I've done some research on the two words, but I can't tell their differences based on dictionary definitions. I often hear people say phone owners but then certificate holders. Do people say the opposites? If not, is there a rule or do I have to remember each phrase separately?
In what kinds of situations do you use “holder” and “owner”
word-choice
Related Solutions
Personally in the sentence means individually. It's possible to meet someone as part of a group, or be introduced to someone where you don't have an opportunity to really talk to them, but meeting someone personally means you introduce yourself and have an initial conversation.
In person means not via the phone, Internet, etc.. It means you and the person you are meeting are physically in the same place.
If the young man has never seen the father at all yet, really the distinction above is not needed. So merely say:
I have not had the honor of meeting you yet, but I hope see you soon.
Otherwise use personally. Unless you've only talked on the phone to the father and are finally actually going to see the father face-to-face.
You are correct in thinking a "limitation" is an inability for something/someone
His job choices are limited by not being able to read.
and a "restriction" is externally imposed to stop something, usually by law
The area is restricted to authorised personnel only.
There is a speed restriction for how fast you may drive in a residential area.
Both "limitations" and "restrictions" are "constraints" which can be the more encompassing term to describe something that stops a person or process from happening. "Limitations" and "constraints" usually have the feeling of holding back, where as "constraints" has the feeling of holding within.
Imagine an example of a grazing field fenced in by barbed wire with mountains on the west:
The cattle grazing is limited by the mountain range to the west.
The cattle grazing is restricted to the 1,000 acres of grazing field.
The cattle grazing is constrained to the area within the barbed wire fence.
(source: fineartamerica.com)
Best Answer
In the legal meaning of the word, when you hold an intangible legal "instrument" (usually a document of some kind) it entitles you to rights to something of value. A lienholder, for example, has a claim upon a property that was put up as surety or collateral. A concert ticket entitles you to attend the concert. But the instrument itself has vanishingly small intrinsic worth -- on a piece of modern paper with some legalese typed on it, you can't even scribble down a bawdy limerick, except maybe in the margins. It is of almost zero value as paper.
By contrast, when you own something, it is typically tangible with intrinsic value and/or utility. It might be just an ordinary tea kettle, or a collectible figurine with relatively modest intrinsic worth, or a vintage Rolls Royce and have considerable worth.
Those distinctions don't prevent people from saying things like "I own 100 shares of stock in that company." But they're actually shareholders. As with any technical term that enters common usage, these terms can lose precision.