Big Picture, Fine Print

Eight words for seeing the whole and the parts at once.

Meet each word one at a time, then take the quiz to lock them in.

1. 1 category noun
2. 2 fraction noun
3. 3 distribute verb
4. 4 estimate verb
5. 5 valuable adjective
6. 6 invisible adjective
7. 7 precisely adverb
8. 8 thoroughly adverb

Nelson's word

noun

Category. A noun, and one I use every hour of my day. A category is a group of things that share something in common, sorted together for a reason. Apples, pears, and plums all go in the fruit category, because they share what fruits share. When I file a record, I first ask which category it belongs to, and everything after that is easy. Give me a pile of anything, and I will sort it into categories before you have finished handing it over. State it precisely: a category is a group held together by what its members share.

The librarian sorted every book into a clear category on the shelf.

Nelson's word

noun

Fraction. A noun, and a small one, which fits, because a fraction is a small part of a whole. Cut a pie into eight slices, and one slice is a fraction of the pie. When a report says a fraction of the money was spent, it means only a part, not all of it. File it near part, piece, and portion. And notice the tail of the word, that -tion, which turns an act into a thing you can name: the act of breaking becomes the broken-off part. We take that apart in Word Family. State it precisely: a fraction is a part, never the whole.

Only a fraction of the tickets remained by the time we arrived.

Vinny's word

verb

Distribute! To take a stack of something and send it OUT, spreading it among many hands until everyone has a share! When the volunteers distribute the meals, no family goes without, and that is a heroic act. That is the verb, and it is mine. Do not confuse it with keeping or hoarding; to distribute is to give out, to scatter fairly across a crowd. A teacher distributes the papers, a gardener distributes the seeds, a hero distributes hope. Spread it wide, and spread it fair.

The volunteers distribute the meals to every family in the shelter.

Vinny's word

verb

Estimate! To size up a number before you know it for certain, a careful guess made on good evidence! When the builders estimate the cost, they do not throw out a wild number; they weigh what they know and land close. That is the verb, and it takes a cool head, which even a hero must learn. But beware, this word has a secret identity. As a noun, the estimate is the guess itself, a rough estimate of the cost written on paper. Same spelling, two different jobs. We sort those hats in Practice.

The builders estimate the cost of the bridge before they begin.

Jake's word

adjective

Valuable. Oh, this is a rich one, and it is mine. As an adjective, valuable describes a thing worth a great deal, whether in money or in meaning: a valuable ring, a valuable lesson, a valuable friend. Its Frown is worthless, the thing worth nothing at all. Could we be more specific than saying a thing was good? We could say it was valuable, and tell the reader it was worth holding onto. Same picture, sharper edges. Magnifique.

The old map turned out to be more valuable than anyone had guessed.

Jake's word

adjective

Invisible. An adjective, and mine, describing a thing that cannot be seen at all. Air is invisible, the wind is invisible, a hidden crack in a wall can be nearly invisible until it spreads. Its Frown is visible, the thing plainly in view. Look at the front of the word, in-, which here means not, sitting before visible, able to be seen. Could we be more specific than saying a thing was gone from sight? We could say it was invisible, and mean it precisely.

The wind is invisible, yet we watch it bend the tall grass.

Benny's word

adverb

Precisely. An adverb, and I own it the way Nelson owns his nouns. Precisely tells you how a thing was done: in an exact way, with no error, nothing off by even a hair. The clock struck twelve precisely. She measured the flour precisely. Here is your coaching, and I mean it kindly: when you write did it well, ask whether you mean did it precisely, exact and clean. Make it sharper. You can do better than well, and precisely is how.

The surgeon moved precisely, and not a single stitch went astray.

Benny's word

adverb

Thoroughly. Another adverb of mine, and a hard worker. Thoroughly tells you how completely a thing was done: all the way through, leaving nothing out, no corner skipped. He cleaned the room thoroughly. They searched the woods thoroughly. Here is the coaching: when you write checked it, ask whether you checked it thoroughly, top to bottom, start to finish. That one word promises the reader you did not cut a corner. Do it thoroughly, and say so.

She read the instructions thoroughly before she touched a single tool.