NADCI WORD OF THE WEEK - REPUDIATE

WORD: REPUDIATE [repudiate]

PART OF SPEECH: transitive Verb

• 3rd person present: repudiates;
• past tense: repudiated;
• past participle: repudiated;
• gerund or present participle: repudiating.

PRONUNCIATION: /rɪˈpjuːdieɪt/ (ri-ˈpyü-dē-ˌāt)

SYLLABLES: (4) re·pu·di·ate

MEANING:

- To reject the truth or validity of; to deny.

- To refuse to have anything to do with; to disown.

To refuse to acknowledge or pay or honor (a debt).

- (In the past or in non-Christian religions) To divorce or separate formally from (a woman)

- To refuse to accept; especially : to reject as unauthorized or as having no binding force

SENTENCE EXAMPLES:

- the minister repudiated allegations of human rights abuses.

- Socialism had been repudiated at the polls.

- (law) Borrowers have begun repudiating their debt obligations.

- (law) The buyer is entitled to repudiate the contract within a reasonable period of time

- Mark 10:2

"And some Pharisees came up, and, in order to test Him and try to find a weakness in Him, asked, Is it lawful for a man to dismiss and *repudiate* and divorce his wife?"

- Philip was excommunicated in 1095 because he had repudiated his wife’.

- a generation that has repudiated the values of the past.

- She has publicly repudiated the government's policies.

- He published an article that repudiates the study's claims.

ORIGIN:

Late Middle English (originally an adjective in the sense ‘divorced’):

Latin repudiatus, past participle of repudiare, from repudium rejection of a prospective spouse, divorce, probably from re- + pudēre to shame.

FIRST KNOWN USE: 1545

SYNONYMS: deny, contradict, gainsay, disavow, forswear, disaffirm, disallow, disavow, disclaim, disconfirm, disown, negate, negative, refute, reject.

ANTONYMS: acknowledge, admit, allow, avow, concede, confirm, own.

REFERENCES:

Oxford Learners Dictionaries.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

LEXICO Oxford.

At NADIGIGS, we aim at bringing out the best version of every child we reach out to.

NADCI IMPORTANT NOTICE - PENDING

IMPORTANT NOTICE

IMPORTANT NOTICE

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Greetings from the NADIGIGS family.

We are in no way ignorant of the current state of things in the nation and the world at large. 

We have carefully and closely watched things unfold while prayerfully hopeful and trusting that it all comes to an end in the shortest time.

We encourage all our parents, teachers, sponsors, friends, families, volunteers, members and children to observe and take seriously all precautionary measures as instructed by the World Health Organization. Please, do not take it for granted. 

As regards the spelling bee which is scheduled for the 9th of May, all plans are still on ground in alignment with the initial plan as we see no need to get into sudden changes since the said date is still about 1 month away. 

Before the end of April, we will be able to make a more concrete and well-guided decision. However, preventive and protective measures are being put in place by the operations department and the entire NADIGIGS family. 

Hopefully, all of these will subside soon enough but that will not stop us from making necessary provisions for proper hygiene to promote safety.

As for the essay competition, the marking of the scripts will be completed soon but the convergence of top 30 finalists is pended till further notice. This doesn't mean that it has been cancelled. Gracefully, a date hasn't been picked yet though we had April in view.

Results will be communicated with the schools to announce their top qualifiers.

We love you and pray that the Lord keeps you safe as He has always done.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Signed: 

Dr. Comfort Akpevwe Ntekume

President, NADIGIGS CHILD INITIATIVE

At NADIGIGS we aim at bringing out the best version of every child we reach out to.

NADCI WORD OF THE WEEK - ASSUAGE

WORD: ASSUAGE [assuage].

PART OF SPEECH: Verb.

- 3rd person present: assuages;

- past tense: assuaged;

- past participle: assuaged;

- gerund or present participle: assuaging.

PRONUNCIATION: /əˈsweɪdʒ/; (ah-swayge).

SYLLABLES: (2) as·suage.

MEANING:

- to lessen the intensity of (something that pains or distresses).

- to make (something, such as an unpleasant feeling) less painful, severe, etc.

- making something milder or better.

- to put an end to by satisfying.

SENTENCE EXAMPLES:

- His reply did little to assuage my suspicions.

- He was unable to assuage their grief.

- an opportunity occurred to assuage her desire for knowledge.

- the letter assuaged the fears of most members.

- vainly strove to assuage an implacable foe … — Edward Gibbon.

- assuage his thirst.

- He couldn't assuage his guilt over the divorce.

- a mother cooing to her toddler and assuaging his fear of the dark.

ORIGIN:

Middle English aswagen, from Anglo-French asuager, (Old French assouagier, asouagier,) based on (Vulgar Latin assuaviare,) Latin ad- 'to' (expressing change) + suavis 'sweet'.

FIRST KNOWN USE: 14th century.

SYNONYMS: abate, pacify, quiet, appease, quench,  allay, alleviate, help, ease, mitigate, mollify, palliate, relieve, soothe.

ANTONYMS: aggravate, exacerbate.

REFERENCES:

Oxford Learners Dictionaries

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

LEXICO Oxford

At NADIGIGS, we aim at bringing out the best version of every child we reach out to.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE WARS - THERE VS THEIR

THERE vs THEIR

I have always told my students "... the way you use a word will determine the meaning of that word." This is because there are so many words in the English language that has more than a single meaning - and that can be infuriatingly confusing, believe me.
But if you get confused about the multiple meanings of a single word, what happens when that word sounds like another word or group of words?
Yea, we've gone and done it.

Today we shall be looking at two words, "there" and "their".

Translating phonetically:
There - /ðeə(r)/ BrE
              /ðer/ NAmE
Their - /ðeə(r)/ BrE
              /ðer/ NAmE

When I first saw the above, I was astounded. So I did a brief research online and got the following from a website:

Rules for Using There and Their
Paying attention to the meaning and parts of speech of these two words, as well as common ways they are used, will help to prevent errors when using them in your writing.

Rule #1: "There" works as a noun. 
The word "there" has many uses but more than any other function, "there" works as a noun, meaning "that place:"
- We jogged from way over there to the end of the block, then we sprinted the rest of the way home.
- The child took one look at the haunted house, and shrieked, "I am never stepping foot in there!"

Rule #2: "There" also works as an adverb. 
Alas, "there" can also work as an adverb, meaning the opposite of "here:"
- Do you hear that dog barking over there?
- May I please sit there?
- The officer shouted, "Stop right there!"

Rule #3: "There" works as a pronoun, too.
Finally, "there" may also be used as a pronoun to introduce a noun or a phrase:
- Is there a desk I can use to do my homework?
- There are too many people on this elevator.

Rule #4: "Their" works as a possessive adjective. 
"Their" primarily works as a possessive adjective, to describe something that belongs to "them". A noun typically follows "their". Take a look at these examples below. Notice that a noun follows every "their:"
- We walked their dog for them while they were on vacation.
- Their cars were parked on the street while they were having their driveway repaved.
- I offered to babysit their toddler, so they could get out on a date.

Remember: "Their" shows possession, "there" does not.
"There" may work as a noun, adverb, or pronoun, but it never shows possession. Only "their" may show possession.

Why Are There and Their So Similar?
"There" and "their" are homophones. Let's break down the word homophone to help you understand its meaning. Homo means "same," and phone means "sound." So, words that are homophones will have the same sound. Homophones like "there" and "their" sound the same but, as we have shown, have different spellings and meanings. There are many homophones in the English language. In this case, there's even another word that sounds similar to "there" and "their" but has a different meaning - "they're".
The word "they're" is actually a contraction of the two words "they are," and again shouldn't be confused with "there" or "their."

- They're (=they are) funny people.
- They're (=they are) the cutest puppies ever.

It can be used of non-living things too:

- They're (=they are) both really good books.
- They're (=they are) two of our biggest problems.

NOTE:
1. Homophones — words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.
2. BrE = British English.
3. AmeE = American English.

At NADIGIGS, we aim at bringing out the best version of every child we reach out to.


References: https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/grammar-rules-and-tips/rules-for-there-and-their.html

NADIGIGS! You Have It In You... 

At NADIGIGS, we aim at bringing out the best version of every child we reach out to.

NADCI ALERT! - SCHOLARSHIP

SCHOLARSHIP ALERT!

Download Application Form

The Federal Government of Nigeria is inviting Gifted and talented students who have completed their primary Education to apply for her fully funded scholarship into the Federal Government Academy, Suleja.

APPLY NOW!

Host Country: Nigeria

Category: Prospective Secondary School Students

Eligible Countries: Nigeria

Scholarship Value: Full Sponsorship with Fast Track Academic Calendar

Application Deadline: April 31st 2020

>>> VISIT HERE FOR FULL DETAILS:

https://scholarshipregion.com/944/federal-government-scholarship-for-gifted-and-talented-students-download-application-form/

Please, share this on various platforms so that Parents and School Administrators can apply for their Wards.

At NADIGIGS, we aim at bringing out the best version of every child...

Congratulations SBJ Judge Chinaza

Today, the NADIGIGS Family felicitates with one of her great members, Miss Chinaza Uyaelumuo, as she celebrates a beautiful achievement.

"One of the first set of people to come on board... In fact,...  (Since) the first ever spelling bee, she was and has remained amazing." ~ Dr. N. A. Comfort (NADCI Founder & President elect, 2019-2021).

"One of the best Judges I have ever worked with. Her 'team playing spirit' is one of the beautiful qualities in her, I cherish." ~ SDc. O. E. Lawrence (NADCI Chairman, SBL Bench of Judges, since 2015).

NADIGIGS Family wishes you many more great achievements, your SBL Honour, Miss Chinaza. We are proud of you.


At NADIGIGS, we aim at bringing out the best version of every child we reach out to.