Sept 2014 to Jan 2015 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.
its-your-our-their
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.
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.
our - plural pronoun of “I”. possessive
We all have our own lunchboxes.
their - possessive adjective -> belonging to them
That's their house on the corner.
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.
here – there – where (Spell words over announcements)
here - adverb -> at this place
there
adverb
where
question word
Is this your book here?
at or in that place
Please sit over there.
Where does he come from?
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
The teacher was unclear why the students came to class late because their
reasons were vague and evasive.
glean – verb to collect, gather, or learn anything little by little or slowly.
People glean information from reading the newspaper everyday.
taunt – verb – to tease or make fun of
synonym: mock
The zookeeper had to reprimand some teenagers who were taunting the lion, as
they were poking sticks through the bars of its cage.
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.
it’s – who’s
it’s – is a contraction for the words “it is” or “it has”
It’s my bedtime.
It’s been a long time
who’s – is a contraction for the words “who is” or “who has”
Who’s going to the store for mom?
Who’s seen my homework book?
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.
principal –– noun – a leading or most important person, often in charge of a
school or college; or the first in the order of importance, for example a chief.
The principal spoke to all the students in the auditorium.
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 - question word -> indicating choice among many
Which vacation should we choose?
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
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.
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- (adjective)- true or correct as a fact.
The student who got 100% got all the answer right.
right-(noun)- The basic freedoms to which all human beings are entitled.
The 19th Amendment guarantees women the right to vote.
United States citizen have the right to vote when they become eighteen.
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.
you’re – they’re – we’re
you’re - contraction of "you are" and is often followed by the present
participle (verb form ending in -ing).
You’re going to be late.
they’re – contraction for the words, “they are”
They’re driving to Florida for vacation instead of flying.
we’re - contraction for the words, “we are”
We’re the best team in the league, but we have to believe it.
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.
break - verb -> 1. to damage something
Unfortunately, my sibling often
break my toys!
2. taking time out
The kindergarten teacher needed a well-deserved break from her 25 - five year
olds.
antique – noun
something made a long time ago
Our dining room table, which we inherited from my great-grandmother, is an
antique.
forfeit – verb – to give up the right to something
We had to forfeit the soccer game because we did not have enough players.
paleontology/paleontologist
paleontology - noun - a branch of biology that studies the forms of life that
existed in other geologic periods, primarily by studying fossils.
Paleontology can be a good career choice for someone who loves fossils.
paleontologist – noun a person who studies forms of life that existed
before us, usually by digging for fossils.
Some of the tools a paleontologist may bring with him or her to locate
fossils would be picks, chisels, shovels, brushes, and magnifying glasses.
dignity – noun - a manner or quality that makes a person worthy of respect
Even though the actor momentarily forgot his lines, he managed to pick up
and continue with dignity.
triumph – verb – to obtain a great success of victory
The gymnast triumphed in the competition and won an Olympic gold medal.
music - noun- sounds that are sung by voices or played on musical instruments
The band played several popular pieces of music as the audience sang
along.
musician - noun- : a person who writes, sings, or plays music
The musician got a standing ovation after he sang the national anthem.
charade – noun –
1.
a game in which someone acts out a phrase, using gestures and no
words (usually plural)
2.
an obviously insincere action; a put-on
When we play charades, my friend Leo pretends to have fun, but I can tell
his enthusiasm is a charade.
fatigue – noun – the condition of being very tired; synonym – exhaustion
I felt extreme fatigue after the twenty mile bike ride.
instruct- verb- : to teach (someone) a subject, skill, etc. or to give (someone)
an order or command
All my teachers instruct me to restate the question and cite evidence to
support my answers.
instructor- noun- a person who teaches a subject or skill : someone who
instructs people
The driving instructor sat in the front seat of the car as he taught the new
student how to drive on the highway.
principle – noun – a belief you have about the way you should behave; a rule of
conduct
A student with high principles would refuse to cheat on a test.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------