PUNCT (POINT) PUNCTUATE, PUNCTUAL,
PUNCTILIOUS
PUNCT means point.
To punctuate is to insert
periods, exclamation points,
and other symbols into
writing; punctual means at
the appointed time; and
punctilious means
observing points of correct
behavior!
Spanish…puntilloso
trib (pay) tribute, retribution, diatribe
TRIB means pay.
A tribute is the paying of honor; retribution is
revengeful payback; and a diatribe is a speech of
abusive criticism!
Spanish…diatriba
CAP (take) capture, captivate, captious
 CAP means take.
 To capture someone is to take him prisoner; to captivate
someone is to take control of her fascination; and to be
captious is to be fault-finding, to say and do things
designed to catch someone!
 Spanish…capcioso
pond (weight) ponder, preponderance,
ponderous
POND means weight.
To ponder is to reflect on
weighty matters; the
preponderance of the
evidence is the bulk of it;
and a ponderous load is a
heavy one!
Spanish…ponderoso
RECT (right) correct, rectify, rectitude
RECT means right.
To correct is to change from wrong to right; to
rectify something is to make it right; and
rectitude is moral uprightness!
Spanish…recitud
Advanced Word: Diatribe
The English noun diatribe, from
the Latin diatriba, which came to
Rome from the Greek diatribe,
means a bitter speech of abusive
criticism. A diatribe tends to be
prolonged, and ironical, and can
even be written, though we think
of diatribes primarily as spoken.
In Dava Sobel’s book Longitude,
about a man’s struggle to invent
a reliable marine chronometer, a
diatribe is “written in clear, plain
English.”
Caesar’s English II Lesson XIX
Stem
meaning
Examples
PUNCT
POINT
punctuate, punctual
TRIB
PAY
tribute, tributary
CAP
take
capture, captivate
POND
WEIGHT
ponder, preponderance
RECT
RIGHT
correct, rectangle
BALLOON: PONDEROUS ::
a. rectify : correct
b. delay : punctual
c. speak : diatribe
d. burden : heavy
BALLOON: PONDEROUS ::
a. rectify : correct
b. delay : punctual
c. speak : diatribe
d. burden : heavy
PONDER : IDEA ::
a. tribute : pay
b. retribution : vengeance
c. rectify : mistake
d. punctilious : conduct
PONDER : IDEA ::
a. tribute : pay
b. retribution : vengeance
c. rectify : mistake
d. punctilious : conduct
Find the best opposite.
CAPTIVATE
a. bore
b. rectify
c. tedium
d. punctuate
Find the best opposite.
CAPTIVATE
a. bore
b. rectify
c. tedium
d. punctuate
DIATRIBE
a. preponderance
b. euphemism
c. tribute
d. speech
DIATRIBE
a. preponderance
b. euphemism
c. tribute
d. speech
The Roman legions were
_____________ by the
countryside of Gaul .
a. captivated
b. pondered
c. rectified
d. punctuated
The Roman legions were
_____________ by the
countryside of Gaul .
a. captivated
b. pondered
c. rectified
d. punctuated
The legions transported their
___________ equipment up the
mountainside.
a. captious
b. punctual
c. punctilious
d. ponderous
The legions transported their
___________ equipment up the
mountainside.
a. captious
b. punctual
c. punctilious
d. ponderous
The barbarian leader delivered a
violent _____________ against
the Romans.
a. preponderance
b. rectitude
c. diatribe
d. capture
The barbarian leader delivered a
violent _____________ against
the Romans.
a. preponderance
b. rectitude
c. diatribe
d. capture
The Grammar of Vocabulary: captious, an adjective.
The captious
remark
showed
his
suspicious attitude.
________________________________________
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Caesar’s Classic Words Challenge
From Joseph Heller’s Catch-22
He brooded in _______________ speculation over the
cryptic message.
a. punctual
b. ponderous
c. captious
d. punctilious
Caesar’s Classic Words Challenge
From Joseph Heller’s Catch-22
He brooded in _______________ speculation over the
cryptic message.
a. punctual
b. ponderous
c. captious
d. punctilious
From Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native
It was an error which could never be
____________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
captivated
rectified
pondered
punctuated
From Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native
It was an error which could never be
____________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
captivated
rectified
pondered
punctuated
From Jane Austen’s Emma
I…was too cheerful in my views to be _____________ .
a. ponderous
b. punctual
c. punctilious
d. captious
From Jane Austen’s Emma
I…was too cheerful in my views to be _____________ .
a. ponderous
b. punctual
c. punctilious
d. captious