Yep, you make an ASS out of U and ME. The same thing does not happen when you presume.
Assuming and presuming both mean the same thing: taking something for granted as being true. Where they differ is the degree of certainty. An assumption is made on little or no evidence, but when we presume, we are usually making an informed guess.
"Dr Livingstone, I presume?" was a fairly solid conjecture. Henry Stanley was unlikely to bump into many other white explorers around Lake Tanganyika in the late 19th century.
"But I assumed that you'd be bringing some money" sounds like it's based on nothing more than optimistic hopefulness.
"He assumed that Joe / Daphne / Geronimo had done the report / contacted the bank / printed the files / et cetera et cetera" is where the flimsiness - and hopelessness as an excuse - of assumptions is evident.
But it's safe to presume that they're friends, based on the amount of time they spent talking and laughing with each other.
Hold off on the assumptions. Get more data and you can make presumptions. Even more data and you could be the holder of an informed opinion.
PS This article doesn't address the use of presume in the sense of being brave enough to do something, or make unjustified demands - e.g. How dare you presume to question me on my own blog? Just in case you hadn't noticed.
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