Word Power Made Easy - Norman Lewis 2014
9 How to talk about actions(Sessions 19-23)
Part two. Gaining increased momentum
Teaser preview
What verb means to:
✵ belittle?
✵ be purposely confusing?
✵ tickle someone’s fancy?
✵ flatter fulsomely?
✵ prohibit some food or activity?
✵ make unnecessary?
✵ work against?
✵ spread slander?
✵ give implicit forgiveness for a misdeed?
✵ change hostility to friendliness?
Session 19
Verbs are incalculably useful to you.
Every sentence you think, say, read, or write contains an implied or expressed verb, for it is the verb that carries the action, the movement, the force of your ideas.
As a young child, you used verbs fairly early.
Your first words, of course, were probably nouns, as you identified the things or people around you.
Mama, Dada, doll, baby, bottle, etc. perhaps were the first standard syllables you uttered, for naming concrete things or real persons is the initial step in the development of language.
Soon there came the ability to express intangible ideas, and then you began to use simple verbs—go, stop, stay, want, eat, sleep, etc.
As you gained maturity, your verbs expressed ideas of greater and greater complexity; as an adult you can describe the most involved actions in a few simple syllables—if you have a good store of useful verbs at your command.
The richer and more extensive your vocabulary of verbs, the more accurately and expressively you can communicate your understanding of actions, reactions, attitudes, and emotions.
Let’s be specific.
Ideas
1. playing it down
Ready to go back thirty or more years? Consider some postWorld War II American political history:
Harry Truman couldn’t win the 1948 election. The pollsters said so, the Republicans heartily agreed, even the Democrats, some in high places, believed it. Mr. Truman himself was perhaps the only voter in the country who was not entirely convinced.
Came the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November— well, if you were one of those who stayed up most of the night listening to the returns, and then kept your ear to the radio most of the next day, you recall how you reacted to the unique Truman triumph.
It was no mean accomplishment, thought many people. Pure accident, said others. If one out of twelve voters in a few key states had changed his ballot, Harry could have gone back to selling ties, one Republican apologist pointed out It wasn’t anything Truman did, said another; it was what Dewey didn’t do. No credit to Truman, said a third; it was the farmers—or labor—or the Republicans who hadn’t bothered to vote—or the ingenious miscounting of ballots. No credit to Truman, insisted a fourth; it was Wallace’s candidacy—it was the Democrats—it was Republican overconfidence—it was sunspots—it was the Communists—it was the civil service workers who didn’t want to lose their cushy jobs —it was really Roosevelt who won the election.
Anyway Harry didn’t accomplish a thing—he was just a victim of good fortune.
What were the apologists for Dewey’s failure doing?
They were disparaging Truman’s achievement.
2. playing it safe
Willing to look at some more history of the late 1940s?
Of course, Dewey did campaign, in his own way, for the presidency. As the Republican aspirant, he had to take a stand on the controversial Taft-Hartley Act.
Was he for it? He was for that part of it which was good. Naturally, he was against any of the provisions which were bad. Was he for it? The answer was yes—and also no. Take whichever answer you wanted most to hear.
What was Dewey doing?
He was equivocating.
3. enjoying the little things
Have you ever gone through a book that was so good you kept hugging yourself mentally as you read? Have you ever seen a play or motion picture that was so charming that you felt sheer delight as you watched? Or perhaps you have had a portion of pumpkinchiffon pie, light and airy and mildly flavored, and with a flaky, delicious crust, that was the last word in gustatory enjoyment?
Now notice the examples I have used. I have not spoken of books that grip you emotionally, of plays and movies that keep you on the edge of your seat in suspense, or of food that satisfies a ravenous hunger. These would offer quite a different, perhaps more lasting and memorable, type of enjoyment. I have detailed, rather, mental or physical stimuli that excite enjoyably but not too sharply—a delightful novel, a charming play, a delicious dessert.
How do such things affect you?
They titillate you.
4. playing it way up
You know how the teen-agers of an earlier generation adored, idolized, and overwhelmed Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, the Beatles?
And of course you know how certain people fall all over visiting celebrities—best-selling authors, much publicized artists, or famous entertainers. They show them ingratiating, almost servile attention, worship and flatter them fulsomely.*
* Fulsome 
does not mean, despite its appearance, fully or completely, but rather, offensive because of excessiveness or insincerity, often in reference to compliments, praise, admiration, or flattery.
How do we say it in a single word?
They adulate such celebrities.
5. accentuating the negative
What does the doctor say to you if you have low blood sugar? “No candy, no pastries, no chocolate marshmallow cookies, no ice cream!”, your morale dropping lower and lower as each favorite goody is placed on the forbidden list.
What, in one word, is the doctor doing?
The doctor is proscribing harmful items in your diet.
6. accentuating the affirmative
You are warm, friendly, enthusiastic, outgoing, easy to please; you are quick to show appreciation, yet accept, Without judgment or criticism, the human weaknesses of others.
You are a fascinating talker, an even better listener.
You believe in, and practice, honest self-disclosure; you feel comfortable with yourself and therefore with everyone else; and you have a passionate interest in experiencing, in living, in relating to people.
Need you have any fears about making friends? Obviously not.
Your characteristics and temperament obviate such fears.
7. playing it wrong
Theodor Reik, in his penetrating book on psychoanalysis Listening with the Third Ear, talks about neurotic people who unconsciously wish to fail. In business interviews they say exactly the wrong words, they do exactly the wrong things, they seem intent (as, unconsciously, they actually are) on insuring failure in every possible way, though consciously they are doing their best to court success.
What effect does such a neurotic tendency have?
It militates against success.
8. playing it dirty
“Harry?” He’s a closet alcoholic. Maud? She’s sleeping around —and her stupid husband doesn’t suspect a thing. Bill? He’s embezzling from his own company. Paul? He’s a child molester.
Sally? You don’t know that she’s a notorious husband-beater?” What is this character doing?
He’s maligning everyone.
9. giving the benefit of any doubt
Do you think it’s all right to cheat on your income taxes? At least just a little? It’s wrong, of course, but doesn’t everybody do it?
How do you feel about marital infidelity? Are you inclined to overlook the occasional philandering of the male partner, since, after all, to invent a cliche, men are essentially polygamous by nature?
If your answers are in the affirmative, how are you reacting to such legal or ethical transgressions?
You condone them.
10. changing hostility
Unwittingly you have done something that has aroused anger and resentment in your best friend. You had no desire to hurt him, yet he makes it obvious that he feels pretty bitter about the whole situation. (Perhaps you failed to invite him to a gathering he wanted to come to; or you neglected to consult him before making a decision on a matter in which he felt he should have some say.) His friendship is valuable to you and you wish to restore yourself in his good graces. What do you do?
You try to placate him.
Using the words
Can you pronounce the words?
Can you work with the words?
1. disparage
2. equivocate
3. titillate
4. adulate
5. proscribe
6. obviate
7. militate
8. malign
9. condone
10. placate
a. flatter lavishly
b. work against
c. prohibit
d. forgive
e. change hostility to friendliness
f. purposely talk in such a way as to be vague and misleading
g. slander
h. play down
i. make unnecessary
j. tickle; stimulate pleasurably
Key: 1-h, 2-f, 3-j, 4-a, 5-c, 6-i, 7-b, 8-g, 9-d, 10-e
Do you understand the words?
Key: 1-no, 2-yes, 3-yes, 4-no, 5-yes, 6-yes, 7-yes, 8-no, 9-yes, 10-yes
Can you use the words?
In this exercise you gain the value of actually writing a new word as a meaningful solution to a problem. To think about a word, to say it, to write it, to use it—that is the road to word mastery. Write the verb that best fits each situation.
1. You’ve been asked to take a stand on a certain issue, but you don’t have the courage to be either definitely for or against.
You ... .
2. You spread around an unpleasant story that you know will blacken someone’s reputation.
You ... that person.
3. Your friend is justifiably angry—you asked him to go to a party with you, ignored him all evening, and then finally left with someone else. What must you do if you wish to restore the relationship?
You must try to ... him.
4. You virtually worship your therapist. You express your admiration in lavish flattery; you praise her in such excessive terms that she appears devoid of all human frailty.
You ... her.
5. You are crowding 260 on the scales, so your doctor warns against high-calorie meals, rich desserts, second helpings, excessive carbohydrates, etc.
The doctor ... these foods.
6. Your child Johnnie has smacked the neighbor’s kid—entirely without provocation, you are forced to admit. But after all, you think, tomorrow the other kid will, with equal lack of provocation, probably smack Johnnie.
You ... Johnnie’s behavior.
7. When your son, understandably expecting praise, mentions the three B’s and two A’s he earned in his courses, you respond, callously, “Is that the best you can do? What stopped you from getting all A’s?”
You ... his accomplishment.
8. You have run out of cash and plan to go to the bank to make a withdrawal; then unexpectedly you discover a twenty-dollar bill you secreted in your desk drawer months ago.
Your find ... a trip to the bank.
9. You are the soul of honesty, but unfortunately, you have a sneaky, thievish, sinister look—and no one ever trusts you.
Your appearance ... against you.
10. The centerfold of Playboy or Play girl provides a mild and agreeable stimulation.
The centerfold ... you.
Key: 1-equivocate, 2-malign, 3-placate, 4-adulate, 5-proscribes, 6-condone, 7-disparage, 8-obviates, 9-militates, 10-titillates
Can you recall the words?
1. change hostility into friendliness
2. make unnecessary
3. belittle
4. overlook or forgive a transgression
5. tickle; delight; stimulate pleasurably
6. spread malicious rumors about
7. purposely use language susceptible of opposite interpretations
8. act to disadvantage of
9. forbid
10. worship; flatter fulsomely
1. P...
2. О...
3. D...
4. C...
5. T...
6. M...
7. E ...
8. M ...
9. P ...
10. A ...
Key: 1-placate, 2-obviate, 3-disparage, 4-condone, 5-titillate, 6-malign, 7-equivocate, 8-militate (against), 9-proscribe, 10-adulate
(End of Session 19)
Session 20 Origins and related words
1. equality
If you play golf, you know that each course or hole has a certain par, the number of strokes allowed according to the results achieved by expert players. Your own accomplishment on the course will be at par, above par, or below par.
Similarly, some days you may feel up to par, other days below par.
Par is from a Latin word meaning equal. You may try, when you play golf, to equal the expert score; and some days you may, or may not, feel equal to your usual self.
When we speak of parity payments to farmers, we refer to payments that show an equality to earnings for some agreed-upon year.
So when you disparage, you lower someone’s par, or feeling of equality, (dis- as you know,may be a negative prefix). The noun is disparagement 
the adjective disparaging 
as in “Why do you always make disparaging remarks about me?”
Parity 
as a noun means equality; disparityn
means a lack of equality, or a difference. We may speak, for example, of the disparity between someone’s promise and performance; or of the disparity between the rate of vocabulary growth of a child and of an adult. The adjective disparate 
indicates essential or complete difference or inequality, as in “Our philosophies are so disparate (hat we can never come to any agreement on action.”
The word compare and all its forms (comparable, comparative, etc.) derive from par, equal. Two things are compared when they have certain equal or similar qualities, (con-, com-, together, with).
Pair and peer are also from par. Things (shoes, socks, gloves, etc.) in pairs are equal or similar; your peers are those equal to you, as in age, position, rank, or ability. Hence the expression “to be judged by a jury of one’s peers.”
(British peers, however, such is the contradiction of language, were nobles.)
2. how to say yes and no
Equivocate is built on another Latin word meaning equal— aequus (the spelling in English is always equ-)—plus vox, vocis, voice.
When you equivocate 
you seem to be saying both yes and no with equal voice. An equivocal 
answer, therefore, is by design vague, indefinite, and susceptible of contradictory interpretations, quite the opposite of an unequivocal 
response, which says Yes! or No!, and no kidding, frotessionat politicians are masters of equivocation 
—nthey are, on most vital issues, mugwumps; they sit on a fence with their mugs on one side and their wumps on the other. You will often hear candidates for office say, publicly, that they unequivocally promise, if elected, to ...; and then they start equivocating for all they are worth, like people
who say, “Let me be perfectly frank with you”—and then promptly and glibly lie through their teeth.
3. statements of various kinds
Do not confuse equivocal with ambiguous 
An equivocal statement is purposely, deliberately (and with malice aforethought) couched in language that will be deceptive; an ambiguous statement is accidentally couched in such language. Equivocal is, in short, purposely ambiguous.
You will recall that ambi-, which we last met in ambivert and ambidextrous, is a root meaning both; anything ambiguous may have both one meaning and another meaning. If you say, “That sentence is the height of ambiguity,” you mean that you find it vague because it admits of both affirmative and negative interpretations, or because it may mean two different things. Ambiguity is pronounced 
Another type of statement or word contains the possibility of two interpretations—one of them suggestive, risque, or sexy. Such a statement or word is a double entendre. This is from the French and translates literally as double meaning. Give the word as close a french pronunciation as you can— 
(The n’s are nasalized, the r somewhat throaty, and the final syllable is barely audible.)
Review of etymology
Using the words
Can you pronounce the words?
Can you work with the words?
1. parity
2. disparity
3. disparagement
4. peer
5. equivocation
6. ambiguity
7. double entendre
a. belittlement
b. act of being deliberately vague or indirectly deceptive; statement that is deceptive or purposely open to contrary interpretations
c. quality of being open to misinterpretation; statement with this quality
d. statement or word with two meanings, one of them risque, indelicate, or of possible sexual connotation
e. inequality
f. equality
g. one’s equal
Key: 1-f, 2-e, 3-a, 4-g, 5-b, 6-c, 7-d
Do you understand the words?
Key: 1-yes, 2-no, 3-no, 4-yes, 5-yes, 6-no, 7-no, 8-yes, 9-yes, 10-no
Can your recall the words?
1. accidentally vague
2. purposely vague
3. equality
4. word or statement one meaning of which may be interpreted as risque
5. lack of equality
6. belittlement
7. clear; direct; capable of only one interpretation
8. essentially or widely unequal or different
9. one’s equal m age, rank, etc.
10. to use words in a calculated effort to mislead or to be ambiguous
1. A ...
2. E ...
3. P ...
4. D ...
5. D ...
6. D ...
7. U ...
8. D ...
9. P ...
10. E ...
Key: 1-ambiguous, 2-equivocal, 3-parity, 4-double entendre, 5-disparity, 6-disparagement, 7-unequivocal, 8-disparate, 9-peer, 10-equivocate
(End of Session 20)
Session 21 Origins and related words
1. more on equality
The root aequus, spelled equ- in English words, is a building block of:
1. equity (EK'-wa-tee)—-justice, fairness; i.e., equal treatment.
(By extension, stocks in the financial markets are equities, and the value of your home or other property over and above the amount of the mortgage you owe is your equity in it.) The adjective is equitable 
2. inequity 
— injustice, unfairness (equity plus the negative prefix in-). Adjective: inequitable 
3. iniquity 
—nby one of those delightful surprises and caprices characteristic of language, the change of a single letter (e to i), extends the meaning of a word far beyond its derivation and original denotation. Injustice and unfairness are sinful and wicked, especially if you naively believe that life is fair. So a “den of iniquity” is a place where vice flourishes; an iniquity is a sin or vice, or an egregiously immoral act; and iniquity is wickedness, sinfulness. Adjective: iniquitous 
4. equinox 
— etymologically, “equal night,” a combination of aequus and nox, noctis, night. The equinox, when day and night are of equal length, occurs twice a year: about March 21, and again about September 21 or 22. (The adjective is equinoctial — 
Nocturnal 
derived from nox, noctis, describes people, animals, or plants that are active or flourish at night rather than during daylight hours. Cats and owls are nocturnal, as is the moonflower, whose blossoms open at night; not to mention “night people,” whose biorhythms are such that they function better after the sun goes down, and who like tostay up late and sleep well into midmorning. A nocturne
is a musical composition of dreamy character (i.e., night music), or a painting of a night scene.
5. equanimity 
n — etymologically aequus plus animus, mind, hence “equal mind.” Maintain your equanimity, your evenness of temper, your composure, your coolness or calmness, when everyone around you is getting excited or hysterical, and you will probably be considered an admirable person, though one might wonder what price you pay for such emotional control. (Other words built on animus, mind, will be discussed in Chapter 12.)
6. Equability 
- a close synonym of equanimity. A person of equable 
or
temperament is characteristically calm, serene,
unflappable, even-tempered.
7. equilibrium 
— by derivation aequuspluslibra, balance, weight, pound, hence “equal balance.” Libra 
is the seventh sign of the zodiac, represented by a pair of scales. Now you know, in case the question has been bothering you, why the abbreviation for the word pound is lb. and why the symbol for the British pound, the monetary unit, is 
Equilibrium is a state of physical balance, especially between opposing forces. When you are very drunk you may have difficulty keeping your equilibrium—the force of gravity is stronger than your ability to stay upright. An equilibrist 
as you might guess, is a professional tightrope walker—a performer successfully defying the law of gravity (when sober) by balancing on a thin overhead wire.
The equator divides the earth into equal halves, and words like equation, equivalent, equidistant, equiangular, and equilateral (from Latin latus, lateris, side) are self-explanatory.
2. not to be confused with horses
Equestrian 
is someone on a horse (as pedestrian is someone on foot); an equestrienne 
is a woman on a horse (if you must make the distinction); and equine 
is like a horse, as in appearance or characteristics, or descriptive of horses.
Equestrian is also an adjective referring to horseback riding, as an equestrian statue; and equine is also a noun, i.e., a horse.
So the equ- in these words, from Latin equus, horse, is not to be confused with the equ- in the words of the previous section—that equ- is from aequus, equal. (Remember, also, not to confuse the ped- in pedestrian, from Latin pedis, foot, with the ped- in pediatrician, from Greek paidos, child.)
3. hear voices?
Equivocal, you will recall, combines aequus with vox, vocis, voice; and vox. vocis combines with fero, to bear or cany, to form vociferous 
etymologically “carrying (much) voice,” hence loud, noisy, clamorous, as vociferous demands (not at all quiet or subtle), or the vociferous play of young children (“Please! Try to be quiet so Dad can get his work done!”), though unfortunately TV addiction has abnormally eliminated child noises, at least during the program breaks between commercials. (Vociferous will be discussed at greater length in Chapter 10.)
If you are vocal 
you express yourself readily and freely by voice; vocal sounds are voiced; vocal music is sung; and you know what your vocal cords are for.
To vocalize 
is to give voice to (’"Vocalize your
anger, don’t hold it in!”), or to sing the vocals (or voice parts) of music. (Can you write the noun form of the verb vocalize? ...) A vocalist
is a singer. And Magnavox (vox plus magnus, large) is the trade name for a brand of radios and TV sets.
Review of etymology
Using the words
Can you pronounce the words? (I)
Can you pronounce the words? (II)
Can you work with the words? (I)
1. equity
2. inequity
3. iniquity
4. equinox
5. nocturne
6. equanimity
7. equilibrium
8. equestrian
9. equilibrist
10. equine
11. vocalist
a. time when night and day are of equal length
b. balance of mind; composure; calmness under trying circumstances
c. horseback rider
d. a horse
e. sinfulness; wickedness; immoral act; sin
f. unfairness, injustice
g. tightrope walker
h. singer
i. fairness, justice
j. balance, especially between opposing forces
k. night music
Key: 1-i, 2-f, 3-e, 4-a, 5-k, б-b, 7-j, 8-c, 9-g, 10-d, 11-h
Can you work with the words? Ill
1. equitable
2. inequitable
3. iniquitous
4. equinoctial
5. nocturnal
6. equable
7. equilateral
8. vociferous
9. vocal
10. vocalize
a. descriptive of time when night and day are of equal length
b. give voice to; sing
c. having equal sides
d. using, or referring to, the voice; freely expressing by voice
e. noisy, loud, clamorous
f. calm, unruffled, even-tempered
g. fair, just
h. referring or pertaining to, or active at, night
i. sinful, wicked, immoral
j. unfair, unjust
Key: 1-g, 2-j, 3—i, 4-a, 5-h, 6-f, 7-c, 8-e, 9-d, 10-b
Do you understand the words?
Key: 1-no, 2-yes, 3-no, 4-no, 5-yes, 6-no, 7-no, 8-yes, 9-yes 10-no, 11-yes, 12-no, 13-no
Can you recall the words? (I)
1. to give voice to; to express aloud; to sing
2. tightrope walker
3. active or flourishing at night
4. descriptive or characteristic of, or like, a horse
5. referring to the voice; skillful or fluent in expressing by voice
6. calm and unflappable in temperament
7. wicked, sinful
8. night music
9. fairness, justice
1. V ...
2. E ...
3. N ...
4. E ...
5. V ...
6. E ...
7. I ...
8. N ...
9. E ...
Key: 1-vocalize, 2-equilibrist, 3-noctumal, 4-equine, 5-vocal, 6-equable, 7-iniquitous, 8-noctume, 9-equity
Can you recall the words? (II)
1. loud, noisy, clamorous
2. person on horseback
3. calmness or evenness of temper
4. unfair, unjust
5. sin; wickedness; grossly immoral behavior
6. time when day and night are of equal length
7. fair, just, evenhanded
8. physical balance; balance between opposing forces
9. having equal sides
10. singer
1. V ...
2. E ...or E ...
3. E ...or E ...
4. L ...
5. I ...
6. E ...
7. E ...
8. E ...
9. E ...
10. V ...
Key: 1-vociferous, 2-equestrian or equestrienne, 3-equanimity or equability, 4—inequitable, 5-iniquity, 6-equinox, 7-equitable, 8-equilibrium, 9-equilateral, 10-vocalist
(End of Session 21)
Session 22 Origins and related words
1. how to tickle
Titillate comes from a Latin verb meaning to tickle, and may be used both literally and figuratively. That is (literally), you can titillate by gentle touches in strategic places; you are then causing an actual (and always very pleasant) physical sensation. Or you can (figuratively) titillate people, or their minds, fancies, palates (and this is the more common use of the word), by charm, brilliance, wit, promises, or in any other way your imagination can conceive.
Titillation 
has the added meaning of light sexual stimulation. (Note that both noun and verb are spelled with a double I, not a double t.)
2. how to flatter
A compliment is a pleasant and courteous expression of praise; flattery is stronger than acompliment and often considered insincere. Adulation 
is flattery and worship carried to an excessive, ridiculous degree. There are often public figures (entertainers, musicians, government officials, etc.) who receive widespread adulation, but those not in the public eye can also be adulated, as a teacher by students, a wife by husband (and vice versa), a doctor by patients, and so on. (The derivation is from a Latin verb meaning to fawn upon.)
The adjective adulatory 
ends in -ory, a suffix we are meeting for the first time in these pages. (Other adjective suffixes: -al, -ic, -ical, -ous.)
3. ways of writing
Proscribe, to forbid, is commonly used for medical, religious, or legal prohibitions.
A doctor proscribes a food, drug, or activity that might prove harmful to the patient. The church proscribes, or announces a proscription 
against, such activities as may harm its parishioners. The law proscribes behavior detrimental to the public welfare.
Generally, one might concede, proscribed activities are the most pleasant ones—as Alexander Woolcott once remarked, if something is pleasurable, it’s sure to be either immoral, illegal, or fattening.
The derivation is the prefix pro-, before, plus scribo, scriptus, to write. In ancient Roman times, a man’s name was written on a public bulletin board if he had committed some crime for which his property or life was to be forfeited; Roman citizens in good standing would thereby know to avoid him. In a similar sense, the doctor writes down those foods or activities that are likely to commit crimes against the patient’s health—in that way the patient knows to avoid them.
Scribo, scriptus is the building block of scores of common English words: scribe, scribble, prescribe, describe, subscribe, script, the Scriptures, manuscript, typescript, etc. Describe uses the prefix de-, down—to describe is, etymologically, “to write down” about. Manuscript, combining manus, hand (as in manual labor), with scriptus, is something handwritten—the word was coined before the invention of the typewriter. The Scriptures are holy writings. To subscribe (as to a magazine) is to write one’s name under an order or contract (sub-, under, as in subway, subsurface, etc.); to subscribe to a philosophy or a principle is figuratively to write one’s name under the statement of such philosophy or principle.
To inscribe is to write in or into (a book, for example, or metal or stone). A postscript is something written after (Latin post, after) the main part is finished.
Note how -scribe verbs change to nouns and adjectives:
Can you follow the pattern?
4. it's obvious
You are familiar with the word via, by way of, which is from the Latin word for road. (The Via Appia was one of the famous highways of ancient Roman times.) When something is obvious, etymologically it is right there in the middle of the road where no one can fail to see it—hence, easily seen, not hidden, conspicuous. And if you meet an obstacle in the road and dispose of it forthwith, you are doing what obviate says. Thus, if you review your work daily in some college subject, frenzied “cramming" at the end of the semester will be obviated. A large and steady income obviates fears of financial insecurity; leaving for work early will obviate worry about being late. To obviate, then, is to make unnecessary, to do away with, to prevent by taking effective measures or steps against (an occurrence, a feeling, a requirement, etc.). The noun is obviation
Surprisingly, via, road, is the root in the English word trivial (tri-, three). Where three roads intersect, you are likely to find busy traffic, lots of people, in short a fairly public place, so you are not going to talk of important or confidential matters, lest you be overheard. You will, instead, talk of trivial 
things —whatever is unimportant, without great significance; you will confine your conversation to trivialities 
or to trivia (also a plural noun, pronounced 
insignificant trifles.
5. war
Militate derives from militis, one of the forms of the Latin noun meaning soldier or fighting man. If something militates against you, it fights against you, i.e., works to your disadvantage. Thus, your timidity may militate against your keeping your friends. (Militate is always followed by the preposition against and, like
obviate, never takes a personal subject—you don’t militate against anyone, but some habit, action, tendency, etc. militates against someone or something.)
The adjective militant 
comes from the same
root. A militant reformer is one who fights for reforms; a militant campaign is one waged aggressively and with determination. The noun is militancy 
and militant is also a noun for the person—“Sally is a militant in the Women’s Liberation movement.”
Military and militia also have their origin in militis.
6. first the bad news
Built on Latin malus, bad, evil, to malign is to speak evil about, to defame, to slander. Malign is also an adjective meaning bad, harmful, evil, hateful, as in “the malign influence of his unconsciouswill to fail.” Another adjective form is malignant 
as in “a malignant glance,” i.e., one showing deep hatred, or “a malignant growth,” i.e., one that is cancerous (bad).
The noun of malignant is malignancy 
which, medically, is a cancerous growth, or, generally, the condition, state, or attitude of harmfulness, hatefulness, evil intent, etc. The noun form of the adjective malign is malignity 
Observe how we can construct English words by combining malus with other Latin roots.
Add the root dico, dictus, to say or tell, to form malediction 
a curse, i.e., an evil saying. Adjective: maledictory 
Add the root volo, to wish, to will, or to be willing, and we can construct the adjective malevolent 
wishing evil or harm—a malevolent glance, attitude, feeling, etc. The noun is malevolence 
Add the root facio, factus, to do or make (also spelled, in English words, fec-, fic-, factus, or,as a verb ending, -fy), to form the adjective maleficent 
doing harm or evil, or causing hurt—maleficent acts, deeds, behavior.
Can you figure out, and pronounce, the noun form of maleficent? ...
A malefactor 
is a wrongdoer, an evildoer, a criminal—a malefactor commits a malefaction 
a crime, an evil deed.
French is a “Romance” language, that is, a language based on Roman or Latin (as are, also, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and Romanian), and so Latin malus became French mal, bad, the source of maladroit 
clumsy, bungling, awk ward, unskillful, etymologically, having a “bad right hand.” (See adroit, Chapter 3.) The noun is maladroitness. Also from French mal: malaise 
an indefinite feeling of bodily discomfort, as in a mild illness, or as a symptom preceding an illness; etymologically, “bad ease,” just as disease (dis-ease) is “lack of ease.”
Other common words that you are familiar with also spring from Latin malus: malicious, malice, malady; and the same malus functions as a prefix in words like maladjusted, malcontent, malpractice, malnutrition, etc., all with the connotation of badness.
And what’s the good news? See Session 23.
Review of etymology
Working with the words
Can you pronounce the words? (I)
Can you pronounce the words? (II)
Can you work with the words? (I)
1. titillation
2. adulation
3. proscription
4. militancy
5. malignity
6. malediction
7. maladroitness
8. obviation
9. malevolence
10. malaise
a. prohibition
b. hatefulness; harmfulness
c. clumsiness
d. quality of wishing evil; ill- will
e. prevention; fact or act of making unnecessary or of doing away with
f. worship; excessive flattery
g. vague feeling of bodily discomfort
h. pleasurable stimulation; tickling
i. a curse
j. aggressiveness
Key: 1-h, 2-f, 3-a, 4-j, 5-b, 6-i, 7-c, 8-e, 9-d, 10-g
Can you work with the words? (Il)
1. adulatory
2. proscriptive
3. militant
4. malign
5. "trivial
6. maledictory
7. malevolent
8. maladroit
a. aggressive; “fighting”
b. of no great consequence
c. bearing ill-will; wishing harm d. of the nature of curses
e. clumsy, awkward
f. worshipful, adoring
g. bad, harmful, hurtful
h. relating or pertaining to prohibitions
Key: 1-f, 2-h, 3-a, 4-g, 5-b, 6-d, 7-c, 8-e
Do you understand the words?
Key: 1-no, 2-yes, 3-no, 4-no, 5-no, 6-yes, 7-no, 8-yes, 9-yes, 10-no
Can you recall the words? (I)
1. clumsy, awkward
2. bearing ill-will; wishing barm
3. pleasurable stimulation
4. a person aggressively fighting for a cause
5. prohibition against something injurious
6. excessive flattery; exaggerated admiration
7. vague feeling of general physical discomfort
8. a criminal; a wrongdoer
9. a curse
10. a crime; bad or evil act or behavior
1. M ...
2. M ...
3. T ...
4. M ...
5. P ...
6. A ...
7. M ...
8. M ...
9. M ...
10. M ...
Key: 1-maladroit, 2-malevolent, 3-titillation, 4-militant, 5-pro- scription, 6-adulation, 7-malaise, 8-malefactor, 9-malediction, 10-malefaction
Can you recall the words? (II)
1. fact or act of making unnecessary or of taking effective steps toward prevention
2. aggressive attitude
3. harmful, hurtful, bad
4. unimportant, insignificant
5. unimportant, insignificant things; trifles
6. cursing; of the nature of, or relating to, curses (adj.)
7. worshipful
1. О ...
2. M ...
3. M ... or M ... or M ...
4. T ...
5. T ... or T ...
6. M ...
7. A ...
Key: 1-obviation, 2-militancy, 3-malign, malignant, or maleficent, 4-trivial, 5-trivialities or trivia, 6-maledictory, 7-adulatory
(End of Session 22)
Session 23 Origins and related words
1. so now what's the good news?
Malus is bad; bonus is good. The adverb from the Latin adjective bonus is bene, and bene is the root found in words that contrast with the mat- terms we studied in the previous session.
So benign 
and benignant 
are kindly, good-natured, not harmful, as in benign neglect, a benign judge, a benign tumor (not cancerous), a benignant attitude to malefactors and scoundrels. The corresponding nouns are benignity 
and benignancy 
A malediction is a curse; a benediction 
is a blessing, a “saying good.” The adjective is benedictory 
In contrast to maleficent is beneficent 
doing good. The noun? ...
In contrast to malefactor is benefactor 
one who does good things for another, as by giving help, providing financial gifts or aid, or coming to the rescue when someone is in need. If you insist on making sexual distinctions, a woman who so operates is a benefactress 
And, of course, the person receiving the benefaction
the recipient of money, help, etc., is a beneficiary 
Benefit and beneficial are other common words built on the combination of bene and a form of facio, to do or make.
So let others be malevolent toward you—confuse them by being benevolent 
— wish them well. (Turn the other cheek? Why not?) The noun? ...
The adjective bonus, good, is found in English bonus, extra payment, theoretically—but not necessarily—for some good act;
in bonbon, a candy (a “good-good,” using the French version of the Latin adjective); and in bona fide 
etymologically, “in good faith,” hence valid, without pretense, deception, or fraudulent intent—as a bona fide offer, a bona fide effort to negotiate differences, etc. Fides is Latin for faith or trust, as in fidelity 
faithfulness; Fido, a stereotypical name for a dog, one’s faithful friend; infidel
one who does not have the right faith or religion (depending on who is using the term), or one who has no religion (Latin in-, not); and infidelity
unfaithfulness, especially to the marriage vows.
2. say, do, and wish
Benediction and malediction derive from dico, dictus, to say, tell. Dictate, dictator, dictation, dictatorial 
— words that signify telling others what to do (“Do as I say!”)— are built on dico, as is predict, to tell beforehand, i.e., to say that something will occur before it actually does (pre-, before, as in prescient).
The brand name Dictaphone combines dico with phone, sound; contradict, to say against, or to make an opposite statement (“Don’t contradict me!”; “That contradicts what I know”) combines dico with contra-, against, opposite; and addiction, etymologically “a saying to or toward,” or the compulsion to say “yes” to a habit, combines dico with ad-, to, toward.
Facio, factus, to do or make (as in malefactor, benefactor), has, as noted, variant spellings in English words: fec-, fic-, or, as a verb ending, -fy.
Thus factory is a place where things are made (-ory, place where); a fact is something done (i.e., something that occurs* or exists, or is, therefore, true); fiction, something made up or invented; manufacture, to make by hand (menus, hand, as in manuscript, manual), a word coined before the invention of machinery; artificial, made by human art rather than occurring in nature, as artificial flowers, etc.; and clarify, simplify, liquefy, magnify (to make clear, simple, liquid, larger) among hundreds of other -fy verbs.
Volo, to wish, to will, to be willing (as in malevolent, benevolent), occurs in voluntary, involuntary, volunteer, words too familiar to need definition, and each quite obviously expressing wish or willingness. Less common, and from the same root, is volition 
the act or power of willing or wishing, as in “of her own volition,” i.e., voluntarily, or “against her volition.”
3. if you please!
Placate is built on the root plac- which derives from two related Latin verbs meaning, 1) to please, and 2) to appease, soothe, or pacify.
If you succeed in placating an angry colleague, you turn that person’s hostile attitude into one that is friendly or favorable. The noun is placation 
the adjective either placative 
or placatory 
A more placatory attitude to those you have offended may help you regain their friendship; when husband and wife, or lovers, quarrel, one of them finally makes a placative gesture if the war no longer fulfills his or her neurotic needs—one of them eventually will wake up some bright morning in a placatory mood.
But then, such is life, the other one may at that point be implacable 
— im- is a respelling of in-, not, before the letter p. One who can be soothed, whose hostility can be changed to friendliness, is placable 
Implacable has taken on the added meaning of unyielding to entreaty or pity; hence, harsh, relentless, as “The governor was implacable in his refusal to grant clemency.”
The noun form of implacable is implacability
Can you write (and pronounce) the noun derived from placable? ...
If you are placid 
you are calm, easygoing, serene, undisturbed—etymologically, you are pleased with things as they are. Waters of a lake or sea, or the emotional atmosphere of a place, can also be placid. The noun is placidity 
If you are complacent 
you are pleased with yourself (com-, from con-, with, together); you may, in fact, such is one common connotation of the word, be smug, too pleased with your position or narrow accomplishments, too easily selfsatisfied, and the hour of reckoning may be closer than you realize. (Humans, as you know, are delighted to be critical of the contentment of others.)
The noun is complacence 
or complacency 
4. how to give—and forgive
To condone is to forgive, overlook, pardon, or be uncritical of (an offense, or of an antisocial or illegal act). You yourself might or might not indulge in such behavior or commit such an offense, but you feel no urge to protest, or to demand censure or punishment for someone else who does. You may condone cheating on one’s income tax, shoplifting from a big, impersonal supermarket, or exceeding the speed limit, though you personally observe the law with scrupulousness. (Not everyone, however, is so charitable or forgiving.) The noun is condonation
Condone is built on Latin dono, to give, the root found in donor, one who gives; donate, to give; and donation, a gift.
Review of etymology
Using the words
Can you pronounce the words? (I)
Can you pronounce the words? (II)
Can you work with the words? (I)
1. benign
2. benedictory
3. benevolent
4. bona fide
5. dictatorial
6. placatory
7. implacable
8. placid
9. complacent
a. wishing good things (for another) ; well disposed
b. domineering; giving orders in a manner permitting no refusal
c. not to be soothed or pacified; unyielding to pity or entreaty
d. tending, or intended, to pacify, to soothe, or to change hostility to friendliness
e. kindly, good-natured; not cancerous
f. calm, unruffled, undisturbed
g. self-satisfied; smug
h. of the nature of, or relating to, blessings
i. in good faith; sincere; valid
Key: 1-e, 2-h, 3-a, 4-i, 5-b, 6-d, 7-c, 8-f, 9-g
Can you work with the words? (II)
1. benevolence
2. benefaction
3. beneficiary
4. infidelity
5. volition
6. placation
7. fidelity
8. condonation
9. placidity
10. complacency
a. recipient of money, kindness, etc.
b. free will
c. act of overlooking, or of forgiving, an offense or transgression
d. faithfulness
e. self-satisfaction; smugness
f. calmness
g. act of pacifying, or of turning hostility or anger into friendly feelings
h. attitude of wishing good things for another
i. faithlessness
j. good deed; act of charity or kindness
Key: 1-h, 2-j, 3-a, 4-i, 5-b, 6-g, 7-d, 8-c, 9-f, 10-e
Do you understand the words? (I)
Key: 1-yes, 2-yes, 3-yes, 4-yes, 5-yes, 6-no, 7-yes, 8-no, 9-no, 10-no
Do you understand the words? (Il)
Key: 1-O, 2—S, 3-O, 4-O, 5-O, 6-S, 7-S, 8-O, 9-O, 10-O, 11-S, 12-S, 13-S, 14-O,15-S
Can you recall the words?
1. tending to give orders
2. act of overlooking (an offense, etc.)
3. unyieldingly hostile; beyond, soothing; relentless; pitiless
4. intended to soothe or pacify (adj.)
5. one’s desire, wishes, or unforced will
6. calmness
7. self-satisfaction; smugness
8. non-believer in the “true” religion
9. kindly; well disposed
10. unfaithfulness
11. involving a blessing (adj.)
12. doing something good or kind (adj.)
13. faithfulness
14. sincere; valid; in good faith
15. one who does something good, kind, or charitable (for another)
16. a kind or charitable deed
17. recipient of kindness, gift, etc.
18. able to be soothed or pacified
1. D ...
2. C ...
3. I ...
4. P ... or P ...
5. V ...
6. P ...
7. C ... or C ...
8. I ...
9. B ... orВ ... orВ ...
10. I ...
11. B ...
12. B ...
13. F ...
14. B ...
15. B ...
16. B ...
17. B ...
18. P ...
Key: 1-dictatorial, 2-condonation, 3-implacable, 4-placatory or placative, 5-volition, 6-placidity, 7-complacence or complacency, 8-infidel, 9-benign, benignant, or benevolent, 10-infidelity, 11-benedictory, 12-beneficent, 13-fidelity, 14-bona fide, 15-benefactor, 16-benefaction, 17-beneficiary, 18-placable
Chapter review
A. Do you recognize the words?
1. To belittle:
(a) titillate, (b) disparage, (c) adulate
2. To be purposely confusing:
(a) equivocate, (b) obviate, (c) proscribe
3. To work to the disadvantage of:
(a) malign, (b) militate, (c) placate
4. To slander:
(a) malign, (b) condone, (c) placate
5. Lack of equality:
. (a) parity, (b) disparity, (c) ambiguity
6. Phrase that may have two interpretations, one of them indelicate or ofi-color:
(a) equivocation, (b) ambiguity, (c) double entendre
7. Hateful:
(a) malignant, (b) benignant, (c) malaise
8. Ill will:
(a)malaise, (b) malevolence, (c) maleficence
9. Kindly:
(a) benevolent, (b) placid, (c) complacent
10. Inflexibly hostile:
(a) implacable, (b) placatory, (c) militant
11. Giving orders imperiously:
(a) benedictory, (b) dictatorial, (c) adulatory
12. Self-satisfaction:
(a) complacency, (b) placation, (c) placidity
Key: 1-b, 2-a, 3-b, 4-a, 5-b, 6-c, 7-a, 8-b, 9-a, 10-a, 11-b, 12-a
B. Can you recognize roots?
Key: 1-equal, 2-equal, 3-voice, 4-night, 5-balance, 6-side, 7-horse, 8-foot, 9-child, 10-carry, bear, 11-large, 12-write, 13-hand, 14-after, 15-road, 16-soldier, 17-bad, 18-say, tell, 19-wish, 20-do, make, 21-good, 22-faith, 23-sound, 24-please, soothe, pacify, 25-give
Teaser questions for the amateur etymologist
1. Keeping in mind the roots animus in equanimity and magnus in Magnavox or magnify, can you combine these two roots to form a noun meaning, etymologically, largeness of mind? ... Can you figure out the adjective form, ending in -ous, of the noun you have constucted? ...
2. If equilateral means equal-sided, can you construct an adjective meaning two-sided? ...
3. Trans- is a prefix meaning across. Build a verb meaning to write across (from one form or language to another): ... : What is the noun derived from this verb? ...
4. What disease was so named on the erroneous assumption that it was caused by “bad air?” ...
5. Facio may appear in English words as fee-. Using the prefix con-, together, can you form a noun sometimes used as a synonym for candy, cake, or ice cream (etymologically, “something made together”)? ...
(Answers in Chapter 18)
The thrill of recognition
You have been adding, over the past twenty-three sessions, hundreds of words to your vocabulary; you have been learning hundreds of prefixes, roots, and suffixes that make it possible for you to figure out the meaning of many unfamiliar words you may come across in your reading.
As time goes on and you notice more and more of the words you have studied whenever you read, or whenever you listen to lectures, the radio, or TV, the thrill of recognition plus the immediate comprehension of complex ideas will provide a dividend of incalculable value.
You will hear these words in conversation, and you will begin to use them yourself, unself-consciously, whenever something you want to say is best expressed by one of the words that exactly verbalizes your thinking. Another priceless dividend!
So keep on! You are involved in a dividend-paying activity that will eventually make you intellectually rich.
(End of Session 23)
Brief Intermission Five
How to speak naturally
Consider this statement by Louis Bromfield, a noted author: “If I, as a novelist, wrote dialogue for my characters which was meticulously grammatical, the result would be the creation of a speech which rendered the characters pompous and unreal.”
And this one by Jacques Barzun, former literary critic for Harper’s: “Speech, after all, is in some measure an expression of character, and flexibility in its use is a good way to tell your friends from the robots.”
Consider also this puckish remark by the late Clarence Darrow: “Even if you do learn to speak correct English, who are you going to speak it to?”
These are typical reactions of professional people to the old restrictions of formal English grammar. Do the actual teachers of English feel the same way? Again, some typical statements:
“Experts and authorities do not make decisions and rules, by logic or otherwise, about correctness,” said E. A. Cross, then Professor of English at the Greeley, Colorado, College of Education. “All they can do is observe the customs of cultivated and educated people and report their findings.”
“Grammar is only an analysis after the facts, a post-mortem on usage,” said Stephen Leacock in How To Write. “Usage comes first and usage must rule.” '
One way to discover current trends in usage is to poll a cross section of people who use the language professionally, inquiring as to their opinion of the acceptability, in everyday speech, of certain specific and controversial expressions. A questionnaire I prepared recently was answered by eighty-two such people—thirty-one authors, seven book reviewers, thirty-three editors, and eleven professors of English. The results, some of which will be detailed below, may possibly prove startling to you if you have been conditioned to believe, as most of us have, that correct English is rigid, unchangeable, and exclusively dependent on grammatical rules,
Test yourself
1. Californians boast of the healthy climate of their state.
Right. There is a distinction, says formal grammar, between healthy and healthful. A person can be healthy—I am still quoting the rule—if he possesses good health. But climate must be healthful, since it is conducive to health. This distinction is sometimes observed in writing but rarely in everyday speech, as you have probably noticed. Even the dictionaries have stopped splitting hairs—they permit you to say healthy no matter which of the two meanings you intend.
"Healthy climate” was accepted as current educated usage by twenty-six of the thirty-three editors who answered the questionnaire, six of the seven book reviewers, nine of the eleven professors of English, and twenty of the thirty-one authors. The earlier distinction, in short, is rapidly becoming obsolete.
2. Her new novel is not as good as her first one.
Right. If you have studied formal grammar, you will recall that after a negative verb the “proper” word is so, not as. Is this rule observed by educated speakers? Hardly ever.
In reference to the sentence under discussion, author Thomas W. Duncan remarked: “I always say—and write—as, much to the distress of my publisher’s copyreader. But the fellow is a wretched purist”
The tally on this use of as showed seventy-four for, only eight against.
3. We can’t hardly believe it.
Wrong. Of the eighty-two professional people who answered my questionnaire, seventy-six rejected this sentence; it is evident that can’t hardly is far from acceptable in educated speech. Preferred usage: We can hardly believe it
4. This is her.
Wrong. This substitution of her where the rule requires she was rejected by fifty-seven of my eighty-two respondents. Paradoxically enough, although “It’s me” and “This is me” are fully established in educated speech, “This is her” still seems to be condemned by the majority of cultivated speakers. Nevertheless, the average person, I imagine, may feel a bit uncomfortable saying “This is she”—it sounds almost too sophisticated.
This is more than an academic problem. If the voice at the other end of a telephone conversation makes the opening move with “I’d like to speak to Jane Doe.[your name, for argument’s sake],” you are, unfortunately, on the horns of a very real dilemma. “This is she” may sound prissy—“This is her” may give the impression that you’re uneducated. Other choices are equally doubtful. “Talking!” is suspiciously businesslike if the call comes to your home, and “I am Jane Doe!” may make you feel like the opening line of a high school tableau. The need for a decision arises several times in a busy day—and, I am sorry to report, the English language is just deficient enough not to be of much help. I wonder how it would be if you just grunted affably?
5. Who are you waiting for?
Right. Formal grammar not only requires whom but demands that the word order be changed to: “For whom are you waiting?” (Just try talking with such formality on everyday occasions and see how long you’ll keep your friends.)
Who is the normal, popular form as the first word of a sentence, no matter what the grammatical construction; and an opinion by Kyle Crichton, a well-known magazine editor, is typical of the way many educated people feel. Mr. Crichton says: “The most loathsome word (to me at least) in the English language is whom. You can always tell a half-educated buffoon by the care he takes in working the word in. When he starts it, I know I am faced with a pompous illiterate who is not going to have me long as company.”
The score for acceptance of the sentence as it stands (with who) was sixty-six out of eighty-two. If, like most unpedantic speakers, you prefer who to whom for informal occasions, or if you feel as strongly about whom as Mr. Crichton does, you will be happy to hear that modem trends in English are all on your side.
6. Please take care of whomever is waiting.
Wrong. Whomever is awkward and a little silly in this sentence and brings to mind Franklin P.' Adams’ famous remark on grammar: ’“Whom are you?’ asked Cyril, for he had been to night school.” It is also contrary to grammatical rule. People who are willing to be sufficiently insufferable to use whomever in this construction have been tempted into error by the adjacent word of. They believe that since they are following a preposition with an objective pronoun they are speaking impeccable grammar. In actuality, however, whomever is not the object of the preposition of but the subject of the verb is waiting. Preferable form: Please take care of whoever is waiting.
7. Whom would you like to be if you weren’t yourself?
Wrong. Here is another and typical example of the damage which an excessive reverence for whom can do to an innocent person’s speech. Judged by grammatical rule, whom is incorrect in this sentence (the verb to be requires who); judged by normal speech patterns, it is absurd. This use of whom probably comes from an abortive attempt to sound elegant.
8. My wife has been robbed.
Right — if something your wife owns was taken by means of thievery. However, if your wife herself was kidnapped, or in some way talked into leaving you, she was stolen, not robbed. To rob is to abscond with the contents of something—to steal is to walk off with the thing itself. Needless to say, both forms of activity are highly antisocial and equally illegal.
9. Is this desert fattening?
Wrong. The dessert that is fattening is spelled with two s’s. With one s, it’s a desert, like the Sahara. Remember the two s’s in dessert by thinking how much you’d like two portions, if only your waistline permitted.