perusal
part of speech
noun (perusal; usually singular)
meaning for a pupil
1) (formal) The act of reading something carefully and thoroughly. tree →
2) (formal, often in modern use) A quick look through something; reading it casually. tree →
sense in the lessons
A stiff formal word found in letters and documents: «for your perusal» means «for you to read». In stories it can give an old-fashioned or comic tone. Today, many people use it loosely to mean a quick read, though the older meaning is a careful read.
examples
- The letter was left on the desk for her perusal. tree →
- After a careful perusal of the map, we found the hidden path. tree →
- «I enclose my homework for your perusal,» wrote Ben, trying to sound grand. tree →
- A quick perusal of the menu showed there was no pizza. tree →
- The teacher's perusal of our stories took all weekend. tree →
- The contract needs a full perusal before anyone signs it. tree →
- They were first brought to light, after a patient search and diligent perusal of ancient authors, by a Frenchman, M. tree →
note
Noun from the verb «peruse» (to read carefully). Usually used with «for your perusal» or «a perusal of». Trap: some people think «peruse» means only «skim quickly»; dictionaries list both, but «read carefully» is the traditional meaning. Formal; everyday word: «read», «look».
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «perusal» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.