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tropical  ~  topical  ~  typical

[different pronunciation]

“Tropical” (adjective) means ‘(of something) that comes from or found in the hottest part of the world; (of weather) very hot and wet’,

a tropical forest

e.g.

Europeans find the tropical nights very hot and steamy, but enjoy the tropical summers.

One can see several different types of animals and plants in the tropical rain forests.

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“Topical” (adjective) means ‘connected with, related to something that is happening at the present time; something that is interesting or important at the present time’

e.g.

Every teacher must be thorough with the topical issues to make their teaching more interesting.

On-line credit card scams are topical crimes.     [i.e. these crimes are happening at the present time; they were not known to people in the past because there were no credit cards then]

This TV show comedian is good at cracking topical political jokes.     [i.e. jokes that are related to present political issues or present politicians]

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“Typical” (adjective) means ‘(of people, things, places) having the usually qualities, features that are expected of; (of something) happening in the usual way; (of a person or animal) behaving in a way that one expects of them’,

a typical rural house in India

e.g.

A typical English breakfast consists of eggs and bacon with a pot full of creamy milk and coffee.

A typical tourist is the one who visits and walks about historic places with a curious look on his face, wears casual clothes, a hat and a pair of sun-glasses, and hangs a camera round his neck.

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