Vocabulary Workshop

Unit 1

PHOT/PHOS “light”• Phototropic: adjective

– Tending to grow or move towards light• Because they are phototropic, daisies always grow

towards the sun.

• Phosphorescent: adjective– Giving off light without heat

• Mr. Baginsky stuck phosphorescent stars on his ceiling so that it would resemble the night sky.

• Photogenic: adjective– Attractive in pictures or photographs

• Taylor Swift was so photogenic that total strangers often asked to take her picture.

LUC “light”

• Lucid: adjective– Easy to understand

• Ms. Gusera’s lucid explanation of The Great Gatsby helped the students understand the novel completely.

• Elucidate: verb– To make clear by explaining

• The confused student asked Ms. Ryan to elucidate further on how to write the analysis essay.

• Translucent: adjective– Allowing light to pass through

• Through the translucent blue cloth draped over the window, we could see the sun.

SPEC/SPECT “to look at”

• Circumspect: adjective– Careful; mindful of rules and consequences

• The students in Room 234 tried to be circumspect and not break any laws.

• Prospect: noun– That which is expected

• The prospect of a trip to the dentist was hardly thrilling.

• Specter: noun– A ghost or phantom

• Marcus seemed to see a specter in every corner of the haunted house.

VID/VIS “to see, to look”

• Invidious: Adjective– Hateful or spiteful

• One candidate made an invidious speech against his opponent.

• Providential: Adjective– Happening by good fortune

• Through a providential series of events, I found myself in a lucrative job making lots of money.

• Improvise: verb– To create without any forethought or

preparation• When Julie forgot the lines to her speech, she began

to improvise the best she could remember.

Grammar: Pronoun Errors

• Tip #1- When you see a pronoun underlined, check to see if it agrees with the noun it replaces

• Tip #2- Check for pronoun ambiguity–Example: Successful athletes pay attention to their coaches because they know the value of experience. •Who does they refer to, the coaches or

athletes?

Grammar: Verb Errors

•Tip #1- When you see a verb underlined, check to see if it agrees with its subject

•Tip #2- Make sure all the verbs are in proper tense–Example: Popular as a device that mainly played music, Thomas Edison’s phonograph is originally created as an educational tool to teach spelling.