AND Trepidation, Innovative, Naive, Nascent
hackneyed- worn out through overuse
medieval- referring to the Middle Ages; old fashioned
obsolete- no longer in use; old fashioned
austere- without decoration; strict
mediocrity- the state of quality of being average; of moderate to low quality
mundane- commonplace; ordinary
ponderous- extremely dull
prosaic- unimaginative; dull
sedentary- not migratory; settled
apprehension- anxiety or fear about the future
harbinger- something that indicates what is to come; a forerunner
ominous- menacing; threatening
premonition- a feeling about the future
timorous- timid; fearful about the future
trepidation- uncertainty; apprehension
innovative- introducing something new
naive- lacking sophistication
nascent- coming into existence; emerging
After six years of at my elementary school, things began to become very old to my class. All the fun activities that the teachers would try to have were hackneyed. One of my teachers would make us use this obsolete typewriter that we liked to play on when we were in the third grade. It was fun when we were younger and naive, but by fifth grade it was old. We were used to the medieval piece of machinery. It really must have been from the Middle Ages. The whole school became mundane to us. The classrooms were ponderous. Majority of our day was doing sedentary work. The teacher's lesson plan seemed to prosaic to us. Our boredom caused us to begin to turn in work that was tainted with mediocrity. Our essays were dry regurgitations of the book. They were austere summaries, not analysts. We wanted something innovative to trigger our imaginations. We looked ahead to middle school, feeling that it might be relief. But we did have some apprehension about middle school. Something about going to a new place seemed ominous and made us a little timorous. The new people caused some trepidation in us. The alum that came back to visit told us that they loved middle school. We took that as a harbinger of good thing in middle school. It gave us the premonition that middle school would be alright. A nascent Class of 2003 was coming out of all our situations with hope in the future.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Pugnacious, Reprehensible, Brittle, Deleterious, Enmity, Heinous, Malfeasance, Malice, Putrid, Rancorous, Toxic, Archaic
pugnacious- combative; belligerent
reprehensible- worthy of blame
brittle- easily broken when subjected to pressure
deleterious- having a harmful effect; injurious
enmity- mutually hatred or ill well
heinous- hatefully evil; abominable
malfeasance- wrongdoing, misconduct
malice- extreme ill will or sight
putrid- rotten
rancorous- hateful; marked by deep-seated ill will
toxic- poisonous
archaic- characteristics of an earlier period
Pugnacious Pablo was the rudest and most unstable person. If you said the slightest critique about him, he would want to fight you. He always thought the other person was the reprehensible one. While truly, his actions were the deleterious ones. The rest of the class and he had an enmity between us. But most of my classmates were too scared to stand up to him. They were brittle. Once they got to his face, they would quiver with fear and fall agreed with whatever he saud. His malice put fear in them and sometimes made them feel like they were the one who had done the malfeasance. When really, his heinous actions were the ones that deserved all the blame. He was such a putrid kid. He was only toxic to our class until he realized that his rancorous behavior was not because he hated our class, but he was used to doing the same things that his family had done. Then, he realized that that was archaic and he did not have to be the way his family had been for years. He could create a new way of handling things. He left that old fashioned way of handling matters and became a nicer and more patient person.
reprehensible- worthy of blame
brittle- easily broken when subjected to pressure
deleterious- having a harmful effect; injurious
enmity- mutually hatred or ill well
heinous- hatefully evil; abominable
malfeasance- wrongdoing, misconduct
malice- extreme ill will or sight
putrid- rotten
rancorous- hateful; marked by deep-seated ill will
toxic- poisonous
archaic- characteristics of an earlier period
Pugnacious Pablo was the rudest and most unstable person. If you said the slightest critique about him, he would want to fight you. He always thought the other person was the reprehensible one. While truly, his actions were the deleterious ones. The rest of the class and he had an enmity between us. But most of my classmates were too scared to stand up to him. They were brittle. Once they got to his face, they would quiver with fear and fall agreed with whatever he saud. His malice put fear in them and sometimes made them feel like they were the one who had done the malfeasance. When really, his heinous actions were the ones that deserved all the blame. He was such a putrid kid. He was only toxic to our class until he realized that his rancorous behavior was not because he hated our class, but he was used to doing the same things that his family had done. Then, he realized that that was archaic and he did not have to be the way his family had been for years. He could create a new way of handling things. He left that old fashioned way of handling matters and became a nicer and more patient person.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Staid, Stoic, Discredit, Disparage, Plagiarism, Caustic, Incorrigible, Ingrate, Insolent, Notorious, Sanction
staid- unemotional; serious
stoic- indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive
discredit- to cause to be doubted
disparage- to speak in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle
plagiarism- the act of passing off the ideas or writing of another as one's own
caustic- bitingly sarcastic or witty
incorrigible- unable to be reformed
ingrate- an ungrateful person
insolent- insulting in manner or speech
notorious- known widely and usually unfavorably; infamous
sanction- an economic or military measure put in to punish another country
The worst part of fifth grade was having to deal with the assistant principal. He was notorious for being a real jerk. He would say these tart and caustic remarks that would discredit his year of learning childhood development. He would disparage the children of the school. Once we thought he was joking, but he remained so staid while he said it. Only the stoic kids could deal with him. Once, one of my classmates was accused of plagiarism. I stood up for him and told them how I saw him working hard on it. He called me an ingrate and said I should be thankful for the education that I am getting and not meddling in his business in a very insolent manner. At first I thought that he could learn how to deal with kids, but I learned that he was incorrigible. He is like a dictator waiting to see where he can sanction next for no reason.
stoic- indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive
discredit- to cause to be doubted
disparage- to speak in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle
plagiarism- the act of passing off the ideas or writing of another as one's own
caustic- bitingly sarcastic or witty
incorrigible- unable to be reformed
ingrate- an ungrateful person
insolent- insulting in manner or speech
notorious- known widely and usually unfavorably; infamous
sanction- an economic or military measure put in to punish another country
The worst part of fifth grade was having to deal with the assistant principal. He was notorious for being a real jerk. He would say these tart and caustic remarks that would discredit his year of learning childhood development. He would disparage the children of the school. Once we thought he was joking, but he remained so staid while he said it. Only the stoic kids could deal with him. Once, one of my classmates was accused of plagiarism. I stood up for him and told them how I saw him working hard on it. He called me an ingrate and said I should be thankful for the education that I am getting and not meddling in his business in a very insolent manner. At first I thought that he could learn how to deal with kids, but I learned that he was incorrigible. He is like a dictator waiting to see where he can sanction next for no reason.
Medley, Mural, Narrative, Parody, Realism, Virtuoso, Decorous, Equanimity, Modest, Propriety, Prudent, Serene, Condemn, Pejorative, Vilify, Brusque
AND Fractious
medley- an assortment or a mixture, especially of musical pieces
mural- a large painting applied directly to a wall or ceiling surface
narrative- characterized by the telling of a story; a story
parody- an artistic work that imitates the style of another work for comic effect
realism- artistic representation that aims for visual accuracy
virtuoso- a tremendously skilled artist
decorous- proper; marked by good taste
equanimity- the quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure
modest- quiet or humble in manner or appearance
propriety- appropriateness of behavior
prudent- exercising good judgment or common sense
serene- calm
condemn- to express strong disapproval of; denounce
pejorative- describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone
vilify- to make vicious statements about
brusque- rudely abrupt
fractious- quarrelsome ; unruly
The teacher that made the bookshelf also had a decorous style. The side of the bookshelf had a mural of students reading in the library. Its realism was amazing. It looked just like the real library with its great detail. It must have been done by some mural virtuoso. I could even see see the name of the book that the student was reading in the mural. It was Ella Enchanted, a narrative by Gail Carson Levine. It happens to be a book that I love. It is about a modest young girl whose not so prudent aunt casts a spell on her. The spell made was that of obedience. No matter what she is doing, she can't help but to brusquely stop what she is doing and do as you demand, even if it has the smallest amount of propriety. Everyone else in the family condemns the spell and her aunt. They use pejorative words when they speak of her and vilify her. Even with this spell, Ella shows equanimity and remains serene. I personally think that I would be very fractious if I were in her situation. Ella's adventures are very interesting to me. I find the book to be a nice medley of literary and a soap opera. There have been many parodies of it, but none can measure to the original by Levine.
medley- an assortment or a mixture, especially of musical pieces
mural- a large painting applied directly to a wall or ceiling surface
narrative- characterized by the telling of a story; a story
parody- an artistic work that imitates the style of another work for comic effect
realism- artistic representation that aims for visual accuracy
virtuoso- a tremendously skilled artist
decorous- proper; marked by good taste
equanimity- the quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure
modest- quiet or humble in manner or appearance
propriety- appropriateness of behavior
prudent- exercising good judgment or common sense
serene- calm
condemn- to express strong disapproval of; denounce
pejorative- describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone
vilify- to make vicious statements about
brusque- rudely abrupt
fractious- quarrelsome ; unruly
The teacher that made the bookshelf also had a decorous style. The side of the bookshelf had a mural of students reading in the library. Its realism was amazing. It looked just like the real library with its great detail. It must have been done by some mural virtuoso. I could even see see the name of the book that the student was reading in the mural. It was Ella Enchanted, a narrative by Gail Carson Levine. It happens to be a book that I love. It is about a modest young girl whose not so prudent aunt casts a spell on her. The spell made was that of obedience. No matter what she is doing, she can't help but to brusquely stop what she is doing and do as you demand, even if it has the smallest amount of propriety. Everyone else in the family condemns the spell and her aunt. They use pejorative words when they speak of her and vilify her. Even with this spell, Ella shows equanimity and remains serene. I personally think that I would be very fractious if I were in her situation. Ella's adventures are very interesting to me. I find the book to be a nice medley of literary and a soap opera. There have been many parodies of it, but none can measure to the original by Levine.
Aesthetic, Anthology, Contemporary, Dilettante, Eclectic, Excerpt, Genre
aesthetic- having to do with the appreciation of beauty
anthology- a collection of literary pieces
contemporary- current, modern, from the same time
dilettante- one with an amateurish or superficial understanding of a field of knowledge
eclectic- made up of a variety of sources or styles
excerpt- a selected part of a passage or scene
genre- describing a category or artistic endeavor
The best part of my fifth grade year was having the classroom that had the largest bookshelf in the whole school. We called it the The Amazing Anthology of Mahogany. It had aesthetic contributions, but the actual books on the shelves are what appealed to most of us, students. My favorite section was the contemporary section because the literature in this section talked a lot about the political events that have recently occurred. Although at that time I was a dilettante when it comes to political issues, I became interested once I read an excerpt from the president's novel. The other genres were very diverse. The teacher who made the bookshelf and put it together in 1955 had a very eclectic interest in books.
anthology- a collection of literary pieces
contemporary- current, modern, from the same time
dilettante- one with an amateurish or superficial understanding of a field of knowledge
eclectic- made up of a variety of sources or styles
excerpt- a selected part of a passage or scene
genre- describing a category or artistic endeavor
The best part of my fifth grade year was having the classroom that had the largest bookshelf in the whole school. We called it the The Amazing Anthology of Mahogany. It had aesthetic contributions, but the actual books on the shelves are what appealed to most of us, students. My favorite section was the contemporary section because the literature in this section talked a lot about the political events that have recently occurred. Although at that time I was a dilettante when it comes to political issues, I became interested once I read an excerpt from the president's novel. The other genres were very diverse. The teacher who made the bookshelf and put it together in 1955 had a very eclectic interest in books.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Facetious, Impinge, Lament, Melancholy, Truncated
facetious- playfully humorous
impinge- hinder; interfere with
lament- express grief for; mourn
melancholy- sadness; depression
truncated- shortened; cut off
Once my fifth grade facetiously told one of my classmates that their paper stunk and he sucked as a writer. The boy didn't know that she was just playing so he began lamenting over this. As much as we tried to assure him that she was just playing, he would not get out of his melancholy state. The simple statement from the teacher impinged on his happiness and comfortableness. The next time the teacher tried to joke around with another student, some of the classmates and I would try to truncate her joke by asking a question.
impinge- hinder; interfere with
lament- express grief for; mourn
melancholy- sadness; depression
truncated- shortened; cut off
Once my fifth grade facetiously told one of my classmates that their paper stunk and he sucked as a writer. The boy didn't know that she was just playing so he began lamenting over this. As much as we tried to assure him that she was just playing, he would not get out of his melancholy state. The simple statement from the teacher impinged on his happiness and comfortableness. The next time the teacher tried to joke around with another student, some of the classmates and I would try to truncate her joke by asking a question.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Innate, Emigrate, Transient, Transitory, Affable, Amenable, Camaraderie
innate- possessed from birth; inborn
emigrate- to leave one country or region and settle in another
transient- passing away with time; passing from one place to another
transitory- short-lived or temporary
affable- easy-going; friendly
amenable- responsive; agreeable
camaraderie- good will between friends
My fifth grade class had a class pet. He was a dog named Affy. His name was Affy because he was very affable. He was well trained. He was so good with commands it seemed that they were innate, like he was just born knowing what “Sit!” means. But Affy had had a pretty hard life. He jumped from shelter to shelter for the first two years of his life. He emigrated from a dog-fighting area. He was immediately taken in by a rescue shelter, but that stay was transitory because although he was a very amenable friend, he had very aggressive and violent tendencies because of his past. This made it very hard for Affy to build camaraderie until he was required to attend doggie boot camp. We got him after he got out of camp. He was still a little aggressive with us at first, but these actions were transient.
emigrate- to leave one country or region and settle in another
transient- passing away with time; passing from one place to another
transitory- short-lived or temporary
affable- easy-going; friendly
amenable- responsive; agreeable
camaraderie- good will between friends
My fifth grade class had a class pet. He was a dog named Affy. His name was Affy because he was very affable. He was well trained. He was so good with commands it seemed that they were innate, like he was just born knowing what “Sit!” means. But Affy had had a pretty hard life. He jumped from shelter to shelter for the first two years of his life. He emigrated from a dog-fighting area. He was immediately taken in by a rescue shelter, but that stay was transitory because although he was a very amenable friend, he had very aggressive and violent tendencies because of his past. This made it very hard for Affy to build camaraderie until he was required to attend doggie boot camp. We got him after he got out of camp. He was still a little aggressive with us at first, but these actions were transient.
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