Week 1 day 4: how not to get your way

It is difficult to change someone’s opinion by badgering him. The child who begs his mother
to “get off his back” when she implores him for some assistance with the household drudgery,
may very well plead interminably for some special privilege when he wants something for
himself. How paradoxical that neither is able to perceive that no one likes being nagged.

朗读视频:04.1100 words you need to know - Week1 Day4 - How not to get your way_哔哩哔哩_bilibili

badger

词性:vt. n.
音标:[ˈbædʒɚ]
释义:纠缠不休,吵着要,烦扰;獾

Badger is to bother. Persistently. On and on. Without stop. Relentlessly. Over and over. Endlessly. It comes from the name of that chipmunk-like animal that burrows into the ground.

If you badger someone, you get under their skin. A badger is an animal that digs tunnels under ground to keep warm. To badger can also mean to persuade someone through constant annoying efforts. You might badger your mom to add another hour to your curfew or badger your friend to give you a turn with a video game he has been hogging.


But he spent months badgering me until I finally gave in.


The witness is being badgered.


She badgered politicians to open their eyes and help the little guy.


And I’ll walk out of here in three minutes… if you don’t stop badgering me.


Objection, Your Honor. He’s badgering the witness.

drudgery

词性:n.
音标: [ˈdrʌdʒəri]
释义:苦工,贱役,单调沉闷的工作

If you’ve ever had to do the laundry, wash the dishes, make the meals, change the bedding, vacuum the house, and clean the bathrooms day after day, you’ve experienced drudgery. Drudgery is hard, mindless, backbreaking work.

When you say the word drudgery, you can almost feel the hard, plodding work that it describes. You have to put some effort into saying the dr- sound. Then, as soon as you get through the breathy -u-, you’ve got two more hard sounds in -dg- and -er- before you get another break with the final vowel sound. Just as you might drag yourself doing those repetitive, grinding chores, you have to drag your way through pronouncing the word.


The king does not have time for this drudgery.


It’s drudgery and it’s painful.


Are you so stuck in the drudgery of this world that you cannot hear the whispers all around you?


Well, sure, life is full of pain and drudgery

interminable

词性:adj.
音标:[ɪnˈtɜːrmɪnəbl]
释义:冗长的,没完没了的

Use interminable to describe something that has or seems to have no end. Your math class. Your sister’s violin recital. A babysitting job where five kids are going through your purse and the parents didn’t leave a number.

Something that is interminable is often boring, annoying, or hard to bear, such as an interminable noise. A near synonym is incessant, which also refers to something unpleasant that continues without stopping. It descends from the Latin prefix in- “not,” terminare “to end,” and the suffix -abilis “able to.” Latin terminare is also the source of the English verb terminate “to end” and the corresponding noun termination “an act of ending something.”


This line is interminable.


All those interminable speeches. All that dreary pomp.


It would take an interminably long time.


it would be unpleasant, uncomfortable, and interminably long.


Life is nothing but the occasional burst of laughter rising above the interminable wail of grief.

nag

词性:v.
音标: [næɡ]
释义:唠叨; 不断困扰,使不得安宁

When you ask for something over and over AND over again, you are nagging. If you nag your parents long enough, they’ll either give in and get you a puppy, or simply refuse any pets at all — not even a goldfish.

When you nag someone, you complain and pester them. Your teacher might nag you about a late assignment, or you might nag your friend to give you back the sweater he borrowed. A thought or worry can also nag you, simply by staying in your thoughts. The word nag meant “gnaw” before the 1820s, from a Scandinavian root.


When it’s all over and you don’t have to nag yourself anymore, you’ll be grateful to me too.


My mom used to nag him.


Don’t worry, I’ve nagged him enough.


This is the only place I don’t get nagged.


For a while, Tommy nagged us about going to Tokyo.


Please tell her, from me, I could do without all the nagging.


There’s a fine line between caring and nagging,jack.


And the ones that nag at you the most are the ones where you knew you had a choice.

@Chatbot 你是一个英语教学的大师,你会用通俗易懂的方式给学生讲解各类英语知识,现在请你给我解释下上面帖子中我着重讲解的单词,介绍下这些单词在正式文书和口语中的各类含义,各举几个地道,自然的例子。介绍下这些单词的来历,以及我如何才能记住这些单词呢?

Of course, @Tristan! Let’s dive into it.

  1. Badger: This word, as a verb, means to repeatedly bother or harass someone. For instance, you might say: “I finally agreed to go to the party, only because my friend wouldn’t stop badgering me!”

    The term originates from the treatment of badgers, who were once captured and made to fight dogs. This cruel “sport” was known for its relentless, persistent nature, mirroring the repetitive pestering the term now refers to.

    To help remember, think of a badger constantly burrowing and bothering whoever’s near.

  2. Drudgery: This noun refers to hard, monotonous, or dull work. One could say: “Filling out these forms feels like drudgery.”

    It comes from the Old English word “drudgian” meaning “to perform menial work.” Picture a tired, ancient servant performing repetitive tasks and you’ll not forget ‘drudgery’.

  3. Interminable: This adjective describes something that seems never-ending. “The professor’s interminable lecture had us all yawning.”

    Its origin lies in the Latin term “interminatus,” meaning unending or unbounded. Just imagine sitting in an everlasting lecture — doesn’t it feel interminable?

  4. Nag: As a verb, this means to irritate or annoy by constant scolding or urging. A sentence could be: “My mom has been nagging me to clean my room all week.”

    It originates from a Scandinavian term meaning “to gnaw” — imagine a pest gnawing away at your patience, and you’ll recall ‘nag’ right away!

To wrap up, recalling the origin stories of these words and connecting them with vivid personal experiences or mental images might aid in remembering these advanced vocabulary. Happy studying, @Tristan!