Heartland English School – Word of the Day

Theme: contronyms

Word: quantum

Pronunciation: ˈkwän(t)əm

Meaning: 1. significantly large, or 2. a minuscule part

Example: 1. There is a quantum leap in the shift of power.  or 2. Quantum physics deals with very small or nanoscopic particles.

Theme: contronyms

Word: left

Pronunciation: left

Meaning: 1. remained, or 2. departed

Example: 1. There are six beer left in the fridge. or 2. The students drank them, then they left for the bar.

Theme: contronyms

Word: garnish

Pronunciation: ˈɡärniSH

Meaning: 1. to furnish, as with food preparation, or 2. to take away

Example: The chocolate cake was garnished with fresh strawberries. or 2. His wages were garnished because he hadn’t paid his mortgage.

Theme: contronyms

Word: oversight

Pronunciation: ˈōvərˌsīt

Meaning: 1. monitoring, or 2. failing to oversee

Example: 1. The oversight committee will monitor the quality of the products.  or 2. It was an oversight that the garbage was not collected from the rooms.

Theme: contronyms

Word: dust

Pronunciation: dəst

Meaning: 1. to add fine particles, or 2. to remove them

Example: 1. I love to dust a cake with icing sugar. or 2. I need to dust my collection of crystal figurines.

Theme: words with the prefix “contra”

Word: contrabass n. or adj.

Pronunciation: ˈ\käntrəˌbās\

Meaning: 1. (n.) another term for double bass. 2. (adj.) a musical instrument with a range an octave lower than the normal bass range

Example: (n.) This composition needs some contrabass to balance the upper register. 2. (adj.) I love the sound of the contrabass clarinet.

Theme: words with the prefix “contra”

Word: contraption n.

Pronunciation: \kənˈtrapSH(ə)n\

Meaning: 1. a machine or device that appears strange or unnecessarily complicated, and often badly made or unsafe

Example: This silly contraption is for toasting bread.

Theme: words with the prefix “contra”

Word: contrast n.

Pronunciation: \ˈkänˌtrast\

Meaning: 1. strikingly different from something else

Example:  The summer temperatures are a sharp contrast to the winter temperatures in Winnipeg.

Theme: words with the prefix “contra”

Word: contraband n.

Pronunciation: \ˈkän-trə-ˌband\

Meaning: 1. goods or merchandise whose importation, exportation, or possession is forbidden.

Example: Drugs, plants, exotic animals and foreign meat are considered contraband goods when crossing the border into Canada.

Theme: words with the prefix “contra”

Word: contradict v.

Pronunciation: \käntrəˈdikt\

Meaning: 1. deny the truth of (a statement), especially by saying the opposite. synonyms: deny, rebut, dispute, challenge, counter, controvert.

Example: The news article will contradict the rumours about what really happened.