All 6 Uses of
direct
in
The Color of Water
- She was so worried about me, but when she asked where I'd been I didn't give her direct answers.
Chpt 17 (definition 1) *direct = straightforward (open and honest)
- I could see they were willing to help the band and indirectly me, because I was dying to go to Europe, so I was grateful to them.
Chpt 18 (definition 1)indirectly = incidentally (not the main objective)standard prefix: The prefix "in-" in indirectly means not and reverses the meaning of directly. This is the same pattern you see in words like invisible, incomplete, and insecure.
- The isolation my family had felt, the heartbreak they had suffered, seemed to ooze out of the trees, curling through the stately old brick buildings and rising like steam off the Civil War statue that seemed to point its cannon directly at me as I wandered through the town graveyard.
Chpt 22 (definition 2)directly = straight (exactly where stated; used for emphasis)
- I'm about to rush the stage, thinking she's having a heart attack, when she suddenly ditches the speech, the page fluttering to the floor, and speaks directly to the microphone.
Chpt 24 (definition 2) *directly = straight (without anything in between)
- So, from eldest to youngest: ANDREW DENNIS MCBRIDE, B.A., Lincoln University; M.D., University of Pennsylvania Medical School; M.A., Public Health, Yale University; Director of Health Department, City of Stamford, Connecticut.
Chpt 25 (definition 3) *director = supervisor (person in charge)standard suffix: The suffix "-or" often converts a verb to a noun that means "a person who." This is the pattern you see in words like actor, editor, and visitor.
- WILLIAM MCBRIDE, B.A., Lincoln University; M.D., Yale University School of Medicine; M.B.A., Emory University School of Business; Medical Director Southeast Region, Medical and Scientific Affairs, Merck and Co., Inc. DAVID MCBRIDE, B.A., Denison University; M.A., History, Columbia University; Ph.
Chpt 25 (definition 3)
Definitions:
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(1) (direct as in: was direct in my instructions) straightforward (uncomplicated or simple -- perhaps also indicating openness and honesty, or little concern for others' feelings)
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(2) (direct as in: directly above; or buy direct from) straight (exactly where stated); or without involvement of anything in betweenThe exact meaning of this sense of direct is subject to its context. For example:
- "The road runs directly to Las Vegas." -- straight (without varying from a straight line)
- "It was a direct hit." -- exact
- "The plant is in direct sunlight." -- unobstructed (without anything in between)
- "She wants a direct meeting with him." -- personal (without other people in between)
- "She paid direct attention to what he was reading." -- close
- "a direct gaze" -- straight, steady, or focused--not a brief glance taken while generally looking at other things; not a sideways look
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(3) (direct as in: directed the movie) supervise, control, or to be in charge of