Building Vocabulary | Word of the Day
Specious
Correct pronunciation:
ˈspē-shəs
Definition:
1. seeming to be right or true, but really wrong or false
2. having a false look of truth or genuineness
Something that is specious seems to exist or be true, but is not real or true.
– Collins English Dictionary
Part of Speech (POS):
Adjective
Why is it important to know a word’s part of speech?
Answer:
Understanding the different parts of speech is important for understanding how words work and how words can and should be joined to make sentences that are grammatically correct. If a word has multiple meanings, then how are people supposed to differentiate what definition is applicable?
Answer:
Context clues are hints found within a sentence, paragraph, or passage that a reader can use to understand the meanings of new or unfamiliar words. Readers will need to especially pay attention to context clues. Doing so will allow them to decide upon the appropriate definition to fit the context in which the word is being used.
Synonyms for the word specious:
Remember, a synonym is a word or phrase that has the exact or near exact definition as another word or phrase.
• misleading
• deceiving
• deceptive
Other word forms of specious
speciously = adverb
speciousness = noun
Why is knowing various forms of a word important?
Answer:
Knowing the various forms of a word allows the writer to use a word they like in many ways. This allows for creativity and varied sentence structure, which are important to writing well.
Below are forms of specious used correctly in different sentence types:
• Macy Gray would not have speciously stated that everyone is born either male or female if she had done her research, because some babies are born intersex. (Complex Sentence)
• Macy Gray’s specious remarks that everyone is born male, or female is benighted, and her lack of knowledge on intersex medical conditions is unfortunate. (Compound Sentence)
• Macy Gray should have done research on the topic of intersex medical conditions before opining on the topic; if she had done so, her sentiments on the topic may have been different. (Compound-Complex Sentence)
• Daphany said, “Macy Gray’s speciousness didn’t consider people born intersex”. (Simple Sentence)
In the above examples, we have provided the four English sentence types as examples to give you a visual of how each sentence type should be structured.
Activity:
1. Write three complex sentences using the word specious.
A complex sentence is a sentence that contains one independent and at least one dependent clause. An independent clause is a complete thought that can stand alone as a sentence.
A dependent clause is not a complete thought. It is a sentence that depends on the independent clause.
2. Write two compound sentences using the word specious.
A compound sentence is a sentence containing two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction or semicolon.
3. Write four simple sentences using the noun, adjective, and adverb word forms for specious.
4. After proofreading your sentences, type them into the Leave a Reply/Leave a Comment section below (keep scrolling down).
5. Please review The 4 Types of Sentences workshop in our Basic Rules of Grammar category. At the very bottom of this page, you will find a search bar section where you can type in the words The 4 Types of Sentences to find it and other helpful workshops.
6. Please review the Context Clues Workshop in our Basic Rules of Grammar category. At the very bottom of this page, you will find a search bar section where you can type in the words Context Clues Workshop to find the workshop and other helpful workshops.
A member of our teaching staff will provide helpful feedback for the sentences you provide in the comment section below. If you have any questions related to this workshop, please feel free to post those as well.
Writing Tip: Use the word during a conversation today. The more you familiarize yourself with this word by consistently incorporating it into your vocabulary and writing, the easier it will be to remember the word.
We hope you enjoyed this reading and writing workshop. Keep up to date with each of our free online writing workshops.
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