Make Your Point > Archived Issues > BEVY

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explore the archives: Bevy, a group of people or a collection of items, is a more dignified, complimentary synonym of gaggle. In general a bevy is stately; a gaggle is disorderly. Literally, though, both bevy and gaggle refer to groups of birds. You can have a bevy of quail or a bevy of larks. Those birds seem graceful, don't they? But the kind of bird that makes up a gaggle is a loud, aggressive one. Do you recall it? (The answer is here if you'd like to check.) make your point with... "BEVY" A bevy is a group of birds or a group of ladies. More generally, a bevy is a group of people or items. Pronunciation: BEV ee (rhymes with "heavy") Part of speech: Countable noun. (Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions." Likewise, talk about one bevy or multiple bevies.) Other forms: The plural is "bevies" but is rare. How to use it: The tone of this word is usually positive. If you need one with a negative tone, pick "gaggle." Most often, you talk about a bevy of people: a bevy of beautiful dancers, this bevy of neighborhood ladies gathered in the kitchen at the party, that bevy of fans crowding the arena. It's less common, but you can also have a bevy of things: the phone's bevy of tools for organizing your life. These days you'll notice journalists talking about a negative bevy of things: "a bevy of scandals," "a bevy of lies," "a bevy of mistakes throughout the last inning." Dictionaries show that "bevy" is supposed to have a positive tone, but that only stays true if people abide by it--and not everyone does. examples: A bevy of costumed anime fans swept into the Dealers' Room.  I edged away from the bevy of dolls in the glass cabinet. They were creeping me out. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "bevy" means when you can explain it without saying "assembly" or "gathering." try it out: Think of an impressive group of people. Fill in the blanks: "A bevy of _____ (accomplished something)." Example: "A bevy of blood donors always lines up after a national tragedy." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. This month, we’re playing with anagrams: rearrangements of the letters in a word to form new words. (For example, “care” has two anagrams: “acre” and “race.”) Looking for these makes you a stronger player in other word games. But more importantly, it helps you practice thinking flexibly and methodically. Plus you get to giggle at potential non-words and discover new real words. We’ll work our way from shorter to longer anagrams. And at any point if you wonder why I left out a word you wanted to list, or why I included a word you think isn’t a real one, hold your fire: our authority for this game is ScrabbleWordFinder.org, which draws from a highly inclusive dictionary. Let’s play! From yesterday: What are the 3 anagrams for SHADES? Answer: DASHES, SADHES, and SASHED. A sadhe is the eighteenth letter in many Semitic alphabets. Try this one today: What is the 1 anagram for HOTTER? review today's word: 1. The opposite of BEVY is A. COHORT B. THRONG C. INDIVIDUAL 2. A good essay is one way to _____ the bevy of _____. A. combat .. misconception B. stand out among .. qualified applicants C. simultaneously expose and banish .. illogical thinking Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. B