Make Your Point > Archived Issues > MIRE

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connect today's word to others: If you're in a sticky situation, you're in a mire, or in a qu__mire. Maybe you'll yank yourself out of it by your b__tstr__s--that is, by your own hard work. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "MIRE" A literal mire is a bog or a swamp. (And, mire can also be ooze, mud, or dirt.) We'll focus on the figurative meanings. A mire is any bad situation that's hard to get out of.  And, to be mired, or to be mired in something, or to be mired down, is to be stuck in a bad situation. Pronunciation: MY er Part of speech: Both a noun ("this mire," "such a mire," "those mires") and a verb ("they're mired," "he's mired in a family drama," "we're mired down"). Other forms: mires, mired, miring, miry How to use it: To use the noun, talk about "the mire of something:" the mire of doubt, the mire of bureaucracy, the mire of economic stagnation. (If your meaning is clear, you can drop the "of:" "She's still wallowing in that mire.") And to use the verb, talk about a person, a group, or a thing that's mired, often mired in something else: mired in chaos or turmoil, mired in conflict or war, mired in drama or controversy, mired in the long and complex process of obtaining the government's approval. Finally, to use the adjective, "miry," talk about miry roads, streets, and ways; miry swamps and depths; miry ditches and grounds, etc. examples: Although keeping a journal is healthy, too much writing about the past can mire you in it. "Like Martinez, then, his coaches will get a second chance after a disappointing 2018 season spent mired in mediocrity and hindered by injuries."    — Chelsea James, Washington Post, 23 October 2018 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "mire" without saying "sticky situation" or "swamp." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "It's a miry path from _____ to _____." Example: "It's a miry path from a breakup to a friendship." 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 Limerick! In each issue this month, finish off the last line of the poem with a word or phrase we've checked out before. From the previous issue: My Internet’s down every now and then. And there it goes, starting to lag again. So, Comcast, your service Is totally worstest. And your prices are still Brobdingnagian. Try this one today: Though the staterooms are quite microscopic, The buffets are highly hedonic. A cruise is a picnic-- Assuming you're not sick From ship-rocking that's __________. review today's word: 1. A close opposite of MIRED is A. BORN. B. FREED. C. INDULGED. 2. Mired in _____, she _____. A. indecision .. sorted endlessly through the options, none of which were ideal B. confidence .. impressed the interviewers, compensating for her weak resume C. ambition .. tracked down and analyzed the videos of her competitors performing 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