What is the difference between necessary and need ?
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Need is more personal and informal. Necessary is very formal. So often, you'll see sentences where I, she/he need something. But it is neccessary for a business or corporation to have something. The business doesn't want to sound "needy" but things are still necessary for them.
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"necessary" is used as an adjective or noun.
"Need" is a verb and sometimes a noun.
Food is a necessary thing in life. (Adjective)
Food is necessary for life.(noun)
I need food in order to live.(verb)
Food is a basic need for life.(noun)
The noun form of "necessary" is "necessity", which is "need".
Food is a necessity for life.
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They are both basically the same. "Needed" is more commonly used as the past tense of "to need", so it might be more clear to use "necessary" in your sentence- "parents' consent is necessary for the legal act of minors"
"Needed" is usually used like this: "I needed to eat" or "She needed to leave"
"Necessary" is usually used like this: "It is necessary to bring your bag" "It is necessary to be on time for work" :)
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Well, they mean the same thing. You’d use ’necessary’ when you absolutely need something that can threaten your life. ”It is necessary that you eat”. When we use ’need’, it can also mean necessary but Americans often use it as a persuasive word. ”I need that toy”, ”You need that makeup”.
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You can use either of them since they are basically the same, but there are differences in the WAY they're used.
[Need] can be a verb or a noun.
Verb: "I need water to survive."
Noun: "I have a need for food" or "He has his day to day needs."
[Necessary] can be a noun or an adjective.
Noun: "It's necessary to wear comfortable clothes" or "Experience is necessary."
Adjective: "He was a necessary sacrifice."
I hope this helped.
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