Words: actions by mouth

add v. 补充说

• He added that a student had dressed up as a policeman and was playing all sorts of silly jokes on people.
• Then I added with a smile, ‘It’s a strange mixture I make myself.’

threaten

• When he received a very rude reply from one of the workmen, he threatened to remove them by force.

point out

• At this, the police pointed out ironically that this would hardly be necessary as the men were already under arrest.

claim

• However, as the evidence began to accumulate, experts from the Zoo felt obliged to investigate, for the descriptions given by people who claimed to have seen the puma were extraordinarily similar.

confirm

• It immediately ran away when she saw it, and experts confirmed that a puma will not attack a human being unless it is cornered.

put

• …, as one of them put it ‘ate like kings’.
• I don’t know how to put it.

state

• The writer stated that Rastus was in safe hands …

explain

• She explained that Rastus was very dear to her.

mumble

to speak or say something in a quiet voice in a way that is not clear mutter

•  mumble (to somebody/yourself) I could hear him mumbling to himself.
•  mumble something (to somebody/yourself) She mumbled an apology and left.
•  + speech ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled.
•  mumble that… She mumbled that she was sorry.
•  mumble about something I couldn’t understand what he was mumbling about.

• He was still mumbling (mumble) something about hospitals at the end of the party when he slipped on a piece of ice and broke his left leg.

plead

to beg with emotions and repetition

• plead (with somebody) (to do something)
• plead (with somebody) (for something)
• plead to do something
• + speech
• ===
• pleading eyes
• His eyes silently pleaded with her.
• The teacher was today desperately pleading for news of her son who has disappeared.
• They pleaded for mercy.

[in court]

• (+ adj.) 
• to plead guilty/not guilty
• How do you plead? (= said by the judge at the start of the trial)
• The accused was deemed unfit to plead.
• They hired a top lawyer to plead their case.

plead something: to say something as an excuse or explanation:  

• Plead ignorance/illness/tiredness/insanity /a headache
• He tried to plead insanity (= say that he was seriously mentally ill and therefore not responsible for his actions) but the court convicted him.
• She left early, pleading pressure of work.
• Ellie pleaded illness and went to bed very early.
• No one can plead ignorance of a subject any longer for there are countless DIY publications.

to argue in support of somebody/something

•  plead something 
• She appeared on television to plead the cause of political prisoners everywhere.
•  plead for somebody/something 
• The United Nations has pleaded for a halt to the bombing.

appeal 

[intransitive] to make a deeply felt request to the public, especially for something that is needed immediately

• I am appealing (= asking for money) on behalf of the famine victims.
•  appeal for something 
• Community leaders appealed for calm (= urged people to remain calm).
•  appeal to somebody 
• Appeal directly to the public, answer their questions.
•  appeal to somebody for something 
• The government appealed to the British people for help.
•  appeal for somebody to do something 
• Police have appealed for witnesses to come forward.
•  appeal to somebody to do something 
• Organizers appealed to the crowd not to panic.

[intransitive] to make a formal request to a court or to somebody in authority for a judgment or a decision to be changed

• He said he would appeal after being found guilty on four counts of murder.
•  appeal against something 
• The company is appealing against the ruling.
•  appeal to somebody/something against something 
• He is seeking leave to appeal to the High Court against the decision.
•  appeal to somebody/something 
• Permission to appeal to the House of Lords was refused.

[intransitive] appeal (to something) to try to persuade somebody to do something by suggesting that it is a fair, reasonable or honest thing to do

• They needed to appeal to his sense of justice.

entreat (formal)

to ask somebody to do something in a serious and often emotional way

•  entreat somebody 
• Please help me, I entreat you.
•  entreat somebody to do something
•  She entreated him not to go.
•  entreat (somebody) + speech 
• ‘Please don’t go,’ she entreated (him).

damn

to criticize somebody/something very strongly

damn somebody/something 

• The film was damned by the critics for its mindless violence.

slam

[transitive] to criticize somebody/something very strongly

slam somebody/something(used especially in newspapers)

• The government has been slammed for failing to take firm action against drinking and driving.

rail (at/against something/somebody) | + speech (formal) to complain about something/somebody in a very angry way

• She railed against the injustice of it all.

rage

[intransitive, transitive] to show that you are very angry about something or with somebody, especially by shouting

•  rage (at/against/about somebody/something) He raged against the injustice of it all.
•  + speech ‘That’s unfair!’ she raged.

scold

to speak angrily to somebody, especially a child, because they have done something wrong

•  scold somebody (for doing something) He scolded them for arriving late.
•  scold somebody for something Rose scolded the child gently for her bad behaviour.
•  + speech ‘Don’t be such a baby!’ he scolded.

criticize

attack

[transitive] to criticize somebody/something severely

•  attack somebody/something 
• His latest work has been bitterly attacked by the critics.
• attack somebody/something for something 
• He was publicly attacked for his political views.
•  attack somebody/something for doing something 
• The police have been attacked for failing to take immediate action.
• She has been attacked for ignoring her own party members.
•  attack somebody/something over something 
• The council has been attacked over its lack of investment in public services.

condemn

to criticize, to say very strongly that you think something is bad, usually for moral reasons

•  condemn somebody/something 
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings.
•  condemn somebody/something for/as something 
• The editor of the newspaper was condemned as lacking integrity.

denounce

to strongly criticize somebody/something that you think is wrong, illegal, etc.

•  denounce somebody/something 
• She publicly denounced the government’s handling of the crisis.
•  denounce somebody/something as something
•  The project was denounced as a scandalous waste of public money.

to tell the police, the authorities, etc. about somebody’s illegal political activities

•  denounce somebody as something 
• They were denounced as spies.
•  denounce somebody (to somebody) 
• Many people denounced their neighbours to the secret police.
• Someone in the village must have denounced them to the authorities.

decry

to strongly criticize somebody/something, especially publicly

decry somebody/something (as something) 

• The measures were decried as useless.

castigate somebody/something/yourself (for something) to criticize somebody/something/yourself severely

• He castigated himself for being so stupid.
• The minister castigated schools for falling standards in education.

censure [often passive] (formal)

to criticize somebody severely, and often publicly, because of something they have done

•  be censured (for doing something) He was censured for leaking information to the press.
•  be censured (for something) The manager was severely censured for negligence.

excoriate somebody/something (formal) to criticize somebody/something severely

chastise somebody (for something/for doing something) (formal) to criticize somebody for doing something wrong

• He chastised the team for their lack of commitment.

revile [often passive] (formal)

revile somebody (for something/for doing something) to criticize somebody/something in a way that shows how much you dislike them

rebuke [often passive] (formal)

rebuke somebody (for something/for doing something) to speak severely to somebody because they have done something wrong

• The company was publicly rebuked for having neglected safety procedures.
• She rebuked herself for her stupidity.

reprimand (re+press)

to tell somebody officially that you do not approve of them or their actions

•  reprimand somebody for something The officers were severely reprimanded for their unprofessional behaviour.
•  reprimand somebody for doing something The judge reprimanded him for using such language in court.
•  + speech ‘Don’t be so childish,’ she reprimanded.

blame

remonstrate

to protest or complain about something/somebody

remonstrate (with somebody) (about something) | + speech 

• They remonstrated with the official about the decision.
• Shortly afterwards, four more policemen arrived and remonstrated with the workmen. 
• I went to the boss to remonstrate against the new rules.
• The editor remonstrated with him about the inaccuracies in the story.
• He remonstrated with the waitress about the size of the bill. 

repudiate something 

to say officially and/or publicly that something is not true SYNONYM deny

• to repudiate a report

rescind

demonstrate 

maintain

Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cock crow, the twittering of birds at dawn, the sight of the rising sun on the trees and pastures.