Ten Words in Context



Vocabulary Unit 7

Exercise 1. Due: ______________________.

Below are your vocabulary words for this week’s unit. Locate the handout containing these words and their dictionary entries, and copy the entries onto a separate sheet of paper. Copy everything everything everything E V E R Y T H I N G in each entry. Leave N O T H I N G out. Use the same spacing and line breaking used on the handout (except for the two columns; you don’t have to do that). Make sure you keep this work in your notebook because you will need it to complete Exercises 2, 3, and 4 throughout the week.

• A MINIMUM of half credit will be deducted from your grade if you fail to copy over ALL of any entry or if you fail to use the same spacing and line-breaking used on the handout.

• DO NOT use a word processor. Credit will be given for handwritten work only.

|copious |eloquent |levity |peripheral (adjective) |coalesce |

|dearth |jargon (noun) |meander (verb) |substantiate |vacillate |

Exercise 2A and 2B. Due:_______________________.

2A. Ten Words in Context: In the space provided, write the letter of the meaning closest to that of each boldfaced word. Use the context of the sentences to help you figure out each word’s meaning.

In the space provided, write the letter of the meaning closest to that of each boldfaced word. Use the context clues in the sentences.

copious The food at the party was too copious; the guests stuffed themselves, but there were still platters and bowls of food left over.

Weeds were copious in Charlene’s garden, but flowers are few.

copious means ____ a. of poor quality b. plentiful c. persuasive

dearth The director of the show said gloomily, “We have a dearth of talent this year. Not one of these acts is worth putting on stage.”

The dearth of snow this winter disappointed my children. They had new sleds but never got a chance to use them.

dearth means ____ a. surplus b. sufficient amount c. shortage

eloquent Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is considered one of the most eloquent speeches of all time; most people who hear it are moved by it’s vivid expressiveness and powerful emotion.

The director of the shelter for battered women wrote an eloquent letter to the newspapers, movingly describing the victims’ plight and pleading for donations.

eloquent means ____ a. stirring b. confusing c. simple

jargon “It’s essential that you learn the vocabulary of this subject,” the instructor warned us, “or the jargon, if you prefer. Whatever you call it, it will be on the test.”

Bernice wanted to make a home-cooked meal for her friends but was puzzled by all the jargon in the cookbook. What did braise mean? Or sauté? Or mince?

jargon means ____ a. grammatical errors b. technical language c. humor

levity The playwright George Bernard Shaw once remarked that his method of writing was to say very serious things, but with “the utmost levity.” He wanted to convey weighty ideas through wit and humor.

The guidance counselor thought Kirk’s attitude showed too much levity. “You should laugh less and spend more time thinking about serious things,” she said.

levity means ____ a. seriousness b. surprise c. lightheartedness

meander “Come straight home from school,” Mom always said to us. “Don’t meander.”

The brook meandered through the valley, disappearing into the underbrush, then coming into view again, and here and there even turning back on itself.

to meander means ____ a. to wander b. to hurry c. to fall

peripheral The meeting to discuss the new road went slowly because the committee kept bringing up peripheral issues, such as the need for traffic lights on the old road.

The lecturer kept getting sidetracked because audience members repeatedly asked questions about peripheral matters that had little to do with her topic.

peripheral means ____ a. essential b. nonessential c. doubtful

substantiate If you expect to win your law suit against the car company, be prepared to substantiate your claim. You’ll need to show all your repair bills and receipts.

A man in our town claims to be 125 years old, but he’s unable to substantiate this. He has no birth certificate, court records, or witnesses.

to substantiate means ____ a. to report b. to repeat c. to prove

coalesce Four block associations in our neighborhood will coalesce to form a single task force.

When I got caught in a rainstorm, I learned that the dyes in my new shirt weren’t waterproof. The red and blue stripes ran and coalesced into purple smears.

to coalesce means____ a. to join together b. to produce c. to come into being

vacillate Roscoe reaches decisions very slowly. For instance, when we went to get ice cream last night, he vacillated for fifteen minutes between vanilla and chocolate.

Should he call Shelley or Robin? Thinking it over at the phone booth, Nitsan vacillated as the moments ticked by and the people waiting for the phone became more and more impatient.

to vacillate means ____ a. to speak b. to waver c. to select

2B. Fill in the blanks with vocabulary words from this unit. Use each word once.

1. It took Andre all night to put together the wagon he had bought for his daughter. The instructions were written in a _________________________ he could not understand, such as “Attach flange B to kiniflin pin C and secure with skonovish A.”

2. I got an unfortunate case of the giggles during the boss’s speech. “This is no time for ,” a colleague hissed at me.

3. “Can you _______________________________ your story that the dog ate your homework?” the teacher asked Kay.

“Yes!” Kay replied, holding up the X-rays of her dog’s tummy.

4. The defense attorney’s closing argument was both _____________________________ and convincing. The jury seemed moved, but they convicted his client anyway.

5. “We’re supposed to be discussing the death penalty,” the moderator reminded the panel. “Let’s not get into _____________________________ issues like conditions in prisons.”

6. As she thought about what to wear to her job interview, Cloey ___________________________(e)d between a conservative navy-blue suit and a more stylish floral dress.

7. Renny’s vegetable garden yielded an uneven crop. There was a(n) _______________________________ of tomatoes – three, to be exact – but about a ton of zucchini.

8. During the exam, the instructor ________________________________-ed through the room, up and down the aisles, left and then right, apparently with no particular purpose – but the students knew she was keeping a sharp eye on them.

9. Research yielded several key ideas that Sigmund tried to __________________________________ into a single thesis.

10. Van took _______________________________ notes – they filled three notebooks. But they were so badly organized that they didn’t do him much good.

Exercise 3A and 3B. Due:_______________________.

Exercise 3B. Following are definitions of the ten words. Write each word next to its definition. Also write the part of speech.

1. ____________________________ _____________ lightness of manner or speech

2. ____________________________ _____________ to move aimlessly; wander lazily; stray

3. ____________________________ _____________ of minor importance or relevance; only slightly connected with what is essential

4. ____________________________ _____________ to sway indecisively between two opinions

5. ____________________________ _____________ extremely expressive and persuasive

6. ____________________________ _____________ to fuse or grow together; to mix together different elements

7. ____________________________ _____________ the specialized language of people in the same profession

8. ____________________________ _____________ to prove the truth of; confirm; verify

9. ____________________________ _____________ a scarcity; lack

10. ____________________________ _____________ abundant; in plentiful supply

3B. Fill in the blanks with vocabulary words from this unit. Use each word once.

2. “I’m hearing _________________ complaints here,” said Mom at our family meeting, “but there’s a(n) _____________________ of constructive ideas. For the next few minutes, I’d like everyone to keep quiet unless you have something sagacious to say.”

4. When I compare an _______________________ speech that can stir great emotion with something cold and impersonal, like a computer user manual full of _________________________, it’s hard to believe it’s the same language.

6. After our picnic, the kids and I __________________________________-ed lazily through the woods, allowing all the different

parts of that wonderful day to ___________________________________ into a general feeling of contentment.

8. “Alice’s Restaurant” is a great song by Arlo Guthrie. It begins with Guthrie and his friends having Thanksgiving dinner, then

veers off into a very funny but totally ______________________________________ story about being arrested for littering.

Despite its __________________________________, it ends up making a serious statement about the absurdity of war.

10. Although the suspect said he could _______________________________ his story about being out of town on the night of

the crime, he was not very convincing, as he continued to _______________________________ about whether he’d been in

Maine or Georgia at the time of the crime.

Exercise 4. Due: ___________________________:

On a separate sheet of paper, write a pair of original sentences for each vocabulary word. To receive credit for your efforts, be sure to follow the instructions given in your handout: Instructions for Writing Sentences with Vocabulary Words.

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