Question

The author states,While this country cannot dictate to the government of Singapore, no one should fail to exhort it to behave mercifully.Both dictate and exhort have to do with telling another person or group what to do. What shades of meaning distinguish the two words as used in this sentence?

Answer 1

The words dictate and exhort have similar meanings of telling someone what to do, but there are shades of meaning that distinguish them. Dictate suggests a forceful and authoritative manner, while exhort implies a persuasive and encouraging approach.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this sentence, dictate and exhort have similar meanings of telling another person or group what to do. However, there are shades of meaning that distinguish the two words.

The word dictate implies a more forceful and authoritative manner of giving instructions or commands. It suggests that the person or group being dictated to must comply with the instructions.

On the other hand, the word exhort implies a more persuasive and encouraging manner of offering advice or urging someone to take a particular action. It suggests that the person or group being exhorted has the freedom to make their own decision, but they are strongly encouraged to behave mercifully.