Difference between Neglect & Ignore

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When to use these words in part of the sentence I do not know, each sentence has the same/identical interpretation

Will appreciate very much the answer of one
Thanks!!

This is a great question as the two words have very similar meanings and can be misunderstood by English learners. Let’s look at the words individually first, the word ‘ignore’ can only be used as a verb. The verb refers to the action of intentionally not paying attention to someone or something.

For example, the young students ignored their teacher when she was explaining the homework task to them. They didn’t listen to her instructions so when they went home that evening the students had no idea how to complete the task.

‘Neglect’ on the other hand, can be used as a noun and a verb, it also has a slightly different meaning. To neglect something or someone means to not pay attention to or not care for someone or something that one is responsible for.

For example, if a parent neglects his/her child this means that they are not caring for the child, they are not providing the love and support that the child needs.

Can you see how neglecting a child is very different from ignoring a child? Many parents ignore their children when the child is being bold or won’t go to sleep or refuses to eat their dinner. This doesn’t harm the child in any way, it’s just a strategy used by some parents to discipline their child.

However, if a parent neglects a child, they fail to provide love, shelter, and support to the child, this is very wrong. The parent is deliberately letting his/her child deteriorate by not giving the appropriate care the child needs.

The noun ‘neglect’ refers to a situation that lacks the necessary attention or care. ‘Neglect’ can also refer to the condition of not receiving adequate attention. So if a parent neglects his/her child and causes harm to the child, they may face charges related to neglect.

 

Here are some examples of neglect and ignore being used in sentences:

  • The restaurant manager ignored the numerous warnings given by the food safety inspector, the manager didn’t listen to him and ended up putting a lot of customer’s health at risk. He neglected the restaurant, the staff, and customers by not taking his reasonability as a manager seriously and dealing with the situation appropriately.
  • “The longstanding neglect of our planet has resulted in rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions, food insecurity and so on,” the activist told the environment minister. “We have neglected our planet for too long, we aren’t caring for the planet the way that we should”. Sadly, the minister wasn’t interested and ignored her. 

 

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