Words of the Day: Patterns

• Each week the words of the day will center around a common definition or theme.

• The purpose of this is to help you categorize and remember words more easily.

• Words will be assessed approximately every 5 weeks, so hold on to your words!

Week 1:•Shhh! Words related to being quiet

Brevity - noun• To the point in speaking or writing• What is a word your familiar with

that uses brevity as a root word?• Limited space in the newsletter

makes brevity essential.

Laconic- adj• Using few words in a speech• His laconic answers made him

seem abrupt and rude.

Quiescent- adj• Quiet; still; inactive• What is an easy, visual way to

remember this word?• Mount St. Helens has been quiescent

since its last eruption in 1986?

Reticent- adj• Not talking much; reserved• After consuming too much wine

at the ladies' auxiliary lunch, the normally reticent Ms. Worthy shocked her table mates with ribald tales of the

Merchant Marines.

Week 2• Blah…blah…. Words relating to

speaking

Bombastic- adj• Using language in a way to impress

others• What might be an easy way to

remember this word?• The politician was bombastic in his

rhetoric, boring most of the audience.

Colloquial- adj• conversational• What about the first three letters of this

word may help you remember it? Think co-worker.

• In an attempt to connect with his audience, the politician used a folksy, colloquial style.

Loquacious- adj• Very talkative; liking to talk• The loquacious audience grew

quiet when the movie started.

Verbose- adj• Wordy; long winded• What’s the root word?• In an effort to appear to have

something to say, the student wrote five pages of verbose nonsense.

Week 3• Tah Dah! Words relating to

feeling superior.

Contemptuous- adj• Lacking respect; looking down on

others• How can you use the word tempt to

help you remember this definition?• The king treated the peasants

contemptuously.

Ostentatious- adj• Showing off; pretentious; pretending

to be more important than is the case• After earning her law degree, the

woman bought a brand new Lexus and an ostentatious house in a wealthy neighborhood.

Narcissistic- adj• Having to do with extreme self-

adoration and feeling of superiority• Do you remember this myth?• Because he was so narcissistic, he

gazed at his reflection whenever possible.

Presumptuous- adj• Overstepping the bounds• What is the root word? How can it

help you to remember the definition?• Isn’t it presumptuous of Julie to

expect everyone to do what she wants?

Swagger- verb• To walk around in a proud, showy

manner• Have you ever heard of this word?• Mr. West swaggered onto the stage to

interrupt Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech.

Week 4

• Ho hum… Words relating to being over used, unoriginal, and overall cliché

Banal- adj• Dull or stale from over use• Umm, you know what it rhymes with

right? Also, think of blah, blah blah• Have you heard the banal joke about

the man who threw the clock out the window to see time fly?

Insipid- adj• Lacking in flavor; unexciting• Think of being sick; think of soup; think

of sipping that soup.• After days with a stomach virus, the only

thing the child could handle was bland chicken broth.

Mundane- adj• Ordinary• Think of Mondays!• Going to the movies offers an

escape from the mundane routine of everyday life.

Platitude- noun

• An obvious remark uttered as if it were original

• Think about a hot dog being offered up on a golden plate.

• Despite the variety in Hallmark cards, they are all filled with the same platitudes.

Vapid- adj• Lacking freshness; flat; stale• How can you remember this word?• Behind every vapid, uninspiring TV

sit-com you’ll find an empty-headed producer, director, and screenwriter.

Week 5• IT’S OK!! Words relating to lessening pain, Tension, and/or Conflict

Pacify- verb• To calm; soothe• What’s something that is given to babies

that will help you remember this word?• To pacify the crying baby, his mother

gave him a bottle and changed his diaper.

Ameliorate- verb• To make better; to lessen the difficulty• This one you may just have to memorize!• To ameliorate their stress from school,

some kids get a message, play violent video games, or listen to their favorite music.

Assuage- verb• To alleviate; to pacify• The last few letters look like

massage.• To help her sister assuage her

anger, Andrew let her cry and vent.

Mollify- verb• To pacify• Hmmm…not sure what to tell you.• Not even the offer of a free airline ticket could

mollify Greg’s anger after the airline lost his luggage.

REVIEW• Get a 3x5 card• Determine if you are a word or a

category• Meet in the corners and the center if a

category• Find your place if a word

Stump the Chumps• Create two sentences using two different

vocabulary words from your category.• Make one sentence correct and the other

incorrect.• See if your classmates can both identify

and explain the right and wrong answers.