English
Pronunciation and Grammar: Speak Method|
On
Sunday, at
least 70 people were killed when Syrian security forces attempted to
crush the
four month old popular uprising against the government. The central
city, Hama,
was also bombed on Monday. This is the largest government crackdown
yet. The
Syrian government has been condemned internationally for its tentative
and illusory
reforms. Obama said the attacks showed the true character of the regime, though he has not yet formally called for the Syrian president to step down. Protestors have shown no signs of succumbing to the pressure in spite of the government's intimidating methods. |
| Word |
Meaning |
| uprising
(UP-ri-zing) |
a
revolt, the act of rising up |
| crackdown
(KRAK-down) |
harsh
or severe enforcement of laws, intended to solve a large problem |
| tentative
(TEN-tu-tiv or TEN-u-div) |
uncertain,
unsure; done as a trial or experiment |
| character
(KĀR-u-kter) |
a
person's traits or moral quality |
| condemn (cun-DEM) |
to
express a complete lack of approval, to declare guilty |
| illusory (i-LOO-ser-ee) | deceptive,
misleading, causing illusion |
| reform (ree-FORM or ru-FORM) | an
improvement of something that is wrong or flawed |
| succumb
(su-KUM) |
to
give in |
| intimidating
(in-TI-mi-da-ding) |
filling
with fear or deep concern |
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