Vocabulary list 11 - Adjectives

Vocabulary List 11: Adjectives audacious churlish demure dolorous epicurean extenuating facetious feisty flippant imperious jaunty myriad oblique ornate palpable prodigious prone relevan

What does careful description add to a given conversation, story, or explanation? Adjectives add

color, definition, and detail to any piece of writing They serve to qualify and clarify the subject at hand Consider a mental image coming into focus as additional information is put forth: “There was

a man There was an old man There was an old, dolorous man.” In this way, adjectives help us account for speci-ficity when trying to conjure up a figure, picture, mood, or situation in our minds

Vocabulary List 11:

Adjectives

C H A P T E R S U M M A R Y

Adjectives are typically understood as words used to describe nouns, that is, people, places, things, and ideas But, beyond this textbook defi-nition, we may begin to think about the role of adjectives in our expe-riences as readers, writers, speakers, and listeners.

14

1 3

4 2

6

5

9

12 11 10

14

17 15

18 19

16

13

Across

2 something that’s meant to

be funny

3 shy, modest, reserved

6 relating to

8 touchable, perceptible

9 devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, gourmet

10 bold, adventuresome, insolent

14 commanding

17 indirect, circuitous

18 innumerable

19 surly

Down

1 apt, disposed to

2 glib, lacking appropriate respectfulness

4 stylish, lively

5 spunky, showing aggressiveness, liveliness

7 tempering, moderating

11 elaborate, sumptuous

12 woeful, melancholy

13 intense, desperate

15 amazing, massive

16 cynical, scornful

Choose the word from the Vocabulary List that best fits into the crossword puzzle You can check your answers

at the end of the chapter following the answers to the questions

Vocabulary List 11: Adjectives

audacious

churlish

demure

dolorous

epicurean

extenuating

facetious

feisty

flippant

imperious

jaunty

myriad

oblique

ornate

palpable

prodigious

prone

relevant

sardonic

vehement

audacious ( o˙·da¯·shəs)

(adj.)

fearlessly, often recklessly daring, adventurous, and

brave; unrestrained by convention or propriety;

insolent

The student’s behavior—swearing at the

teacher in class—resulted in detention for a

week

(adj.)

boorish or vulgar; having a bad disposition; surly;

difficult to work with; intractable

The child was immediately punished for his bad

attitude and behavior

(adj.)

modest and reserved in manner or behavior; shy

Having always been attracted to the shy and quiet

type, James predictably fell for the

woman to whom he was introduced

(adj.)

exhibiting sorrow, grief, or pain

My friend’s expression could be

explained by the painful divorce process in

which she found herself

(adj.)

devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, especially

to good food and comfort

The feast lasted for hours as those in

attendance enjoyed fine wine, delicacies, and

the host’s beautiful home

(adj.)

lessened the magnitude or seriousness of, especially

by making partial excuses After hearing the entire story surrounding the supposed crime, the judge realized there existed

circumstances that put the situation in perspective

(adj.)

playfully jocular

“Don’t be ,” requested the girl’s mother, who was tired of her daughter’s refusal to take the situation seriously

feisty ( f¯·ste¯)

(adj.)

touchy; quarrelsome; full of spirit; frisky or spunky Our new young puppy was extremely , jumping playfully all over the apartment and licking our faces

(adj.)

marked by disrespectful levity or casualness; pert Her remarks during the interview cost her the job as she failed to demonstrate the necessary respect for her potential coworkers

(adj.)

arrogantly domineering or overbearing; dictatorial

“It is my , ruthless political strategy that will conquer all contesting factions in this city,” exclaimed the egocentric, overconfident mayor

(adj.)

having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk; crisp and dapper in appearance

The groom looked dapper in his stylish suit and hat as he confidently entered the church on his wedding day

myriad ( mire¯·əd)

(adj.)

constituting a very large, indefinite number;

innumerable; composed of numerous diverse

elements or facets

(noun)

a great number, countless

The species of fish, plants, and

micro-organisms populate the ocean

(adj.)

having a slanting or sloping direction, course, or

position; indirect or evasive; devious,

misleading, or dishonest

While the president’s political maneuvers

were expedient, they did not earn him the trust

of the general public

(adj.)

elaborately and often excessively ornamented; showy

or flowery

The actress’s style of dress was tastelessly

overdone

(adj.)

capable of being handled, touched, or felt; tangible

The tension in the room was so one felt

it could be cut with a knife

(adj.)

impressively great in size, force, or extent;

extra-ordinary; marvelous

A talent like the great tennis player Pete

Sampras doesn’t come along very often

(adj.)

lying with the front or face downward; having a

tendency; inclined

Chloe is quite clumsy and to accidents

(adj.)

having a bearing on or connection with the matter at hand

Gabriel brought up a point that at first didn’t seem

, but later, we all realized that it had

a direct bearing on the situation

(adj.)

scornfully or cynically mocking

I tend to gravitate toward people with a sense of humor because I, too, have a cynical outlook

(adj.)

characterized by forcefulness of expression or intensity of emotion or conviction; fervid; intense

His reaction was , so it was clear there was no convincing him to change his mind

Words in Context

The following exercise will help you figure out the meaning of some words from Vocabulary List 11 by reading context clues After you have read and under-stood the paragraph, explain the context clues that helped you with the meaning of the vocabulary word Refer to the answer section at the end of this chapter for

an explanation of the clues

When my young daughter, Tanya, came home one day claiming she had adopted a

lost puppy, I thought this an audacious

move After all, we live in a small two-bedroom apartment, and further, Tanya

knows her sister is prone to allergies,

espe-cially around long-haired dogs like this pup she found Under normal circum-stances, I probably would have demanded

we let the dog go Yet, there were

extenuat-ing circumstances that seemed relevant to

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the decision I had to make The playful

and feisty puppy reminded us so very

much of Jelly, the playful dog next door

who, three months ago, was tragically

killed by a speeding car The loss had

stayed with my daughters and me; our

sad-ness was palpable, filling our home with

gloom And so, I agreed that the sweet stray

would become a member of our family

Sentence Completion

Insert the correct word from Vocabulary List 11 into the

following sentences

1 Because James is quite shy, he tends to get along

with girls who have a

nature

shocking, as she was normally shy and reserved

3 The circumstances

helped to justify why the normally conscientious

student didn’t turn in his term paper

4 I enjoyed my job until I had to work closely with

impossible to get along with!

5 I tend to like people with a

disposition, as I like a personality with spirit and spunk

6 It was no surprise that the day Kathryn lost her

expres-sion on her face

7 Jason is so playful that it is hard to tell when he is

8 It was clear by Paul’s

behavior that he didn’t care about the project

9 Andrew’s tastes

inspired him to go to cooking school and open his own restaurant

10 As she served for the match, no one made a

sound, and the tension in the air was

activities to choose from in New York City

12 Because of my pale skin, I am

to getting freckles in the sun

13 I had to leave my last job because of my

boss; he thought that the best way to manage a department was by being dictatorial

work in the short term, but eventually, his sneaky dealings will get him in trouble

15 Her coworkers respond well to Lauren’s

demeanor, as everyone likes to be around someone who is self-confident

insistent that I no longer believe that you are responsible

my taste with its gaudy, elaborate décor

I thought it the most intense weather we had experienced all year

19 He never seemed open to new experiences; he

mocked everything even remotely unfamiliar

20 My past experiences proved

to the situation once I was able to make the connection

Synonyms

The following exercise lists vocabulary words from this

chapter Each word is followed by five answer choices

Four of them are synonyms of the vocabulary word

in bold Your task is to choose the one that is NOT a

synonym

21 audacious

a daring

b defiant

c insolent

d fearless

e churlish

22 demure

a prudish

b graceful

c shy

d solemn

e modest

23 dolorous

a demure

b sorrowful

c unpleasant

d painful

e distressful

24 flippant

a careless

b flexible

c disrespectful levity

d rudely casual

e pert

25 ornate

a showy

b flowery

c epicurean

d highly decorated

e excessively ornamented

26 jaunty

a dapper

b buoyant

c self-confident

d athletic

e stylish

27 palpable

a substantial

b touchable

c weighable

d tangible

e sensitive

28 sardonic

a sarcastic

b prodigious

c cynical

d caustic

e scornfully mocking

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29 vehement

a fervid

b passionate

c relevant

d zealous

e forceful

30 myriad

a plenty

b numerous

c indefinite

d countless

e oblique

Choosing the Right Word

Circle the word in bold that best completes the

sentence

41 I found your casual, (flippant, feisty) attitude

during the formal ceremony very disrespectful

42 “Might makes right!” declared the (facetious,

imperious) dictator.

43 It’s difficult to know whether you are serious

when you are so (facetious, jaunty) with me.

44 It was very (audacious, churlish) to stand up

before the crowd and recklessly begin speaking

without having prepared at all

45 I can’t work with you in this professional

envi-ronment when you are so (extenuating,

churlish).

46 How can you afford your (epicurean, extenuat-ing) tastes; they are so lavish and luxurious!

47 Can’t you forgive me considering the (extenuat-ing, feisty) circumstances?

48 Did you notice how (dolorous, feisty) she

became when the touchy subject came up?

49 His (oblique, jaunty) answers to my simple

questions left me at a loss for understanding

Antonyms

31 conservative, restrained, reserved, timid

32 polite, poised, tractable, malleable

33 respectful, mindful, serious, courteous

34 joyful, blissful, happy, mirthful

35 finite, numerical, limited, homogenous

36 clear, straight, honest, direct

37 plain, unadorned, modest, simple

38 irrelevant, disconnected, moot, unrelated

39 intangible, imperceptible, subtle, untouchable

40 ordinary, weak, unimpressive, pedestrian

50 She became (prodigious, prone) to illness when

her immune system began to fail her

Practice Activities

Go to your favorite magazine and, while reading an

arti-cle, story, or any considerably lengthy feature, circle all

the adjectives (words that describe or qualify nouns)

you come across Take note of the nouns (people,

places, things) they describe or qualify, and then ask yourself how the presence of adjectives contributes to the piece in specific cases, and also as a whole

The next time you write an e-mail or an old-fash-ioned letter to a friend, see what happens to the qual-ity and character of your prose when you make a point

of including carefully selected adjectives, including those you learned in Vocabulary List 11

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Words in Context

Tanya’s move of bringing home the puppy was seen as

audacious, or bold and even reckless, considering both

the size of her family’s apartment and the fact that her

sister is prone, or susceptible, to allergies Yet, Tanya’s

reasonable mother is willing to consider the relevant

(having bearing on the matter at hand) extenuating

circumstances, which allow her to make an exception

All things considered (namely her family’s palpable, or

tangible gloom when the neighbor’s dog died), it

wouldn’t be a bad idea for this feisty puppy—so

obvi-ously playful and full of spirit—to stay

Completing the Sentence

1.demure If you got this question wrong, refer back

to the word’s definition

2.audacious If you got this question wrong, refer

back to the word’s definition

3.extenuate If you got this question wrong, refer

back to the word’s definition

4.churlish If you got this question wrong, refer back

to the word’s definition

5.feisty If you got this question wrong, refer back to

the word’s definition

6.dolorous If you got this question wrong, refer back

to the word’s definition

7.facetious If you got this question wrong, refer

back to the word’s definition

8.flippant If you got this question wrong, refer back

to the word’s definition

9.epicurean If you got this question wrong, refer

back to the word’s definition

10. palpable If you got this question wrong, refer back

to the word’s definition

11. myriad If you got this question wrong, refer back

to the word’s definition

12. prone If you got this question wrong, refer back to

the word’s definition

13. imperious If you got this question wrong, refer

back to the word’s definition

14. oblique If you got this question wrong, refer back

to the word’s definition

15. jaunty If you got this question wrong, refer back

to the word’s definition

16. vehement If you got this question wrong, refer

back to the word’s definition

17. ornate If you got this question wrong, refer back

to the word’s definition

18. prodigious If you got this question wrong, refer

back to the word’s definition

19. sardonic If you got this question wrong, refer back

to the word’s definition

20. relevant If you got this question wrong, refer back

to the word’s definition

Synonyms

21. e churlish Audacious means fearlessly or

reck-lessly daring Defiant and insolent convey similar meanings, whereas churlish means vulgar and would therefore not be a syn-onym of audacious

reserved behavior Graceful describes pleas-ing, attractive movement, and though one may find modesty graceful, it would not be a synonym for demure

grief or sorrow Demure means mild-mannered or shy and would not be a synonym

disrespectful levity Being overly casual in a disrespectful manner or being pert or care-less would also describe this attitude Flexible means able to bend, change, or move, and would not be a synonym

 A n s w e r s

25. c epicurean Ornate means elaborately and

excessively ornamented Something ornate

may also be considered showy or flowery

Epicurean means devoted to the pursuit of

sensual pleasures and thus would not be a

synonym

self-confident air It also means having a

crisp, dapper, stylish appearance Athletic,

meaning good at sports, would not be

con-sidered a synonym

handled, touched or felt All the words in the

group except sensitive denote this

character-istic Sensitive means highly receptive to

senses (including, but not exclusively to,

touch) and is not a synonym

cynically mocking All the words and groups

of words above suggest this disposition

except for prodigious Prodigious means

extraordinary or impressively great in size or

force and would not be a synonym

forcefulness or intensity The word choices

are all useful vocabulary terms that have

sim-ilar meanings to vehement except for

rele-vant, which means having a connection with

the matter at hand Relevant would not be a

synonym

large or indefinite number Oblique would

not be considered a synonym, as it means

indirect or evasive

Antonyms

31. audacious Audacious means bold, the opposite of

the meaning of the words in the group

32. churlish Churlish means vulgar or difficult to

work with, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group

33. flippant Flippant means marked by disrespectful

levity or casualness, the opposite of the meaning

of the words in the group

34. dolorous Dolorous means marked by sorrow, the

opposite of the meaning of the words in the group

35. myriad Myriad means indefinite, the opposite of

the meaning of the words in the group

36. oblique Oblique means slanting or misleading,

the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group

37. ornate Ornate means elaborately ornamented, the

opposite of the meaning of the words in the group

38. relevant Relevant means having a bearing on, or

a connection with, the matter at hand, the oppo-site of the meaning of the words in the group

39. palpable Palpable means capable of being touched

or felt, the opposite of the meaning of the words

in the group

40. prodigious Prodigious means impressively great or

extraordinary, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group

Choosing the Right Word

41. flippant Context clue is that flippant means

marked by disrespectful casualness Though being overly feisty may also be considered disrespectful, considering the context clues, flippant is the stronger choice

42. imperious Context clue is that imperious means

dictatorial and domineering

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