eslHQ

eslHQ (http://www.eslhq.com/forums/)
-   English Questions (http://www.eslhq.com/forums/esl-forums/english-questions/)
-   -   shortage vs. lack (http://www.eslhq.com/forums/esl-forums/english-questions/shortage-vs-lack-19477/)

mesmark Oct 18th, 2010 07:52 am

shortage vs. lack
 
How would you explain the difference between a shortage of something of a lack of something? I can't seem to find a clear pattern.

a lack - is not having the thing/part to complete something

a shortage - is not having enough of something

in both cases of not enough, either can be used but only a "lack of" can be used when you don't have any at all.

but I would say "a lack of sleep" not "a shortage of sleep"
"The student performed badly on the test due to a lack of sleep."

susan53 Oct 18th, 2010 08:46 am

Re: shortage vs. lack
 
I think both of them mean "not enough" but lack is a more general word, it collocates with most words.

Shortage, on the other hand, is more restricted. It's used to indicate an inadequate supply of a commodity. So you could talk about a fuel shortage (supplied by the oil companies, used by everyone) or a shortage of qualified teachers (supplied by the universities, used by schools) but not about *a shortage of sleep because sleep isn't "supplied" or "used" by anyone. It's not a commodity.

If you look at words which collocate with lack but not with shortage, I think they generally fit this rule - ie they are not commodities : a lack of privacy / interest / a sense of humour /self-confidence.etc

So - the rule would be : if it's a commodity, both lack and shortage could be used. If it's not a commodity, only lack.

Does that fit the examples you were thinking of?

bread_baker Oct 18th, 2010 05:27 pm

Re: shortage vs. lack
 
I fully agree with "lack of" sleep, privacy, interest and self-confidence.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:05 pm.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.8
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2