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The many explainations for distinguishing the 2 words never seem to help much , if at all.
But here's one cleancut distinction: Invoke is for an action by you, the observer: He invokes the law to support his argument.
Whereas Evoke is for an act done to you by something external: The scenery evokes for him memories of years past.
Is that cool ? What you think is a good distinction?
I think you are on the right track, but evoke is not necessarily focused on you. I can evoke anger in a colleague.
I see invoke as figuratively calling something close from a distance. Evoke is figuratively to call something out from within. While etymologies are not a good argument for current meaning, I think they still hold in this case. So invoke focuses on something external, whereas evoke focuses on something internal.
to invoke the law
to invoke God
to evoke lust
to evoke peace
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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