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Latest post Wed, May 6 2009 3:47 PM by Philip. 2 replies.
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anglista2008  +  717656 Wed, 06 May 09 03:08 AM
Howdy,


How am I supposed to know the difference between the following synonyms, and how am I supposed to be 100% sure that the word I've chosen fits best to the context? Here're the words:


ancestor, antecedent, forebear, forefather, forerunner, precursor, predecessor, progenitor, descendant


Thanks!

Joined on Thu, Mar 6 2008
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Prof Dunc  +  717695 Wed, 06 May 09 03:44 AM
They're not all synonyms... for example, the first and last words are opposites.

 

To be sure it fits well, use a dictionary that has model sentences with the word.

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Philip  +  718521 Wed, 06 May 09 03:47 PM
As Prof Dunc has indicated, they aren't all synonyms.  Furthermore, I would suggest that antecedent is rarely used to refer to ancestors (it's more often a grammatical term).  Precursor, forerunner, predecessor, progenitor usually do not suggest family ties, but just someone (something) that came before the current objcet.  I use the American Heritage Dictionary of English:  it is very good at offering uses as well as the definition.
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