Article: The Difference Between “Callow” and “Shallow”
History: The words “callow” and “shallow” have different meanings in English. “Callow” comes from an old word that used to mean ‘bald,’ which then started to be used to describe young, inexperienced people. “Shallow,” on the other hand, comes from an old word that meant ‘not deep.’
How to Use Them: “Callow” is used to describe someone who is young and inexperienced, while “shallow” is used to describe something that lacks depth, like a shallow pond.
Trick to Remember the Difference: To remember the difference, think of a baby chick (callow) as young and inexperienced, while a shallow pond is not deep.
Callow:
1. The callow teenager had never been away from home before.
2. His callow attitude showed that he lacked experience.
3. She made a callow mistake by not reading the instructions carefully.
4. The callow recruit struggled during his first day of training.
5. Despite his callow appearance, he was quite intelligent.
Shallow:
1. The pond was so shallow that you could see the bottom.
2. She was disappointed by his shallow understanding of the issue.
3. His shallow attempt at an apology did not impress her.
4. Their relationship ended because of his shallow personality.
5. The detective knew it was a shallow grave by the looks of it.
Summary: “Callow” is used for describing young, inexperienced individuals, whereas “shallow” is used to describe things that lack depth. Remember a baby chick for callow and a shallow pond for shallow.
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