✅ Ponder means to consider something in a deep and thorough way (I sat and pondered what would happen if I didn’t pass the test).

✅ Mull means to study or think about something seriously (I’ll mull over your suggestions).

✅ Ponder and mull have very similar meanings; however, mull is a less formal word than ponder (He’s still mulling over the possible menu for the party; Let us all ponder the importance of the honeybee).

Mull over these fine synonyms!

✅ Offhand describes a way of doing something that is careless and often brusque, rude, or ungracious (He had an offhand way of speaking to his employees).

✅ Cavalier describes doing something in an overly informal way (She had a cavalier attitude towards the host).

✅ Offhand and cavalier both describe a manner of doing something that doesn’t match expectations of care, grace, or formality.

✅ Offhand emphasizes a lack of grace or thought, whereas cavalier emphasizes a lack of ceremony, formality, and sometimes respect (I don’t trust him because he has a cavalier approach to other people’s belongings; Her suggested solutions seem offhand at first, but she doesn’t mean to be rude).

Write about a cavalier house guest with the help of Grammar Coach.

✅ Allocate means to set something aside for a particular purpose (I allocated funds for the birthday party).

✅ Apportion means to distribute something in relative portions (I apportioned the prize money among all five winners).

✅ Allocate and apportion express related ideas. Allocate means to set something apart or aside for later use or for a specific purpose (Everyone has been allocated a seat).

✅ Apportion means allocating something in a proportionate way (Each group has been apportioned some seats based on their number).

Apportion yourself some time to take a look at these synonyms!