edwards

IPA/ˈɛdwədz/
KK[ˈɛdwɚdz]IPA/ˈɛdwərdz/

edwards — noun

1. An American religious leader and thinker from the 1700s who helped lead the Grea

1.nounB2
Definition

An American religious leader and thinker from the 1700s who helped lead the Great Awakening — a time of large religious meetings across the colonies. His well-known sermons focused on having a personal connection to God and on God's complete power over people's lives.

Example

Each Tuesday, Sana's history class reads a Jonathan Edwards sermon and discusses its main ideas.

Name + classroom reading and discussion context

Jonathan Edwards preached to large crowds during the Great Awakening in New England.

Name + Great Awakening revival context

Common collocations
  • the sermons of Edwards
  • Edwards' theology
  • the writings of Edwards
  • Edwards' preaching

Usage Note

In academic writing, you may refer to Jonathan Edwards simply as 'Edwards' after the first full mention. Do not confuse him with the British scientist Robert Edwards.

Common Mistakes

Jonathan Edwards was a British scientist.
Jonathan Edwards was an American theologian.
The two famous people named Edwards worked in very different fields and centuries.

2. A British scientist who helped create the method called in vitro fertilisation (

2.nounB2
Definition

A British scientist who helped create the method called in vitro fertilisation (IVF), making possible the birth of the first test-tube baby in 1978. He won the Nobel Prize in 2010 for his life-changing work in helping people who struggle to have babies.

Example

The Nobel committee praised Robert Edwards in 2010 for changing the lives of over four million families.

Name + Nobel Prize and global impact

The first test-tube baby — an egg fertilised outside the body — was born in 1978 thanks to Robert Edwards.

Name + test-tube baby breakthrough explanation

Common collocations
  • the research of Edwards
  • the work of Edwards
  • Edwards' IVF technique
  • the Edwards method

Usage Note

Sir Robert Edwards is often called 'Robert Edwards' or 'Sir Robert Edwards' in scientific writing. He is routinely introduced as the pioneer of IVF.

Common Mistakes

Robert Edwards was a theologian from the 1700s.
Robert Edwards was a 20th-century British scientist.
The name Edwards refers to two different people; check the dates and field to tell them apart.