Make Your Point > Archived Issues > TOIL-WORN

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explore the archives: If you're worn out from all your toil (hard work), then you're toil-worn. But if you're worn out from all your suffering, then you're h_____d. make your point with... "TOIL-WORN" Toil is hard labor, or exhausting work. Someone toil-worn looks (or feels) totally worn out because of too much hard work. Pronunciation: TOYL worn 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 toil-worn person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "He was toil-worn.") Other forms: None, but some people prefer a compound word ("toilworn") instead of a hyphenation ("toil-worn"). I'll stick to the hyphenation because it's more common. How to use it: Happily, most of your listeners will understand "toil-worn" if they haven't heard it before. It's one of those great words whose clarity and rarity can give your idea freshness. Talk about toil-worn people and animals: toil-worn men, women, travelers, immigrants, soldiers, farmers, or prisoners; or toil-worn horses or oxen. Body parts, too, can be toil-worn: toil-worn shoulders, hands, faces, eyes. I admit I haven't seen "toil-worn" used abstractly. But if you're a trailblazer, talk about toil-worn excuses and cliches and tropes, toil-worn processes and systems, and toil-worn ideas. examples: The musical opens on a toil-worn chain gang, among them the hero Jean Valjean. After studying for months for the exam, she gave her toil-worn mind a rest and binge-watched a whole season of Kimmy Schmidt. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "toil-worn" means when you can explain it without saying "ragged" or "fatigued." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "With toil-worn hands, (somebody) (did something)." Example: "With toil-worn hands, Drew pounded the dough into ten more pizzas." 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. Our game this month is "What's the Difference?" I’ll give you two terms. Without using Google or a dictionary, explain how they’re different. Go beyond saying, "well, I know the difference, but I can’t explain it," or "show me an example and I'll tell you which it is." In your explanations, try to focus on features, not comparisons. For example, what's the difference between climate and weather? A good explanation focuses on features: "climate is what’s going on in the atmosphere over long periods of time, and weather is what’s going on in the atmosphere at a particular place and time." A weaker explanation focuses on comparisons: "climate is more concerning than weather." The game will get harder as the month goes on: we’ll start with objects—natural first, then man-made—then switch to concepts. Let’s do this! From yesterday: What's the difference between "lethal" and "fatal"? Answer: The difference is subtle: according to the American Heritage Dictionary, lethal things are certain to cause death or are purposefully designed to cause death, while fatal things simply have caused death or destruction--or are destined to do so. Try this today: What's the difference between being distrustful and mistrustful? review today's word: 1. The opposite of TOIL-WORN is A. HEALTHY B. WELL-FED C. WELL-RESTED 2. Toil-worn, the nurses _____ homeward. A. bounded B. strolled C. trudged Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. C