✅ A dressmaker is typically a person who makes and alters women’s clothes (I went to a dressmaker to order a dress for the party).

✅ A tailor is a person who makes and alters any kind of clothes (The tailor shortened my suit).

✅ Dressmaker and tailor refer to similar professions. Traditionally, a dressmaker made women’s clothes and a tailor made men’s clothes. However, the key differences between them are the kinds of clothes they make and the skills they use.

✅ Tailor particularly suggests someone who alters clothes to fit or who makes clothes that are often intended to have a specific, bespoke fit, like suits. Dressmaker specifically suggests someone who specializes in making dresses, skirts, and traditionally feminine garments.

✅ Award means to give something that has been won or earned (It is my pleasure to award your company eco-friendly status).

✅ Grant means to bestow or give, especially by a formal process (We will grant you a two-month extension to the deadline).

✅ Award and grant both mean to give someone something because of something they have done. However, award tends to refer to prizes, rewards, and recognition, given after something has been completed (We will award you with a certificate if you complete all the lessons).

✅ Grant tends to refer to something you are given in order to do something, usually after a competitive process (We were lucky to be granted the money that will allow us to build a new park).

✅ Carp means to find fault unnecessarily, be critical about inconsequential things, and complain unreasonably (He tended to carp if he didn’t get his own way).

✅ Cavil means to raise trivial and annoying objections or to find fault unnecessarily (She caviled over every aspect of planning the party).

✅ Carp and cavil both mean to find fault and be unnecessarily critical.

✅ However, cavil emphasizes objecting for no reason, whereas carp emphasizes complaining and being critical.