Something special is distinguished from the common or usual: "Today I prepared a special dinner to celebrate our anniversary."
Special is that which differs from the common or the general . Therefore, something special (from Latin specialis ) is singular , particular or with extraordinary characteristics. The adjective can be applied both to people ( "When he plays football, that boy is special" ) and to things ( "I have a special phone that rings louder than traditional ones" ). We can mention that special steel , to mention one case, contains, in addition to iron and carbon, elements that seek to improve its properties .
On the other hand, something special is what is intended for a specific or specific purpose : "Tomorrow we will have a special meeting to discuss the latest events," "We are going to celebrate this triumph with a special event."
Especially, an adverb of manner
In this sense, its adverb of manner (especially) has a similar use and can be applied, for example, to tools and devices that have been created with a particular goal in mind.
For example, you can say that a component video cable was specially designed to get the best possible picture from a DVD player, or that someone organized their schedule especially so they could attend an event that a friend was hosting.
A type of radio or television program
Said about a television or radio program, a special broadcast has unique characteristics since it is not carried out periodically.
«Tonight, we will have a special program on the conflict between companies and unions in the automotive sector» y «The tournament will be analyzed in a special broadcast on this same channel» son frases que muestran este uso.
special education
Special education is the training provided to people who suffer from some physical or mental impairment, which affects the adaptation of these subjects to ordinary education. In many cases small deficiencies, such as a reduced level of hearing, are sufficient reason for a school to deny a place to a child, claiming that they do not have sufficient tools to follow classes at the same pace as others.
It is worth mentioning that special education is generally more expensive than conventional education; As if this were not enough, the percentage of institutes that provide this service is considerably lower than the others, which makes the situation even more difficult for parents of children with some type of deficiency.
Special effects are tricks that create an illusion of reality.
Effects in cinema and video games
On the other hand, special effects are tricks that, through various techniques, are used in shows to generate impressions that produce an illusion of reality. Until a few years ago, its use was mainly reserved for the big screen; Thanks to them, you can create scenes in which huge planes collide with a control tower, or a pileup of cars on a large avenue, colossal explosions that destroy entire cities, and even macabre situations such as mutilations, with results every more credible.
In the video game and computer animation industry, special effects are understood differently, since any image shown on the screen is artificially created by artists. However, if one starts from the belief that a three-dimensional city designed by Pixar is equivalent to a real one, then a battle between superheroes that threatens their integrity, as happens in the movie " The Incredibles ", can only be achieved through the use of effects.
Outside of explosions and destruction, this type of entertainment relies on a series of special effects that reduce the processing necessary to reproduce very complex and detailed images. Thinking about a video game, a brick wall is generally represented by a plane covered with a texture with a pattern arranged in such a way that it can be repeated without the cuts being noticeable. With the help of certain techniques, such as displacement mapping , this plane can gain the necessary volume to give the player the sensation of being made up of independent bricks, just as in real life.