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Inquiry vs Clarification - What's the difference?

inquiry | clarification |

As nouns the difference between inquiry and clarification

is that inquiry is the act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning while clarification is the act of clarifying; the act or process of making clear or transparent by freeing visible impurities; particularly, the clearing or fining of liquid substances from feculent matter by the separation of the insoluble particles which prevent the liquid from being transparent.

inquiry

Alternative forms

* enquiry

Noun

(inquiries)
  • The act of inquiring; a seeking of information by asking questions; interrogation; a question or questioning.
  • Search for truth, information, or knowledge; examination of facts or principles; research; investigation; as, physical inquiries.
  • Usage notes

    According to Fowler's Modern English Usage'' (1926), ''inquiry'' should be used in relation to a formal inquest, and ''enquiry'' to the act of questioning. Many (though not all) British writers maintain this distinction; the Oxford English Dictionary, in its entry not updated since 1900, lists ''inquiry'' and ''enquiry'' as equal alternatives, in that order. Some British dictionaries, such as ''Chambers 21st Century Dictionary'' [http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/features/chref/chref.py/main?title=21st&query=inquiry], present the two spellings as interchangeable variants in the general sense, but prefer ''inquiry'' for the "formal inquest" sense. In Australian English, ''inquiry'' represents a formal inquest (such as a government investigation) while ''enquiry'' is used in the act of questioning (eg: the customer enquired about the status of his loan application). Both spellings are current in Canadian English, where ''enquiry'' is often associated with scholarly or intellectual research. (See Pam Peters, ''The Cambridge Guide to English Usage , p. 282.) American English usually uses inquiry .

    References

    *

    clarification

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of clarifying; the act or process of making clear or transparent by freeing visible impurities]]; particularly, the clearing or [[fine, fining of liquid substances from feculent matter by the separation of the insoluble particles which prevent the liquid from being transparent.
  • The clarification of wine.
  • The act of freeing from obscurities.
  • Your ideas deserve clarification.

    Quotations

    * 1627 , , Sylva Sylvarum: Or a Natural History in Ten Centuries *: To know the means of accelerating clarification [in liquors] we must know the causes of clarification.

    References

    *

    See also

    * qualification ----