Do you know the difference between steal, rob and burgle? How do we use these three verbs?
TO STEAL
You steal when you take (unlawfully) what belongs to someone else. The object of this verb is generally what you have stolen.Generally, you steal things. The person who steals is a thief.
- Someone’s stolen my watch
- He stole all my money
- They wanted me to steal your ring
You can also steal something from someone
- He stole from me and from my friends
TO ROB
You rob when you unlawfully take something from its owner.You rob someone or you rob a place (bank, shop, house…etc. The person who robs is a robber.
- I have been robbed
- Robin Hood robbed the rich
- He robbed a bank
A person or institution is robbed of something by someone or an entity
- She robbed me of all my money
TO BURGLE
It means to steal from a building, a home…etc. The person who breaks into houses, shops … etc to steal things is a burglar.
- My house was burgled last night
- She has been burgled
Test your knowledge with this exercise.
Click at the top right-hand corner to enlarge the window (red arrows)
