Thrown Into Motion

Eight words built from a single idea: to throw.

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

1. 1 projection noun
2. 2 injection noun
3. 3 project verb
4. 4 inject verb
5. 5 projected adjective
6. 6 pivotal adjective
7. 7 inadvertently adverb
8. 8 ostensibly adverb

Nelson's word

noun

Projection. A noun, and I file it under the estimates and images we cast forward from what we already know. An analyst studies this year's numbers and files a projection for the next: a figure thrown ahead in time. A lamp studies a slide and files a projection on the wall: an image thrown ahead in space. The root ject means to throw, and the pro in front means forward, so a projection is quite literally a throwing forward. State it precisely, and you will always know whether you mean the forecast or the image, because both are thrown ahead of the present moment.

The company's revenue projection for next year assumed that sales would keep climbing.

Nelson's word

noun

Injection. A noun, and one worth filing carefully, because it names the act of forcing one thing into another. A nurse delivers an injection of medicine into a vein, and an economist describes an injection of cash into a struggling market. The root is the same ject you keep meeting, to throw, and the in in front tells you the direction: inward. So an injection is a throwing in, whether the thing thrown is a fluid, a fund, or a fresh idea. When you file this word, note the pattern, because in plus ject will unlock a whole family of words for you.

The nurse recorded the time of each injection in the patient's chart.

Vinny's word

verb

Project! To hurl an image, a sound, or an estimate OUT beyond yourself, where others can finally receive it! When the engineers project the blueprint onto the wall, they throw the drawing across the room in a beam of light. When a speaker projects her voice, she throws it to the back row so no one is left out. That is the verb, and it is mine, and the root proves it: ject means to throw, and I am the one doing the throwing. But beware, this word wears a second hat. Say a science project, and suddenly it is a thing, a noun sitting on a shelf. Same spelling, different job. We sort those hats in Practice.

The engineers project the blueprint onto the wall so the whole crew can study it.

Vinny's word

verb

Inject! To drive a substance or an idea straight INTO something, whether it wants it or not! A doctor injects the medicine into the muscle, and a writer injects a burst of humor into a grim chapter. That is the verb, that is mine, and the root confirms it: ject means to throw, and the in means inward, so to inject is to throw something in. It takes force and it takes aim, the two things every hero owns. Learn where the word comes from, and you will never mix it up with its cousins that throw forward or throw back.

The comedians inject a little humor into even the tensest scene.

Jake's word

adjective

Projected. An adjective, and mine, describing a figure that has been forecast, thrown forward from the numbers we hold right now. The projected cost, the projected attendance, the projected growth: none of them has arrived yet, and each one is an estimate cast into the future. Could we be more specific than saying the expected cost went up? We could say the projected cost went up, and tell the reader instantly that we are talking about a forecast, not a final bill. Same idea, sharper edges. It shares its root with project, because a projection is thrown forward, and so is anything projected. Magnifique.

The projected cost of the bridge rose sharply once the engineers reviewed the plans.

Jake's word

adjective

Pivotal. Oh, this is a strong one, and it is mine. As an adjective, pivotal describes the single point on which everything turns, the way a door turns on its hinge or a dancer spins on one foot. A pivotal moment, a pivotal decision, a pivotal witness: remove it, and the whole thing swings a different way. Its Frown is minor, the detail that changes nothing. Could we be more specific than calling a moment important? We could call it pivotal, and tell the reader that everything hinged on it. That is a stronger claim, and a truer one when it fits.

Her testimony proved pivotal, because the entire verdict turned on what she said.

Benny's word

adverb

Inadvertently. An adverb, and I own it the way Nelson owns his nouns. It describes an action done without any intention behind it, purely by accident. She inadvertently deleted the file; he inadvertently insulted the guest; the software inadvertently sent the message twice. Here is where I coach you, so listen close. When you write that something happened by mistake, you can do better, and here is how: inadvertently tells the reader that no one meant for it to happen, and it does the whole job in a single well-placed word. Make it sharper, and the sentence gets stronger. That is what precision buys you.

She inadvertently deleted the file while she was trying to rename it.

Benny's word

adverb

Ostensibly. An adverb, and a sly one, so let me coach you through it. It marks the difference between what a thing claims to be and what it may truly be underneath. He came ostensibly to help; the rule exists ostensibly for safety; the meeting was ostensibly about the budget. Each time, the word quietly warns the reader that the surface story might not be the whole story. When you want to signal that a stated reason is only the surface reason, reach for ostensibly. You can do better than a plain seemed to be, and this is exactly the word that gets you there.

He arrived early ostensibly to help, though he really wanted the first slice of cake.