Wouldn't it be better to talk about the value of moves / follow ups more often and introduce sente/gote as derived terms? In the "more sente" example, it isn't strictly necessary for the other "intermediary sente" move played instead of answering to have a larger followup. It can still be better play if the followup is only a few points smaller.
Bill: That would make sense if there were only one meaning of sente and gote. But those terms have been around for centuries, and, like most words, have acquired different meanings. The basic meaning of sente is playing first, the basic meaning of gote is playing last. Take it from there! ;)