4.2.11

Empty & Broken

Test yourself

Vac - Empty

Words beginning with 'vac' generally mean being empty.

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Vacate

  • To vacate means to leave somewhere so that it becomes empty (of people).
    • Example: When the fire alarm went off, the workers vacated the building immediately.
    • Alternative: When the fire alarm went off, the workers cleared out of the building immediately.
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Vacuum

  • A vacuum is a space with no matter in it. A vacuum also means a lack of something.
    • Example: Outer space is a vacuum.
    • Alternative: There is no matter in outer space.
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Vacuous

  • Vacuous means empty. When used to talk about people, vacuous can mean unintelligent ('empty' headed).
    • Example: My grandma had a vacuous expression on her face when I opened the door.
    • Alternative: My grandma had an empty expression on her face when I opened the door.

Frac - Breaking

Words beginning with 'frac' or 'frag' generally refer to breaking.

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Fracture

  • To fracture is to crack or break. A fracture is a crack or break in a hard object.
    • Example: Kenji fractured his clavicle playing rugby.
    • Alternative: Kenji broke his collarbone playing rugby.
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Fraction

  • A fraction is a small portion of the whole. Think of a fraction like a broken off bit of a broken whole!
  • In maths, a fraction is a broken up whole number.
    • Example: She closed her eyes for a fraction of a second but still missed seeing the bird.
    • Alternative: She closed her eyes for a split second but still missed seeing the bird.
    • Example: 12\frac{1}{2} is a fraction.
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Fragment

  • To fragment is to break something up into pieces.
  • A fragment is a broken off piece of something.
    • Example: The shop floor was covered in fragments of glass.
    • Alternative: The shop floor was covered in pieces of glass.

Dur - Hard

Words beginning with 'dur' generally refer to something being hard or lasting.

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Duration

  • Duration is the length of time something lasts.
    • Example: I slept for the duration of the maths class.
    • Alternative: I slept for the length of the maths class.
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During

  • During either means from the start to finish of a specific time period (while a time period 'lasts') or at some point during a specific time period.
    • Example: During Ramadan, most Muslims fast.
    • Alternative: Throughout Ramadan, most Muslims fast.
    • Example: The police officer was shot during the raid.
    • Alternative: The police officer was shot at some point in the raid.
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Durable

  • Something that's durable can last a long time.
    • Example: I'm glad I bought these boots - they're made of such durable leather!
    • Alternative: I'm glad I bought these boots - they're made of such long-lasting leather!
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Duress

  • Duress are threats ('hard' actions) or other violent actions used to get people to do things against their will.
    • Example: The robber committed the crime under duress.
    • Alternative: The robber committed the crime under pressure.

Jump to other topics

1Spelling

2Punctuation

3Grammar

4Decoding Words

5Reading & Writing

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