Can
you please tell me what the difference is between these four nouns:
assembly, gathering, meeting and rally? How do we distinguish
between them when we use them?
Roger
Woodham replies:
Meeting
(and meet) are the most generally and widely used from
your list of four, Jianxin. Assembly (and assemble), gathering
(and gather) and rally are more restricted in
use.
meet
(verb)
When
two or more people meet, they come together or are brought
together for some reason or they just happen to be in the same place
and start talking:
Where
shall we meet this evening? ~ Let's meet under the
clock at Waterloo Station.
Have
you met my dad? ~ No, I haven't. ~ Well, come and meet
him. Dad, this is Martin. ~ Pleased to meet you, Martin.
Representatives
from the two countries will meet again in June to resume
their talks.
meeting
(noun)
A meeting
is any event where a smaller or larger group of people come together
to discuss something or to make a decision:
Can
I speak to Jane please? ~ No, I'm sorry she's in a meeting.
~ When will the meeting be over?
Can
we hold a meeting with everybody to discuss this, please?
You can't make a decision without having a meeting first.
Can you come to supper on Thursday? ~ I don't think so. I've got
a meeting in the afternoon which is sure to go on till
six or seven in the evening.
gather
(verb)
When
people or things gather somewhere, they come together for
a particular purpose. They do not meet by chance:
The
storm clouds are gathering. It's going to rain soon.
Can
you see the birds gathering on that tree over there?
We
gathered around the camp fire and started singing folk
songs.
When
you gather things or pieces of information, you collect them
with a particular purpose in mind:
We
went out to gather mushrooms in the woods.
I
need to gather as much information as I can so that I can
write this report.
I
gather means I understand in the sense that somebody
has told me or I have read about this. As far as I
can gather… is an expression meaning As far as I can
find out…:
I
gather there will be no alcoholic beverages at the his
party.
As
far as I could gather, he was trying to raise money by
selling cars which had been stolen.
gathering
(noun)
A gathering
is a group of people who are meeting together for a particular purpose:
There
was an exclusive gathering of show-business people and
footballers at Posh and Becks' Gucci and sushi garden party last
Saturday.
It
was a friendly gathering. Everybody was in good humour
and there was a lot of laughter.
assemble
(verb)
Assemble
is very close to gather in meaning in the sense of coming together
for a particular purpose. It perhaps suggests a greater sense of
organisation:
They
assembled / gathered in the school canteen after
the exam to discuss how well they had done.
When
we assemble things, we fit the different parts together to
make a whole:
He
couldn't assemble the jigsaw without seeking the help of
his older sister.
If
the police can assemble / gather enough evidence,
they will arrest him for burglary.
assembly
(noun)
Assemblies
are usually larger gatherings of people who meet regularly for a
particular purpose:
The
National Assembly voted to hold the first entirely free
elections for over 20 years.
The assembly of musicians was impressive. Over 300 were
gathered together in the Festival Hall.
In
a school, the assembly is a gathering of all teachers and
pupils at a specified time in the school hall for matters that affect
the whole school:
The
Junior School Assembly lasted for 45 minutes as there was
a presentation on road safety.
You
will also find assembly lines in factories where employees
work on particular part of a product (e.g. a car) at a particular
stage of its manufacture.
rally
(verb)
When
people rally, they unite to support something:
He
rallied his supporters in the hope that his party would
win the election.
When
someone or something rallies, it begins to recover from a
weak position:
The
stock markets rallied and shares returned to their early
morning values.
After
four days in bed, he rallied sufficiently to be able to
sit out in an armchair.
If
you rally at tennis, badminton or squash, you manage to keep
the shots going with your partner for as long as possible without
losing. Rally can also be used in this sense as a noun:
It
was one of the longest and most exciting rallies of the
entire tournament.
rally
(noun)
A rally
is primarily a large public meeting that is held to show support
for a cause or a political party. Rallies, like meetings,
are held:
Over
ten thousand people held a rally in the square to demonstrate
their support for international human rights.
If
you would like more practice more please visit our in the You, Meand Us part of our
website.
