Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ERUDITE
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connect today's word to others:
If you enjoyed reading Veronica Roth's Divergent, you remember how her dystopian society splits its citizens into five factions:
1. Amity (for peace-lovers who prefer a hal___n lifestyle: one that's calm, happy, and serene);
2. Abnegation (for al____sts, the selfless people);
3. Ca___r (for those who value truth, even bluntness);
4. Dauntless (for the brave, the bold, the v___rous); and
5. Erudite (for the learned, scholarly, intellectual people).
Today we'll explore that last word, erudite, which literally means "brought out of rudeness or roughness."
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"ERUDITE"
Erudite people and things are scholarly, full of knowledge from books or from studying.
Pronunciation:
Several ways are correct.
I suggest "AIR you dite."
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 "an erudite thing" or "an erudite person."
2. After a linking verb, as in "It was erudite" or "He was erudite.")
Other forms:
erudition ("air you DISH un"), eruditely
How to use it:
This tone of this word can be either positive or negative: erudite people and things might strike us as impressive and insightful, or they might be dull and niggling.
We often talk about erudite people: erudite readers, scholars, professors, critics, politicians, philosophers, etc.
We also talk about erudite habits and tendencies; erudite literature (such as erudite books and articles); erudite words, pronunciations, expressions, language, and manners of speaking; erudite references and allusions; erudite discussions, explanations, and conversations; even erudite events and entertainment (such as erudite films and art shows).
examples:
There's a Word For It: A Grandiloquent Guide to Life is both erudite and silly on every page.
On Downton Abbey, I loved Violet Crawley's cranky yet erudite remarks. "First electricity, now telephones. Sometimes I feel as if I were living in an H.G. Wells novel."
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "erudite" means when you can explain it without saying "learned" or "book-smart."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "(A particular show, movie, article, book, play, exhibit, or museum) offers a blend of erudition and (fun, humor, drama, entertainment, or practicality)."
Example: "Good Eats, Alton Brown's science-minded cooking show, offers a blend of erudition and goofy humor."
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. "iatro-" means "physician."
2. "narco-" means "drug for relaxation."
3. "-agogue" means "leading."
4. "noso-" means "disease."
5. "sangui-" means "blood."
Try this set today. It's all about biology:
1. "-aceous" means _____.
2. "cet-" means _____.
3. "-florous" means _____.
4. "lepido-" means _____.
5. "ptero-" means _____.
Answer bank:
A. feather or wing
B. whale
C. scales
D. related to flowers
E. of the nature of (a certain family)
review today's word:
1. One opposite of ERUDITE is
A. POLITE.
B. STREETWISE.
C. STRAIGHTFORWARD.
2. Her explanation was too erudite, filled with _____.
A. ribald jokes that made some of us blush
B. allusions and jargon we didn't understand
C. details that spoiled the film's ending--and its cameos
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. B
If you enjoyed reading Veronica Roth's Divergent, you remember how her dystopian society splits its citizens into five factions:
"ERUDITE" Erudite people and things are scholarly, full of knowledge from books or from studying. Other forms:
There's a Word For It: A Grandiloquent Guide to Life is both erudite and silly on every page.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "erudite" means when you can explain it without saying "learned" or "book-smart."
Fill in the blanks: "(A particular show, movie, article, book, play, exhibit, or museum) offers a blend of erudition and (fun, humor, drama, entertainment, or practicality)."
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.
1. One opposite of ERUDITE is
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. |