Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SPASMODIC
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pronounce
SPASMODIC:
Say it "spazz MOD ick."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
Spasmodic joins the words rabid, myopic, anemic, paroxysmal, and apoplectic on a list of metaphors of a certain kind.
Could you explain what kind? In other words, what type of metaphor or general concept unites all these words? Could you also think of other words that belong on the list?
definition:
Our words "spasm" and "spasmodic," along with the slang word "spazz," trace back to the Greek spasmos: "a sudden and violent jerking or twitching of the muscles." That's exactly what a spasm is in English, too, either literally ("She gets painful muscle spasms in her legs") or figuratively ("spasms of laughter," "spasms of violence").
You can use "spasmodic" literally to mean having sudden, violent jerks or twitches of the muscles.
Or you can use it figuratively to mean seeming to move around in harsh, violent, random bursts.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
Adjective: "a spasmodic performance;" "Their movements are spasmodic."
Other forms:
Spasm(s), spasmodically.
For a noun, pick between "spasmodism" and "spasmodicalness." Some writers have used the whimsical "spasmodicality," but it's not listed in dictionaries.
There are some alternate adjectives: "spasmic," "spastic," and the hilarious "spasmatical" and "spasmodical." "Elaine's friends stare in horror at her spasmodical dance moves."
how to use it:
"Spasmodic" is a semi-common word, just rare enough to give your description some extra flair and emphasis. It's perfect for exaggeration. It calls more attention to itself than synonyms like "fitful," "erratic," and "convulsive."
You might talk about spasmodic motion and progress; spasmodic art, dance, music, drama, and literature; spasmodic attempts, efforts, desires, etc.
examples:
"The boy hustled along... under his crooked hat his face was anarchic with spasmodic blinks and sniffles."
— Salvatore Scibona, The Volunteer, 2019
"Weddings and music festivals and movie releases were delayed in spasmodic bursts."
— Ezra Marcus, New York Times, 14 December 2020
has this page helped you understand "spasmodic"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "spasmodic" without saying "fitful" or "convulsive."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "It was a spasmodic (hour, day, week, etc.) of _____."
Example 1: "As the pandemic hit and the kids transitioned to online learning, it was a spasmodic month of confusion, Zoom meetings, crashing apps, and just a little bit too much togetherness."
Example 2: "For those hoping for a show as stimulating as Mr. Jacobs's last one, with at least good food for thought, this one seemed to lack vital nutrients... It was a spasmodic week of fashion shows. There were a few very good collections."
— Cathy Horyn, New York Times, 13 September 2013
before you review, play:
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.
Our game for September is "Four Quick Ways to Wreck a Sentence: From Professionally Polished to Strategically Sabotaged."
In each issue this month, compare two versions of a description of a popular movie. See if you can determine which is the real one (the professionally polished version from IMDB.com) and which is the fake one (the strategically sabotaged version from yours truly). The fake one will demonstrate one of the four quick ways to wreck a sentence, listed below. So, for an extra challenge, see if you can identify which of these four has been employed in the act of sabotage.
Here are the four quick ways to wreck a sentence:
1. Make the details fuzzier or fewer.
2. Jumble the order of information, forcing the reader to slow down or back up.
3. Ruin the rhythm by breaking a pattern in a pair or list.
4. Make the whole thing a chore to read by swapping in a subject that's long or abstract, and/or a verb that's vague or passive. Make it even worse by pushing the subject and the verb really far away from each other.
(Naturally, if you invert each item above, you get Four Quick Ways to Strengthen a Sentence.)
Here's an example:
Version A: "The Shawshank Redemption: Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency."
Version B: "The Shawshank Redemption: Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding eventual redemption and solace through acts of common decency."
Which is real, and which is fake? And in the fake one, which of the four quick ways to wreck a sentence have I employed?
Answer: A is real; B is fake. The fake was created with #2, "Jumble the order of information." Readers find it easier to process information when it's in a logical or chronological order, and when they can start with the shorter, simpler words and phrases before moving on to the longer, more complex ones. Here, it's better to write "solace and eventual redemption" instead of "eventual redemption and solace," for three reasons. One, the characters in the story probably achieve solace before they achieve redemption; two, solace as a concept is less intense and less abstract than redemption; and three, "solace" is many syllables shorter than "eventual redemption."
Try this one today:
Version A: "Life is Beautiful: When an open-minded Jewish librarian and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of humor, imagination, and will to protect his son from the dangers around their camp."
Version B: "Life is Beautiful: When an open-minded Jewish librarian and his son become victims of the Holocaust, he uses a perfect mixture of will, humor, and imagination to protect his son from the dangers around their camp."
Which is real, and which is fake? And in the fake one, which of the four quick ways to wreck a sentence have I employed?
To see the answers, scroll all the way down.
review this word:
1.
A near opposite of SPASMODIC is
A. CONTINUOUS.
B. DISCIPLINED.
C. EXTEMPORANEOUS.
2.
From the LA Times: "In pink tutu and toe shoes and a mix of concentration and _____, Ashford does a spasmodic series of pliƩs as though _____."
A. verve .. she might jackhammer her way into the floor
B. lightness .. gravity were no longer tying her to the planet
C. panic .. 300-volt charges were running through her body
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
On vocabulary...
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
On writing...
How to improve any sentence.
How to motivate our kids to write.
How to stop procrastinating and start writing.
How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count.
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.
Spasmodic joins the words rabid, myopic, anemic, paroxysmal, and apoplectic on a list of metaphors of a certain kind.
Our words "spasm" and "spasmodic," along with the slang word "spazz," trace back to the Greek spasmos: "a sudden and violent jerking or twitching of the muscles." That's exactly what a spasm is in English, too, either literally ("She gets painful muscle spasms in her legs") or figuratively ("spasms of laughter," "spasms of violence").
Part of speech:
"Spasmodic" is a semi-common word, just rare enough to give your description some extra flair and emphasis. It's perfect for exaggeration. It calls more attention to itself than synonyms like "fitful," "erratic," and "convulsive."
"The boy hustled along... under his crooked hat his face was anarchic with spasmodic blinks and sniffles."
Explain the meaning of "spasmodic" without saying "fitful" or "convulsive."
Fill in the blanks: "It was a spasmodic (hour, day, week, etc.) of _____."
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.
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. |