English language has many words that sound similar and can be used interchangeably without altering the meaning of a sentence. Sometimes, or in some cases, using words interchangeably changes the meaning of the sentence. ‘Nowadays’ and ‘These days’ are two similar words that have very few differences.
Nowadays vs These Days
The main difference between Nowadays and These days is that ‘Nowadays’ is used to compare distant past to recent present, it is used with present simple tense, on the other hand, ‘These days’ is used to denote a temporary situation or temporary action in the present and used with present continuous tense.
‘Nowadays’ is made of two words, ‘Now’ and ‘adayes,’ meaning these times. It is an adverb used to tell what is happening in the current time compared to what was happening in the past. It is used with present simple tense and sometimes also used with present continuous tense.
‘These days’ is an adverb used for describing a situation that is not permanent or is used for some temporary action or temporary situation. It is only used with the present continuous tense. It can be used some time at the place of Nowadays in a less formal way.
Comparison Table Between Nowadays and These Days
| Parameters of Comparison | Nowadays | These Days |
| Meaning | Comparing to the past situation of the present time. | Temporary condition of recent time. |
| Tense | Both present continuous tense and present simple tense. | Present simple tense. |
| Condition for Same Usage | It is more formal if used in the same sentence. | It is less formal if used in the same sentence. |
| Uses | It is used to compare the condition of the past to the condition of the present. | It is used to describe a temporary situation or a temporary action. |
| Example | When he was young, he used to eat 5 times a day. But he eats two times nowadays. | He is eating two times a day these days. |
What is Nowadays?
Nowadays means in these times contrast to past. It is an adverb used with present simple tense and sometimes also used with present continuous tense. It is easy to use, but some people get confused with the word ‘now a days,’ which is wrong.
It is evolved from the middle English word now adays, but it is used as one word now. It is wrong to spell it like nowdays, now a days or nowaday. It is used interchangeably with many words like ‘these days,’ but it is more formal to use ‘nowadays.’
It should never be used as an adjective. For example, we can not say, ‘My mobile phone is nowadays phone.’ If a sentence is started with the word ‘Nowadays,’ we should always put a comma after it and then write the whole sentence.
Some examples of ‘Nowadays’ in sentences are:-
- We have a wide range of different mobile brands to choose from nowadays.
- Nowadays, she prefers to eat outside with friends.
- I used to play cricket, but I prefer football nowadays.
Like we can infer from the above examples, how the term ‘nowadays’ is used to compare the past condition to the present condition. We can also read and understand its uses to use it in our daily without making any mistakes.
What is These Days?
These Days mean at ‘present time.’ It is used as an adverb in a sentence to show a present temporary situation or a quick action by the subject. Its correct form is ‘these days,’ but people sometimes misspelled it as ‘thesedays’ which is a wrong form.
As ‘These Days’ is made up of two basic English words, its origin is as old as the English language. It is used with the present continuous form of tense to show the temporary condition in an extended time. It can be interchangeably used with other words like ‘nowadays,’ but the difference in using this particular word is that it is an informal word.
Some examples of ‘These Days’ in sentences are:-
- These days girls score higher in board exams.
- I am drinking far too much these days.
- I am doing two jobs these days.
- These days no one initiates to give a helping hand to the person in need.
As we infer from the above examples, how to use ‘these days’ in sentences to show temporary situations or temporary actions of the present time. We can also read and understand it to use it in our sentences without making any mistakes.
Main Differences Between Nowadays and These Days
- ‘Nowadays’ is used to compare past conditions to present on the other hand ‘These Days’ is used to show temporary situation or quick action of the present.
- Nowadays and These Days can be used interchangeably, but the first one is used to make sentences more formal, and the latter is used informally.
- ‘Nowadays’ is used with present simple tense and present continuous tense, whereas ‘These days’ is used with present continuous tense.
- ‘Nowadays’ is mainly used comparatively. On the other hand, ‘These days’ is primarily used to show a degree of temporariness in the sentence.
- ‘Nowadays’ is evolved from word Now adays to form a single word while ‘These days’ is just made up by conjunction of two words.
Conclusion
Any language is just a medium of communication; hence we can communicate by using some words interchangeably as our main motto is to communicate, so it does not matter what words we are using until we can make others understand what we want to say.
Similarly, ‘Nowadays’ and ‘These Days’ are two words that are considered to have the same meaning. But we should know the slight difference between them. ‘Nowadays’ is a word used for comparison of past condition to present. On the other hand, ‘These days’ denote a temporary condition or a temporary action.
References
- https://www.uop.edu.jo/download/Research/members/Oxford_Guide_to_English_Grammar.pdf
- https://english4u.com.vn/Uploads/files/A%20Practical%20English%20Grammar.pdf