Make Your Point, Jr. > Words in ABC Order > poise

Study the word POISE: (Source) "Poise" comes from a word that means "a weight, or something that gets weighed." If someone has poise, that means they seem to stand strong, as if they're very good at balancing the weight of their own body, or as if they're very good at balancing all their thoughts. In other words, to have poise is to have a sense of calm grace or confidence, as if your body or mind is perfectly weighted or perfectly balanced. And, if you're poised to do something, you're perfectly ready to do it, as if you're standing in a strong, balanced way, totally prepared to begin. For example, if you hold your paintbrush like this, you're poised to paint. It means that your hand is in exactly the right position for you to start painting. (Source) If you place your hands like this over the piano keys, you're poised to play. It means you're in the right position to start playing. You're ready, and you're steady! (Source) This cat is poised to pounce. It means she's ready to pounce: she's holding her body in perfect balance, ready to leap out and attack any second. (Source) As we've seen, to be poised for something is to be ready to do it, as if you're standing still, or sitting still, about to begin at any moment. But "poise" is also a quality you can have. If you have poise, you hold yourself in a steady, graceful state of balance and preparation. Here's a musician with poise. See how confident and ready she stands! Her back is straight, and her mind is focused. (Source) And here's a dancer with poise. You can see her poise in the steady, confident way that she holds her body. (Source)   Make a flash card: You can write your own definition and choose your own picture, or copy mine. Term Definition Picture poise a sense of very controlled readiness; or, to be perfectly positioned to do something   Write your own sentence! You can use either of the two ideas I'll suggest, or you can invent your own. Include as much detail as you can! (Source)   Write a sentence with the word POISE: Remember: when you have poise, you have a strong, steady sense of confidence and readiness; and, when you're poised to do something, you're ready to do it—with your body, your mind, or both. Idea 1: "I admire (someone's) poise; (he or she) always makes it look so easy to (play a certain sport, play a certain musical instrument, or perform some other difficult task)." Idea 2: "I (sit or stand) (somewhere), poised to (do some task), just thinking first about how I'll (do some specific part of that task)." You can type in here. When you're done, copy and paste your sentence wherever you'd like it to go.