Meaning & use
impersonation vs impression
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The act of pretending to be another person, often to deceive or for entertainment.
Grammar: Can be countable ('an impersonation of the president') or uncountable ('the crime of impersonation').
Patterns
- impersonation of someone
- do an impersonation of someone
- be arrested for impersonation
His impersonation of the teacher was so accurate that everyone laughed.
She was charged with impersonation after using a fake ID.
The comedian's impersonation of the famous singer included the accent and the dance moves.
nouncountable
The effect or feeling that something or someone has on your mind.
Grammar: Often used in phrases like 'make an impression on someone' or 'first impression.'
Patterns
- make an impression on someone
- first impression
- give the impression that
The new employee made a good impression on her colleagues.
My first impression of the city was that it was very crowded.
He gave the impression of being confident, but inside he was nervous.
nouncountable
A funny or exaggerated copy of the way someone speaks or behaves, done for entertainment.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'do an impression of someone.'
Patterns
- do an impression of someone
- an impression of a famous person
- a good impression
She does a great impression of the queen.
His impression of the boss had everyone in tears of laughter.
The show featured impressions of several politicians.
Common combinations
- do an impersonation of someone
- He can do an impersonation of almost any actor.
- make an impression on someone
- Her speech made a strong impression on the audience.
- first impression
- You only get one chance to make a first impression.
- give the impression that
- He gave the impression that he knew everything.
Synonyms and how they differ
- impression
- As a performance, an impression is usually done for fun and exaggerates someone's features, while an impersonation can be more serious and can involve deception.
- imitation
- Imitation is a general word for copying; impersonation specifically means pretending to be a person.
Word family
- impersonate verb
- To pretend to be someone else.
- impersonator noun
- A person who impersonates others.
- impress verb
- To make someone admire you.
- impressive adjective
- Causing admiration.
Commonly confused: impersonation vs impression or impersonation? impersonation vs impression or impression?
impersonation vs impression vs impersonation
An impersonation is the act of pretending to be someone, often to trick people. An impression is the effect you have on someone or a funny performance.
impersonation vs impression vs impression
An impression can be a feeling or opinion you get about something, or a comic performance. An impersonation is always about pretending to be a specific person.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'impersonation' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option A uses 'impersonation' to mean pretending to be someone else, which is correct. B should be 'impression' because it's about the effect on someone. C should be 'imitation' or 'copy' because it's about an object, not a person. D should be 'impression' because it's about a feeling or opinion.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “impersonation vs impression”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.