Recently we studied context clues and learned four methods of figuring a word out. The methods are; Definition or restatement, Examples or summaries, comparison and contrast, and cause and effect.

We also got three words each which we had to look at and create sentences using the words.
My three words were, censure, covert and amiable. And my sentences were;
“The teacher censured a student when she noticed he was chewing gum, which is against the school policy.”
“They discussed the private matter covertly.”
“The amiable man smiled when he was hit with a snowball.” 

Censure is a verb that means to express disapproval, to blame or to condemn. 
Covert is an adjective which means secret or hidden.
Amiable is also an adjective and it means to be good-natured, friendly or to have a pleasing and kindly disposition. 

We’ve also looked at word part analysis and root words and prefixes and suffixes.
For example a root word, port, means to carry. But when you attach the prefix, ‘ex’, which means out of. You get the word ‘export’ which means to carry out. Or you can add the prefix, ‘im‘ which means into, or ‘trans‘ which means across. When you attach a prefix to a root word, the meaning changes.
When you attach as suffix such as ‘able’ to the root word with the prefix already attached, the word becomes importable or exportable or transportable.

Here is some examples of word roots and prefixes:

Root or prefix             Meaning                               Examples

And here are a few examples of suffixes:

Suffix    Meaning          Examples

My summer started a week earlier than everyone else’s, because I had to go to Finland to attend a confirmation camp.

On the sunday of the second last week of school, I got on a plane at Narita and flew to Finland in about 10 hours. I arrived in Finland at around 12′o clock in the afternoon. My aunt’s husband, Aki, picked me up from the Helsinki airport and drove me to their house in Hameenlinna. I spent the day there and then one of my other aunts came and drove me to Vihti.

The day after that, my aunt drove me to Hanko for the confirmation camp. I stayed at the camp for 12 days. After the camp ended I went to Jyvaskyla. I went out everyday and met up with lots of my Finnish friends.  After about a week, my parents came and I was allowed to go to Turku. I met even more of my Friends there but I had to go to Hameenlinna for the night. 

I stayed in Hameenlinna for a few days and chilled with friends. Finally my parents decided to trust me and I was allowed to go to Helsinki, where I met even more of my friends. That day I also went to Estonia by boat.

I stayed in Helsinki for about a week, doing nothing, because I happened to lose my parents trust one night.. 

On the second last day of my stay in Finland, I was allowed to go out again. I stayed out the whole friday night and saturday morning. The next day my parents confiscated all my money, my phones, my ipod touch and my other ipod. Then on saturday I flew back to Japan and my summer ended.