Grammar check please?

Question

Hi,In our various dictionaries, these three words are comparable and interchangeable. Is this correct?The police traces / tricks / trails the thief as their duty.The hound traced / tricked / tailed the fox.It is difficult to trace / trick / trail this virus or disease.Cheers

Blue Jay · Accepted Answer

John AkiIn our various dictionaries, these three words are comparable and interchangeable. Is this correct?

You have four words there

Trick doesn't match the others at all.

Some meanings of tail and trail are similar, and they may be interchangeable in some contexts.

Trace isn't quite the same as tail/trail, and isn't really interchangeable. Trace suggests "find by means of investigation" rather than "follow".

John AkiThe police traces / tricks / trails the thief as their duty.

Trace and trail are both possible here, but the meanings aren't quite the same. Track would work too.

John AkiThe hound traced / tricked / tailed the fox.

Tailed is the only one that fits well here. Trailed would work too.

John AkiIt is difficult to trace / trick / trail this virus or disease.

Trace is possible.

CalifJim · Answer

John AkiIn our various dictionaries, these three words are comparable and interchangeable. Is this correct?

Not really. trace, trick, and trail are different enough that they should be considered three different ideas. trick is completely different from the others.

trick ~ deceive / trace ~ find / trail ~ follow

Each of these words has multiple definitions, but the ones you seem to be dealing with are as follows. See below.

trace: to find someone or something that you are looking for by asking questions and getting information (sometimes: trace down)

The sheriff traced down the thief.
Guns and ammunition are not always easy to trace.
I would appreciate any help you could give me to trace my missing daughter.

trick: to make someone believe something that is not true

They tricked a guy to follow them into a dark alley in order to rob him.
Optical illusions trick our brains into seeing things that are not there.
The "snake-oil salesmen" used to trick people into buying their useless medicines.

trail: to follow someone secretly in order to learn something about them

The pursuit began when deputies spotted a stolen vehicle and began to trail it.
If you are a famous actor, you have to deal with the paparazzi trailing you all the time.
The man disappeared into the long grass and then reappeared as if he was trailing us.

About the best you can do with your sentences is the following.

The police officer has been assigned the job of [tracing / trailing] the thief. (different meanings) (finding through investigation / following in a vehicle or on foot)

The hound trailed the fox. (followed the scent of the fox)

It is difficult to trace this virus or disease. (find out where it came from)

CJ

Comment added by request of OP.

Grammar check please?

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