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Insist vs. Persist

Here is another interesting grammar.com article that tells you the difference between the verbs insist and persist, that can be easily confused words. To start with, insist means to urge while persist means to continue something. Let us dive into the details – 


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  Ramya Shankar  —  Grammar Tips
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Insist

To insist is to demand something forcefully or urge someone to do something. It can be used in positive as well as negative sense. A few examples

●    Our CEO insisted that the company was doing well in-spite of the stocks being down.

●    I insist you take the medicine on time to prevent further problems.

●    I dint want to go but he insisted me to come along.

●    Rather than insisting me to go to theatre with you, why don’t you watch a movie with me at home?

●    She insisted me to take up more work.

The word insist has its roots from the Latin word insistere (in+sistere) which means upon+stand. Therefore, it means to have a strong stand or be assertive in something.

Persist

To persist is to continue something in-spite of obstacles. Example

●    His persistence and hard work earned him the success he has today.

●    I will persist my studies even if it means doing a part-time job to fund it.

Insist vs. Persist

●    Persisted drinking can be harmful for your health.

●    My hand allergy is a persisting problem which has no solution.

●    The unpleasant smell still persists throughout the area.

Persist has originated from the Latin persistere (per+sistere), which means through + to stand or stand through (something) in a steadfast or continuous manner.

The difference

The words look similar and come from similar roots, hence there can be confusions around it. Often, insistence can be a reason for persistence. For example,

●    If you insist on working hard, you can persist getting good marks in exam,

●    If you insist on maintaining good quality, you can persistently get good customers.

●    I insisted on not believing their theories, but to persist our research with the facts collected.

Insistence vs persistence Just like the verb forms, the nouns are different.

●    Her insistence on following up the matter with persistence was the reason behind our victory. 

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