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.