✅  Hinder and hamper both mean to limit the progress of something or to try to stop it (hinder the investigation; progress was hampered).

✅  Hinder and hamper also both suggest the same result: slowing down progress. To hinder something is often to delay it (hinder children’s development); to hamper is to make progress difficult (hampered by the weather).

✅  These two words are very similar, but they can have different implications. Hinder might suggest that progress has stopped completely while the delay is dealt with, while hamper may suggest that the action is still going on, just slower or less efficiently (We were hampered by the loss of the map).

Try using hamper in a paragraph about a road trip with the help of Grammar Coach.

✅  Task is the best word to use to refer to a piece of work that you have to do, whether it's a household chore, homework, or part of your job (These are my daily tasks). Task often implies that the work is annoying or unpleasant (pointless tasks).

✅  Assignment is the best word to use when someone in authority, like a teacher or employer, has given you something to do (homework assignment; a special assignment from management). Assignments are almost always tasks, but not vice versa, since tasks aren’t always assigned by someone else.

✅  You can also be ‘on assignment’ or ‘on task,’ but these two phrases aren’t synonymous. ‘On assignment’ is often used to describe someone who is in the process of doing a specific task for their job, especially one that requires traveling, while ‘on task’ is used to describe a person who's focused and concentrating on the task they're doing.

Your next task is to take a look at these synonyms for assignment.

✅  Amaze and astonish both mean to make someone feel full of surprise or wonder. Amaze can suggest something startling, shocking, or seems inexplicable (I was truly amazed by the Grand Canyon). Astonished is similar, but more intense (The discovery astonished them).

✅  Amaze often has positive connotations (They amazed her with their transformation). Astonish is more neutral—it is commonly used in both positive contexts (He astonished them with his insight) and negative ones (His lack of awareness astonished her).

✅  Astonish suggests your surprise or sense of wonder is so intense that you’re bewildered by it. You might even be shocked or shaken (I was astonished at the sight).

Be amazed by these synonyms for astonish!