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Usually, flit means "to move lightly and quickly," but it also means "a quick, hasty departure"--in other words, a dec___ment, or a fast, sneaky exit.
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"FLIT"
To flit is to move in a quick, light way.
Pronunciation:
FLIT
Part of speech:
Intransitive verb.
(Like "sleep," "skydive," and "succeed," all intransitive verbs show complete action on their own and do not do action to an object. You sleep, you skydive, you succeed, and that’s it. You don’t "sleep a bed," "skydive a plane," or "succeed a plan."
Likewise, someone or something flits.)
Other forms:
flitted, flitting
How to use it:
Because it's so short, and because it's so similar to "fly," "flee," and "flutter," our word "flit" is perfect for expressing light, fast, graceful movement.
Talk about people and things that simply flit, or that flit from one place to another, or that flit in and out, or that flit between or among things, or that flit around, flit about, flit away, flit along, and so on.
Concrete things can flit, like insects and children, and so can abstract things, like thoughts, feelings, facial expressions, rumors, and prices.
examples:
Working at the learning center, I found that happy weeks would flit by just as quickly as we teachers would flit from task to task, student to student, project to project.
I never sweep those leaves off the back patio, but the intention flits across my mind at least once a day.
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "flit" means when you can explain it without saying "dart" or "zip."
try it out:
Think of a very active person or pet you know. Fill in the blanks: "(Person or pet) flits (joyfully, gracefully, or easily) from (doing one certain thing) to (doing another)."
Example: "Taylor flits joyfully from paging through her books to lining them up and calling them a choo-choo train."
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.
This month, we're playing with the original and literal meanings of familiar words. I'll give you three words and their original or literal definitions, and you'll match them up. Easy! But then the following day, see if you can recall those old meanings. Hard! :) Our game has two purposes. One, we'll visit the interesting, thought-provoking old meanings of words. And two, we'll remind ourselves of a powerful learning strategy: delayed recalling. Let's play!
First, try to recall from yesterday the literal meaning of "decrease" and the original meanings of "excite" and "style." Answers appear at the bottom of this issue.
Next, match these words to their original or literal definitions in the answer bank below:
1. "Loan" originally meant _____
2. "Recession" literally means _____
3. "Handsome" originally meant _____
Answer bank:
A. "easy to handle."
B. "a gift from a superior."
C. "a going back."
review today's word:
1. One opposite of FLIT is
A. LINGER
B. CLASH
C. CLIMB
2. _____ went flitting _____ this year.
A. Ridiculous fake news stories .. across the Internet
B. The largest glaciers .. in major instances of ice loss
C. Self-driving cars .. due to problems with cutting off bicyclists
Answers are below.
a final word:
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, 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 game questions:
1. "Excite" originally meant "to set in motion."
2. "Decrease" literally means "to grow away from."
3. "Style" originally meant "a sharp tool for carving letters."
Answers to review questions:
1. A
2. A
Usually, flit means "to move lightly and quickly," but it also means "a quick, hasty departure"--in other words, a dec___ment, or a fast, sneaky exit.
"FLIT" To flit is to move in a quick, light way. Part of speech:
Working at the learning center, I found that happy weeks would flit by just as quickly as we teachers would flit from task to task, student to student, project to project.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "flit" means when you can explain it without saying "dart" or "zip."
Think of a very active person or pet you know. Fill in the blanks: "(Person or pet) flits (joyfully, gracefully, or easily) from (doing one certain thing) to (doing another)."
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.
1. One opposite of FLIT is
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com
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