Make Your Point > Archived Issues > FOUNDERING

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connect today's word to others: You wouldn't want to mix up today's word, foundering, with our previous word, floundering. Could you explain what it means to flounder? Here's an example: "If you need a hearty laugh, search online for 'infomercial fails' to watch actors floundering wildly with all kinds of simple tasks--eating tacos, pouring milk, putting on shoes." make your point with... "FOUNDERING" The more familiar meaning of "founder" is, of course, "a person who creates something (such as a company)." But another meaning of "founder" is "to sink, to collapse completely, or to fall down helplessly." So, someone or something foundering is, literally or figuratively, sinking, failing, stumbling, breaking down, or falling down. Pronunciation: FOUN dur ing Part of speech: An adjective, a noun (the uncountable kind), and a verb: Adjectives are describing words, like "large" or "late." They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in "a foundering thing" or "a foundering person." 2. After a linking verb, as in "It was foundering" or "He was foundering." Uncountable nouns, like "milk," "rice," and "advice," 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 foundering," "this foundering," "its foundering," "such foundering," "no foundering," and so on, but don’t say "a foundering," "one foundering," or "founderings." To use "founder" as a verb, talk about people and things foundering: "he's been foundering," "she's still foundering," "to tell the truth, the project is foundering." Other forms: founder, foundered, founderous Why does it look the same as "founder," as in, a person who starts up a company? They're based on the same Latin root. In Latin, fundare means "to lay a foundation," and fundus means "a foundation, or the bottom of something." A founder is someone who starts at the bottom by laying a foundation for something; to founder, or to be foundering, is to sink to the bottom of something. How to use it: To be literal, talk about foundering ships, horses, riders, buildings, cliffs, etc. But we'll focus on figurative use. Talk about foundering plans, agendas, efforts, strategies, projects, programs, campaigns, careers, companies, industries, economies, etc. People, too, can be foundering: "those foundering students," "a foundering first-year teacher," "these foundering parents," "the foundering football team," "all winter I was grief-stricken and foundering." And we can say that our resolve is foundering, that our will to do something is foundering, or that our hearts or spirits are foundering. Lastly, you might say that someone or something is foundering in certain ways, foundering for a certain period of time, or foundering for the lack of something important. examples: The acronym SMART keeps our goals from foundering: it helps us check that our goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. Students who came to the US as kids often center their college entrance essays around those early foundering days of learning English and coping with culture shock. As real and as heartbreaking as each of those stories is, each is too commonplace to make for a unique essay--which, in itself, is also heartbreaking. study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "foundering" means when you can explain it without saying "failing" or "sinking like a ship." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "_____ keep(s) foundering for a lack of _____." Example: "Their attempts to hold social events down at the neighborhood clubhouse keep foundering for a lack of interest." 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. This month, we're playing with some beautifully worded passages from the Bible as we recall words we've studied before. From our previous issue: "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the f____f____s of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine." (New International Version, Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 9-10.) What's the missing phrase? Used literally, it means "the crops that get harvested first in a particular growing season." And used figuratively, it means "the first good results you get from a specific thing you're working on." I'll share the answer in the next issue. Answer: First fruits. Try this today: "Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever r_____s the wicked incurs abuse." (New International Version, Proverbs, chapter 9, verse 7.) What's the missing word? It means "scolds people harshly or points out how bad they are." review today's word: 1. One opposite of FOUNDERING is A. SOARING B. SWOOPING C. SAUNTERING 2. He's foundering in the polls, _____. A. proof that the public embraces his message B. hoping to see an upturn after his next speech C. losing support among millennials but more than making up for it among retirees 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. A 2. B