In So Many Words

Eight words, and the many ways there are of saying a thing well.

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

1. 1 statement noun
2. 2 arrangement noun
3. 3 illustrate verb
4. 4 translate verb
5. 5 incredible adjective
6. 6 sensible adjective
7. 7 formally adverb
8. 8 personally adverb

Nelson's word

noun

Statement. A noun, and one I keep close at hand. I file it under a thing said or written out clearly, plainly, for the record. When the principal reads a statement, every word is chosen and meant, nothing left to guess. Notice its shape: state, the verb, meaning to say a thing precisely, and then -ment fixed to the end, which turns the action of stating into the thing itself, the statement. A witness gives a statement, a company issues a statement, and each one is a clear saying, filed and kept. State it precisely, and you have made a statement.

The principal read a short statement about the change to the whole school.

Nelson's word

noun

Arrangement. A noun, and a tidy one, which pleases me. I file it under the way things are set up or put in order. The arrangement of chairs in a hall, the arrangement of flowers in a vase, the arrangement of songs on a program: each is a plan for where things go. See the build of it: arrange, the verb, meaning to set in order, and then -ment on the end, which turns the arranging into the thing arranged. When you make an arrangement with a friend, you have set a plan in order. Order matters, and so does the word for it.

The florist changed the arrangement of the roses until it looked just right.

Vinny's word

verb

Illustrate! To take an idea and make it SHINE, to show it plain with a picture or an example so the whole world understands at once! When the artists illustrate the fable, they draw it so a reader sees the lesson, not just reads it. That is the verb, and it is mine, a heroic act of light. Watch the front of it, il-lustrate; a lustre is a shine, a glow, and to illustrate is to shine a light on your meaning until no one can miss it. A teacher can illustrate a hard point with one good example, and suddenly the room understands. That is the power of the word.

The artists illustrate the fable with bright drawings on every page.

Vinny's word

verb

Translate! To carry words ACROSS, from one language into another, so a reader who speaks only Spanish can hear a story first told in English! When the guides translate the tour, they build a bridge between two languages and walk the meaning over it. That is the verb, and it is mine, and it is honest work: the meaning must arrive unbroken on the other side. The word comes from carrying something across, and that is exactly the job. Learn to translate, and you can hand a story to someone who could never have read it otherwise.

The guides translate the tour into three languages for the visitors.

Jake's word

adjective

Incredible. Oh, this is a big one, and it is mine. As an adjective, incredible describes a thing so amazing that it is almost too much to believe: an incredible catch, an incredible view, an incredible run of luck. Look at the parts, in-cred-ible; cred means believe, and that little in- at the front means not, so incredible is, at heart, not believable, so wonderful you can hardly credit it. Could we be more specific than saying a jump was good? We could call it incredible, and let the reader gasp along with the crowd. Magnifique.

The gymnast landed an incredible jump that left the whole crowd gasping.

Jake's word

adjective

Sensible. An adjective, and a steady one, and it is mine. It describes a person or a choice that shows good, plain judgment, the kind of thinking that makes sense. A sensible plan, a sensible pair of shoes, a sensible thing to say: none of them flashy, all of them wise. It shares its root with sense, and a sensible person has plenty of that. Do not mix it with incredible, which is all amazement; sensible is calm and clear-headed. Could we be more specific than saying a choice was smart? We could call it sensible, and mean the quiet wisdom of it.

She made the sensible choice and packed a coat for the cold trip.

Benny's word

adverb

Formally. Now here is one of mine, and I want you to feel how it works. Formally is an adverb, and it tells you HOW a thing is done: in a proper, official way, by the rules, with the right words. The mayor formally welcomed the guests, meaning he did it the official way, not with a casual wave. Hear the -ly on the end; that is the coach's whistle that turns formal, the adjective, into formally, the how. When you dress formally, you dress the proper way. Make it sharper: do not just say someone spoke, tell me they spoke formally, and the reader knows exactly the manner of it. You can do that.

The mayor formally welcomed the guests before the ceremony began.

Benny's word

adverb

Personally. Another of mine, and a warm one. Personally is an adverb, telling you HOW a thing is done: in a way that comes from you yourself, not from someone sent in your place. When the coach personally thanked each player, she did it herself, face to face, no messenger. Hear that -ly again, turning personal into personally, the how. It also opens a sentence when you give your own view: personally, I would take the earlier bus. Do not confuse it with formally; formally is about being proper, and personally is about being yourself. Make the manner clear, and the reader feels who did the doing. Nicely done.

The coach personally thanked each player after the long season.