Meaning & use
alternate
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To happen or make something happen in turn, repeatedly switching between two things or states.
Grammar: Can be used without an object (The seasons alternate) or with an object (She alternates hot and cold drinks).
Patterns
- alternate between A and B
- alternate A and B
- alternate with something
The weather alternated between sunshine and heavy rain.
She alternates her study sessions with short breaks.
Day and night alternate regularly.
adjectivebefore a noun
Every other one in a series; happening or appearing repeatedly one after the other.
Grammar: Used before a plural noun or a singular noun with a time word: on alternate days, alternate Fridays.
Patterns
- on alternate days
- alternate weeks
- alternate layers
The clinic is open on alternate days, not every day.
We meet on alternate Tuesdays.
The cake has alternate layers of chocolate and vanilla.
adjectivebefore a nounAmerican
Serving as a substitute or second choice, especially in American English.
Grammar: Chiefly American; in British English 'alternative' is more common for this meaning.
Patterns
- an alternate plan
- an alternate route
- an alternate candidate
We need an alternate plan in case it rains.
The alternate route avoids the highway traffic.
She was chosen as an alternate delegate.
Word forms
| third person singular | alternates |
|---|---|
| past tense | alternated |
| past participle | alternated |
| -ing form | alternating |
Common combinations
- alternate between
- He alternates between working and resting.
- alternate with
- Rain alternated with snow all day.
- on alternate days
- Take the medicine on alternate days.
- alternate layers
- The dessert has alternate layers of fruit and cream.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rotate
- Rotate suggests a cycle of three or more items; alternate usually involves just two.
- interchange
- Interchange is more formal and often implies swapping positions; alternate focuses on repeated turns.
- substitute
- As an adjective, substitute is similar to the American sense of alternate, but substitute is used in both British and American English.
Word family
- alternation noun
- The act of alternating or the state of being alternating.
- alternating adjective
- Happening in turns; e.g., alternating current.
- alternately adverb
- In turns; one after the other.
Commonly confused: alternate or alternative?
alternate vs alternative
Alternative means another possibility or choice; alternate (as an adjective) means every other or substitute. In British English, 'alternative' is used for the substitute sense.
Practice
The traffic lights ___ between red and green.
Choose one answer.
The subject 'The traffic light' is singular, so the verb needs the third person singular form 'alternates'. 'Alternate' is the base form used with plural subjects or after modals, 'alternating' is the -ing form, and 'alternated' is the past tense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “alternate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.