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Course: 6th grade reading and vocabulary (improved and expanded) > Unit 5
Lesson 3: Breaking down claims and argumentsEncounter | Vocabulary
Let’s explore the meaning and origin of the word “encounter”.
Created by David Rheinstrom.
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Video transcript
- [David] Hello, wordsmiths. I hope luck is with us today because on the high seas of vocabulary, there's no telling what
word we will encounter. Encounter, it's a verb, a noun too. The verb means to unexpectedly meet with someone or something, to come face to face with something. As a noun, it means much the same thing, an unexpected face-to-face meeting. Let's head over to the derivation station and break this word down
into its constituent parts, en meaning in and contra meaning against. The original meaning of encontrer in French was to confront
or fight someone, so you're up against
someone, in their face, opposed to them. Let's take those word
parts, en and contra, and see what other words
we can make from them. I'll give you 10 seconds
during this music break. Ready? Here we go. (upbeat music) Okay, here are some that I came up with. (upbeat music fades) There's contrast to
show differences, right? If I'm contrasting an
apple with an orange, I'm holding one up against the other and saying, "What's different
between these two fruits?" Entice, to draw in, to tempt. The scent of freshly
baked cookies enticed you into the kitchen. And contrary, right? A word meaning opposite,
opposed, against something. If you say you're in favor of cookies, and I am opposed to cookies, I'll say, "On the contrary, my friend, I reject your cookie
proposal in favor of beans." Go on, ask me about my favorite bean. Oh, too late. It's Good Mother Stallard. That's my favorite bean varietal. I am extremely cool, but enough of this bean
business, wordsmiths. You and I have an encounter with destiny, and our destiny is to
use the word encounter in some sentences. First, let's use it as a verb. On the 70th day of its voyage, the good ship Undertow
encountered a giant squid in a terrible mood. Nothing good ever happens
to the good ship Undertow. So they encountered, they met up with. Maybe they even had to
fight that giant squid, or maybe she just needed a hug. Look at her. She's having a bad day. Okay, and now let's try it in noun form. It was only a brief encounter, but I think I met a merman, Right, so the speaker
was only face to face with the merman for a short time. Not all encounters are conflicts. It can also just be running
into someone unexpectedly, like a merman. For my part, I have never encountered
a merperson of any gender, but if I did, I would tell them the same
thing I'm telling you. You can learn anything. David out.