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connect today's word to others: Today's word, restive, is one of several we've studied that originally described horses: 1. An al__-__n is a dog or horse that loses a race, or anyone who doesn't win or isn't successful. 2. A ca_____de, Latin for "a procession of people on horseback," is any long line of people travelling together (on horses, or in vehicles) for some event, like a battle, a celebration, or a funeral. Or, it's any long series of things or people that seems to move along in a formal, ceremonial way. 3. A h_____y is a horse that gets used often for regular riding. So, when something is h_____yed, it's been "trotted out" many times before: it's common, worn-out, and boring. 4. A H____n's choice is a choice between the one thing you're offered and nothing; it comes from the name of an English coachman from centuries ago who would let you have either the horse right by the door or no horse at all. Now let's go back to restive. Like it sounds, it comes from the word rest: it first described horses that would stay in one place, stubbornly refusing to move. By the mid 1800's, it described horses and even people who were getting antsy or fidgety while staying in one place. The meaning had changed completely, from "stubbornly resting" to "restless." So if you know any folks who are language purists, the ones who insist that restive still means only "stubborn, re_____trant (uncooperative or disobedient)," be sure to gleefully inform them that restive has described fidgety, restless, anxious people since 1846. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "RESTIVE" Restive things and people are moving around a lot (in a situation where they're supposed to stay still or quiet), usually because they're bored, nervous, or unhappy. More generally, restive people and things seem tense or impatient because they want the situation to change. Pronunciation: RESS 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 restive thing" or "a restive person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was restive" or "He was restive.") Other forms: restively, restiveness How to use it: You can talk about restive animals, but most often we talk about restive people, from restive individuals to restive groups, regions, and populations. (Notice that "restive" describes people in specific situations; it doesn't describe people's personalities overall. That is, you can say "She seems restive right now," but you probably wouldn't say "She's a restive girl.") We can also get figurative and talk about restive feelings, actions, movements, and periods of time: our restive worries, a restive search, his restive tossing and turning, the population's restive protests, a restive day of waiting around in the airport. examples: That night the tornado came through, we huddled under the dining room table, the restive minutes passing with a surreal slowness. He hates talking on the phone and can't do it without pacing restively from room to room. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "restive" means when you can explain it without saying "eager for change or movement" or "jittery." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "(At a certain time, or in a certain situation), (a group of people, like an audience, a group of voters, or a population) grew restive as _____." Example: "Ten minutes past the showtime, the audience grew restive as yet another commercial began." 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. "quinqu-" means "five." 2. "septi-" means "seven." 3. "ter-" means "three." 4. "undeca-" means "eleven." 5. "viginti-" means "twenty." Try this set today. It's about shapes: 1. "ankylo-" means _____. 2. "phaco-" means _____. 3. "reticulo-" means _____. 4. "scypho-" means _____. 5. "xipho-" means _____.    Answer bank:       A. net or net-shaped       B. cup or cup-shaped       C. lens or lens-shaped       D. bent, fixed, or closed       E. sword or sword-shaped review today's word: 1. The opposite of RESTIVE is A. CONTENT. B. DECISIVE. C. EXHAUSTED. 2. Farewell to Manzanar details Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston's restive years ____. A. exploring California and Oregon with her girlfriends B. imprisoned with her family in an internment camp C. perfecting her craft as a jewelry designer 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. A 2. B