Grammar Clinic

The nifty thing about dispel is that you can use it when talking about emotional problems (such as worries and fears) as well as physical ones (such as wild cats).  MEANING: 1. to cause to separate and go in different directions 2. to remove fears, doubts, and false ideas, usually by proving them wrong or unnecessary  EXAMPLE: 1. Daniel dispelled the pack of wild cats with two dogs […]

MEANING: excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters, tending to talk a lot EXAMPLE: I met a garrulous cab driver SYNONYMS: chatty, gabby, loquacious, talkative

MEANING: (Adjective) – appropriate to a purpose; helpful or useful in a particular situation, but sometimes not morally acceptable: (Noun) – a means to an end EXAMPLES: In this circumstance, it is expedient for me to show my loyalty The ladder was a useful expedient for getting to the second floor SYNONYMS: Convenient, Advantageous, Appropriate

MEANING: To prove that something is wrong To expose the falseness or hollowness of (an idea or belief) EXAMPLES: His former teammates defend him, too, debunking claims that his kneeling during the national anthem caused a distraction. She debunks all the usual rubbish about acting

MEANING: 1. to foreshadow vaguely 2. to describe roughly or briefly or give the main points or summary of 3. to suggest, disclose, or outline partially EXAMPLE: Folu adumbrated his future plans to his Mother The Teacher told the students to adumbrate Chapter Five of their Textbooks  

MEANING: Relating to cognition; concerned with the process of knowing and perception. EXAMPLE: Throughout her lifetime, Professor Nike dedicated her life to studying the human cognitive process.  

MEANING: A movement or series of moves requiring skill and care. EXAMPLE: Ibe was confused as to how to manoeuvre through the parked vehicles in the street.

MEANING: Continuing without pause or interruption, especially in a manner that it is considered unpleasant. EXAMPLE: I remember when incessant rain fell for several days in Lagos and disrupted people’s lives.  

MEANING: Appealing strongly to the senses; pleasingly rich. EXAMPLE: I found the herds of cattle on the hill top grazing on luscious pasture.

MEANING: Lacking distinctive features or interesting characteristics; unremarkable, unexceptional. EXAMPLE: As a teenager, Ngozi lived in a nondescript ghetto neighbourhood.