call for

Friendly

The phrase "call for" is a versatile expression in English that can have several meanings depending on the context. Here’s an easy explanation for new learners:

Basic Meaning

1. To Request or Require Something: When you "call for" something, it means you are asking for it, or it is needed in a situation.

Usage Instructions

• You can use "call for" when you want to indicate that something is necessary or when you are asking for someone's presence or participation.
• It often appears in sentences where something is being requested or expected.

Examples

1. Requesting Participation:
   • "The teacher called for the students to submit their homework by Friday."
2. Indicating Necessity:
   • "This recipe calls for two cups of flour."

Advanced Usage

• "Call for" can also imply a strong need or demand for something, often in a more formal context.
  • Example: "This situation calls for immediate action."

Word Variants

• Call (verb): The base form used in various contexts.
• Calling (noun): Refers to the act of asking or requesting something.

Different Meanings

• In a More Figurative Sense: "Call for" can mean to express a strong opinion about what should happen.
  • Example: "The community called for better safety measures in the neighborhood."

Synonyms

• Request: Ask for something.
• Require: Necessitate or demand.
• Demand: A strong need for something.

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

• "Call for help": To ask someone for assistance.
• "Call for a celebration": To indicate that a celebration is needed due to a special event or achievement.

Summary

"Call for" is a useful phrase in English that can mean to ask for something, to express a need or necessity, or to request participation.

Academic

Verb

1. gather or collect
   • You can get the results on Monday
   • She picked up the children at the day care center
   • They pick up our trash twice a week
2. request the participation or presence of
   • The organizers invite submissions of papers for the conference
3. require as useful, just, or proper
   • It takes nerve to do what she did
   • success usually requires hard work
   • This job asks a lot of patience and skill
   • This position demands a lot of personal sacrifice
   • This dinner calls for a spectacular dessert
   • This intervention does not postulate a patient's consent
4. express the need or desire for; ask for
   • She requested an extra bed in her room
   • She called for room service

Synonyms

• collect
• pick up
• gather up
• invite
• necessitate
• ask
• postulate
• need
• require
• take
• involve
• demand
• request
• bespeak
• quest