Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ESPOUSE

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connect today's word to others: Adopt an idea. Advocate an idea. Champion an idea. Embrace an idea. Espouse an idea. Support an idea. The bold words above are all synonyms, but they vary in intensity. For example, it takes more commitment to champion something than it does to support it, right? If you had to put all the bold words in order from "least committed" to "most committed," how would you do it? Give it a try, then compare your list to mine below. I'll also list the basic idea behind each word: 1. To adopt an idea is to choose it as your own. 2. To support an idea is to agree with it or even help promote it. 3. To embrace an idea is to accept it warmly, like you're hugging it. 4. To advocate an idea is to speak up for it. 5. To espouse an idea is to commit to it, as if you're marrying it. 6. To champion an idea is to fight for it. Your list might be slightly different from mine--if so, no problem! Today we're checking out #5 on that list, espouse. See the word spouse inside it? Originally, to espouse a woman was to make her your spouse, to marry her. Then we started espousing ideas: committing to them, "marrying" them. As Homer Simpson says to Reverend Lovejoy: "If you love the Bible so much, why don't you marry it?" Well, you can certainly espouse it. make your point with... "ESPOUSE" To espouse an idea is to fully believe it, follow it, and support it, as if you're marrying yourself to that idea. Pronunciation: ess POUSE (rhymes with "less HOUSE") 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 espouse something.) Other forms: espoused, espousing, espousal, espouser(s) How to use it: "Espouse" is a formal, serious word. Talk about people espousing ideas. More specifically, say that people are espousing certain views, opinions, ideals, values, philosophies, goals, policies, methods, practices, solutions, interpretations, etc. Though it's usually people who espouse ideas, it can also be groups, companies, communities, nations, cultures and so on that espouse ideas. examples: Gene Roddenberry espoused secular humanism, a philosophy that's palpable throughout Star Trek: the characters have progressed away from greed and cowardice and toward an improved quality of life for all people. All humanoids, that is. "As the [20th] century progressed, [Booker T. Washington’s] gospel of black entrepreneurship and industrial training was challenged by yet another outstanding black thinker, W.E.B. DuBois, who espoused the concept of the 'Talented Tenth,' an intellectual elite of social scientists and humanists who would create a black technocracy." —Robert L. Woodson Sr., The Hill, 10 June 2018 study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "espouse" means when you can explain it without saying "embrace" or "adopt." try it out: Fill in the blank: "I take issue with the frequently espoused view that _____." Example: "I take issue with the frequently espoused view that kids today are lazier than ever." 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. Uncommon Opposites! In each issue this month, I'll give you a rare word and its definition, and you come up with its more familiar opposite. For example, if I say, "To exfiltrate is to secretly withdraw people from a dangerous situation," then you come up with the opposite: "infiltrate." Or if I say, "An allograph is something written by someone other than the person concerned," then you come up with "autograph." We'll take these in order from easy to hard as the month goes on. Ready? From our previous issue: Parvanimity is meanness, small-mindedness. What’s the opposite? Answer: Magnanimity. Try this today: Something arrière-garde is traditional or conservative. What’s the opposite? review today's word: 1. The opposite of "ESPOUSE AN IDEA" is A. "ENTERTAIN AN IDEA." B. "DIVORCE ONESELF OF AN IDEA." C. "SEE AN IDEA THROUGH TO FRUITION." 2. In a decidedly creepy series of training sessions, all new employees--sorry, "cast members"--must demonstrate that they have espoused _____. A. the corporation's core values B. the ability to smile for an eight-hour shift C. the competition's most appealing qualities 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. B 2. A