Source or Resource?

Source or Resource

Hi there! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the difference between the words "source” and “resource.”

Question:

Hello friends,

I'm Isac, one of your followers from Mexico. I have a question. What is the difference between “source” and “resource?” Many thanks.

Answer

Thanks for your question, Isac. Both “source” and “resource” have similar word histories. One is the root of the other. That is the reason they look similar and might be confused. But these two words are quite different! Let’s consider each one.

Source

“Source” can be a noun or a verb. As a noun, a “source” is the origin or beginning of something.

For example, we often talk about the source of rivers. This source is where the river starts, like another body of water such as a lake.

The Nile River has two sources, the Blue Nile and the White Nile.

This photograph taken on October 7, 2022, shows Jowali Kitagenda, 40, casting his net to catch fish on River Nile in Jinja, southern Uganda. Photo by BADRU KATUMBA /AFP)

A source can also be a person or something like a book or an article that supplies information.

When you write an essay, you should write down your sources.

A source can also be what something is made of.

Red bugs called cochineal are the source for a red color used in dyes.

Mayeli Garcia inspects dried, crushed tiny female insects known as Dactylopius coccus, at the family's cochineal farm in San Francisco Tepeyacac, east of Mexico City, Aug. 24, 2023.

“Source” can also be verb. It can mean to find materials for something, or it can mean to provide something.

The cook sourced ingredients for the dish from her own garden.

Many jewelry companies source diamonds grown in a lab.

Let’s move onto “resource.”

Resource

The word “resource” is a noun. It has many meanings. A “resource” is something that can be easily found and used quickly in a time of need. It can be a supply of something, support or aid.

This kind of resource can include money, assets or human power in cases of emergencies.

The United States supplies military resources to its allies in times of conflict.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent provide resources to people following natural disasters.

FILE - Palestinians gather for a vigil outside the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Beirut on October 11, 2023, in support of the Palestinians in Gaza. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP)

A “resource” can also be something naturally found in the Earth’s environment or underneath its surface.

Natural resources include metals, oil, water and even sunlight.

And lastly, a “resource” can be something or someone that can help you get information or is an expert in a subject or industry.

Her college advisor became a great resource to her when she was choosing her field of study.

Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you, Isac.

Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.

And that’s Ask a Teacher.

I’m Faith Pirlo.

Faith Pirlo wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

ingredient – n. something that enters into a compound or is a component part of any combination or mixture

asset – n. something that is owned and that has value