Historical Events And Concepts

noun the act of granting a pardon, especially to a group of people who have committed a crime or political offense

• The government granted amnesty to all political prisoners.
• They're offering amnesty to anyone who comes forward with information.
• I heard they're giving out amnesty like candy.
• Forgiveness is like granting yourself amnesty from the burden of anger and resentment.

noun a thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept it

• The decision to move forward with the project was seen as a fait accompli by the board members.
• Once she made up her mind, it was a fait accompli that we were going to the beach for the weekend.
• As soon as he said he was buying the tickets, it was a done deal - a fait accompli.
• Her graduation was a fait accompli, given her dedication to her studies and hard work.

noun the practice of manipulating boundaries of an electoral constituency to favor one party or class

verb to manipulate the boundaries of an electoral constituency in order to favor one party or class

• The practice of gerrymandering involves manipulating the boundaries of electoral districts to favor a particular political party.
• Politicians often gerrymander districts to give themselves an advantage in elections.
• They're really good at pulling some shady gerrymandering tactics.
• Her ability to gerrymander her schedule allowed her to fit in all her appointments.

noun a person born of parents not married to each other

adjective not authorized by the law; not in accordance with accepted standards or rules

• The court ruled that the document was illegitimate and therefore not admissible as evidence.
• She found out that her sister's marriage was illegitimate and was shocked.
• I heard that the rumor about him being illegitimate was just a load of crap.
• The artist considered the copy of his painting to be illegitimate as it lacked the originality and creativity of his work.

noun an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances

adjective preceding in time, order, or importance

• The judge referred to a legal precedent in making her decision.
• There's no precedent for this kind of situation, so we'll have to figure it out as we go.
• I don't want to set a bad precedent by skipping class.
• Her success set a precedent for others to follow in her footsteps.

adverb Scarcely is an adverb that means barely or hardly. It is used to indicate that something is only just true or possible.

preposition Scarcely can also function as a preposition when used in phrases like 'scarcely a day goes by without...'.

• The resources were scarcely enough to meet the demands of the growing population.
• I had scarcely finished my meal when the phone rang.
• I was scarcely able to keep my eyes open during the boring lecture.
• Her love for him was like a flame that could scarcely be extinguished.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

adjective a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun

adverb a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb

• The meeting was scheduled for lasterday, but it had to be postponed.
• I thought we were supposed to meet up lasterday, but I guess I got the date wrong.
• I can't believe we partied until lasterday, it was so much fun!
• The memories of lasterday still linger in my mind, reminding me of better times.