Grammar Clinic

Meaning: Following as a result or effect. Example: A loss of confidence and a consequential withdrawal of funds Synonyms:  resulting, resultant, ensuing, consequent Antonyms: causal, unrelated

Meaning: Absolutely necessary. Example: he made himself indispensable to the parish priest Synonyms:  essential, crucial, necessary, key, vital, needed, required, called for, requisite, important, all-important, vitally important, of the utmost importance, of great consequence, of the essence, critical, life-and-death, imperative, mandatory, compulsory, obligatory, compelling, urgent, pressing, burning, acute, paramount, pre-eminent, high-priority, significant, consequential

Meaning: A person who held a job or office before the current holder. Example: The new President’s foreign policy is very similar to that of his predecessor Synonyms: former/previous holder of the post, forerunner, precursor

Meaning: A thing that existed before or logically precedes another. Example: Some antecedents to the African novel might exist in Africa’s oral traditions Synonyms: precursor, forerunner, predecessor

Meaning: Cooperate on a matter of mutual concern. Example: She will liaise with teachers across the country Synonyms: cooperate, work together, collaborate

Meaning: The condition of being considered more important than someone or something else; priority in importance, order, or rank. Example: His desire for power soon took precedence over any other consideration Synonyms: take priority over, be considered more important/urgent than, outweigh, supersede, prevail over, come before

Meaning: Inborn; natural. Example: Her innate capacity for organization Synonyms: inborn, natural, inbred, congenital, inherent, intrinsic, instinctive, intuitive, spontaneous, unlearned, untaught

Meaning: (of a place or people) freed from enemy occupation. Example: liberated areas of the country  

Meaning: An act of assessing something or someone. Example: She carried out a thorough appraisal Synonyms: assessment, evaluation, estimation, judgement, rating, gauging, sizing up, summing-up, consideration

Meaning: Not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant. Example: They were courteous but faintly aloof Synonyms: distant, detached, unresponsive, remote, unapproachable, forbidding, stand-offish, formal, impersonal, stiff, austere, stuffy, withdrawn, reserved, unforthcoming, uncommunicative, indifferent Antonyms: familiar, friendly