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After yesterday's "vie," you were probably expecting a word starting with W today. But I actually shared our last W-word already! It was w___a___, meaning dull and boring in a very routine way. Do you recall it?
So, moving straight on to today's adept, meaning "very skilled" or "very proficient," could you recall a close synonym starting with D? It has one syllable and means skillful in a clever, expert, neat way.
And here's a fun fact about adept: it originally described people who were believed to have mastered alchemy or magic. Does that you remind you of our very recent term t______ q___? It means "third thing" but originally described a magical substance you'd get by brewing together two others.
make your point with...
"ADEPT"
Something or someone adept is very skillful or very knowledgeable when it comes to doing something specific.
And, an adept is a person who is very skillful and very knowledgeable when it comes to some specific thing.
Pronunciation:
uh DEPT
Part of speech:
Both an adjective ("an adept thing," "an adept person," "he's adept," "it was adept")
and a noun meaning a person ("he's an adept," "only adepts can do this").
Other forms:
adepts, adeptly, adeptness
How to use it:
For the adjective, you usually talk about someone who's adept at doing something: he's adept at predicting the weather; she's adept at nixing tension with the use of humor.
You can also just put "adept" before the noun describing the person whenever it's obvious what they're adept at: adept pickpockets, adept negotiators, adept teachers.
Or, you might say someone has an adept way of doing something, or say that someone is socially adept, linguistically adept, physically adept, etc.
For the noun, say that someone is an adept in a particular field or skill, or say that someone is an adept at a particular task: she's an adept in impersonating others' voices; he's an adept at making his clients' resumes more appealing.
examples:
Once you get adept at changing diapers and living with sleep deprivation, taking care of a newborn is pretty manageable.
For writers adept in vastly different genres, using a pseudonym for each seems wise. (I wouldn't buy a kids' novel written by a business writer, you know?)
study it now:
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "adept" means when you can explain it without saying "expert" or "proficient."
try it out:
Think of how you compensate for a particular weakness of yours, and fill in the blanks: "Because I'm adept at (doing something in particular), that tends to make up for my (weakness in doing something else in particular)."
Example: "Because I'm usually adept at keeping detailed notes and lists, that tends to make up for my forgetfulness."
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.
Language Techniques:
When language sounds beautiful or memorable, often there’s some particular technique responsible for that effect. Each day this month, I’ll give you a specific stylistic technique or quality, and I’d like you to recreate (as closely as you can) the quote that I’ve botched by removing it. We’ll work our way from the easiest to the hardest techniques. Enjoy!
From yesterday:
A simile, as you probably remember from English class, is a comparison between things that uses the word "like" or "as." These can add color and concreteness to an idea, making it memorable. For an example, let's go back to Cicero, who said: "A room without books is like a body without a soul." Similes don't have to be so serious--here's one from Lemony Snicket: "Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like." Forrest Gump's mom didn't say, "In life, you never know what you're gonna get." What did she say instead?
Answer: "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."
Try this one today:
Like a simile but firmer and more dramatic, a metaphor is a comparison between things that doesn't use the word "like" or "as"--it just says that one thing IS another. For example, Franz Kafka wrote that "A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us." In other words, a book isn't just like an axe; it is an axe. Emily Dickinson didn't write, "Hope is like something in your soul that sings without stopping." What did she write instead?
review today's word:
1. The opposite of ADEPT is
A. INADVERTENT
B. INCOMPETENT
C. INDECENT
2. Helen Keller, both blind and deaf, was adept in _____.
A. lectures in which the professors wouldn't accommodate her
B. animals, especially dogs and ponies
C. lipreading and, later, speaking
Answers are below.
a final word:
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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. B
2. C
After yesterday's "vie," you were probably expecting a word starting with W today. But I actually shared our last W-word already! It was w___a___, meaning dull and boring in a very routine way. Do you recall it?
"ADEPT" Something or someone adept is very skillful or very knowledgeable when it comes to doing something specific. Pronunciation: Part of speech: Other forms:
Once you get adept at changing diapers and living with sleep deprivation, taking care of a newborn is pretty manageable.
Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "adept" means when you can explain it without saying "expert" or "proficient."
Think of how you compensate for a particular weakness of yours, and fill in the blanks: "Because I'm adept at (doing something in particular), that tends to make up for my (weakness in doing something else in particular)."
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.
1. The opposite of ADEPT is
To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
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