Sept to Dec 2012 Words – Definitions/parts of speech/sample sentence
luminous – adj giving off light
The moon was so luminous that Tim did not need a flashlight to see the path.
their-there-they’re
their - possessive adjective -> belonging to them
That's their house on the corner.
there - adverb -> at or in that place
Please sit over there.
they’re – contraction for the words, “they are”
adjacent – adj being near or close, esp. having a common boundary
The model was adjacent to the highway.
OR
just before, after, or facing
The map is on the adjacent page.
jubilant – adj feeling or showing great joy
synonym: ecstatic
The streets were filled with jubilant spectators as the Olympic victors paraded
past.
to-too-two
to - preposition -> towards (among many uses)
I went to him and offered my congratulations.
too - adverb -> also
Tom visited New York, too.
two - number -> 2
She bought two magazines and some candy.
tolerant – adj willing to respect people who think or act differently than you.
To have a harmonious classroom, we all need to recognize and be tolerant of our
differences.
concise – adj expressed in a few words
synonym: brief
Isaac’s report was concise yet packed with information.
vague – adj not explicit, imprecise; not clearly or definitely established or
known; (of a person or his expression) demonstrating lack of precision or clear
thinking; absent-minded
NEED SENTENCE
glean – verb to collect, gather, or learn anything little by little or slowly.
People glean information from reading the newspaper everyday.
hear-here
hear - verb -> to listen
Did you hear what he said?
here - adverb -> at this place
Is this your book here?
trivial – adj of little or no importance
My tiny scratch seemed trivial next to Drew’s broken arm.
banter – noun playful, teasing conversation
synonym: repartee
At the end of each newscast, the news anchor and the sportscaster like to
engage in banter about the local baseball team’s performance.
its-it’s
its – indicates possessive – good rule of thumb: if you can replace it with
his or her, there’s no apostrophe.
Every dog has its day.
The jury reached its decision.
it’s – is a contraction for the words “it is” or “it has”
It’s my bedtime.
It’s been a long time
admonish – verb to caution or warn
synonym: reprimand
Mrs. Wu had to admonish her students about running in the hallway.
baffled – adj confused of puzzled
synonym: perplexed
I was baffled by the complicated directions for assembling my new model car.
where-wear
wear - verb -> to attire
Models generally wear jeans and not the expensive clothes they show on the
walkway.
where - question word
Where does he come from?
belligerent – adj. hostile; wanting to fight
The Peacemakers at our school use conflict resolution to help stop belligerent
behavior.
detest – verb to hate or strongly dislike
I don’t like most vegetables, but what I really detest is cabbage!
which-witch
which - question word -> indicating choice among many
Which vacation should we choose?
witch - noun -> magic woman
Sarah was burned as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials.
collide – verb to strike or bump together
If you don’t watch where you’re going, you can collide with someone.
dawdle – verb to waste time; be slow
If you dawdle before breakfast, you’ll miss your ride to school.
through – threw
through – preposition (a word that shows the relationship between a noun
or pronoun and other words in a sentence) -> passing from one place to another
He went through the tunnel.
threw - verb -> past tense of the verb 'to throw'
He threw the ball to his father.
devour – verb to eat something very quickly or hungrily
Zoo visitors like to gather at feeding tme to watch the cheetahs devour their
steak.
right – write
right - adjective -> correct
That answer is right!
write - verb -> to put something down on paper
I prefer to write my letters in pen.
indulge – verb to allow yourself to enjoy something
Adrianne fought the urge to indulge her craving for the rich, chocolate dessert.
conceal – verb to hide from view
I conceal my diary in a box under my bed so that no one will read it.
justify – verb to give a good reason or cause for something
Mark knew he could justify getting home from school late by explaining that the
bus got a flat tire.
your-you’re
Your is the second person possessive adjective, used to describe something
as belonging to you. Your is nearly always followed by a noun.
Your book is on the table.
You're is the contraction of "you are" and is often followed by the present
participle (verb form ending in -ing).
You’re going to be late.
legend – noun a story that is handed down from the past that is often based on
fact, but is not completely true.
The legend of Johnny Appleseed is based on the life of a man named John
Chapman.
lecture – noun a prepared talk about something
verb to scold
The park ranger gave a lecture about wild animals. He told about having to
lecture some campers about leaving food out for the bears.
brake – break
break - verb -> to damage something
Unfortunately, I often break my toys!
brake - noun -> stopping device on a vehicle
He used the brake to stop quickly.
antique – noun something made a long time ago
Our dining room table, which we inherited from my great-grandmother, is an
antique.