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Monday, 4 April 2011

Reading: MAKING THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME

Suffering:
suf• fer BrE / ˈsʌfə(r) / verb
1 to be badly affected by a disease, pain, sadness, a lack of sth, etc
~ from sth He suffers from asthma.
road accident victims suffering from shock - 
Many companies are suffering from a shortage of skilled staff.
suf • fer • ing BrE / ˈsʌfərɪŋ / noun
1 [ uncountable ] physical or mental pain
Death finally brought an end to her suffering.
2 sufferings [ plural ] feelings of pain and unhappiness
The hospice aims to ease the sufferings of the dying.
suf • fer • er BrE / ˈsʌfərə(r) / noun
a person who suffers, especially sb who is suffering from a disease
cancer sufferers

Usual
usual BrE / ˈjuːʒuəl / adjective
He came home later than usual.
~ (for sb/sth) (to do sth) It is usual to start a speech by thanking everybody for coming.
compare unusual
2 the usual noun [ singular ] ( informal ) what usually happens; what you usually have, especially the drink that you usually have
un • usual BrE / ʌnˈjuːʒuəl / adjective
It's unusual for the trees to flower so early.
un • usual • ly BrE / ʌnˈjuːʒuəli / adverb
1 used before adjectives to emphasize that a particular quality is greater than normal
unusually high levels of radiation - an unusually cold winter

Ruling
rul • ing noun, adjective BrE / ˈruːlɪŋ /
noun
~ (on sth)
an official decision made by sb in a position of authority, especially a judge
The court will make its ruling on the case next week.
adjective
[ only before noun ]
having control over a particular group, country, etc
the ruling party
He has been elected head of the country's new ruling body.

rule noun, verb BrE / ruːl / noun
of activity/game
[ countable ] a statement of what may, must or must not be done in a particular situation or when playing a game
to follow/obey/observe the rules
verb
govern/control
[ transitive ,  intransitive ] to control and have authority over a country, a group of people, etc
~ sth At that time John ruled England.
ruler BrE / ˈruːlə(r) / noun
a person who rules or governs

Acclaim
ac • claim verb, noun BrE / əˈkleɪm / verb
to praise or welcome sb/sth publicly
~ sb/sth a highly/widely acclaimed performance
~ sb/sth as sth The work was acclaimed as a masterpiece.
noun
[ uncountable ]
praise and approval for sb/sth, especially an artistic achievement
international/popular/critical acclaim

Presidency
presi • dency BrE / ˈprezɪdənsi / noun
 [ usually singular ] ( pl. presi • dencies )
the current holder of the EU presidency
presi • dent BrE / ˈprezɪdənt / noun
1 ( also President ) the leader of a republic , especially the US
Several presidents attended the funeral.
2 ( also President ) the person in charge of some organizations, clubs, colleges, etc
to be made president of the students' union
presi den tial / BrE ˌprezɪˈdenʃl ; / adjective
a presidential campaign/candidate/election
a presidential system of government
pre • side BrE / prɪˈzaɪd / verb
[ intransitive ] ( formal )
to lead or be in charge of a meeting, ceremony, etc
the presiding judge

Speeding
speed • ing BrE / ˈspiːdɪŋ / noun
 [ uncountable ]
the traffic offence of driving faster than the legal limit
Max was fined £300 for speeding.
speed noun, verb BrE / spiːd / noun
1 [ countable ,  uncountable ] the rate at which sb/sth moves or travels
He reduced speed and turned sharp left.
The train began to pick up speed (= go faster) .
a speed of 50 mph/80 kph
at high/low/full/top speed

verb
( speed ed , speed ed / sped )
The car sped along the road towards the village.

Offend
of • fend BrE / əˈfend / verb
They'll be offended if you don't go to their wedding.
of • fend • ed / BrE ; NAmE / adjective
Alice looked rather offended.
of • fend • ing BrE / əˈfendɪŋ / adjective
[ only before noun ]
The offending paragraph was deleted.
2 guilty of a crime
The offending driver received a large fine.
of • fense noun
1 / BrE əˈfens ; NAmE əˈfens / [ countable ] = offence
to commit an offense - a minor/serious offense

Prestigious
pres • ti • gious BrE / preˈstɪdʒəs / adjective
 [ usually before noun ]
a prestigious award
a prestigious university
pres • tige noun, adjective BrE / preˈstiːʒ / noun
 [ uncountable ] status
personal prestige
jobs with low prestige
adjective  [ only before noun ]
1 that brings respect and admiration; important
a prestige job
2 admired and respected because it looks important and expensive
luxury
a prestige car
opposite: to lose prestige

 pres·ti·gious·ly adverb
 pres·ti·gious·ness noun

Antonyms: disreputable

Cramped
cramped BrE / kræmpt / adjective
a cramped room, etc. does not have enough space for the people in it
working in cramped conditions

Embarrass
em • bar • rass BrE / ɪmˈbærəs / verb
1 to make sb feel shy, awkward or ashamed, especially in a social situation
~ sb Her questions about my private life embarrassed me.
em • bar • rassed BrE / ɪmˈbærəst / adjective
I've never felt so embarrassed in my life!
em • bar • rass • ing BrE / ɪmˈbærəsɪŋ / adjective
an embarrassing mistake/question/situation
em • bar • rass • ing • ly / BrE ɪmˈbærəsɪŋli ; adverb
The play was embarrassingly bad.
em • bar • rass • ment BrE / ɪmˈbærəsmənt / noun
I nearly died of embarrassment when he said that.

Humiliation
hu • mili • ate BrE / hjuːˈmɪlieɪt / verb
The party was humiliated in the recent elections.
hu • mili • at • ing / BrE hjuːˈmɪlieɪtɪŋ ; adjective
a humiliating defeat
hu • mili • ation / BrE hjuːˌmɪliˈeɪʃn ;  noun [ uncountable ,  countable ]
She suffered the humiliation of being criticized in public.

Fulfill
ful • fil ( BrE ) ( NAmE ful • fill ) verb
( ful • fill • ing , ful • filled , ful • filled )
1 ~ sth to do or achieve what was hoped for or expected
to fulfil your dream/ambition/potential
ful • fil • ment / BrE fʊlˈfɪlmənt ; ( BrE ) ( NAmE ful • fill • ment ) noun [ uncountable ]  - the fulfilment of a dream  - to find personal fulfilment
ful • filled BrE / fʊlˈfɪld / adjective
He doesn't feel fulfilled in his present job.
unfulfilled
ful • fil • ling BrE / fʊlˈfɪlɪŋ / adjective
a fulfilling experience
unfulfilling
I'm finding the work much more fulfilling now.


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