Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ETHOS

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connect today's word to others: In English class, when kids learn to argue on paper with the big three tools--logic (logos), emotion (pathos), and character (ethos)--that last one, ethos, is the tool they have the hardest time understanding (and later, recalling). It's a fuzzy concept. Hard to pin down, hard to point at some sentence and say, "See this? This right here is ethos." Because in one sense, ethos is sincerity, knowledge, personality, reputation, and overall trustworthiness. You have it or you don't. Or maybe you have it to a certain degree. And in another sense, ethos is a set of any personality characteristics: characteristics that belong to a single person, or to an entire culture or an entire period of time, like a zei____st or a gen___ lo__. And in another sense, ethos is a set of values or beliefs: a philosophy, a moral code, a way of living your life. At that point, distinguishing ethos from ethics is a slippery business. So here's one thing about the word ethos that's very clear and easy to agree on: it's from Greek. It sounds wonderfully, classically Greek, right? So do our words bathos, hubris, hamartia, and ouroboros. Can you define each? (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "ETHOS" Ethos is    a trustworthy reputation;    or the specific character of a person, place, or time;    or a set of values, beliefs, or morals. Pronunciation: Most dictionaries recommend "EE thoss" (rhymes with "we toss"). I've always heard it "EE those" (rhymes with "we dose"), and I'll probably stick to that. Take your pick. Part of speech: Noun, both the countable kind ("an ethos") and the uncountable kind ("such ethos," "a great deal of ethos"). Other forms: none How to use it: Talk about someone's (or something's) ethos: "his ethos," "her ethos," "the college's ethos," "the company's ethos," "the southern hospitality ethos," "that Vegas ethos." Or, the ethos of a particular person, group, place, or time: "the ethos of a hard-working family man," "the ethos of Dartmouth College," "the ethos of the American southwest," "the ethos of Elizabethan England." (You can also talk about an ethos of some value or characteristic, as in "an ethos of optimism.") And you can refer to someone as a person of ethos, or talk about the ethos that drives or inspires someone, or maybe the ethos that gets someone in trouble or destroys someone. examples: After its shady business practices came to light, Wells Fargo struggled to rebuild its ethos and sell it to the public. "The main scooter companies...soft open their product by dropping the scooters in cities, then negotiating with frazzled city councils later. It’s the ethos borrowed from one of the tech world’s earliest disrupters, computer programmer and Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, who famously said 'It’s easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.'"    —Petula Dvorak, The Washington Post, 27 August 2018 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "ethos" without saying "trustworthy character" or "moral code." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "In keeping with (his, her, or its) (particular type of) ethos, (someone or some group) (does or believes something)." Example: "In keeping with his libertarian ethos, Ron believes the entire parks department should be axed." 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. Complete the Clichés! In each issue this month, I'll present a general theme and a handful of common expressions that apply to it--but only the first few words of each expression. See if you can complete them!  To keep things interesting, I've picked a mixture of phrases both new and familiar to me. I hope some will pique your curiosity and inspire you to Google them for their meanings and backstories. (Please try that first, and if your search turns up empty, email me for help.) If you're playing this game with the kids in your family or your class, you might enjoy talking together about what the phrases mean. Enjoy! In the previous issue, the theme was "I messed up somehow:" A. To fall between two... B. The best-laid... C. Between the cup and... Answers: A. To fall between two stools B. The best-laid schemes of mice and men C. Between the cup and the lip Try these today. The theme is "Ahhh, that's better:" A. Balm in... B. Beat swords into... C. Far from the madding... D. Pour oil on... review today's word: 1. A close opposite of ETHOS is A. INTELLIGENCE. B. NOTORIETY. C. PRESTIGE. 2. It took us years to shed that _____ ethos. A. fossil fuels B. high-fat fast food C. work-yourself-to-death 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. C