The Century Vocabulary Builder Part 38

IX

MANY-SIDED WORDS

In Chapter VII you made a study of printed distinctions between synonyms.

In Chapter VIII you were given lists of synonyms and made the distinctions yourself. Near the close of Chapter VIII you were given words and discovered for yourself what their synonyms are. This third stage might seem to reveal to you the full joys and benefits of your researches in this subject. Certainly to find a new word for an old one is an exhilarating sort of mental travel. And to find a new word which expresses exactly what an old one expressed but approximately is a real acquisition in living. But you are not yet a perfectly trained hunter of synonyms.

Some miscellaneous tasks remain; they will involve hard work and call your utmost powers into play.

Of these tasks the most important is connected with the hint already given that many words, especially if they be generic words, have two or more entirely different meanings. Let us first establish this fact, and afterwards see what bearing it has on our study of synonyms.

My friend says, "I hope you will have a good day." Does he mean an enjoyable one in general? a profitable or lucrative one, in case I have business in hand? a successful one, if I am selling stocks or buying a house? Possibly he means a suns.h.i.+ny day if I intend to play golf, a snowy day if I plan to go hunting, a rainy day if my crops are drying up. The ideas here are varied, even contradictory, enough; yet _good_ may be used of every one of them. _Good_ is in truth so general a term that we must know the attendant circ.u.mstances if we are to attach to it a signification even approximately accurate. This does not at all imply that _good is_ a term we may brand as useless. It implies merely that when our meaning is specific we must set _good_ aside (unless circ.u.mstances make its sense unmistakable) in favor of a specific word.

_Things is_ another very general term. In "Let us wash up the things"

it likely means dishes or clothes. In "Hang your things in the closet" it likely means clothes. In "Put the things in the tool-box" it likely means tools. In "Put the things in the sewing-basket" it likely means thread, needles, and scissors. In "The trenches are swarming with these things" it likely means cooties. A more accurate word is usually desirable. Yet we may see the value of the generality in the saying "A place for everything, and everything in its place."

_Good_ and _things_ are not alone in having mult.i.tudinous meanings. There are in the language numerous many-sided words. These words should be studied carefully. True, they are not always employed in ambiguous ways. For example, _right_ in the sense of correct is seldom likely to be mistaken for _right_ in the sense of not-left, but a reader or hearer may frequently mistake it for _right_ in the sense of just or of honorable. In the use of such words, therefore, we cannot become too discriminating.

EXERCISE H

This exercise concerns itself with common words that have more than one meaning. Make your procedure as follows. First, look up the word itself.

Under it you will find a number of defining words. Then look up each of these in turn, until you have the requisite number and kind of synonyms.

(The word is sure to have more synonyms than are called for.) You will have to use your dictionary tirelessly.

Find three synonyms for _bare_ as applied to the body; three for it as applied to a room.

Give three other words that might be used instead of _bear_ in the sentence "The pillar bears a heavy weight"; three in the sentence "He bore a heavy load on his back"; three in the sentence "He bore the punishment that was unjustly meted out to him"; three in the sentence "He bore a grudge against his neighbor"; two in the sentence "The field did not bear a crop last year."

Give ten synonyms for _bold_ as applied to a warrior; ten as applied to a young girl. Observe that the synonyms in the first list are favorable in import and suggest the idea of bravery, whereas those in the second list are unfavorable and suggest the idea of brazenness. How do you account for this fact? Can you think of circ.u.mstances in which a young girl might be so placed that the favorable synonyms might be applied to her?

Give as many words as you can, at least twelve, that can be used instead of _bright_ as applied to a light, a diamond, a wet pavement, or a live coal. Give three words for _bright_ as applied to a child of unusual intelligence; two as applied to an occasion that promises to turn out well; two as applied to a career that has been signally successful.

Give five synonyms for clear as applied to water: ten as applied to a fact or a statement; three as applied to the sky or atmosphere; three as applied to the voice; two as applied to a pa.s.sageway or a view; three as applied to one's judgment or thinking.

Give three words that could be subst.i.tuted for _close_ as applied to the atmosphere in a room; four as applied to a person who is uninclined to talk about a matter; three as applied to something not far off; four as applied to a friend; five as applied to a person who is reluctant to spend money; five as applied to a translation; five as applied to attention or endeavor.

Subst.i.tute in turn four words for _discharge_ in the sentence "The judge discharged the prisoner"; two in the sentence "The foreman discharged the workman"; two in the sentence "The hunter discharged the gun"; three in the sentence "The sore discharged pus"; two in the sentence "My neighbor discharged the debt"; two in the sentence "He discharged his duty."

. Name three words besides dull_ that could be applied to a blade or a point; five to a person with slow intellect; three to indifference toward others; two to a color; three to a day that is not cheerful; five to talk or discourse that is not interesting.

. Subst.i.tute five words for _fair_ in the sentence "He gave a fair judgment in the case"; three in the sentence "The son made a fair showing in his studies"; four in the sentence "She had a fair face"; two in the sentence "Her complexion was fair"; three in the sentence "Let no shame ever fall upon your fair name."

. Find two words that you can subst.i.tute for _false_ as applied to a signature, to a report or a piece of news, to jewels or money, to a friend.

. Name two words I might subst.i.tute for _fast_ in the sentence "Drive the stake until it is fast in the ground"; three in the sentence "He made a fast trip for the doctor"; six in the sentence "By leading a fast life he soon squandered his inheritance."

. Subst.i.tute four words for _firm_ in the sentence "I made the board firm by nailing it to the wall"; three in the sentence "The water froze into a firm ma.s.s"; five in the sentence "He was firm in his determination to proceed."

. Instead of _flat_ use in turn four other words in the sentence "This is a flat piece of ground"; five in the sentence "It was as flat a story as ever wearied company"; three in the sentence "The cook having forgotten the salt, the soup was flat"; four in the sentence "I am surprised by your flat refusal."

. _Free_ may be applied to a person not subject to a tax or a disease, to a person who has been released from confinement or restraint, to a person who is not reserved or formal in his relations to others, to a person who is willing to give. Out of your own resources subst.i.tute as many words as you can for _free_ in each of these sentences. Now look up _free_ in a dictionary or book of synonyms.

What proportion of its synonyms were you able to think up unaided?

. Give three synonyms for _great_ as applied to size, to number, to a man widely known for notable achievement, to an error or crime, to price.

. Give six synonyms for _hard_ as applied to a rock; six as applied to a task or burden; six as applied to a problem or situation; ten as applied to one's treatment of others.

. Give three words that can be applied instead of _harsh_ to a sound; three that can be applied instead of _harsh_ to the voice; five that can be applied to one's treatment of others; five that can be applied to one's disposition or nature.

. Subst.i.tute five words for _just_ in the sentence "You are just in your dealings with others"; three in the sentence "A just punishment was meted out to him"; three in the sentence "They made a just division of the property"; two in the sentence "He had a just claim to the t.i.tle."

. Give six words that can be subst.i.tuted for _plain_, as applied to a fact or statement; four as applied to the decorations of a room; two as applied to the countenance; four as applied to a surface; three as applied to a statement or reply.

. Give five words that can be used instead of _poor_ as applied to a person who is without money or resources; ten as applied to a person lacking in flesh; three as applied to clothing that is worn out; five as applied to land that will bear only small crops or no crops at all; two as applied to an occasion that does not promise to turn out well.

. Give six words that could be used instead of _quick_ as applied to a train or a horse in travel; six as applied to the movements of a person about a room or to his actions in the performance of his work; four to a disposition or temper that is easily irritated.

. Give five synonyms for _serious_ as applied to one's countenance or expression; three as applied to a problem or undertaking; two as applied to a disease or to sickness.

. Give two synonyms for _sharp_ as applied to a blade or a point; six as applied to a pain or to grief; four as applied to a remark or reply; ten as applied to one's mind or intellect; three as applied to temper or disposition; three as applied to an embankment; three as applied to the seasoning of food; three as applied to a cry or scream.

. Give six synonyms for _stiff_ as applied to an iron rod; three as applied to an adversary; six as applied to one's manner or bearing; two as applied to one's style of writing or speaking.

. Give three synonyms for _strong_ as applied to a person in regard to his health; ten as applied to him in regard to his muscularity of physique; four as applied to a fortress; three as applied to a plea or a.s.sertion; three as applied to an argument or reason; three as applied to determination; two as applied to liquor; three as applied to a light; two as applied to corrective measures; two as applied to an odor.

. Give five synonyms for vain as applied to a man who overvalues himself or his accomplishments; six as applied to an attempt that comes to nothing; three as applied to hopes that have little chance of fulfilment.

. Subst.i.tute five synonyms for _weak_ in the sentence "I was very weak after my illness"; four in the sentence "The fortress was especially weak on the side toward the plain"; three in the sentence "He made a weak attempt to defend his actions"; three in the sentence "Many of these arguments are weak"; three in the sentence "Hamlet is usually interpreted as being weak of will"; three in the sentence "The liquor was so weak it had no taste"; three in the sentence "The lace was weak and soon tore."

. Give two words instead of _wild_ as applied to animals; two as applied to land; three as applied to people who have not been civilized; three as applied to a storm, an uncontrolled temper, or a mob; three as applied to a scheme that has no basis in reason or practicality.

EXERCISE I

In Exercise H you started with ideas and objects, and had to find words of a given meaning that could be applied to them. In this exercise you start with the words, and must find the ideas and objects.

. To what is _base_ applied when inferior, cheap, worthless could be used as its synonyms? To what is it applied when debased, impure, spurious, alloyed, counterfeit could be used? When mean, despicable, contemptible, shameful, disgraceful, dishonorable, discreditable, scandalous, infamous, villainous, low-minded could be used?

When ign.o.ble, servile, slavish, groveling, menial could be used? When plebeian, obscure, unt.i.tled, vulgar, lowly, nameless, humble, unknown could be used?

. Can you properly contrast mortal with immortal existence?

mortal with porcine existence? Is porcine existence also mortal? Is mortal existence also porcine? What adjective pertaining to mankind forms a true contrast to _porcine_? What is a synonym for _mortal_ in its broad sense? in its narrow sense?

. To what is _severe_ applied when harsh, stern, rigorous, drastic, austere, hard could be subst.i.tuted for it? When plain, unembellished, unadorned, chaste could be subst.i.tuted? When acute, violent, extreme, intense, sharp, distressing, afflictive could be subst.i.tuted? When keen, cutting, biting, stinging, caustic, critical, trenchant could be subst.i.tuted?

EXERCISE J