Make Your Point > Archived Issues > RETENTIVE

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connect today's word to others: What do containers have to do with detentions? They both involve holding things or people. Tenere is Latin for "to hold," and so whenever you see an English word with ten or tain in it, it's a good bet that the word involves holding, literally or figuratively. For example, to ___tain is to hold things away from you: to use self-control to decide not to do certain things, like smoke cigarettes. And, to be ten______ is to keep a firm, strong hold on something, like your goals, your dreams, or your memories. And that leads us to today's word: someone retentive holds onto everything he learns.  (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "RETENTIVE" To retain something is to keep it, to remember it, to keep on holding it, to keep on having it, or to keep it inside something. Something retentive, like a retentive memory, retains a lot of things. It's good at keeping things inside it or, figuratively, good at remembering things. Also, because this word was used in Freudian psychoanalysis, "retentive" can mean "too fussy, too obsessive over things." For this issue, we won't focus on that meaning. Pronunciation: reh TEN tiv (or "ree TEN tiv") 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 retentive mind." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was retentive.") Other common forms: retentively, retention/retentiveness How to use it: You might talk literally about retentive soil or retentive clay, or about materials that are retentive of certain substances, as in "sand retentive of water." We'll focus on figurative things: retentive minds, brains, memories, powers, abilities, and capacities; retentive readers and learners, and retentive reading and learning; and someone's retentive grasp of facts, information, knowledge, etc. examples: If you enjoy learning new things but find it hard to retain what you've learned, I recommend the book Make It Stick. "Yet, despite my retentive memory, I found [the poem] impossible to recite when I went back into the classroom."     —Richard Wright, Black Boy, 1945 study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "retentive" means when you can explain it without saying "secure" or "tenacious." try it out: Fill in the blank: "I wish I had a more retentive memory for _____." Example: "I wish I had a more retentive memory for the names of people I just met." 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. This month, we're playing "Sleek Slogans." I'll take a familiar slogan from a company or a product, express that slogan in plain language, and tell you the specific qualities the slogan has (like rhyme or alliteration), and then you come up with the real slogan as well as the name of the company or product. From the previous issue: Rewrite this slogan by using concision (the use of as few words as possible) and by reversing a cliché (that is, by swapping around the words in an overused phrase): "When you use our athletic products, you will feel that the things you previously considered too difficult are in fact very easy." Answer: That's the slogan for Adidas: "Impossible is nothing." Try this one today: Rewrite this slogan by using concision (the use of as few words as possible) and onomatopoeia (words that actually sound like what they mean): "When you pour milk on our product, it makes a series of distinctive and interesting sounds." review today's word: 1. One opposite of RETENTIVE is A. DISTRACTIBLE. B. FORGETFUL. C. RELAXED. 2. To paraphrase a proverb, pale ink is better than the most retentive memory; that is, our most _____ recollections may be _____. A. detailed .. inaccurate B. emotional .. inexpressible in words C. warped .. fading gradually from our minds 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