Let’s get going on this pair of verbs. Both proceed and move cover the idea of going or passing from one place to another. However, by itself, move does not indicate direction (She moved out of his way; Get a move on!), whereas proceed means to move forward or onward (The parade proceeded down Main Street). Another distinguishing characteristic of proceed is that it often implies continuing after a halt: After a pitstop, they proceeded on their way. If you sometimes confuse proceed and precede, differentiating their prefixes can help. Pre- means “before” (in space or time). The directional aspect of proceed comes from its Latin prefix pro-, which means “forward” or “forth.”

Does it make any difference whether we pledge our allegiance or our loyalty to the flag? Loyalty and allegiance both imply a sense of duty or of devoted attachment to something or someone. Loyalty often has a more personal element to it. It connotes sentiment and the feeling of devotion that one holds for one's country, creed, family, or friends (her loyalty was rewarded). The word allegiance, originating in the feudal relationship between a liege and his lord, applies particularly to a citizen's duty to their country, or, by extension, one's obligation to support a party, cause, or leader (multinational corporations owing allegiance to no country). Whether used in the context of countries, multinational corporations, or football teams, allegiance usually implies a more official, contractual relationship than loyalty, with the suggestion of factions whose interests are at odds.

The white glove test would reveal no difference between a superficial cleaning and a perfunctory one. Neither cleaning has been thorough, and both have dealt only with the surface—in these respects, the two adjectives overlap in meaning. Superficial can be a purely descriptive, neutral term (superficial wound), but when used of a person or a person’s actions, superficial often suggests fakeness or shallowness (superficial writer, superficial values). Perfunctory can also be used of people, but it is more often used of actions and behaviors that are done in haste, with the minimum of attention and enthusiasm, as if merely going through the motions (a perfunctory greeting, a perfunctory investigation)—the way you might do something when you have to do it rather than want to do it.