Make Your Point > Archived Issues > INGRESS

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connect today's word to others: The Latin roots inside ingress mean "going in" or "stepping in." So, it's easy to see how it's related to our word retrogress--could you define that one? And, could you list some more related words with "gress," "grad," or "gred" in them? (If you're not sure, follow the link to retrogress.) make your point with... "INGRESS" Ingress is the act of things or people entering something, or the point where things enter, either literally or figuratively. The exact opposite is egress: the act of one thing exiting another thing, or the point where things exit, either literally or figuratively. Pronunciation: IN gress Part of speech: Noun, sometimes the uncountable kind ("make ingress," "allow ingress," "prevent ingress") and other times, the countable kind ("the ingress," "this ingress," "these ingresses"). Other forms worth knowing: ingressive, ingressively How to use it: This is a formal word with an official, authoritative tone. Talk about allowing ingress and preventing ingress (or egress), often the ingress (or egress) of certain things or people. That is, you might make sure that certain places or things allow the ingress of air, steam, soldiers, armies, renters, drivers and passengers, pedestrians and vehicles, etc.--or prevent the ingress of mud, moisture, germs, thieves, etc. You can also talk about ingress into a place or thing (or egress from a place or thing). And, talk about having or being granted ingress (or egress), making or forcing ingress (or egress), blocking or hampering ingress (or egress), etc. And to get figurative, we can talk about the ingress (or egress) of a time period, a season, a hope, an idea, etc. examples: In this skit, Christopher Walken plays a crazy old man who, being interviewed for the Census, claims that a novelty birthday card allows him ingress into Florida. "But even in the two-door coupes, the seats are ample and allow for easy ingress and egress."    — Charles Fleming, The Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2015 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "ingress" without saying "entrance" or "access." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone's) mind is tightly closed, blocking the ingress of any _____." Example: "His mind is tightly closed, blocking the ingress of any conservative opinion." 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 "really bad ideas:" A. Fouling his own... B. Drop the... (not the ball, but the...) C. Kill the goose... D. Burn the candle... E. Riotous... Answers: A. Fouling his own nest B. Drop the pilot C. Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs D. Burn the candle at both ends E. Riotous living Try these today. The theme is "why they're popular:" A. He's honest as... B. He has the patience... C. She's the salt... D. She's a utility... review today's word: 1. The exact opposite of INGRESS is EGRESS. But a close opposite of INGRESS is A. EXIT. B. SOLUTION. C. TRANSGRESSION. 2. It's called ____: the _____ of ingress into an identity or community. A. name-dropping .. opposite B. wool-gathering .. wasting C. gatekeeping .. denial 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. A 2. C