Vocabulary Training
Vocab 1
1. bulwark – noun
2. forbear – verb
3. incite – verb
4. bludgeon – verb
5. dulcet – adj
1. First off, set up a notebook paper page following directions we go over during
class.
2. Use your dictionary to fill in the definitions (for the correct part of speech) and
check to see if any synonyms are given. ALSO, scan the entry for any “weird”
ways to spell any of the tenses or plurals of the word.
3. Now, thinking of that part of speech and thinking about the definition, come up
with some synonyms and antonyms. REMEMBER: antonyms have the
OPPOSITE meaning of the word; synonyms have the SAME.
4. Did you label the synonyms and antonyms as what they are? Just a simple
s- or ant- in front of them does the trick. Also, syns and ants should be the
SAME PART OF SPEECH as the vocab word.
In the sentences below, see if you can fill in the right word to complete the
sentence. I may use some words multiple times, so be careful!
Sample sentences
1. She has a big _________.
2. I thought he was going to_________.
3. We need to ______that big dog.
4. How’s it going so far? My guess is that you are a little
frustrated because the sentences are pretty vague and don’t
give you any clues. Try the next ones...
5. Bobby had to run home from the bus to avoid being
_________ed by the bully.
6. Were it not for the impenetrable ________of trees surrounding
the house, it too would have been blown away by the tornado.
7. She hadn’t planned to ______ her little sister to cry, but she just
couldn’t sit through another episode of Backyardigans and
changed the DVD.
8. Mom told us that starting on Monday she would _______eating
any sweets, but we caught her gobbling a KitKat bar that very
night.
Numbers 5-8 are much better, yes? Go back and in 5-8, circle any parts of the
sentence that helped you decide what word to put in the blank.
Now, go back to our first three “bad” sentences. Using the existing sentence, add to it
so as to fix each sentence, making it clear what word goes in the blank. If you
couldn’t decide before what word to use, just pick one and make the sentence work.
As you fill in your page for Vocab 1, think about using synonyms, antonyms, and parts
of the definition in the meaningful sentences so that it’s easy to tell what the word
means. Please be sure the sentences you write tonight are ORIGINALS, not just
slight “knock offs” of the sentences found on this worksheet.
BY THE WAY, do NOT try to take the easy way out by writing sentences that just put the
definition right after the word itself. Like this – “He likes to bludgeon, or hit with a large
stick, the house.” If you couldn’t take out the “comma definition comma” part of the
sentence and still have it show the meaning, then you haven’t really written a meaningful
sentence. CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED.
The page for Vocab 1 – completed including meaningful sentences AND drawings – is
due next time.