We're interested in closeness: 'compute' and 'computer' are sisters, or variations of the same word 'vision' and 'video' are cousins, sharing the same Latin root but 'compute' and 'video' are strangers.

'Related,' of course, is a relative concept (ha ha). Our game this month is called 'Cousins or Strangers?'Ĭonsider two pairs of similar-looking words, and figure out which pair are truly related, like cousins, and which pair are unrelated, like strangers. Don’t go straight to the review now-let your working memory empty out first. Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. You’ll know you understand what 'en masse' means when you can explain it without saying 'as a large group' or 'all at the same time.' try it out:įill in the blanks: 'People flock to ( or, don't exactly flock to) (some place, service, or event) en masse.'Įxample 1: 'People flock to the new Metro Diner en masse for Sunday brunch.'Įxample 2: 'People don't exactly flock to Batteries & Bulbs en masse.' before you review: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. Left on the floor, Legos can transform en masse from playthings into deadly foot-seeking weapons. examples:Īs increasingly poor service drove customers away en masse, the CEO of the cable company vowed to make serious changes to the way they did business. We communicate information en masse, watch television or subscribe to services en masse, rely on our Internet service en masse, release products and services to the public en masse, and kill insects or other creatures en masse.Īnd people can be born en masse (and die en masse), be hired or fired en masse, be appointed or arrested en masse, be accepted or rejected en masse, be admitted or deported en masse, etc.Īlthough it's usually people who act en masse, you can also talk about animals migrating en masse, objects malfunctioning en masse, problems appearing en masse, etc. We can vote or fight en masse gather or unite en masse move or settle en masse march, approach, swarm, retreat, or descend en masse collapse en masse and complain or celebrate en masse. 'something happens en masse,' 'people do something en masse.')

You usually put them close to the action they describe: (Adverbs usually describe actions: that is, they tell when, where, how, or to what extent So, something done en masse is done all at once, or done all as one big group of people. 'En masse' is French for 'in mass.' (Here, 'mass' means 'a crowd' or 'a large amount.') En masse means 'as a mass.' That is, things done en masse are done by the masses, or by large groups of people.Īnd the h_ p_ are the masses.

En masse pronunciation