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Here in this post the difference between skill and talent is going to be discussed so we take a close look at the meaning of both of these words in meaning and these differences will be more understood by some examples. So let’s start this discussion by taking a look at the meaning of these words in the Oxford Dictionary and get the points of these differences.
Here is the definition of these two words by the Oxford Dictionary:
Talent: noun /ˈtalənt /
flair, aptitude, facility, gift, knack, technique, touch, bent, ability, expertise, capacity, faculty; strength, forte, genius, brilliance; dexterity, skill, artistry.
Skill: /skil/ – noun
expertise, skilfulness, expertness, adeptness, adroitness, deftness, dexterity, ability, prowess, mastery, competence, capability, aptitude, artistry, virtuosity, talent, the ability to do something well, a particular ability,
e.g. His skill as a politician.
accomplishment, strength, gift
e.g. Bringing up a family gives you many skills.
Opposite: incompetence.
Skill and Talent are both close in meaning so there is a big misconception between skill and talent and both refer to a special ability that someone has in his / her life. But based on the above-mentioned definitions which are excerpted from the Oxford dictionary the main following difference can be understood:
Talent = An ability you are born with and are naturally good at without much practice. It is your innate ability to do something. It is your natural ability which is inborn.
Skill = The practice you continue to put into crafting your talent to be excellent. It is a learnt ability. It is acquired or developed after you put in a lot of time and hard work.
Talent is an ability you have naturally, but skill is an ability you can obtain through trying and it will be developed by exercising, in other words, you can get skillful through your talents.
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There are some useful expressions for saying to have skill and talent and they are so popular.so notice the most popular ones given below with their meanings, explanations, and some examples.
to be good at something: it means you can do something well
e.g. He is so good at swimming.
he/she is born (something as a talent): it means he/she is good at something by expectation
e.g. She is a born dancer.
Head and shoulder above (someone/someones): it is usually used for comparing someone with others and to show his / her superior ability over the other people.
e.g. She has been assigned to work on the project because she is a head and shoulder above her colleagues.
to be one of a kind – it means to be unique and have an extraordinary ability to do something.
e.g. Rose is one of a kind social who can make new friends easily.
to do something in one’s sleep– it is used for someone who is talented and can do something without any effort.
e.g. My mother is such a great cook who can cook in her sleep too.
to have a magic touch: it is used for someone who can deal with a very difficult or tough situation and he/she can handle it successfully.
e.g. My brother graduated from computer sciences 4 years ago and he has a magic touch in a computer.
to have an eye for: to have a special ability to find good things.
e.g. Mr Jones is an experienced mechanic with an eye for fixing any problem related to your car.
to have hidden telnet: it is used for someone who is not expected to do something or has any kind of talent but surprises others with his/ her skill and talent.
e.g. Jack was a very quiet student in college and he had a hidden talent in math.
