Sense and Since

These two words are pronounced completely differently, even though they have only one letter different. However, this is a relatively common mistake in stories on Mibba, so here is an explanation on how to tell the two words apart.

Sense

This can be both a verb (to feel, to perceive) and a noun (a feeling, a sensation). Regardless, it is your body using sight, touch, smell, hearing and taste. It is also commonly used in the phrase ‘sense of humour’. The ‘e’ sound is how it is in the word ‘end’.

I can sense the ghost’s presence in the room.

We can tell that he has a bad sense of style from that shirt he is wearing.

She has a great sense of humour and she always makes us laugh.

The bright sun gives me a sense of summer.

Since

Since is an adverb that is used to indicate time passing, or a synonym for ‘as’ and ‘because’. The ‘i’ sound is how it is in the word ‘in’.

Since I left school, life has been harder.

I won’t be attending, since I have another event to be at.

Since you asked me to go to go on a date with you, I’ll cancel my other plans.

It has been sunny since midday.

Practice saying these words aloud correctly as well as writing them in the correct sentences will greatly aid you if you need help. Just keep on double-checking and thinking about what they mean, and you’ll soon get the hang of it. If you have any other grammar issues that confuse you, then leave a comment and I’ll write a tutorial about it!