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"UBIQUITY" Pronunciation: you BICK wuh dee Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like “milk,” “rice,” and “education,” uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about “some milk,” “the rice,” and “a lot of education,” but you don’t say “a milk,” “three rices,” or “many educations.” Likewise, talk about “the ubiquity,” “such ubiquity,” “no ubiquity,” and so on, but don’t say “ubiquities.”) Meaning: Something that has ubiquity is found everywhere all at once. When you talk about something's ubiquity, you're talking about how that thing seems to exist all over the place and get noticed by lots of people over and over. Other forms: ubiquitous, ubiquitously How to use it: Talk about the ubiquity of something or someone, as in "the ubiquity of blue jeans" and "the ubiquity of Batman" or something's or someone's ubiquity, like "blue jeans' ubiquity" and "Batman's ubiquity." You can talk about how someone or something is gaining ubiquity, maintaining ubiquity, losing ubiquity, and so on. Anyone who complains about the ubiquity of cell phones should still admit how useful and entertaining they are. Selfies accelerated to ubiquity so fast that by the time I realized what they were, they weren't cool anymore. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You'll know you understand what "ubiquity" means when you can explain it without saying "commonness" or "existence everywhere." Think of something that happens a lot at your school or workplace, something that really shouldn't happen so often, and fill in the blanks: “The ubiquity of _____ has caused _____.” Example: “The ubiquity of tardiness in our class has caused the teacher to make being on time part of our grade.” 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: This month's game is "guess the common word based on the given literal root meanings." Try it out each day and see the right answer the next day. It can be fun and illuminating to see the literal meanings of words when they came into the language! More than one right answer might be possible in some cases, just so you know. Also, it's okay if you can't come up with most or even any of the answers on your own; just check out the solutions and you'll learn the roots as you go along this month. From yesterday: "adult" + "becoming" = ? Answer: "ADOLESCENT" Try this one today: “out of” + “lead” + “noun of action” = ? A Point Well Made: Miles Davis: “Man, sometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourself.” 1. The opposite of UBIQUITY is A. OBSCURITY B. ACCEPTANCE C. EASE 2. Subway restaurants have now gained the ubiquity of the golden arches, but in the past, a Subway sandwich was _____. A. very fattening. B. pretty expensive. C. harder to find. Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.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. A 2. C