Vocab Definitions
Which word means fearful apprehension, a feeling of evil to come?
foreboding
Which word means having, showing, or done with good judgment or sense?
judicious
The ___________ man approached me, eager to fight.
bellicose
Which word means perspective from which the story is told?
point of view
Everyone likes a little bit of excitement and variety in their life.
broad generalization
Which word means to make someone feel embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed?
abash
Which word means oddly amusing in a wry or odd way?
droll
When the tone of the music changed in the film, we all recognized the ___________ that meant someone was about to die.
foreboding
Which word means a formal statement testifying to someone or something’s character?
testimonial
Most political cartoons use humor, irony, or exaggeration to make a point about politics. For example, one particularly famous cartoon from 2013 shows a homeless man using newspapers as a blanket; the headlines on those papers all say things like “Wall Street Soars” and “Corporate Profits Booming.”
satire
Which word means relating to or characteristic of a secret plot or agreement?
conspiratorial
Which word means an unexpected and inexplicable change in something?
vagary
Hank’s outburst in church was a _________ that simply came out of nowhere.
vagary
Which word means a phrase that stands for something other than its literal meaning, used for descriptive effect. (e.g. simile, metaphor, hyperbole)?
figurative language
Johnny Cash’s timeless classic “Boy Named Sue” is a story put to music about a boy whose father names him Sue just before leaving. Humiliated, the young boy goes on a quest to find his father and take revenge for the terrible insult of being given a girl’s name. When he finally catches up with his father, though, the old man explains the reasoning behind the name and the story ends with a surprising twist.
ballad
Which word means to laugh at with contempt and derision?
gibe
Which word means ready or inclined to fight, quarrel, or go to war?
bellicose
Although the hotel was filled with __________ designer furnishings, its room rates were surprisingly affordable.
opulent
Which word means the attitudes and ideas that are generally common there at that time, especially the attitudes and ideas shown in literature, philosophy, and politics?
zeitgeist
There are many ways to share the same basic information. An author can give a short and simple sentence, like, “She picked a red rose from the ground.” Or, they could use more descriptive words and a poetic sentence structure, like in, “Scarlet was the rose that she plucked from the earth.” Finally, an author could use imagery to paint a picture for the audience and add feeling to the sentence, like in, “From the ground she delicately plucked the ruby rose, cradling it in her hands as if it were a priceless jewel”.
style
Which word means rich and superior in quality?
opulent
Which word means imaginative and impulsive?
whimsical
The portrait of the dogs and cats playing cards together is one of the painter’s most ___________ pieces.
whimsical
Which word means the ordinary form of spoken or written language without metrical structure?
prose
In 1969, Neil Armstrong was quoted saying, “That’s one small step for a man – one giant leap for mankind.” In this example, Armstrong is referring to man walking on the moon. Although taking a step is an ordinary activity for most people, taking a step on the moon, in outer space, is a major achievement for ALL humanity.
antithesis