Turn and Return

Eight words built on a single turn, and every way to master them.

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

1. 1 diversion noun
2. 2 conversion noun
3. 3 convert verb
4. 4 divert verb
5. 5 introverted adjective
6. 6 convertible adjective
7. 7 provisionally adverb
8. 8 empirically adverb

Nelson's word

noun

Diversion. A noun. I file it under a turning aside, or the thing that causes that turning: whatever pulls attention away from where it was pointed. A magician creates a diversion, and the crowd looks left while the trick happens on the right. A detour is a diversion of traffic. Notice the root buried in the middle, vert, which means to turn, and the prefix di-, which means aside; a diversion turns you aside. State it precisely: a diversion redirects attention from one thing to another.

The magician created a diversion so the audience never watched his other hand.

Nelson's word

noun

Conversion. A noun. I file it under a change from one form, one use, or one belief into another. The conversion of an old mill into apartments changes what the building is for. A conversion of measurements changes miles into kilometers. The same root turns underneath it, vert, to turn, with the prefix con-, which means altogether; a conversion turns a thing wholly into something else. File it near convert, its verb, and note the difference: convert is the act, conversion is the finished change.

The conversion of the old mill into apartments took two full years.

Vinny's word

verb

Convert! To take a thing as it stands and CHANGE it, turn it, remake it into something new! When the engineers convert an empty warehouse into a theater, they transform it entirely, and that transformation is heroic work. That is the verb, and it is mine. But watch this word closely, because it wears a second hat. Say a new convert to the idea, and suddenly convert is a naming word, a person who changed their belief, and that noun belongs to Nelson. Same spelling, two jobs. We sort those hats in Practice.

The engineers convert the empty warehouse into a bustling theater.

Vinny's word

verb

Divert! To grab a course, a path, a stream of attention, and TURN it aside from where it was headed! When the crew diverts the river around the dam, they bend its whole path to their will, and that takes real power. That is the verb, and it is mine. Look at the front of the word, di-, meaning aside, joined to vert, meaning to turn: to divert is to turn aside. Its cousin is diversion, the noun for the same act. Learn where the word turns, and you will command it every time.

The crew diverts the river around the new dam with a channel of stone.

Jake's word

adjective

Introverted. Ah, this is a thoughtful one, and it is mine. As an adjective, introverted describes a person turned inward, someone who draws energy from being alone: a quiet room, a good book, time to think. Look at the pieces, intro- meaning inward and vert meaning to turn; an introverted person turns inward. Its Frown is outgoing, the one who charges up in a crowd. Could we be more specific than saying someone is shy? We could say introverted, which is not about fear at all, but about where a person finds their quiet strength. Magnifique.

The introverted student recharged best with a quiet book and an empty room.

Jake's word

adjective

Convertible. An adjective, and mine, describing a thing that is able to be changed into another form: a convertible sofa that folds into a bed, a convertible car whose roof folds away, a convertible bond that can turn into stock. See the turn inside it, vert, and the tail -ible, which means able to be; convertible means able to be turned into something else. Its Frown is fixed, the thing that cannot change at all. Could we be more specific than saying a couch is useful? We could say it is convertible, and tell the reader exactly what it can become.

The convertible sofa folds out into a bed for overnight guests.

Benny's word

adverb

Provisionally. An adverb, and I own the adverb the way Nelson owns the noun. It tells how something is done: for the time being, on a for-now basis, with the understanding that it may change later. When the committee provisionally approves a plan, they say yes for now, but they leave room to change their mind. It comes from provision, a thing set up in advance. Here is your coaching: when a decision is not yet locked in, do not call it final. Call it provisionally settled, and you tell the reader the door is still open. Make it that sharp.

The committee provisionally approves the plan while it waits for the final report.

Benny's word

adverb

Empirically. An adverb, and mine. It tells how a thing is known or done: by observation and experiment, by real evidence you can measure, rather than by theory or guesswork alone. When scientists empirically test a claim, they do not just reason about it; they run the experiment and watch what actually happens. Its opposite is theoretically, which lives in the head. Here is the coaching: when your point rests on real evidence, say so. Say it was proven empirically, and you tell the reader you checked the world itself. You can do better than a hunch, and this is how.

The scientists empirically test each claim before they publish a single result.