Define it!
The school prohibited students from entering the gym. A sign on the door read, “DO NOT ENTER.”
What does prohibited most likely mean?
What is: not easily convinced; expressing doubt
Your friend says: “Daves Hot Chicken is better than Bojangles” and you immediately say, “THANK YOU. Somebody finally said it.”
Which vocabulary word describes what you and your friend do?
What is: Concur
to agree or have the same opinion.
Skeptical means not easily convinced; expressing doubt.
Omari didn’t believe the influencer, Angel, actually attended PA school, so he commented and asked to see her acceptance letter before believing her.
What context clue best proves the meaning of skeptical?
“asked to see the screenshots before believing it”
Which word is the closest synonym for prohibit?
Allow | Ban | Suggest | Ignore
What is: Ban
Everyone in the group agrees that the party should start at 8:00 except Amaya, who insists it should start at 9:00.
Which TWO vocabulary words describe the group and Amaya?
What is: Concur & Dissent
Maya was skeptical of the unbelievable story and asked for proof before she would believe it.
What does skeptical most likely mean?
What is: not easily convinced; expressing doubt
When confronted by his girlfriend, Nia about whether he had cheated, Tyrone firmly replied, “Absolutely not,” and repeated his answer clearly to Nia several times.
Which vocabulary word best describes Tyrone's response?
What is: Emphatic
Strong and clear; expressed forcefully and clearly.
Emphatic means strong and clear; expressed forcefully and clearly.
When her friend asked if she liked his new haircut, she yelled, “YES! It looks SO much better!”
What context clue best proves the meaning of emphatic?
“YES! It looks SO much better!”
Which word is the closest synonym for concur?
Agree | Question | Explain | Refuse
Agree
One Tiny Difference
Two influencers advertise skincare products.
Influencer A: “I believe this is the best moisturizer I've ever used.”
Influencer B: “This product will permanently erase every pore on your face,” despite having no evidence.
Which vocabulary word BEST describes Influencer B's statement specifically?
Contend | Purport | Concur | Emphatic
Purport
The committee decided that repeatedly missing meetings without explanation would constitute grounds for removal.
What does constitute most likely mean?
What is: to form or establish
Your teacher lets one student turn in an assignment three days late with no penalty. Suddenly, everybody else starts saying, “Well, you let THEM do it…”
What vocabulary word describes the teacher's first decision?
What is: Precedent
A past decision that can be used to guide future decisions.
Abridge means to reduce or lessen in scope.
The movie was based on a 500-page novel, but several characters and entire storylines were left out of the film.
What context clue best proves that the story was abridged?
“several characters and entire storylines were left out”
Which word is the closest synonym for emphatic?
Forceful | Uncertain | Ordinary | Quiet
Forceful
Which Word DOESN'T Work?
A student says:
“The principal _______ that the new dress code is necessary.”
Three vocabulary words could reasonably complete the sentence. Which one could NOT?
Contends | Purports | Emphatically states | Abridges
What is: Abridges
The others can all relate to making or expressing a claim; abridge means to reduce or lessen in scope.
Although some people argue that social media distracts students from learning, others contend that it can help students collaborate, exchange ideas, and find educational resources.
What does contend most likely mean?
What is: to claim or state as truth
The streamer Kai Cenat promotes a “study smoothie,” saying that drinking it will automatically make you memorize everything you read after scanning it once. Thousands of people believe the videos, even though Cenat provides no evidence that it works.
Which vocabulary word describes what the account is doing?
What is: Purport
to profess or claim, often falsely.
Dissent means to hold or express an opinion different from that of the majority.
Everyone in the group chat loved the new song. Zaria sent, “Y’all are gonna hate me... but this is terrible.”
What context clue best proves that Zaria dissented?
“Y’all are gonna hate me... but this is terrible.”
Your friend contends that Beyoncé has never made a bad album.
Which word could replace contends without changing the meaning?
Claims | Wonders | Proves | Discovers
Claims
A school has always allowed students with perfect attendance to skip the last day of class. This year, the principal announces that no students will be allowed to skip. A group of seniors publicly disagrees with the decision.
Identify THREE vocabulary words that describe each statement:
1. The past practice
2. What the new rule does to skipping
3. What the seniors are doing
Precedent → Prohibit → Dissent
The account purported to belong to a school official. However, inconsistencies in its posts led students to question whether the account was actually legitimate.
What does purported most likely mean?
What is: to profess or claim, often falsely
Your friend says being left on delivered for two hours is automatically disrespectful. You argue that two hours alone isn't enough to count as disrespect because people get busy.
Which vocabulary word means “to count as” in this disagreement?
What is: Constitute
to form or establish.
Precedent means a past decision that can be used to guide future decisions.
Malik argues that he should be allowed to redo his presentation because another student was allowed to redo hers last month.
What context clue best proves that Malik is relying on a precedent?
“another student was allowed to redo hers last month”
The director decided to abridge the three-hour movie before releasing it in theaters.
Which word could BEST replace abridge?
Shorten | Summarize | Rewrite | Explain
Shorten
Read both statements:
A: “That restaurant is the best in Charlotte. I've eaten there five times.”
B: “This restaurant's food can cure the flu,” says an influencer who provides no evidence.
Both speakers are presenting something as true. However, two different vocabulary words best describe what they are doing.
Which word best fits A, which word best fits B, and what difference between the definitions proves your answer?
A = Contend
B = Purport
Why: Contend means to claim or state as truth, while purport means to profess or claim, often falsely.