Grammar Clinic

Meaning: A special or instinctive aptitude or ability for doing something well. Example: She had a flair for languages.

Meaning: The definition of severe is someone or something that is very serious, harsh or critical. Example: As we transition from one set of economic realities to another, there will be severe disruptions along the way.

Meaning:  The national legislative body of a country. A formal meeting or series of meetings for discussion between delegates, especially those from a political party or labor union or from within a particular discipline Example: Historically the reelection rate for members of congress is in the area of 95percent.

Meaning:  1: An act, process, or instance of transmitting  Transmission of a nerve impulse across a synapse 2: The passage of radio waves in the space between transmitting and receiving stations; also: the act or process of transmitting by radio or television 3: An assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the driveshaft by which the power is transmitted from

Meaning: An award or privilege granted as a special honor or as an acknowledgment of merit. Synonyms: Honor, priviledge, award, gift, tittle, price. Example: The ultimate official accolade of a visit by the president.

Meaning: A positive declaration intended to give confidence; a promise. Example: He gave an assurance that work would begin on Monday.

Meaning:  A word, verse, or sentence (such as “Able was I ere I saw Elba”) or a number (such as 1881) that reads the same backward or forward. Example: The teacher asked the class if anyone could think of a single word palindrome with 7 letters. After a couple minutes, Mia raised her hand and said “repaper.”

Meaning: 1 : a person who is not a member of the clergy 2 : a person who does not belong to a particular profession or who is not expert in some field Example: The Nobel laureate’s book is an introduction to astrophysics that, despite its depth and detail, remains accessible to the layman.

Meaning: Coming or having recently come into existence. Example: Bezos starts by upending the world of books with his start-up Amazon, using the nascent Internet to challenge brick-and-mortar book chains like Barnes and Noble.

Meaning: A meat stew Example: The slumgullion was hot, savory, and hearty, and on this rainy night we were all eager for seconds.