Words / B2

pri-TEND/prɪˈtend/

To pretend is to behave as if something is true when it is not: pretend to be; there is no point pretending. Feign is more formal; act can be stage performance. Do not pretend a blog is a peer-reviewed source. Mix-up: pretentious (already in the dictionary) is showy; portend. Do not write pretend for “intend”.

Meaning

To behave as if something is true when it is not.

Examples

• “Do not pretend a blog is a peer-reviewed source in the bibliography.”
• “The extract asks why the narrator pretends not to know, which is the fiction sense.”

Good to know

pretend to + verb; pretend that; there is no pretending. Trap: pretentious / intend. Methods, literature, and orals. Act as if, not “plan to”.

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