abstention

«abstention» in Mova's school dictionary: when someone chooses not to vote, neither for nor against — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (an abstention, abstentions; uncountable for the habit)

meaning for a pupil

1) An abstention is when someone chooses not to vote, neither for nor against. tree →

2) (formal) Abstention is choosing not to do or have something you might want, like food or alcohol. tree →

sense in the lessons

Used in class elections and councils («ten for, five against, two abstentions»); in religion for fasting or giving things up in Lent.

examples

• The vote was twelve for, eight against, with three abstentions. tree →
• Ruby's abstention meant the result was a tie. tree →
• Abstention from sweets during Lent was hard for Tom. tree →
• The council counted the abstentions separately. tree →
• There were no abstentions; everyone voted. tree →
• In the class vote for the trip, there was one abstention. tree →

note

Verb: abstain (abstain from voting). In maths of votes: abstentions are counted but usually do not add to either side, so for + against + abstentions = everyone who was there.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «abstention» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.