Where a Word's Meaning Comes From

A vocabulary strand that runs alongside the two grammar tracks and assumes nothing from them. It works outward from a single word to the impression a word leaves. The first part takes a long word apart and finds the rule underneath: a prefix on the front changes what a word means, a suffix on the end changes what kind of word it is, so an unfamiliar word can be read rather than guessed at. The second part follows one root that is never an English word by itself across the family it built, which is where a little knowledge pays out most — twenty roots and twenty prefixes cover a great deal of formal English between them. The third part deals with what the parts cannot explain: why thrifty and stingy describe identical behaviour and take opposite sides, and how that difference lets word choice argue a case without offering any evidence.