Friday, September 20, 2013

pacific, specific, Pacific

Specific or specific means precise or explicit; naming a particular item or person, as opposed to a general idea--
You said that things go wrong when you attempt this task. Could you give me a specific example?
You said to bring home a pizza. If you wanted something  special on it, you should have been more specific.

Pacific or pacific means peaceful or serene--
He had a pacific disposition, and rarely seemed annoyed or upset.
More progress occurred during the pacific periods of our history than at any other time.

Pacific ( a proper name, always capitalized ) is the name of the ocean that makes the western border of the United States--
"From Atlantic to Pacific, gee, the traffic is terrific..."
He wanted to see the sun set over the Pacific Ocean.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The parents were specific in their instructions to the children--to remain pacific on the trip to the Pacific."

Note--"pacify" means to make calm or peaceful--
She rocked the baby's cradle to pacify him.
Not to be confused with "specify", meaning to be precise, or to note or state explicitly--
Tell them to specify every item to be included in this shipment.

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