Make Your Point > Archived Issues > SAVOIR-FAIRE

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explore the archives: You'll recognize in "savoir-faire" the root that goes all the way back to Latin sapare, meaning "to be wise." We've looked at some other words that came from this same root: 1. A word that rhymes with "radiance" that means "good judgment or the power to understand things deeply." 2. A word that rhymes with "croissant" that means "a person who is both incredibly wise and distinguished in his or her field." make your point with... "SAVOIR-FAIRE" French for "knowing how to do," savoir-faire is the ability to say and do the right thing at the right time in social situations. Pronunciation: SAV warr FAIR (That middle syllable "warr" rhymes with "far.") Part of speech: Uncountable noun. (Like "milk," "rice," and "education," 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 education," but you don’t say "a milk," "three rices," or "many educations." Likewise, talk about "his savoir-faire," "such savoir-faire," "a touch of savoir-faire," "no savoir-faire," and so on, but don’t say "savoir-faires.") Other forms: none How to use it: You usually talk about a particular person's savoir-faire: his savoir-faire, her savoir-faire, the savoir-faire typical of a good hostess, their growing sense of savoir-faire. You can also show, display, or demonstrate savoir-faire; you can develop savoir-faire; you can say or do something with savoir-faire; you can gain or lose confidence in your savoir-faire, and so on. Some prefer to write this as two words, "savoir faire," but the hyphenated version seems much more common today. examples: Our mom always tried to help us develop savoir-faire; in elementary school, we learned never to mention party plans in front of classmates who weren't invited. The Hunger Games and "The Lottery" have this irony in common: characters who pride themselves on savoir-faire while carrying out their society's brutal traditions. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "savoir-faire" means when you can explain it without saying "tact" or "social skills." try it out: Think of someone you know who can handle any social situation, and fill in the blanks: "(Person) shows (his/her) savoir-faire whenever _____." Example: "Heidi shows her savoir-faire whenever she uses humor to negate tension before it escalates." 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. When it comes to word roots, everybody knows what some of them mean, like “ambi/amphi” (“both”) and “circum” (“around”) and “hetero” (“different”). This knowledge helps you explain why words like “automobile” and “autobiography” look similar—in this case, it’s because they both involve the concept of “self.” But what about some of the less obvious roots? Could you explain, for example, why “contain” looks so much like “sustain” by defining “tain”? This month, we're exploring the meanings underlying common words you know. You can usually figure these out by looking for an extremely basic concept common to all the words in each group. We’ll start with easier, more obvious roots and move on to trickier ones as the month goes on! Yesterday's question:  In aspire, conspire, expire, inspire, perspire, and spirit, what does “spir” mean?  Answer: To breathe. Try this one today: In aspersions, disperse, intersperse, and sparse, what does “spar/sper” mean? review today's word: 1. The opposite of SAVOIR-FAIRE is A. DIPLOMACY B. WITHDRAWAL C. GAUCHERIE 2.  She knows that she's hopelessly _____ yet dreams of gaining all the savoir-faire of _____. A. poor .. a monarch B. dull .. a genius C. shy .. a socialite Answers are below. a final word: To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: Word meanings presented here are expressed in plain language and are limited to common, useful applications only. Readers interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words are encouraged to check a dictionary. Likewise, word meanings, usage, and pronunciations are limited to American English; these elements may vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. C 2. C