Make Your Point > Archived Issues > NAIF

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connect today's word to others: Imagine it's your first day working in a restaurant, and another employee tells you to fill the bucket because it's your turn to mop the walk-in freezer. In response, you might say "Nope. I wasn't born yesterday." Or, "I'm not falling for that." Or, "I'm not that gullible." Or, "I'm no gr__nh__n." Or, "I'm not that c_ll__." Or, "I'm no naif." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "NAIF" A naif is a naive person. In other words, a naif is someone who is like a child because they're innocent, they're easily tricked, and/or they haven't yet developed wisdom, experience, maturity, or sophistication. Pronunciation: Several ways are correct. I prefer "NAFE." You can also say "NEEF" or "nah EEF." Part of speech: Usually a noun, the countable kind: "a naif," "one naif," "these naifs," "they're such naifs." Other forms: "Naif" is also an adjective. The adverb is "naifly." How to use it: Refer to a specific person as a naif, or talk about naifs in general: "She was a naif back then." "Stop treating us like naifs." Add an adjective, if you like: a teenage naif; a political naif; a dewy, wide-eyed naif. You might call someone out as a naif, write someone off as a naif, or realize just how much of a naif you used to be. Because people often pretend to be naive, you can talk about people playing the naif or presenting themselves as naifs. You can even call someone a faux naif. Lastly, you can use "naif" as an adjective and talk about naif readers, naif voters, a naif poem, a naif question, a naif myth, a naif faith, a naif intellect, a naif purity or openness, etc. Or talk about faux naif people and things. (Why would you pick "naif" instead of just "naive"? Probably for emphasis and variety. "Naif" is rarer, so it can take your listeners by surprise.) And if you prefer, you can keep the French appearance of the word and write "naïf," with the two dots (the dieresis) above the letter "i." But most of us don't. examples: Pyramid schemers prey on people's naif dreams of easy income. "Indeed, Gatsby seemed a two-dimensional cutout in comparison with Carraway’s complex position as a somewhat introverted naif who nevertheless almost single-handedly drives the action of the plot."    — J. Bryan Lowder, Slate, 13 May 2013 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "naif" without saying "neophyte" or "simpleton." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(Someone) is no wide-eyed naif; (he or she) (demonstrates wisdom, experience, maturity, or sophistication in some specific way)." Example: "By his seventh year, Neville is no wide-eyed naif; he organizes his classmates back into an army without Harry's help." 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 "why they're unpopular:" A. Butter wouldn't... B. I didn't like the color... C. She's fishing in... D. He has a hollow... E. She's independent as a... F. He's a Monday-morning... G. She's a wet... Answers: A. Butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. B. I didn't like the color of his money. C. She's fishing in troubled waters. D. He has a hollow leg. E. She's independent as a hog on ice. F. He's a Monday-morning quarterback. G. She's a wet blanket. Try these today. The theme is "make your point:" A. Get down to... B. Get down to... C. Don't beat... D. Speak your... E. Speak your... F. Speak your... (Yes: complete A and B in 2 different ways; and complete D, E, and F in 3 different ways.) review today's word: 1. One opposite of NAIF is A. CREDIBLE. B. SEASONED. C. UNDERHANDED. 2. The naif I was at eighteen _____. A. dined on ketchup packets when money was tight B. believed all my professors were brilliant experts in their fields C. accepted both the value of criticism and the futility of trying to please everyone 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. B