1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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.”

7. Caesar’s English II Lesson XIX StemmeaningExamples PUNCTPOINT punctuate, punctual TRIBPAY tribute, tributary CAPtake capture, captivate PONDWEIGHT ponder, preponderance RECTRIGHT correct, rectangle

8. BALLOON: PONDEROUS :: a.rectify : correct b.delay : punctual c.speak : diatribe d.burden : heavy

9. BALLOON: PONDEROUS :: a.rectify : correct b.delay : punctual c.speak : diatribe d.burden : heavy

10. PONDER : IDEA :: a.tribute : pay b.retribution : vengeance c.rectify : mistake d.punctilious : conduct

11. PONDER : IDEA :: a.tribute : pay b.retribution : vengeance c.rectify : mistake d.punctilious : conduct

12. Find the best opposite. CAPTIVATE a.bore b.rectify c.tedium d.punctuate

13. Find the best opposite. CAPTIVATE a.bore b.rectify c.tedium d.punctuate

14. DIATRIBE a.preponderance b.euphemism c.tribute d.speech

15. DIATRIBE a.preponderance b.euphemism c.tribute d.speech

16. The Roman legions were _____________ by the countryside of Gaul. a.captivated b.pondered c.rectified d.punctuated

17. The Roman legions were _____________ by the countryside of Gaul. a.captivated b.pondered c.rectified d.punctuated

18. The legions transported their ___________ equipment up the mountainside. a.captious b.punctual c.punctilious d.ponderous

19. The legions transported their ___________ equipment up the mountainside. a.captious b.punctual c.punctilious d.ponderous

20. The barbarian leader delivered a violent _____________ against the Romans. a.preponderance b.rectitude c.diatribe d.capture

21. The barbarian leader delivered a violent _____________ against the Romans. a.preponderance b.rectitude c.diatribe d.capture

22. The Grammar of Vocabulary: captious, an adjective. The captious remark showed his suspicious attitude. ________________________________________

23. 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

24. 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

25. From Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native It was an error which could never be ____________. a.captivated b.rectified c.pondered d.punctuated

26. From Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native It was an error which could never be ____________. a.captivated b.rectified c.pondered d.punctuated

27. From Jane Austen’s Emma I…was too cheerful in my views to be _____________. a.ponderous b.punctual c.punctilious d.captious

28. From Jane Austen’s Emma I…was too cheerful in my views to be _____________. a.ponderous b.punctual c.punctilious d.captious