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01Hello!
02This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Simona in China about the words combine and integrate.
03Dear Teacher, Hi!
04I have a question.
05What is the difference between combine and integrate?
06Thank you.
07Thank you for writing to us, Simona.
08I'm happy to answer this question.
09Combine and integrate are similar in meaning, but there are some small differences in usage.
10The word combine is in our Learning English wordbook.
11We define it as a verb meaning to mix or bring together.
12Integrate is not in our wordbook.
13Merriam-Webster's Dictionary says the word means to unite or form into a whole.
14Now, let's look at the prefixes that begin each word.
15Combine begins with the prefix co, such as in the word copilot.
16This prefix means with.
17Integrate begins with the prefix inter, but with the letter r removed.
18This means among or between, as in the word international.
19The prefix co generally gives the sense of joining two or more things together.
20For example, oxygen combines with hydrogen to make water.
21However, combine can also mean to mix things together, such as mixing the ingredients in a recipe.
22Integrate can be used that same way.
23But it also can mean to add something to one or more other things and mix them so well that they fully unite.
24For example, a school might try to integrate healthy foods into its school meals.
25Or, a jazz group might try to integrate elements of country music into their songs.
26Notice that we use the preposition into with the word integrate.
27We say that we integrate x into y.
28Here is another example.
29New technologies can quickly become integrated into our lives.
30But when we use combine, we use the preposition with.
31We say we combine x with y.
32Or combine x and y.
33As in these examples.
34The management team is trying to combine youth with experience.
35When you combine talent and hard work, you will see positive results.
36Integrate can sometimes give a sense of deeper connection among two or more things than combine.
37To see this, consider the word integral.
38This word comes from the same root as integrate.
39We say that something is an integral part of something else.
40This means that the things are deeply connected or important to each other.
41For example, Bicycles are an integral part of traffic and culture in the Netherlands.
42Fishing is an integral part of the coastal economy.
43Last, both the words integral and integration have technical meanings in calculus, a field of mathematics.
44For our readers and listeners, do you have a question about American English?
45You can ask about many different areas of English, such as speaking, listening, culture, and more.
46For example, Send us an email at learningenglish at voanews.com And that's Ask a Teacher.
47I'm Andrew Smith.
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