plans immediately). Sometimes it can be used in a slightly metaphorical sense, to suggest a very slight, or smaller than expected, passage of time.

✅ Directly is a slightly old-fashioned word, and generally suggests that something happens or is done as soon as the present thing is over (I followed him directly).

We know you’ll immediately take a look at these synonyms for directly.