If you want to use gather or collect, you may think they are interchangeable. In fact, if you as a native speaker, they won’t be able to quickly tell you the difference, which tells us they are very similar. However, you should be aware of the general rule that tells us which to use. Why is it better to say “Protesters gathered on the streets” than “Protestors collected on the streets“? Let’s find that out now.
Gather is about many things coming together without much organization
The things that you gather are just in the same spot. They do not create something new, and this thing can be undone. You can return the things to the place they came from.
I like to go to the forest and gather berries.
= I put berries together into a basket. (Ask yourself: do these berries keep their shape and form when they are gathered? Yes, so they are gathered.)
At the end of the school day, the teacher gathered us kids and took us outside.
= The teacher put the kids in the same spot. (Ask yourself: are these kids keeping their individual identity when they come together? Yes, so they are gathered.)
Before we leave the house, I need to gather some things into my bag.
= I need to put some important objects in my bag. (Ask yourself: can these objects return to their original place like nothing happened? Yes, so they are gathered.)
Collect is about many things coming together and forming a new thing
There is a noun “collection,” which is about a group of things. It is a new countable unit. It (singular) consists of many things (plural). The pieces of that collection create a new singular “collection.” The verb works similarly.
I collect quarters from every state in the US.
= I have a group of quarters from every state. This is a one new interesting object.
Rain gutters collect water and move them away from the house into a big bucket.
= The gutter puts all the water in one place, making each drop of rain into a new big bucket of water.
Every week, my grandma goes to the government office to collect her Social Security checks.
= My grandma puts all of her pension money together into her account to create a new bank balance.
Usually, it is hard to return a piece that was collected. If you have a puddle of water, can you return all the water to where it came from? Can you return the money from your pension?
Both can be intransitive
People are gathering outside the parliament to protest.
= Protesters are coming together. (And they can be separated, keeping their individuality)
There’s a hole in front of my house where rainwater collects and makes a big puddle.
= Water comes together in this hole. (And the raindrops cannot separate and return)
Summary
- Gather: things come close to each other, but they keep their identity and can be easily returned
- Collect: things come together to form a new thing that cannot be undone easily
Hopefully, that clears up the confusion about this word. Using gather or collect can be confusing for lots of learners, but now you have the knowledge to use them correctly.
If you want to know about other similar words like gather or collect, you can see lots of others word explanations on my website. You can also see lots of other language learning content on my YouTube channel.
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