Part Four,Language Study,ENTER,Word Study Phrases and Expressions Word Building Grammar,Language Study,Contents,Word Study,Word list:,assert 2. cluster 3. depressed 4. gruff 5. imminence 6. numb,7. overpower 8. revel 9. streak 10. subjugate 11. throb 12. tremor,Word Study,1. assert v.,a. to state or express positively; to affirmassert ones innocenceb. to put (oneself) forward boldly or forcefully in an effort to make an opinion knownExample:I had to assert myself in the meeting in order to ensure acquisition of the new book.,Synonyms,asseverate declare aver,To be continued on the next page.,Word Study,To assert is to state ones opinion confidently but often without proof to support it. “I have endeavored to assert nothing but what I had good authority for.” (William Sewel)Asseverate connotes sober sincerity of assertion.“The taxpayer also asseverates that his return from Greece proves conclusively that his intentions were and are honorable.” (Daily Report for Executives),To be continued on the next page.,Word Study,Declare has the approximate force of assert, but may suggest formality of statement and authority in the speaker.Congress declared that it would reduce the budget deficit. Aver stresses the speakers confidence in the validity of the statement. She averred that solitude was necessary for creative work.,Word Study,a. number of things of the same kind growing closely together b. number of people, animals or things grouped closely together,2. cluster n./v.,Examples: ivy growing in thick clusters a cluster of houses, spectators, bees, islands Reporters were clustered round the PrimeMinister.,Word Study,3. depressed a.,a. affected or marked by low spirits b. an area, industry, etc. that is depressed does not have enough economic or business activity,Synonyms,blue dejected dispirited downcast downhearted,Examples: depressed by the loss of his jobThe divorce left him deeply depressed.Britains depressed housing market,Word Study,gruff, brusque, blunt, crusty,These adjectives mean “abrupt and sometimes discourteous in manner or speech”.,4. gruff,To be continued on the next page.,Gruff implies roughness or surliness of manner and often harsh speech but does not necessarily suggest rudeness. Her answer was gruff, but her eyes twinkled. Brusque emphasizes rude abruptness.Try to cultivate a less brusque manner.,Word Study,To be continued on the next page.,Word Study,Blunt stresses utter frankness and usually a disconcerting directness.I have to be blunt: youre not welcome here.Crusty suggests a rough and forbidding manner that sometimes conceals benevolence of spirit.Hes a crusty old gentleman who feeds stray dogs and cats.,Word Study,5. imminence n.,the nearness of something that is going to happen imminent a. about to happen very soon,Examples: the imminence of nuclear warAn announcement of further cuts in government expenditure is imminent.,Word Study,6. numb a.,a. (of a part of the body) unable to feel anything, usually for a short time b. not able to feel any emotions or think cheerfully because you are so shocked or frightened,Examples:I had been lying awkwardly and my leg hadgone numb.My fingers were so cold that they felt numb.Ever since his girlfriend left him he has felt numb.,Word Study,7. overpower v.,a. to overcome or vanquish by superior force; to subdue b. to affect so strongly as to make helpless or ineffective; to overwhelm,Examples: She was completely overpowered by the two men who attacked him. They were overpowered by grief when their son died.,Word Study,a. to take great pleasure or delight b. (literary or humorous) to dance, drink, sing, etc., at a party or in public, esp. in a noisy wayExamples:After the long hot summer we revelled in therainstorm.They revelled all day and all night after their exams.,8. revel v.,Word Study,9. streak n.,a. a line, mark, smear, or band differentiated by color or texture from its surroundings b. a slight contrasting element; a trace,Examples: streaks of grey appearing in his black hair There was a streak of wildness/cruelty in him.,Word Study,10. subjugate v.,a. to defeat (people or a country) and rule them in a way that allows them no freedom b. to treat (yourself, your wishes or your beliefs) as being less important than other people or their wishes or beliefs,Synonyms,defeat conquer vanquish beat overcome,Example:Journalists must subjugate personal political convictions to their professional commitment to fairness and balance.,To be continued on the next page.,Word Study,defeat, conquer, vanquish, beat, overcome These verbs mean “to get the better of an adversary”. Defeat is the most general.“Whether we defeat the enemy in one battle, or by degrees, the consequences will be the same.” (Thomas Paine)Conquer suggests decisive and often wide-scale victory.“A conquering army on the border will not be halted by the power of eloquence.” (Otto von Bismarck),To be continued on the next page.,Word Study,