Make Your Point > Archived Issues > FRANGIBLE

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connect today's word to others: Even though frangible things don't look delicate, they're easily broken. Frangible comes from the Latin frangere, meaning "to break," and so do words like fraction, frac___us (causing discord by being cranky and stubborn), and __frac____ (breaking away from expectations by being stubborn, rebellious, and hard to manage). Could you recall those last two? Let's notice how frangible is different from words like fragile and gos____r. Something frangible is breakable although it may appear quite solid. But something gos____r is breakable and looks that way: it's fragile in appearance, so thin, light, and delicate that it reminds you of the stuff spiderwebs are made of. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "FRANGIBLE" Something frangible is easily broken. In other words, frangible things are not just breakable but readily breakable. Pronunciation: FRAN jih bull 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 "a frangible thing." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was frangible.") Other forms: frangibleness/frangibility How to use it: To be literal, talk about frangible clay, frangible stone, frangible bullets, frangible vehicles, our frangible human bodies, etc. To be figurative, talk about frangible moments, frangible memories, a frangible crisis, someone's frangible emotions or frangible heart, and so on. examples: The stained glass windows loomed high above us, somehow both stern and angelic, both solid and frangible. Though it's grown so enormous, his ego remains frangible; at the slightest threat, he lashes out. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "frangible" means when you can explain it without saying "readily shattering" or "susceptible to breakage." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "With a frangible _____, (someone or something) (can't or couldn't) withstand _____." Example: "With a frangible hull, the Titanic couldn't withstand the force of its collision with the iceberg." 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. Subject Line Redux! You know how I fill the subject line of each Make Your Point email with a little comment about the word? Let's revisit some of those subject lines; they make a good study tool. That is, you'll improve your chances of recalling our words when you need them later if you do this now: look at the little comment from the subject line and use that to recall the word, its meaning, and how it connects to the little comment. (For more on active recall and how you can employ it to strengthen your vocabulary, please go here.) In each issue this month, I'll share a puzzle or other activity that prompts you to recall 5 previous words based on their subject lines. (To make your own activities like these, check out the fun and useful Vocabulary Worksheet Factory.) And I'll share the answers in the following issue. From our previous issue:  Answers: Try this today: review today's word: 1. The opposite of FRANGIBLE is A. FLEXIBLE. B. DISARMING. C. UNYIELDING. 2. Near the runways, lighting towers and other structures must be frangible, _____. A. breaking apart readily if an aircraft makes impact with it B. repaired quickly with interchangeable parts C. easily spotted even on dark, foggy nights  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