Make Your Point > Archived Issues > EMANCIPATE

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explore the archives: Today's "emancipate" is great for talking about freedom from control. We've looked at a close synonym of "emancipate," which is better for talking about freedom from burdens: un____er. make your point with... "EMANCIPATE" To emancipate people is to set them free from being controlled by someone or something else. Pronunciation: ih MAN sip ate Part of speech: Transitive verb. (Like "eat," "try," and "want," all transitive verbs do something to an object. You eat a banana, try a game, and want a new phone. Likewise, you emancipate someone.) Other forms: emancipated, emancipating, emancipation How to use it: Grammar-wise, you often emancipate people from the control of someone or something else; you can also emancipate yourself from something. If today's word reminds you of the "Emancipation Proclamation," you're not alone--we often think of emancipation as something very literal, like an emancipation from slavery.  But let's focus on more figurative uses. Talk about being emancipated from any person, group, ruler, or condition that controls people or limits what they can do: "women seek emancipation from misogynistic traditions," "email emancipated us from the agony of waiting four or five days for a letter to arrive." Even more figuratively, you can emancipate a thing from whatever is controlling or limiting it: "we wanted to emancipate the essay from its role as a torture device for students."  examples: Those unlucky enough to live in "food deserts" rely only on convenience stores and fast food restaurants; they have no access to the grocery stores that would emancipate their diets from all that junk. I hope that I've emancipated at least one word from overly narrow usage in your vocabulary. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "emancipate" means when you can explain it without saying "liberate" or "free from control." try it out: Think of a time you felt totally free, and fill in the blanks: "I celebrated my emancipation from _____ by _____." Example: "I usually celebrated my emancipation from the school year by going on a long, solitary bike ride." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words:  We're playing with clichés this month, examining the origins of some colorful ones. I’ll give you a cliché (some of which you might also call a proverb and/or an idiom) and pose a multiple-choice question about its origin. (I used this nifty book as a reference!) Yesterday's question: Quick story. As kids, my sisters and I were playing a card game called Skip-Bo, and one of my sisters dropped this on the rest of us, to our great amusement: “How now, brown cow?” It means “Okay, what now?” and of course is a cliché, but wow, it was the funniest thing ever when I first heard it. It originated in the 18th century. Did it originally mean “Shall we have another dance?”, “Shall we have another cigar?”, or “Shall we have another barrel of beer?”? Answer: It was the beer, a barrel of which was called a “brown cow.” Try this one today: If you’re “in the doghouse,” then you’re in trouble: your significant other is really mad at you for something. It’s possible that this cliché came from a particular novel. Was it Peter Pan (1904,) Old Yeller (1956,) or Cujo (1981)?  A Point Well Made: Mother Theresa: “Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile.” review today's word: 1. The opposite of EMANCIPATE is A. ENCAPSULATE B. ENCHANT C. ENSLAVE 2.  Although they don't realize it, they need emancipation from _____. A. guidance B. a strong education C. outdated assumptions Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, 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