Composition

Weekly Vocabulary

Week 1

Absurd (adj.)

The idea that Samantha would fail her test was absurd; she had studied through the night.

Acute (adj.)

The acute pain in Jodi’s neck kept her from performing in the talent show.

Conjure (v)

The poem’s vivid language conjured up feelings of sadness in Lily.

Frugal (adj.)

My mother has always been very frugal, spending less money on food in a month than I spend on clothes.

Lavish (adj.)

The party was very lavish, with crystal stemware and $100 bottles of champagne.

Melancholy (n.)

Neither George nor his psychiatrist could pinpoint the source of his melancholy.

Week #2

Quiz: Friday, September 20

Concede (v)

The presidential candidate decided to concede defeat based upon the latest poll results.

Diligent (adj)

Ben is very diligent about getting his homework turned-in on time.

Envision (v)

Please envision yourself on a sandy beach in Maui.

Fickle (adj)

Bob decided to replace his fickle coffee machine with one that works better.

Meticulous (adj)

Janine was meticulous about her appearance and refused to be seen in public without makeup.

Reluctant (adj)

The student was reluctant to reveal his poor grades to his mother.

Week #3

Correlate (v)

Researchers attempted to correlate the length of time a student studies and the grades he/she recieves.

Emulate (v)

Lisa attempted to emulate her sister Emily’s success by taking the same classes Emily did in high school.

Forgo (v)

I am going to forgo dessert because I am so full from dinner.

Aversion (n)

Kelly has such an aversion to strenuous exercise. She would rather eat worms than to consider going to the gym.

Imply (v)

Your bad breath implies that you had something garlicky for lunch.

Reciprocate (v)

After Bob bought Angelica’s groceries, she reciprocated the favor by cooking him dinner.

Week #4

Accommodate (v)

The Johnsons built a spare bedroom to accommodate their growing family.

Bereave (v)

A car accident bereaved John of his best friend, whose funeral is tomorrow.

Demise (n)

The demise of last night’s game can be attributed to the poor health of most of the players.

Enrich (v)

The goal of education is enrich minds and promote positive relationships.

Jeopardize (v)

My chances of going to college were jeopardized when I let my grades slip.

Versatile (adj)

I often buy clothes that are versatile, so that I can wear them at work and home.

Week 5

Conscience (n)

While all of Abby’s friends wanted her to attend the party, her conscience told her that it was a bad idea.

Deterrent (n)

Car alarms have a questionable history as deterrents to thieves.

Improvise (v)

Since she forgot her script at home, Karen had to improvise during her speech.

Remedial (adj)

Josh will have to take a remedial math class until he can pass the college basic math test.

Prowess (n)

Chandler’s athletic prowess was overshadowed by his legendary older brother.

Tenuous (adj)

My sister has a tenuous grasp of physics.

Week #6

Quiz: Friday, October 18

Commendable (adj.)

After saving the child’s life, Harry was given a medal for his commendable actions.

Crucial (adj.)

To be accepted into MSU, it is crucial that Bonnie score well on the ACT.

Nostalgia (n)

High school reunions are often full of feelings of nostalgia.

Plausible (adj.)

Although it sounds like a lie, your argument may actually be plausible.

Stoic (adj.)

Kevin’s stoic expression gave nothing away during the poker game.

Suppress (v)

Miranda found it difficult to suppress a gleeful scream when the company manager called to offer her the job.

Week 7

Quiz: Friday, October 25

Competence (n)

Margaret’s experience and knowledge of the product increased her competence as a salesperson.

Enigmatic (adj)

The man in the window stood with an enigmatic smile.

Juxtapose (v)

The student’s essay juxtaposed his first essay with his last, in order to look for growth.

Peculiar (adj)

He is a peculiar man. His clothes never match, and he hates wearing pants.

Procure (v)

Sandy managed, somehow, to procure two tickets to the sold-out concert.

Subjective (adj)

Most mothers think that their kids are perfect, but their opinions are very subjective.

2nd Term Week 8

Quiz: Friday, Nov.15

Abundance (noun)

The farmer was happy with the abundance of fruit she had grown that season.

Cordial (adj.)

The doorman at the luxury hotel offers each visitor a cordial “Good day”.

Essential (adj.)

It is essential for college students to develop good study habits to succeed.

Hostile (adj.)

The hostile crowd booed as the other team ran onto the field.

Prevail (verb)

Amy prevailed over fierce competition to become the state champion.

Ample (adj.)

The three-bedroom apartment provided ample space for the two roomates.

Week 9

Quiz on Friday, Nov. 22

Accusation (n.)

Police hesitate to make direct accusations when there is no evidence of a crime.

Alienate (v.)

Tommy felt alienated from the team when he was injured and couldn’t play.

Conducive (adj.)

Playing games on the iPad is not usually conducive to getting good grades

Imminent (adj.)

The business is in imminent danger of closing if sales don’t increase

Mundane (adj.)

His life was very mundane, never doing anything exciting or extraordinary.

Stagnant (adj.)

The water in the pond was stagnant because there was no wind.

Week 10

Quiz on Friday Dec. 6

Unsolicited (adj.)

Lisa kept walking, trying to ignore the man’s unsolicited comments.

Scrutinize (verb)

Jenna scrutinized her face in the mirror every day, hoping she wouldn’t find new wrinkles.

Redeem (verb)

Alex’s only hope for winning his girlfriend back is by redeeming himself by giving her flowers.

Perceive (verb)

Perceiving the sadness in his voice, I asked him if anything was wrong.

Melodramatic (adj.)

I am tired of all these melodramatic kids who think that everything bad that happens is the end of the world.

Lenient (adj.)

Neil’s father was not lenient when it came to him being able to be in the play.

Week 11

Quiz on December 13

Articulate (verb)

Young children find it difficult to articulate exactly what they are thinking.

Cohesiveness (adj.)

Although the team is talented, they will not win unless they develop cohesiveness and learn to play as one.

Descend (verb)

The airplane quickly descended for its arrival into Acapulco

Disperse (verb)

The crowd began to disperse as the concert came to an end.

Emit (verb)

New fuel technology is important because of the fear that cars emit too many pollutants into the air.

Foresee (verb)

Many engineers foresee a world with automated freeways filled with electric cars.

Week 12

Quiz on Jan. 10

Chaos (noun)

Leah lost control of her kindergarten class, and total chaos ensued.

Diminished (verb)

The prognosis diminished any chances she had of walking again.

Ethical (adjective)

The attorney’s ethical guidelines prevented him from defending a client he was friends with.

Hierarchy (noun)

The social hierarchy prevented even the most talented members of the lower classes from finding good jobs.

Incorporate (verb)

The sugar was incorporated into the recipe to make it taste sweeter.

Inevitable (adjective)

After spending every class playing on his iPad, it was inevitable that he would fail the test.

Week 13

Quiz on Jan. 17

Naive (adjective)

She was very naïve to believe that everything she read in the tabloids was true.

Ostracize (verb)

Her friends ostracized her when they found out that she had been gossiping about them behind their backs.

Unprecedented (adjective)

The teams winning streak was unprecedented as no team had done it before.

Wary (adjective)

Emily shot a wary glance at the man who had been following her for nearly five blocks.

Contradict (verb)

Some students contradict everything their teachers try to tell them.

Interpret (verb)

Roger found it difficult to interpret what the pilot was saying because of his accent.