Gathered:
* Implies a more deliberate and intentional act of bringing things together. It suggests an active process of collecting, assembling, or accumulating.
* Can refer to a wider range of things being brought together. It could be people, objects, information, or even abstract ideas.
* Focuses on the result of the action: The final collection of things brought together.
Examples:
* "The students gathered in the auditorium for the assembly."
* "She gathered her thoughts before answering the question."
* "The farmer gathered his crops at the end of the season."
Clustered:
* Implies a more spontaneous and less organized grouping. It suggests things coming together in a close proximity, often without a clear plan or direction.
* Typically refers to physical objects or living things. It's less common to use "clustered" to describe abstract concepts.
* Emphasizes the spatial arrangement: How things are arranged in a close group.
Examples:
* "The children clustered around the storyteller."
* "The houses clustered together in the small village."
* "The stars clustered into constellations."
In Summary:
Think of gathering as a conscious act of collecting things, while clustering is a more natural, spontaneous process of things coming together.