Make Your Point > Archived Issues > EMBRYONIC

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explore the archives: Something embryonic is in its very first stages of development--as if it's not even a baby yet. If you find it creepy to compare new projects and ideas to living human embryos, you might prefer the word k____l, which lets you compare your brand-new venture to a tiny bit of plant matter instead. make your point with... "EMBRYONIC" Although you can also use this word in a medical or scientific sense, something figuratively embryonic is currently in a very early stage of development. (It reminds you of an embryo: an offspring that hasn't yet been born.) Pronunciation: em bree ON ick Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "an embryonic thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was embryonic.") Other forms: embryo(s), embryonically How to use it: Talk about something that's in an embryonic stage or state, embryonic development or progress or steps, embryonic thoughts and ideas and plans, embryonic projects and programs, embryonic industries and governments, and so on. It's usually things that you call embryonic, but you might call someone an embryonic type of person when you mean she has the potential to develop into that role: "we fear that he's an embryonic dictator;" "this child is definitely an embryonic lawyer," "every one of these players is an embryonic NFL superstar." examples: Plenty of my ideas for books have died in their embryonic stage, but this one is finally taking the shape of a draft. Back when wireless communication was an embryonic technology, my sisters and I were greatly impressed by our grandfather's bulky car phone. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "embryonic" means when you can explain it without saying "incipient" or "just barely getting started." try it out: Think of an aspect of humanity or history (recent or ancient) that fascinates you or makes you curious, and fill in the blanks: "How did people (accomplish something in particular) when their ability to (do something) was still embryonic?"  Example: "How did people call each other by names when their ability to use words was still embryonic?" before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Language Techniques: When language sounds beautiful or memorable, often there’s some particular technique responsible for that effect. Each day this month, I’ll give you a specific stylistic technique or quality, and I’d like you to recreate (as closely as you can) the quote that I’ve botched by removing it. We’ll work our way from the easiest to the hardest techniques. Enjoy! From yesterday: Hyperbole is the use of extravagant exaggeration, like when Carl Sandburg described a slow town by saying he "spent a couple of weeks there one day." Lyndon B. Johnson didn't say, "And should we have great success in wars and in our economy, and still be unequal to this [equal rights] issue, then we will have failed." What memorable hyperbolic statement did he make instead? Answer: "And should we defeat every enemy, and should we double our wealth and conquer the stars, and still be unequal to this issue, then we will have failed as a people and as a nation." Try this one today: Although some well-intentioned folks still insist that it's wrong to end a sentence with a preposition--those little words that show relationships, like about, of, and with--ideas often sound more natural and even resonant that way. Like when John Irving so simply stated that "Good habits are worth being fanatical about." Shakespeare didn't write, "We are such stuff as on which dreams are made." How does that beautiful line actually appear in The Tempest? review today's word: 1. The opposite of EMBRYONIC is A. ADVANCED B. POTENTIAL C. PASSIVE 2. The program was embryonic a decade ago; today, it's _____.  A. in full bloom B. skyrocketing C. fully mature Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. C