He asked to be known as Muggsy in what turned out to be an ineffectual effort to appear more of a casual figure to voters.

He watched her ineffectual efforts to peel the fruit.

We dined with him in a sulky silence, after a few ineffectual efforts on my part to talk.

Congressional auditors disclosed recently that the agency spent nearly that much in often ineffectual efforts to upgrade the system.

White Fang made several ineffectual efforts to get up.

This imposed illusion of control is a de- ceptive and ineffectual effort to take charge of my life.

For this service Parker immediately volunteered; but, after making three ineffectual efforts, found that he could never even succeed in getting near the door.

Peters and Augustus now made several ineffectual efforts to swallow portions of the leather.

First, however, he made an utterly ineffectual effort to extract the great knives.

She was making an ineffectual effort to keep herself from trembling.