Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ASCRIBE
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In Latin, scribere means "to write or draw," and I bet you can name lots of English words that derive from it.
"Ascribe" is a formal word that we've used in English since the 1600s. It traces back through French to Latin. If you pluck it apart into a- ("to or toward") and scribe (to write), you can see how it literally means "(to) write to."
Part of speech:
Pick the formal, common, serious word "ascribe" when you want to sound somewhat neutral (rather than excited or angry) as you talk about causes and effects.
"Racism—the need to ascribe bone-deep features to people and then humiliate, reduce, and destroy them."
Explain the meaning of "ascribe" without saying "blame" or "credit."
Fill in the blanks: "Many people automatically ascribe (some quality) to (some particular type of food, music, literature, or other thing)."
Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.
1.
A near opposite of ASCRIBE is
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