Detain meaning in English
Learn how to use Detain correctly with Gymglish.
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Definition
to detain (somebody): to arrest, to hold, to confine (somebody); to delay, to keep, to stop (somebody)
I won't detain you any longer, I know that you have to catch a bus.
to be detained for questioning: to be arrested, held in order to be questioned or interrogated
Examples
- "The retail magnate was detained and jailed early yesterday morning after park ranger Ernest Marshall discovered a shotgun shell lodged in the hindquarters of a bear cub near Warbuckle's ranch."
- "Security detained Horatio in the airport jail until I found the snake's passport."
Exercise 1
At the moment, Hannah is:
At the moment, Hannah is:
This is incorrect. Bruno starts his second paragraph with "once she does arrive (at Delavigne)". When "once" is followed by the present tense it always refers to a future event. Therefore, we know that Hannah is not yet working at Delavigne. Note, in this sentence, "does" is used to emphasise the long delay to her arrival, though her could have simply said "Once she arrives (at Delavigne)".
If Hannah is currently in custody, it is impossible for her to be at home, or in her own house.
In the first paragraph we learn that a "legal team is negotiating for Hannah to be released from custody". To be "in custody" means to be "detained" or "confined" by the authorities. In this case Hannah is being detained by customs officials who suspect her of being a terrorist.
Bruno explains that Hannah is "having some difficulty with US customs". She is therefore in the United States and not in Britain.
Exercise 2
Choose the TRUE statements from the list below according to this dialogue.
Choose the TRUE statements from the list below according to this dialogue.
This statement is true. Bruno says that Horatio was "detained" (or "held") in an airport "jail" (or prison) until Bruno returned with the snakes passport.
This statement is false. Bruno says that Horatio "ran into" an old friend, meaning that he MET, or SAW an old friend, not that he "fought" with one!
This statement is true. Bruno tells Brian that once he found the snake's passport, security released or liberated Horatio.
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