premise

Vocabulary Word

Definition

'Premise' is the fundamental idea or theory that forms the base of an argument, story, or calculation. It's like the root from which a tree grows.

Examples in Different Contexts

In policy advocacy, 'premises' drive reform arguments. An activist might argue, 'Our premise is that clean water is a fundamental human right, urging governments to act.'

Practice Scenarios

Creative

Scenario:

We're looking for a powerful story that completely throws off the audience's expectations.

Response:

How about this premise for a fresh storyline: A character who can hear everyone's thoughts, but can't control whose thoughts they hear?

Business

Scenario:

If we are to invest in this emerging market, we need to be certain our assumptions are sound.

Response:

If the premise of our investment strategy is that the market will grow 5% in the next quarter, then we should conduct thorough research to ensure it's a realistic assumption.