Alongside vs. adjacent vs. adjoining
Sunday, July 4th, 2010Here’s a short, to-the-point entry for your post-July 4th enjoyment.
Alongside, adjacent and adjoining are all words that could be mistaken for synonyms, but they have distinct meanings:
- Alongside = in the parallel position or along the side (yeah, no kidding): Lance Armstrong rode alongside his teammate.
- Adjacent = next to but not necessarily connected with (those pesky prepositions are such detail-oriented suckers, aren’t they?): The bread store is adjacent to the bicycle shop, with an alley running between the two buildings.
- Adjoining = next to and connected to (they share a boundary): The dining room adjoins the kitchen via a swinging door and a pass-through.
Short and easy — can’t beat it.
Happy trails!
SAK
