How to do a word study................

How to do a word study................
Introduction:

When we need to communicate something important to us, it often takes a very specific word because what we are trying to say needs to be understood so that we can get our point across. What’s the point of saying something if we really don’t want to be understood? The reality is that most of what we say is not that important and is mainly filler in between grunts just to add to the conversation, but once in a while, we really need to be listened to and then nothing but the right word will do.
Let’s take a look at how vocabulary really works. It is interconnected to the rest of the words that people commonly use, and we all have a social agreement, for the most part, on what we mean most of the time. Some things are a little fuzzy around the edges, and this can cause concerns, misgivings, mistrust, and even anger because we have either said something we did not intend, or we were misunderstood. Sometimes we intend to hurt people’s feelings, but then we realize that all this did was create bad feelings. We may say we really don’t care if we do hurt others, but if we change our minds, it may be that we have burned that bridge and the damage we caused can never be repaired. Be careful of isolating those who might be a big help to you later; it can really backfire.
This is an exercise in seeing how vocabulary works and how the words we use are very far-reaching in how they affect our lives. Pick a word and then do a word study yourself, similar to the example here, to present to the class.

The Assignment:

1. List every word that is in any way connected to the word you choose.
a. List any sources you use to do this assignment so that we can all follow along
and get more information.
b. Alphabetize your list
2. Use the word itself in 5 sentences that reflect your feelings and thoughts about the way
life is or how things go.
3. Define this word as well as you can.
4. Pick a bonus word that people do not know and see if you can present a word that
completely takes them by surprise!
5. Prepare and deliver a presentation of the information you gathered, making sure that
you have covered the use of the word as far as when you might choose this word and
under what circumstances, various meanings of the word, and the part of speech of the
word and therefore its placement in your sentences.

Notes for you:

1. Word choice is called “diction.”
2. Word meaning is called “semantics.”
3. Word order is called “syntax.”




Example Word Study on the Word “Structure”

1. Word Variations
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rlz=1W1GGLD_en&ei=UYuaSoPMG9fvnQfCrbjABQ&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=root+word+struct&spell=1

https://www.msu.edu/~defores1/gre/roots/gre_rts_afx2.htm
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/

construct
constructed
constructing
construction
constructions
constructive criticism
constructivism
constructor
constructors
constructs
construe
construed
construes
construing
contructivist
contructivists
destroy
destroyed
destroying
destructible
destruction
destructive
destructor
industrial
industrialist
industrialists
industries
industry
instruct
instructed
instructed
instructing
instruction
instructions
instructor
instructors
instructs
instrument
instrumental music
instrumentalist
meta-structure
misconstrue
misconstrued
misconstruing
obstruct
obstructing
obstruction
obstructionist
obstructive
obstructivist
obstructivists
obstructs
reconstruct
reconstructed
reconstruction
reconstructionist
reconstructionists
reconstructivist
reconstructs
restructure
restructured
restructures
structural integrity
structuralism
structure
structured settlements
structures
structuring
substructure

2. Sentences

a. I believe that there is an underlying structure of the universe, an ultimate reality, but I do not believe in accidents since every motion and motive can be accounted for in the scheme of things as having had a cause and an effect. (43 words)

b. The structure of my classroom is built on a foundation of shared co-operation and responsibility; I have a clear vision that learning how to think is more important that learning what to think, and so I teach clear thinking. (39 words)

c. Although we cannot predict the future, we can observe the structure of history as a series of events which present human emotions and values as having a thematic pattern of development, and so, since we can have some reasonable expectation of what will happen given what has occurred, we can develop a plausible game plan upon which to base our decisions. (61 words)

d. Structure, as a concept, seems to predict that the pattern of events of the past will in some way necessarily continue into the future, but there is always the off chance that things in the past were unique and will not duplicate themselves in the future, and this creates the necessity of always having a “Plan B,” just in case. (60 words)

e. In developing a sense of the complex structure of life, one of the most basic ideas I have come across is that learning how to respond instead continuing of react helps me to stay focused on what I need to do to keep myself in check so that I don’t become judgmental and bitter about my own life. (58 words)

3. Definition

Structure is a very necessary word in my personal vocabulary. It comes from the root, “stru,” which means to build. I always immediately think of the foundation upon which I might build something, and this gives me a sense of the structure. Think of a foundation, a building with walls, and a roof; at a certain point these concepts really can’t be taken apart since they are all parts that go into making the whole. What is this idea standing on? What’s holding up the basic understanding of this concept? What ideas would I have to hold in my mind or heart in order to say that this idea has real and solid structure? When I build something, I think of the materials, the plans, the workmanship, and the use or value of the structure to be built. Structure is both the way something is built and the building itself. I want to understand the why’s and how’s of a project as well as the in’s and out’s of the purpose for building it. Structure is the sustaining organization of the ideas and materials that go into a building, and so the structure itself, even the building, is and has structure, integrity, and development. I want to understand the deep structure, the essential nature, the craftsmanship, and the purpose of the existence of everything, and so I seek to understand its structure.

Structure is the name of anything that is built, often a house or barn, and so it is often used as a noun; the test for a noun is that we can have two of them, as in, “My property has two structures on it.”

http://www.visualthesaurus.com/


4. My Bonus word………………Osculation:

Osculation involves two people.
You can osculate with anyone, but some people are more fun to osculate than others.
Some people you osculate just to be polite.
In some countries, men osculate men, but women osculate each other in almost all countries.
Men often osculate a woman’s hand, but sometimes her neck.
We often have to osculate things we wish we didn’t.
An osculation can be a good luck wish, a good-bye sign, or a hello sign.
I saw two people osculating at Java Jack’s on Saturday.
Dogs osculate with their tongues.
SpongeBob’s grandmother osculated him on the cheek.
Raise your hand if you know what the word “osculation” means.
Hint: How long is an osculation?

5. My Presentation Grade is ______, because _________