Today I want to write about two adjectives which are the opposite of each other: “rational” and “irrational”. We use the word “rational” to talk about an action, a decision or a general way of thinking which is based on calm logic. We use the word “irrational” to talk about an action, a decision or a general way of thinking which is based on fear or pure emotion. For example:
This is a very difficult decision for us, so we need to be as rational as possible when making it.
My dog was suffering so I had her put to sleep. It was very hard, but I think it was the rational thing to do.
A: I’ve decided to quit my job.
B: Please be rational about this. You’ll never find another job that pays you as much as this one does!
Many people lost money on this stock because they became irrational and sold all their stock as soon as price started going down. However, the price soon went up again.
My husband can be very jealous and irrational. If he sees me talking to another man, he thinks that I’m flirting with him.
My friend was very sick last year and made some very irrational decisions because he thought he was going to die.
In my second example, I talk about putting a dog to sleep. This is a more gentle way to talk about having a veterinarian kill an animal because it is suffering pain. It is done in order to be kind to the animal. Also, in my fifth example, I talk about “flirting”. The verb “flirt” means to talk to another person in a sexual way because you’re interested in them sexually or romantically.
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