making someone do something

TO PUSH = to encourage or force someone to do something or to work hard. [= to incite, to urge]

Examples:

Encourage your kids to read more, but try not to push them too hard.

My English teacher, Stewart, as a child, was pushed to do extra hours in Mathematics by his parents.

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TO URGE = to strongly suggest that someone does something [= to push]

urge somebody to do something

Examples:

The best way to learn programming is to program, so I urge you to jump in and try the challenges

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TO COMPEL = to force someone to do something especially using extreme persuasion. [= to force to act]

Examples:

The demons of the ice age are still haunting our 21st century bodies. In the absence of hardship, they are compelling us to behave in ways which are clearly unhealthy. [Douglas Crockford]

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TO FORCE = to make someone do something they do not want to do. [= to obligate to do something]

Examples:

Why is my evil lecturer forcing me to learn statistics?

Can my boss force me to work overtime?

The police arrested a woman on charges of murder of her husband for forcing her into flesh trade.

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TO DICTATE = to tell someone exactly what they must do or how they must behave [= to command, to give instructions].

Examples:

Science is what you do with that not what it is: Science itself doesn't dictate the choices that you make.

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TO OBLIGE (formal, usually in passive) = if you are obliged to do something, you have to do it because the situation, the law, a duty etc makes it necessary.

Examples:

Getting close to books, and spending time by myself, I was obliged to think about things I would never have thought about if I was busy romping around with a brother and sister. [Shelby Foote]

trail vs trial

This post is an entry where is discussed some elementary English. If you have a doubt about the meaning of a word or if you get confused by the sound of two similar words, why not to write a post?

TRAIL /treɪl/
noun
1. a rough path across countryside or through a forest.
2. a long line or a series of marks that have been left by someone or something
3. a stream of dust, smoke, light, people, vehicles, etc., behind something moving.

Examples:
• Condensation trails or vapour trails are long thin artificial clouds that sometimes form behind aircraft.
• The worst-ever floods in Pakistan’s history have left a trail of death and devastation

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TRIAL /ˈtraɪəl/
noun
1. a legal process in which a judge in a court decides whether someone is guilty of a crime
2. a process of testing to find out whether something works effectively and is safe
3. a short period during which you do something or employ someone to find out whether they are satisfactory for a particular purpose [= probation]

Examples:
• New drugs must undergo clinical trials to test safety and effectiveness before being approved for sale.
• Somebody says that the human learning process follows the trials and errors method.
• I have been working in Accenture on a trial period of two weeks.