Make Your Point > Archived Issues > TEMPESTUOUS

Send Make Your Point issues straight to your inbox.

"TEMPESTUOUS" Meaning: Something tempestuous is like a tempest: like a rough, violent storm. Pronunciation: tem PEST you us Part of speech: Adjective. (Adjectives are describing words, like “large” or “late.” They can be used in two ways: 1. Right before a noun, as in “a tempestuous relationship.” 2. After a linking verb, as in "Their relationship was tempestuous.”) Other forms: tempest(s,) tempestuously, tempestuousness How to use it: You can be serious, sarcastic, or exaggerating as you talk about tempestuous relationships or affairs, tempestuous people and personalities, tempestuous tasks and activities, tempestuous periods of time, tempestuous feelings (like tempestuous anger or tempestuous jealousy) and so on. I used to follow the tempestuous careers of actresses and pop stars, but now I find it all very silly and boring. Having to call tech support for my website host pretty much always gets me into a tempestuous state. Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "tempestuous" means when you can explain it without saying "agitated" or "turbulent." Think of a place or event that seems chaotic to you, and fill in the blank: "(I couldn't wait to escape from/I was captivated by) the tempestuous _____." Example: "I was captivated by the tempestuous ice skating rink, although I certainly didn't want to go out there myself." Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game and quote below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Playing With Words: This month, we're playing New Word Order! It's a card game that I recently created; it involves figuring out the order in which certain words and phrases entered our language. I'll give you several words and/or phrases, and you'll use your knowledge of history, slang, technology, popular culture, fashion, psychology, etc. to put them into chronological order. I'll post the right answer to each question on the following day. If you like this game, you can download and print it to play with your family and friends. (It's free.) When you play New Word Order on hard mode with a group of friends, you make one big timeline together, which can get pretty long—and that makes it challenging to place new terms on it! For about the final third of this month, we’re building one big timeline. (And we’ll finish out the month—the 28th through the 30th— with three unique and highly challenging questions.) Yesterday's task was to add "brainwashing" to this timeline: Parallel parking, 1962 Pimped-out, 1988 Answer: Brainwashing, 1950 Parallel parking, 1962 Pimped-out, 1988 Today, add this term to the timeline above: "fauxhawk." Special preview of next month's game: In December, we'll be sampling questions from Orijinz, an awesome series of games about words, phrases, and quotes. Click here or on the logo below if you want to go ahead and check them out! A Point Well Made: T. S. Eliot: “We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time.” 1. The opposite of TEMPESTUOUS is A. HAPPY B. PEACEFUL C. FREE 2. Her tempestuous _____ are getting out of hand. A. kitchen appliances B. credit card applications C. mood swings Answers are below. To be a sponsor and send your own message to readers of this list, please contact Liesl at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each day for free by Mrs. Liesl Johnson, M.Ed., a word lover, learning enthusiast, and private tutor of reading and writing in the verdant little town of Hilo, Hawaii. For writing tips, online learning, essay guidance, and more, please visit www.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. B 2. C Exploring the archives: Today we're looking at "tempestuous," the adjective form of "tempest," a violent storm. When you need to take that idea further and compare something to a violent storm that's turned into a whirlpool, sucking in everything, what eerie-sounding word starting with "m" could you pick?