What’s the difference between announcement and advertisement?

This week we are looking at two words which are sometimes confused: announcement and advertisement.

announcement

An announcement is a public statement giving information about something.

The government made a public announcement about the progress of the talks.

The announcement gave details of small increases in taxes.

advertisement

An advertisement is an item in a newspaper, on television, on the internet, or in a public place, which tries to persuade you to buy something, or which gives you information about an event or job vacancy.

He bought the game after seeing an advertisement on TV.

They placed an advertisement for a sales assistant.

The following abbreviated forms are commonly used.

advert

The advert is displayed at more than 4000 sites.

ad

The agency is running a 60-second TV ad.

Find out more in our English Usage article.

This blogpost is based on Collins COBUILD English Usage, written for learners of English. For more examples of English usage points, please visit:  https://grammar.collinsdictionary.com/english-usage.

All opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Collins, or its parent company, HarperCollins.

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