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Anonymous Posted 6 years ago
Grammar
Please help
My brother is a drug addict. He steals money, breaks things at home. He has been persecuting our family for a long time with his behavior making out lives miserable.
Is this the correct use of persecute?
Top answer
anonymous Is this the correct use of "persecute"? No. To persecute is more like to oppress.
- anonymous Is this the correct use of "persecute"?
- No.
- To persecute is more like to oppress.
- It is a deliberate act for its own sake, to punish, but your brother's activities are for his own purposes, and any damage to the family is incidental to that.
- The figurative use is too light for the context.
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1 Answers
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anonymousIs this the correct use of "persecute"?
No. To persecute is more like to oppress. It is a deliberate act for its own sake, to punish, but your brother's activities are for his own purposes, and any damage to the family is incidental to that. The figurative use is too light for the context. Perhaps "tormenting" or "ravaging" or "bedeviling".
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