compel
part of speech
verb (compel, compels, compelled, compelling); adjective compelling
meaning for a pupil
1) (formal) To force someone to do something, by law, rules or strong pressure (be compelled to). tree →
2) To cause a strong feeling or reaction (compel attention). tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: To force someone. Interpretation: The Talmud notes that at Ahasuerus's feast, drinking was not forced, which the tradition sees as a rare kindness in a feast otherwise seen as excessive. In the primary lessons: Formal and exam language: «Students are compelled to wear uniform». In stories: «She felt compelled to help». Adjective «compelling» means very interesting or convincing (a compelling story, compelling evidence).
examples
- And the drinking was according to the law; none did compel; for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure. (Writings EST.1.8, JPS 1917) tree →
- The law compels drivers to wear seatbelts. tree →
- Rain compelled us to cancel the picnic. tree →
- He felt compelled to tell the truth. tree →
- No one can compel you to say something untrue. tree →
- The storm compelled the ship to return. tree →
- It was a compelling book I couldn't put down. tree →
- But it was no use; something stronger than himself compelled him to keep them there. tree →
note
Double l before -ed and -ing: compelled, compelling. Noun: compulsion; adjective compulsory (must be done). Formal: everyday words are force or make.
In the corpora
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «compel» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.