Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ESCHEW

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connect today's word to others: Old French has given us plenty of words for bold, brazen ideas, like today's eschew, as well as these: 1. br____sh: to display something or show it off, as if you're waving it in the air; 2. re____: to scold people harshly or point out how bad they are; and 3. en____: to inspire with love, to fascinate, or to charm. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "ESCHEW" To eschew something is to avoid it, to stay away from it, or to NOT pick it, usually because you have strong feelings or serious reasons that make you NOT want that thing. Pronunciation: Several ways are correct. I prefer "ess CHOO." Part of speech: Transitive verb. (Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object. You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone. Likewise, you eschew something.) Other forms: eschewed, eschewing, eschewer(s), eschewal/eschewance How to use it: Compared to synonyms like "shun," "avoid," and "refrain from," our word "eschew" is rare, formal, and serious. Although we can eschew physical things--"she eschews pork products," "shoppers eschewed the muggy outdoor malls this summer"--the things we eschew are often abstract: we eschew titles, labels, identities, desires, cravings, methods, approaches, judgments, hatred, violence, etc. Often we talk about people eschewing established things, like habits, traditions, and expected actions: "she learned to eschew the strategies that flopped last year," "the famous author eschews public appearances," "the company eschews traditional advertising." And, we often talk about eschewing the options and methods that others are choosing. Here's Maureen Ryan: "'Rise'...will instantly draw comparisons to 'Glee,' though it eschews that program’s slick sheen and barbed sarcasm" (Washington Post). You can say that someone (or something) eschews one thing in favor of another: "the poems eschew rhyme and meter in favor of freely flowing lines." And you can say that someone (or something) eschews one thing and instead selects another: "she eschews a rambling introduction, instead leaping straight into her points." examples: He lost the weight by doing what I never could: eschewing fat and carbohydrates. They eschew shopping at Wal-Mart in favor of stores that treat their employees with greater respect. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "eschew" means when you can explain it without saying "reject as an option" or "actively stay away from." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Some person, group, or thing) (accomplished something or succeeded in some way) by eschewing _____." Example: "He wrote a warm, funny, engaging essay for his college application by eschewing the old rules: stay in third person, don't use contractions, end by repeating the thesis statement." 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. "Bits & Pieces." This month, we're playing with affixes and combining forms, the bits and pieces of our language, matching them to their meanings. The more of these bits and pieces you know, the better you are at decoding unfamiliar words, which is sooo satisfying! I'll share the answers in each subsequent issue. Here are the answers from our previous issue: 1. "-lecithal" means "egg yolk." 2. "-lysis" means "decomposition." 3. "-monas" means "simple organisms." 4. "myceto-" means "fungus." 5. "taxo-" means "arrangement." Try this set today. It's about living things: 1. "bio-" means _____. 2. "blasto-" means _____. 3. "-colous" means _____. 4. "-parous" means _____. 5. "tropho-" means _____.    Answer bank:       A. living in a certain place       B. bearing or producing       C. bud, sprout, or germ       D. nutrition       E. life review today's word: 1. The opposite of ESCHEW is A. EXCITE. B. EVOLVE. C. EMBRACE. 2. He grew wealthy by eschewing _____. A. forty percent of his income straight into his savings account B. luxuries and instant gratification C. his parents' frugal habits 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. B