conferral
part of speech
noun (conferral, conferrals) — formal
meaning for a pupil
1) (formal) The act of giving someone an honour, a title, a degree or a right in an official way. tree →
2) (formal, rare) The act of talking things over with others; this sense is usually said as «conferring» or «conference». tree →
sense in the lessons
A stiff, official word met in exam texts, school prize-giving reports and news about universities and awards. It tells the reader that something was given by someone with authority, not just handed over. Phrases: «the conferral of a degree», «conferral of citizenship», «conferral of an award». In everyday speech people say «giving» or «being given» instead.
examples
- The conferral of degrees takes place in the great hall. tree →
- Her conferral of the gold medal was the proudest moment of the evening. tree →
- The conferral of citizenship came after a long wait and a short ceremony. tree →
- After the conferral of the title, the knight stood up and bowed. tree →
- The school board approved the conferral of a special award on the lollipop lady. tree →
- Grandad keeps a photo of the conferral of his apprenticeship certificate. tree →
- The conferral of honorary membership surprised the old coach. tree →
note
Comes from the verb «confer» (to give officially; also to discuss). Countable but mostly used in the singular with «of»: «the conferral of …». Formal; in a story for children «giving» or «awarding» sounds more natural. Do not confuse with «conference» (a meeting) or «referral» (sending someone on to another doctor or service).
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «conferral» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.