English 11 Reading English 11 Reading SupportSupport

Vocabulary Warm Ups

~Unit One~1. genre: a style or category of art or

literature2. rhetoric: writing or speaking that has a

persuasive effect/purpose3. tone: the author’s voice expressing a

feeling towards something4. theme: the position a work takes on a

particular subject or topic5. archetype: very typical example

~Unit One~6. thesis: a statement or theory put forward to be proved; the argument of an essay7. narration: spoken or written account of

connected events; a story8. first person point of view: speaking or

writing that is in the “I” perspective9. innuendo: an indirect or inexplicit remark, typically a suggestive one10. symbol: something that represents something else

~Unit Two~1. connotation: an idea or feeling which a

word evokes additional to its literal meaning2. denotation: the literal meaning of a word

(definition)3. context: the social and/or historical background of a text4. structure: a building or other object constructed from several parts5. figurative language: discourse which departs from a literal meaning of words; metaphorical

~Unit Two~6. literal language: discourse that means its

exact meaning; doesn’t go outside of the obvious meaning

7. obscure: uncertain or unclear8. inference: a conclusion reached on the

basis of evidence and reasoning9. proposition: a statement expressing a judgment or an opinion10. intrepid: fearless; adventurous

~Unit Three~1. acquisitive: able to get and retain ideas or information2. arrogate: to claim or take without right3. banal: trite; commonplace4. belabor: to work on excessively5. carping: tending to find fault, especially in a petty or nasty way

~Unit Three~6. coherent: holding or sticking together;

making a logical whole7. congeal: to change from liquid to solid;

thicken8. emulate: to imitate with the intent of

equaling or surpassing the model9. encomium: formal expression of praise10. eschew: to avoid; shun; keep away

~Unit Four~1. germane: relevant; appropriate; fitting2. insatiable: so great or demanding as

not to be satisfied3. intransigent: refusing to compromise4. invidious: offensive; hateful5. largesse: generosity in giving

~Unit Four~6. reconnaissance: any kind of preliminary inspection or examination7. substantiate: to establish by evidence;

prove8. taciturn: habitually silent or quiet; inclined to talk very little9. temporize: to stall or act evasively in

order to gain time/avoid a confrontation/postpone a decision10. tenable: capable or being held of defended

~Unit Five~1. accost: to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way2. animadversion: a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval3. avid: desirous of something to the point of

greed; intensely eager4. brackish: having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink5. celerity: swiftness, rapidity of motion or action

~Unit Five~6. devious: straying or wandering from a straight or direct

course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way7. gambit: in chess, an opening move that involves risk or

sacrifice of a minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type8. halcyon: a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher;

calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous; affluent9. histrionic: pertinent to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic10. incendiary: deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife

~Unit Six~1. maelstrom: a whirlpool of great size and violence; a

situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction2. myopic: nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of

a situation; lacking foresight or discernment3. overt: open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a

way that is easily recognized4. pejorative: tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling5. propriety: the state of being proper, appropriateness;

standards of what is proper or socially acceptable

~Unit Six~6. sacrilege: improper or disrespectful treatment of

something held sacred7. summarily: without delay or formality; briefly,

concisely8. suppliant: asking humbly and earnestly; one

who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor

9. talisman: an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

10. undulate: to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form

~Unit Seven~1. articulate: to pronounce distinctly2. cavort: to romp or prance about exuberantly3. credence: belief; mental acceptance4. decry: to condemn; express strong

disapproval5. dissemble: to disguise or conceal;

deliberately give a false impression

~Unit Seven ~6. distraught: very much agitated or upset

as a result of emotion or mental conflict7. eulogy: a formal statement of commendation; high praise8. evince: to display clearly/ make evident/ provoke9. exhume: to remove form a grave; to bring to light10. feckless: lacking in spirit and strength;

ineffective/weak; irresponsible

~Unit Eight~1. murky: dark and gloomy; lacking in

clarity and precision2. nefarious: wicked/ devoid of moral standards3. piquant: stimulating to the taste or mind; appealingly provocative4. primordial: developed or created at the

very beginning; going back to the most ancient or earliest stage;

fundamental/basic5. propinquity: nearness in place or time

~Unit Eight~6. unwonted: not usual or expected; not in

character7. utopian: founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world8. verbiage: language that is too wordy or

inflated in proportion to the sense or content; wordiness9. verdant: green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgment10. viscous: having a gelatinous or gluey quality; lacing in easy movement or fluidity

~Unit Nine~1. atrophy: to waste away2. bastion: a fortified place; a stronghold3. concord: a statement of agreement or harmony4. consummate: to bring to a state

of completion or perfection5. disarray: disorder; confusion

~Unit Nine~6. exigency: urgency; urgent demand; pressing need; an emergency7. flotsam: floating debris; homeless

or impoverished people8. frenetic: frenzied; highly agitated9. glean: to gather bit by bit10. grouse: to complain

~Unit Ten~

1. incarcerate: to imprison2. incumbent: required3. jocular: joking4. ludicrous: ridiculous5. mordant: sharply or bitterly

harsh

~Unit Ten~6. nettle: to arouse displeasure/impatience/anger7. pecuniary: of or related to money;

financial8. pusillanimous: contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited9. recumbent: lying down10. stratagem: a scheme to out wit or

deceive an opponent or to gain an end

~Unit Eleven~1. acuity: sharpness in mind or senses2. delineate: to portray/ sketch/ or describe in accurate and vivid details3. depraved: marked by evil and corruption4. enervate: to weaken or lessen the

mental/ moral / physical vigor of5. esoteric: intended for or understood

by only a select few

~Unit Eleven~6. fecund: fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive7. fiat: a command or act of will or consciousness8. figment: a fabrication of the mind9. garner: to acquire as the result of effort10. hallow: to honor greatly

~Unit Twelve~1. idiosyncrasy: a peculiarity that

serves to distinguish or identify2. ignominy: shame and disgrace3. mundane: concerned with what

is ordinary4. nuance: a subtle or slight variation5. overweening: conceited

~Unit Twelve~6. penchant: a strong attraction or inclination7. reputed: having widespread acceptance

and good reputation8. sophistry: reasoning that seems plausible but is actually unsound; a fallacy9. sumptuous: costly/ rich/ magnificent10. ubiquitous: present or existing everywhere

~Unit Thirteen~1. abject: degraded2. agnostic: one who believes nothing

can be known about God; a skeptic3. complicity: involvement in wrongdoing4. derelict: someone or something that

is abandoned or neglected5. diatribe: a bitter and prolonged verbal attack

~Unit Thirteen~6. effigy: a crude image of a despised

person7. equity: the state or quality of being

just/ fair/ or impartial8. inane: silly; empty of meaning or

value9. indictment: the act of accusing; a

formal accusation10. indubitable: certain; not to be doubted or denied

~Unit Fourteen~1. intermittent: stopping and beginning again; sporadic2. moot: open to discussion and debate; unresolved3. motif: a repeated or dominant figure

in a design4. neophyte: a new convert/beginner5. perspicacity: keenness in observing

and understanding

~Unit Fourteen~6. plenary: complete in all aspects or

essentials7. surveillance: a watch kept over a

person8. sylvan: pertaining to or characteristic of forests; woody9. testy: easily irritated10. travesty: a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation

~Unit Fifteen~1. allay: to calm or pacify2. bestial: brutal or beastlike3. convivial: festive; sociable; having fun together4. coterie: a circle of acquaintances5. counterpart: a person or thing

closely resembling or corresponding to another

~Unit Fifteen~6. demur: to object or take exception to7. effrontery: shameless boldness8. embellish: to decorate; touch up9. ephemeral: lasting only a short

time10. felicitous: appropriate or well chosen

~Unit Sixteen~1. furtive: done slyly or stealthily2. garish: tastelessly showy or over-

decorated in a vulgar or offensive way

3. illusory: misleading or deceptive4. indigent: needy; impoverished5. inordinate: far too great; exceeding reasonable limits

~Unit Sixteen~6. jettison: get rid of as unnecessary

or burdensome7. misanthrope: a person who hates/despises/or distrusts mankind8. pertinacious: very persistent9. picayune: of little value or importance10. raiment: clothing

~Unit Seventeen~1. allege- to asset without proof or confirmation2. arrant- shameless3. badinage: light and playful conversation4. conciliate: to overcome the distrust of or

win over5. countermand: to cancel or reverse one

order or command with another that is contrary to the first

~Unit Seventeen~6. echelon: an organized military unit7. exacerbate: to make more violent or

painful8. fatuous: stupid or foolish in a self-

satisfied way9. irrefutable: impossible to disprove10. juggernaut: a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path

~Unit Eighteen~1. lackadaisical: lacking of spirit or

interested2. litany: any repetitive chant3. macabre: horrible4. paucity: an inadequate quantity

or scarcity5. portend: to give advance warning

of

~Unit Eighteen~6. raze: to tear down or destroy completely7. recant: to withdraw a statement which one has previously committed8. saturate: to soak thoroughly or fill

to capacity9. saturnine: of a gloomy or surly disposition10. slough: to cast off or discard