Title: Miss vs. Lose
Duration: 4-6 minutes
Level: pre-int +
Language Focus: Commonly Confused Words
Objective: Vocabulary, To identify differences between two words
What’s the difference between Miss and Lose?
Sometimes we might hear a person say:
“I was late and lost the bus.”
This, however, is not correct. Let’s look at the different ways we can use miss or lose.
Lose
Normally we use the verb lose when we don’t have something and we don’t know where it is.
For example:
“Oh no! I think I lost my keys!”
(I don’t have my keys. Where are they?)
We also use it when we suffer a defeat or fail to win in a contest or a game:
For example:
“We played well, but we still lost the game.”
(We did NOT win the game.)
Miss
For something which happens, such as a bus leaving or an event, instead of lose we use miss.
For example:
“I got delayed and missed my train.”
(I know where my train is. I can see it leaving the station, but I’m not on it.)“I was sick and missed the meeting.”
(I know where the meeting is. It’s at my office. I, however, did not attend.)
We also use miss when we fail to take advantage of an opportunity:
“I missed my chance to get promoted at work.”
Don’t forget!
Another way to use miss is when we regret the absence or loss of a person or thing.
For example:
“I miss my family back home.”
(I don’t live at home. I am sad to be away from my family.)“It’s been raining all day. I miss not having a car anymore!”
(I had a car, but now I don’t. I wish I had my car again.)
Everyday Expression:
We also use miss when we fail to take advantage of an opportunity:
“I missed my chance to get promoted at work.”
💬 Discussion Questions
- Has your favourite sports team lost a game recently?
- Did you ever miss a plane/train? What happened?
- Have you ever lost your phone/keys/wallet etc.?
- When was the last time you missed someone?
