Difference Between Alternate And Alternative With Example Sentences

The difference between alternate and alternative is very important as these are two words that we use every now and then. In fact, the words alternate and alternative get interchanged a lot because of one simple reason. In American English, there is no difference between 'alternate' and 'alternative'. Both the words, alternate and alternative mean the same in North America (it means available as a choice). Because of this, many people in India and other countries apart from America have started interchanging these words. Though, the required meaning gets understood by the listener, the right word is very rarely used. If you are someone who is fond of British English, the following explanation will give you crystal-clear clarity on the difference between alternate and alternative.

Difference between alternate and alternative:

1) Alternate:

verb

something that occurs in turn repeatedly.

Examples:

1. Joe's thoughts will always alternate between good and bad.

2. A clock's pendulum always alternates between one extreme and the other extreme.

3. Rotation of our planet Earth results in the alternation of day and night.

4. Why does happiness get alternated with sadness in my life?

5. Jessica was suddenly crying and smiling in alternation.

6. In my fitness program yesterday, 10-minute jumping alternated with a 1-minute break.

7. The alternation of success and failure is the theme of a movie called 'Life'. 

adjective

every other, every second, every minute, etc.

Examples:

8. I wish I could go to the office on alternate days.
9. Jessica and Joe meet each other only on alternate Sundays.
10. There was a time when the great Sachin Tendulkar was a part of the playing 11 only for alternate matches.
11. When you see a scoreboard in cricket, that says 4 6 4 6 4 6, it is clear that the batsman hits fours and sixers on alternate deliveries.
12. My family always goes on a vacation to a foreign country in alternate years.

2) Alternative:

adjective

something that is available as a possible choice, something that is different from the traditional or normal lifestyle.

Examples:

13. I wish God showed me alternative paths to travel in my life.

14. Virender Sehwag's unique approach to batting in test cricket resulted in many alternative ways of winning a match for India.

15. The passengers of the electric train did not suffer from the power cut because they boarded an alternative train that runs by steam.

16. Jessica though of coming by car, but she came by foot alternatively.

17. Nowadays, many people wish to live in an alternative world that would be free from noise and air pollution.

18. Scientists believe that Mars seems to be an alternative planet where living-beings could excel.

noun

available choices for something.

Examples:

19. Virat Kohli has been slowly recognized as an alternative to Sachin Tendulkar.

20. No matter how many sequels come, Spider-Man 1 will never have an alternative.

21. Nothing could be an alternative to finding happiness from looking at children.

22. John had no other alternatives to reaching the city apart from going around the mountains. 

23. Sehwag could have easily reached his very first 300 in tests with a single, but he hit a six alternatively, much to the making of history.