word usage - Difference of vs difference between - English Language . . . A difference of is used to indicate the extent of a difference; it's a measure, whether a degree (temperature), a metre (length), a litre (volume) or a kilogram (mass) There is a difference of half a litre between the capacity of the two jugs There is a difference of nearly a centimetre between the lengths of the tables A difference between is used to compare two creatures objects directly
What is the difference or what are the differences? Both "What is the difference between X and Y?" and "What are the differences between X and Y?" are grammatical and will be understood According to my native-speaker intuition, "What is the difference ?" is the normal phrasing I would only use "What are the differences ?" if I was already pretty sure that there was more than one difference
When should I use difference or differences? When you think that there are more than one unlike events involved, use plural For example: Are there any differences? If you talk about one particular What is the major difference?
verbs - English Language Learners Stack Exchange Whenever I read advanced grammar articles I come across these two terms quite often : be and to be What is the difference between these two and how to identify the difference between these two? Pl