Preponderance — A Vocabulary Story
Nam and the Dinosaur Shelf
Nam had been made Library Helper for the week, which meant he wore a badge, pushed a trolley, and put books back where they belonged.
By Wednesday he had noticed something.
"There is a preponderance of dinosaurs," he told Mister Obi.
Preponderance means the state of being greater in number, amount, or importance than others.
He had counted. There were forty-one books about dinosaurs on the animal shelf, and only six about everything else put together. Fish had two. Birds had one. Insects had a single thin book with a beetle on the front that nobody had ever borrowed.
"Children like dinosaurs," said Mister Obi.
"I like dinosaurs," said Nam. "But the beetle is lonely."
That evening he told his family over dinner. His older sister Linh said the school should buy more fish books. His dad said fish were better on a plate than in a book, and his mum told him to eat his rice.
But Nam had a plan.
The next day he moved the beetle book to the front of the shelf, cover facing out, where the biggest dinosaur used to sit. He made a small sign in his best writing: This book has never been borrowed. Be the first.
By Friday the beetle book was out. So was the fish book, and the bird book, and a book about frogs that Nam had found behind the radiator.
"Still a preponderance of dinosaurs," said Mister Obi, checking the shelf.
"Yes," said Nam. "But it is a smaller preponderance."
He straightened his badge. The trolley squeaked. Somewhere in the school, someone was finding out about beetles.
Word Definition
preponderance
meaning
the state of being greater in number, quantity, or importance; a superiority in weight, power, or influence
synonyms
majority · dominance · predominance · bulk · prevalence
antonyms
minority
example sentence
The preponderance of evidence pointed to his guilt.