Carry It Across

Eight words built around one small idea: to carry.

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

1. 1 import noun
2. 2 seaport noun
3. 3 transport verb
4. 4 porter noun
5. 5 portable adjective
6. 6 reluctant adjective
7. 7 briskly adverb
8. 8 readily adverb

Nelson's word

noun

Import. I file this one twice, because it carries two identities, and you should know both. As a noun, an import is a good brought in from another country: the coffee, the cars, the fabric that arrived from somewhere far away. As a verb, to import means the act of bringing those goods in. Notice the root buried in the middle: port, to carry, with im- meaning in. An import is a thing carried in. State it precisely, and the two hats sort themselves. We finish that sorting in Practice, where you will decide, sentence by sentence, whether the word names a thing or does an action.

The spices on that shelf are an import from a farm halfway around the world.

Nelson's word

noun

Seaport. A noun, and a place, which I file with satisfaction because its meaning sits right there in its parts. A seaport is a harbor town where ships come to load and unload their cargo. Break it open: sea, the water the ships cross, and port, the root that means to carry. A seaport is where the carrying happens, where goods from the whole world arrive and depart. Picture cranes, docks, and stacked containers, and you have the word. Learn that port means to carry, and a seaport will never puzzle you again.

The old seaport still hums with cranes lifting crates from the decks of freighters.

Vinny's word

verb

Transport! To take people or goods and MOVE them, from here to there, from one place to another, and never leave them stranded! When the trucks transport the produce, they carry it across the miles so it arrives fresh. That is the verb, and it is mine, a heroic haul from start to finish. Look inside it: trans- means across, and port means to carry. To transport is to carry across. Once you hear that root, you will meet it everywhere, and you will always know what work it is doing.

The trucks transport fresh produce across three states before dawn breaks.

Nelson's word

noun

Porter. A noun, and a person, which I file under the people who do the carrying. A porter is a worker who carries luggage or freight, at a hotel, a station, or a dock, hauling what is too heavy for the rest of us. The word wears its root plainly: port, to carry, plus the ending that names the one who does the job. A porter is, quite simply, a carrier. When you read that a porter took the bags, picture the person whose whole task is to carry them. Precise, and easy to remember.

A porter wheeled our heavy trunks up the ramp and onto the waiting train.

Jake's word

adjective

Portable. Oh, I love a word that tells you exactly what it does, and this one does. As an adjective, portable describes a thing light and handy enough to be carried or moved with ease: a portable speaker, a portable fan, a portable stove for the trail. Its root is port, to carry, and the ending -able means able to be. Portable, then, means able to be carried. Its Frown is fixed, the thing bolted down that will not budge. Could we be more specific than saying a lamp was easy to bring along? We could call it portable, and say it in one word. Magnifique.

The portable speaker fits in her backpack and travels everywhere she goes.

Jake's word

adjective

Reluctant. An adjective, and a subtle one, which I file among the words that describe how a person feels about doing a thing. Someone reluctant is unwilling, holding back, dragging a little because part of them would rather not. A reluctant volunteer, a reluctant goodbye, a hand raised slowly and only halfway. Its Frown is eager, the person who leaps at the chance. Could we be more specific than saying she did not really want to go? We could say she was reluctant, and let the reader feel the pull in both directions.

He was reluctant to leave the warm cabin for the frozen trail outside.

Benny's word

adverb

Briskly. Now this is my kind of word, an adverb, and it tells you how the action moves. To do something briskly is to do it in a quick, energetic way, with a little snap and no dawdling. She walks briskly, he answers briskly, the wind blows briskly off the water. Hear that -ly ending? That is the flag of an adverb, and it means the word is describing an action. Here is your coaching: when your writing feels slow, ask whether someone could move briskly instead. Sharpen the verb with the right adverb, and the whole sentence picks up speed. You can do that.

She walked briskly to the station, her breath fogging in the cold air.

Benny's word

adverb

Readily. An adverb, and a generous one, which I like, because it tells you the action came willingly and without hesitation. When Maria readily raises her hand, she does not hang back or wait to be asked twice; she is right there, glad to help. Notice it is the opposite of reluctant, one of today's adjectives: reluctant holds back, but readily leaps in. That -ly ending marks it as an adverb, describing how the action is done. Here is my coaching for you: when a character agrees, ask how. If they agree readily, say so, and the reader will feel their willingness. Make it sharper, and you will.

When the coach asked for a volunteer, Maria readily raised her hand.