For starters, ban the pellet gun – The Hindu (Aug 24, 2016)

For starters, ban the pellet gun – The Hindu (Aug 24, 2016)

Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, scheduled to begin today, is a timely follow-up to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with Opposition leaders from the State on Monday. For further reading, visit “The Hindu”.

Word List:

1. for starters (phrase) – to begin with, to start with, first of all.
2. rhetoric (noun) – oratory, eloquence, power of speech, command of language.
3. hold out (phrasal verb) – continue, remain, be extant.
4. healing (adjective) – alleviative, assuasive, palliative, relievable.
5. strident (adjective) –(of opinions/comments) harsh, rough, loud, unpleasant, grating; annoying way of expressing opinions/point of views forcefully.
6. draw a distinction (phrase) – distinguishing two people/things.
7. drift (noun) – (slow and steady) movement,
8. alienation (noun) – isolation, detachment, estrangement, separation.
9. palpable (adjective) – perceptible, perceivable, visible, noticeable; obvious, clear, evident, apparent.
10. fallout (noun) – bad effect/result, adverse effect/result.
11. forthwith (adverb) – immediately, instantly, right away; without delay.
12. empathy (noun) – the ability to feel and share other person’s emotions/feelings/experiences.
13. pellet (noun) – lightweight bullet, shot.
14. dissuade (verb) – discourage, deter, prevent, stop, divert.
15. curfew (noun) – a rule which is instructing people to stay at home, typically at night.
16. inhumane (adjective) – cruel, harsh, brutal, callous, severe.
17. outrageous (adjective) – shocking, disgraceful, atrocious, appalling.
18. gentler – comparative adjective of gentle (adjective) -mild, soft, quiet, modest.
19. inflict (verb) – deal out to, mete out to, serve out to, administer to; to cause somebody to go through something harmful/painful.
20. anecdotal (adjective) – informal, unreliable; unscientific.
21. off balance (adjective) – incorrect proportion.
22. at someone’s disposal (phrase) – be ready to help someone concerned.

Note:

• Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ .
• Definitions (elementary level)  & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press.