Unit 11

Roots & Words

ASPER ROUGH, HARSH

Aspersion (n) – A damaging remark, A criticism

Synonyms – slander, disparagement

Antonyms – compliment, praise

Helpful Hints: You often hear this word in the phrase “cast aspersions” meaning “say nasty things about someone”

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Darryl’s parents taught him well to never cast aspersions against his classmates, as he never knew what difficulties they had gone through in their lives.

Exasperation (n) – Extreme annoyance or frustration

Synonyms – aggravation

Antonyms – contentment

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Donald’s exasperation hit its peak when both his plumbing and electricity failed during the mild storm.

COGN / GNOS KNOW, UNDERSTAND

Cognition (n) – The act of knowing, Perception

Synonyms – comprehension, awareness

Antonyms – ignorance, unawareness

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The couple bought interactive DVDs and trendy books in an attempt to assist their newborn child’s cognition.

Prognosis (n) – A forecast or educated guess, especially of the outcome of a disease or affliction

Synonyms – expectation, prediction

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Maria was thrilled by her doctor’s thoroughly positive prognosis of her ailments, while her sister was more pessimistic and believed there might still be a problem.

HER / HERE CLING

Cohesive (adj) – Tending to stick together, united

Synonyms – unified, coherent

Antonyms – separated, incoherent

You May Remember: From unit 5, CO- means “Together,” so a cohesive argument is one that clings or holds together well

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Midori’s essay was given an A, mostly because of her cohesive analysis of the recurring symbolism in the novel.

Incoherent (adj) – 1. Without logical connection, Rambling, Disconnected

Synonyms – incomprehensible, disjointed

Antonyms – coherent, intelligible

You May Remember: From unit 2, IN- means NOT, so incoherent literally means “not clinging together”

SAMPLE SENTENCE: When people talk in their sleep, what they say is usually incoherent and doesn’t make sense to an outside listener.

EU- WELL, GOOD

Eulogy (n) – A speech of praise, usually to honor a deceased person

Synonyms – tribute, accolade, commendation

Antonyms – condemnation, criticism

You May Remember: From our first unit, the suffix -LOGY means “The study of,” and so a eulogy for someone is a study of all of the good that person has done

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The wife’s eulogy was powerful, and nearly everyone at the funeral service was in tears.

Euphemism (n) – The use of a mild or gentle expression in place of one that is offensive or blunt

Synonyms – expression, delicacy, genteelism

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The judge used pleasant euphemisms like spirited and interesting when critiquing the young dancer’s frantic and awkward performance.

PER THROUGH

Impervious (adj) – Impenetrable, Incapable of being injured

Synonyms – resistant, unaffected

Antonyms – exposed, vulnerable

You May Remember: Since IM- (unit 2) means “NOT” in this case, an impervious defense is one that you cannot go through

SAMPLE SENTENCE: Being the youngest of eight children, she was virtually impervious to insults from her classmates, as she had heard far worse from her own brothers and sisters.

Peruse (v) – To read with incredible detail

Synonyms – inspect, scrutinize

Antonyms – overlook, skim

Helpful Hints: Many, many people use this word to mean its exact opposite, thinking that to peruse means to read through something casually, or to skim.

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The boss was successful in finding such talented workers because of the amount of time she dedicated to perusing the applications of her potential employees.

SECU / SEQU FOLLOW

Inconsequential (adj) – Of little or no importance

Synonyms – unimportant, insignificant

Antonyms – important, considerable

You May Remember: IN (unit 2) means NOT, and CON (unit 5) means WITH, so something inconsequential “does not follow with” whatever is around it

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The Yankees catcher hit an inconsequential home run in the ninth inning—the Royals were still winning by nine afterward.

Obsequious (adj) – Servile, fawning, ingratiatingly obedient, Being a “kiss up”

Synonyms – submissive, compliant

Antonyms – brazen, disobedient

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The celebrity soon grew tired of his obsequious neighbors, who brought over gift baskets solely in an attempt to get him to invite them into his home.

CLUD / CLUS SHUT

Secluded (adj) – Sheltered or removed from general activity or view

Synonyms – concealed, obscured

Antonyms – open, uncovered

SAMPLE SENTENCE: In order to finish his novel, Clarence had to rent a cabin in a secluded corner of the Canadian wilderness.

Reclusive (adj) – Shut off from the world, Living in solitude

Synonyms – withdrawn, solitary

Antonyms – sociable

SAMPLE SENTENCE: His family’s obsession with social media was disappointing and made him become even more reclusive, closing his e-mail accounts and losing contact with several friends and relatives in the process.

-IFY TO BECOME

Petrify (v) – 1. To turn into stone or like a stone 2. To horrify, to terrify

Synonyms – 2. frighten, shock

Antonyms – 2. reassure

Helpful Hints: If you have ever heard of a petrified forest, that is when the wood has turned to stone. If a movie makes you petrified, it is as if you have been frozen to your seat, like a stone statue

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The mouse was petrified by the shriek of the attacking owl, and so it froze in its tracks.

Ratify (v) – To confirm by formal approval or sanction

Synonyms – affirm, approve

Antonyms – revoke, veto

SAMPLE SENTENCE: The ban on poker games during lunchtime was ratified by the school committee by a vote of eight against one.