Pandemonic Scribbles!

Statutory Warning : All the silly posts over here are likely to create sparks of pandemonium in the li'l brain of the reader so Watch Out!

Sunday, 9 August 2009

vocab for the week 11

How is the word ‘besiege’ pronounced?

The ‘e’ in the first syllable sounds like the ‘i’ in ‘it’, ‘bit’, and ‘sit’, and the following ‘ie’ sounds like the ‘ee’ in ‘fees’, and ‘cheese’. The final ‘ge’ is like the ‘j’ in ‘jam’, and ‘jump’. The word is pronounced ‘bi-SEEJ’ with the stress on the second syllable.

The word has several meanings. When soldiers, for example, besiege a town, they surround it. They prevent people and supplies from entering or leaving the town. When a person is besieged, he is surrounded by other people.

The moment he walked out of the stadium, he was besieged by reporters.

The word can also be used to mean, ‘to make many requests or complaints about something.’

The radio station was besieged with telephone calls from angry women.

No comments: