Make Your Point > Archived Issues > GRIDLOCK

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connect today's word to others: Today's gridlock is an easy word, a common word, but still, a powerful metaphor that's worth considering. I love its appropriately harsh consonants as well as the image it conjures up: an entire grid of city roads, cars locked in place bumper to bumper, not moving. When you'd rather conjure up an image of timber blocking up the flow of a river, instead of gridlock, you'd pick the word l____m. (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "GRIDLOCK" Of course, literal gridlock is a state of very bad traffic, specifically the kind when an entire network or grid of streets is completely blocked up. And figurative gridlock is any situation in which an entire process or system isn't working, because nothing is flowing, or because nothing is getting done. Pronunciation: GRID lock Part of speech: Usually a noun, the uncountable kind. (Like "milk," "rice," and "advice," uncountable nouns are words for stuff that can’t be broken into exact units. You talk about "some milk," "the rice," and "a lot of advice," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many advices." Likewise, talk about "the gridlock," "this gridlock," "its gridlock," "such gridlock," "no gridlock," and so on, but don’t say "a gridlock," "one gridlock," or "gridlocks.") Other forms: You can use "gridlock" loosely like an adjective: "gridlock politics," "gridlock mentality." "Gridlock" is a verb, too: you can gridlock things, or say that things are gridlocking with or into each other. And, you can describe things or people as gridlocked. How to use it: This word has a negative tone. Often we talk about political gridlock, or more specifically, partisan gridlock, policy gridlock, legislative gridlock, etc. But you can talk about the gridlock in any situation, system, process, work environment, economic market, etc. You might talk about the people, the factors, the decisions, and the circumstances that create or cause or spell gridlock--or those that end or ease or resolve gridlock. And you can say that something ends in gridlock or results in gridlock, or that something is under gridlock, trapped in gridlock, etc. examples: Even when they leave prison, felons find themselves gridlocked, denied access to housing and employment. "Growing intolerance in the U.S. is a puzzle because disagreeing about policies need not cause rampant mistrust and legislative gridlock."    — Cameron Brick and Sander van der Linden, Scientific American, 19 June 2018 study it now: Look away from the screen to define "gridlock" without saying "standstill" or "impasse." try it out: Fill in the blank: "Our attempts to _____ met with gridlock." Example: "Our attempts to get all fifteen of us to agree on a restaurant met with gridlock." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Complete the Limerick! In each issue this month, finish off the last line of the poem with a word or phrase we've checked out before. From the previous issue: The noise of preschoolers' diversions, Their riotous, rowdy dispersions: Happy sounds hammer us. Nothing more clamorous Than their alarums and excursions. Try this one today: He publishes uninterruptedly, His stories rife with moribundity. Stephen King’s mind Is one of a kind, Brimming with gory _________. review today's word: 1. A close opposite of GRIDLOCK is A. FREEDOM. B. PROGRESSION. C. PANDEMONIUM. 2. Gridlocking his weekly calendar is _____. A. a commonsense practice, since it's stored in the cloud B. a brief meditation session each morning and early evening C. an overabundance of lessons, club meetings, and athletic practices Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. B 2. C