What is the difference between "electric" and "electrical" and their usage?
What is the difference between electric and electrical and their usage?
For example, what is the difference between "electrical machine" and "electric machine"?
These two words have a large semantic overlap, but at the edges there are a few key differences.
Electric is used to describe things pertaining to electricity. It can also be used metaphorically: "the evening was electric".
Electrical can be used nearly everywhere that electric is used when pertaining to electricity (aside from some set phrases). It is not generally used metaphorically in the way electric is. The word electrical can also be used in an additional domain: things concerning electricity. So, generally, people do not say "electric engineer" unless the engineer runs on electricity; instead they say "electrical engineer".
So, in the case of "electric(al) machine" from your question, since you are talking about something that runs on electricity, the two words are essentially identical in meaning.
Here's a simple distinguishment which I hope will help:
Electric refers to anything that runs on electricity, i.e. “electric kettle”
Electrical refers to something related to electricity, i.e. “electrical faults”, “electrical component”.
"Electric" is used in front of a device or machine that runs on electricity. It is used when the object has been specified.
"Electrical" is used in a more general sense, as in referring to ambiguous nouns. (By ambiguous, I mean unspecified, e.g. machine, appliance). "electrical" is also used when the object is specified, but the object is not run on electricity, but is related to electricity, i.e. Electrical engineer.
Electric means "of, worked by, charged with, or producing electricity."
It can be used figuratively, as in "the atmosphere was electric;" to refer to a musical instrument, as in electric guitar; or to refer to a color, as in electric blue.
Electrical means:
- operating by or producing electricity
- concerned with electricity
Electric cannot be always replaced with electrical; you don't say electrical guitar, or "the atmosphere was electrical" (if not to mean something else than the phrase using electric).