Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MARSHAL

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explore the archives: Marshal is just like assemble, gather, or organize, but with a military flavor. And a_ i________ is just like over and over or unendingly, but with a scholarly flavor. make your point with... "MARSHAL" To marshal things is to organize them so they can be used, as if they're troops getting ready for a battle. Pronunciation: MAR shull Part of speech: Transitive verb. (Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object. You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone. Likewise, you marshal things or marshal people.) Other forms: marshaled, marshaling/marshalling, marshaller How to use it: Talk about marshaling forces or resources, marshaling equipment, marshaling funds, marshaling your strength or your resolve, marshaling ideas and thoughts, marshaling facts and reasons, etc. You can also marshal people--gather them into organized groups for a specific purpose--and people can even marshal themselves: "The protesters marshaled themselves along the sidewalk." Either way, notice how you can marshal uncountable stuff ("marshal her strength," "marshal his confidence"), and you can marshal multiple countable things ("marshal these students," "marshal some facts"), but it doesn't make sense to marshal a single countable thing. You wouldn't say, for example, "marshal a fact," because marshaling involves ordering or organizing things--and you can't do that to a single object. examples: I prefer writing emails over making phone calls: writing lets you marshal your thoughts and monitor your tone. Their post clearly intended to marshal outraged supporters, but no one commented. Awkward. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "marshal" means when you can explain it without saying "gather in an orderly way" or "assemble things to use." try it out: Think of someone you know who Gets Things Done. Fill in the blanks: "(Person) marshals (certain resources) to (achieve something)." Example: "Grace marshals support from her friends to eradicate racist beliefs." 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 KWIKORD, an addictive, challenging new word game for solo or group play, created by Wayne Ellice.  We're dipping our toes into the game this month, trying some simple challenges first and working our way toward harder tasks. (Check out my interview with the game's creator here, and order your own copy of the full version of KWIKORD here.) You'll see a sample answer to each puzzle the following day. Enjoy! Yesterday, you took the letters BLRTAEEO and arranged them into as many 2-, 3-, or 4-letter words as possible within a 4x4 grid. Many solutions were possible. Here are two: Try that again today with the letters HLNSEOOU. Draw three vertical and three horizontal lines on some scrap paper, and go for it! review today's word: 1. The opposite of MARSHAL is A. ABATE B. DISBAND C. MUSTER 2. The opportunity passed while he was still marshaling his _____. A. application B. plan C. willpower Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, 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. B 2. C