Make Your Point > Archived Issues > EPIGRAMMATIC

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connect today's word to others: Let's connect epigram to lots of more familiar "-gram" words: We send a telegram, a candygram, an airgram. We draw a diagram or a histogram; we doodle a pentagram or a parallelogram; we design programs and fiddle with anagrams. And, if we're blessed with wit and wisdom, we write epigrams: clever little sayings, like "The truth is rarely pure and never simple" (Oscar Wilde). All these "grams," of course, have something to do with writing or drawing, so you won't be surprised to notice that "epigram" literally means "(something) written upon (something else)." (Epigrams, originally, were inscriptions on tombs and monuments.) We can trace all these "gram" words back to the Greek graphein, "to write." The same goes for our word "un______graphed," meaning literally "with the dance steps not written," or more generally, "spontaneous: not planned out beforehand." Can you recall it? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "EPIGRAMMATIC" An epigram is a short, witty saying. Epigrams are often (but not always) sharp, critical, and/or antithetical (meaning they follow a pattern like "This is this, and that is that"--basically dividing an idea into two neat halves). Oscar Wilde is famous for writing epigrams: he was an epigrammatist. Here's one of his: "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." These epigrams pop up all throughout Wilde's plays and his novel--it's not like he just stood on a corner shouting them through a megaphone. :) So, someone or something epigrammatic is full of brief, wise, clever sayings OR is simply like an epigram: brief, wise, and clever. Pronunciation: EP ih gruh MAT 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 epigrammatic thing" or "an epigrammatic person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was epigrammatic" or "He's epigrammatic.") Other forms: Epigram(s), epigrammatically, & epigrammatist(s). You can epigrammatize, and be an epigrammatizer known for epigrammatizing, but that all sounds hideous, doesn't it? How to use it: Talk about epigrammatic people, epigrammatic personalities and styles, epigrammatic comments and responses, epigrammatic dialogue, epigrammatic poems and essays and plays and novels, etc. Or, talk about people or things that display an epigrammatic terseness, clarity, insight, or wit.  examples: Her poems are lively and epigrammatic, full of crisp imagery and startling observations. I would love to attend a graduation where the keynote speaker would get up there, say something epigrammatic, look pointedly around at the crowd, and depart. Because the whole speech would be over in ten seconds, maybe the graduates would actually remember what was said. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "epigrammatic" means when you can explain it without saying "pithy" or "witty." try it out: Fill in the blank: "_____ is complex; it can't be boiled down into an epigram (though many have tried)." Example: "Religion is complex; it can't be boiled down into an epigram (though many have tried)." 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. Our game this month is "A Vocabulary of Movie Quotes." Jean Picker Firstenberg at the American Film Institute (AFI) says, "Great movie quotes become part of our cultural vocabulary." I believe it! I bet you can recall, verbatim, any of the AFI's "100 Greatest Movie Quotes of All Time" if all I give you is a single word from the quote. For example, if I give you the word KANSAS, I bet you can recite this: "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore," from The Wizard of Oz (1939). I'll share each answer in the following issue. And we’ll work our way forward in time, starting with the oldest movies. Let’s play! From the previous issue: From a 1987 film, what's the famous quote that includes the word CORNER? Answer: From Dirty Dancing: "Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Try this today: From a 1992 film, what's the famous quote that includes the word TRUTH? review today's word: 1. A close opposite of EPIGRAMMATIC is A. HYPERBOLIC B. MATCHLESS C. GARRULOUS 2. I've held onto every email from my friend Theresa--she wrote with _____ that makes Charles Dickens look epigrammatic. A. an exuberant outpouring of detail B. a warmhearted humor C. a conviction Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. A