1.   Kemp is straining to maintain a straight face.

2.   Although members strained to maintain a polite tone, there was no disguising the partisan fury that has infused both sides.

3.   Baltimore is one of those places that have always strained to maintain big-league stature among American cities.

4.   The sail no longer reached for the sky but pointed at an angle toward the beach as I strained to maintain control against the taut fabric.