Make Your Point > Archived Issues > PERORATE

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connect today's word to others: From Latin roots that literally mean "to speak or plead to the end" comes our word perorate. Someone who perorates is delivering a speech in a pompous, bo____stic way--using unnecessarily showy language. And here's a fun word for perorators: we can call them pan____rums, or loud, puffed-up, self-important people who insist on running the show. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "PERORATE" To perorate is to speak in a grand, showy way. To perorate can also mean to finish off a speech, especially in a dramatic way.     Pronunciation: PAIR uh rate Part of speech: Verb, usually the intransitive kind. (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 perorates.) Other forms: Perorated, perorating, perorator(s), peroration(s). When you need an adjective, you can pick from "perorating," "perorational," "perorative," "peroratory," and for extra humor, the ridiculous "peroratorical." How to use it: "Perorate" is such a rare, fussy, formal word that it's perfect for sarcastically describing how self-important people speak. (In fact, I recommend using this word only for humor.) When you use "perorate," if your listeners haven't heard it before, it shouldn't be a problem: your context will make it clear. And if you use "perorate" in writing, it'll be even easier for your readers to recognize that it means "to orate" or "to give an oration." Talk about people perorating, or people perorating on or about some topic, or people perorating to their listeners. You can also make "perorate" transitive and talk about someone perorating a speech, an argument, a monologue, a series of observations, etc., meaning the person is wrapping it up or ending it. Finally, sometimes you'll see "perorate" used for dialogue attribution: "'Never again!' she perorated." But I don't recommend this; it can come across as awkward and cringey, unless it's obvious that you're just doing it to be funny. examples: He clearly misses the campaign trail, those weeks of perorating in front of adoring crowds. Toward the climax of the Firefly episode "Jaynestown," Jayne, coarse and rough-spoken, realizes it's his moment to deliver an inspirational peroration to the crowd and does his spluttering, honest-to-god best: "You people have been given the shortest end of a stick ever offered a human soul in this crap-heel 'verse... But you took that end, and you, you know... Well... You took it. And that's... I guess that's somethin'." study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "perorate" means when you can explain it without saying "to make a pompous speech" or "to lecture grandiloquently." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "How can we keep (someone) from perorating about _____ again?" Example: "How can we keep Britney from perorating about her pyramid scheme again?" 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. "Bits & Pieces." This month, we're playing with affixes and combining forms, the bits and pieces of our language, matching them to their meanings. The more of these bits and pieces you know, the better you are at decoding unfamiliar words, which is sooo satisfying! I'll share the answers in each subsequent issue. Here are the answers from our previous issue: 1. "brachio-" means "arm." 2. "bucco-" means "cheek." 3. "-dactyl" means "fingers or toes." 4. "encephalo-" means "brain." 5. "labi-" means "lips." Try this set today. It's about quantities: 1. "hemi-" means _____. 2. "hexa-" means _____. 3. "icos(a)-" means _____. 4. "sesqui-" means _____. 5. "tetra-" means _____.    Answer bank:       A. half       B. one and a half       C. four       D. six       E. twenty review today's word: 1. A close opposite of PERORATE is A. SPEAK HUMBLY. B. SPEAK INSIGHTFULLY. C. SPEAK KNOWLEDGEABLY. 2. The narrator keeps waxing perorative, describing Franklin as _____. A. both a statesman and a humorist B. the brightest mind and truest spirit known to mankind C. the second person to publish a formal discussion of chess 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. B