Quote:
Originally Posted by Yankees Fan  Dear teachers
Would you please tell me what "air of authority" means in following sentense.
He was basically trying to bring an air of authority to his voice.
Thank you for your help in advance.
Brgds
YF |
Several weeks ago my student also asked me about the usage of "air" during the break. The sentences she brought to me are:Kate looked radiant when she came by to pick up the wedding brochures. She has the air of a woman who is loved and looked after. The word "radiant" in the first sentence gives us a hint about the meaning of "air" in the second. I explained that "has the air of " means "gives the impression of ." That day when I got home from work, I went to my Longman dictionary and proved that I was right about it. The dictionary says that "if something or someone has an air of confidence, mystery, etc, they seem confident, mysterious etc."
Back to your sentence, my understanding of it is that the person referred to was trying to speak in a voice that appeared to be authoritative. "He" did this to make others respect and obey "him".The 1995 Longman Dictionary also lists the idiom "the voice of authority" and explains that "it means a way of speaking that makes people respect you." Your sentence is a good example in this sense.
Hope my explanation helps.
air of authority 
Linear Mode
