tedious
"The writers needed a big finale, and they didn't know what to do with Marissa anymore; she'd been through pretty much everything. I mean, I worked tediously for those three years and my character did a lot." - Mischa Barton, in Teen Vogue, on her departure from The O.C.
Mischa has not made an error, but she has made an interesting choice of words.
The adjective "tedious" means "overly dull, slow, or boring; monotonous," and the adverb "tediously" means "in a dull, slow, or boring manner; monotonously." Mischa says she "worked tediously," which means that she performed her role as Melissa in a dull, slow, or boring manner for three years. Mischa probably did not intend to characterize her own approach to …
amiable,
anthem,
antithesis,
buoyant,
flout
Download the songs from the Jukebox and listen as you learn! These are some excerpts from the entries for these songs.
The Clash - "Train in Vain" [link]
- the punk aesthetic
- one of the most infectious and buoyant pop songs
- a memorable kiss-off anthem
Smoosh - "Find a Way" [link]
Voxtrot - "Kid Gloves" [link]
- a common colloquial phrase
- the parallel structure of the antithesis
- flout the rules
dictionary.com: buoyant anthem amiable antithesis flout
colloquial,
eloquent,
loquacious,
soliloquy
Understanding the etymology of a word can make it easier to comprehend its meaning and remember its definition.
The root "loq" refers to speaking or words.
rectify
Understanding the etymology of a word can make it easier to comprehend its meaning and remember its definition.
The root "rect" meams "right; straight; to rule"
thane
The heroic epic poem Beowulf and William Shakespeare's Macbeth contain several vocabulary words, and familiarizing yourself with their definitions might make the works easier to understand.
The Beowulf quotes were taken from Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney, and the Macbeth quotes were retrieved using Open Source Shakespeare.
thane
- (noun) In medieval Scottish and Anglo-Saxon history: a chief of a clan; a land owner, chiefly one granted land in return for military service
Beowulf
p. 109: "He inspected the vault: with sword held high, its hilt raised to guard and threaten, Hygelac's thane scouted by the wall in Grendel's wake." ("Hygelac's thane" refers to Beowulf.)
Macbeth
Macbeth meets three witches who offer him prophecies concerning his rank, thereby beginning …
keen
The heroic epic poem Beowulf contains several vocabulary words, and familiarizing yourself with their definitions might make the work easier to understand. The quotes are taken from Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney.
| The first page of Beowulf |
keen
- (adjective) sharp; having incisive insight; intense; enthusiastic; sharpened, as an edge
- (noun) a highly emotional expression of grief or mourning
- (verb) to wail in a highly emotional manner, usually in grief or in mourning
|
p.41: "The fact is, Unferth, if you were truly as keen or courageous as you claim to be Grendel would never had got away with such unchecked atrocity…"
p. 77: "The woman wailed and sang keens…"
p. 173: "… whose keen-edged sword, an heirloom inherited …
insouciant
We recommend using news and quotation search engines to find examples of words in context, as this can be helpful in understanding their definitions and connotations.
A search on Google News for "insouciant Ocean's Thirteen" produced these results:
"Clooney, Pitt, Damon: as insouciant as ever, tossing off the repartee with an ease that borders on sedation." - Willamette Week
"…Steven Soderbergh… recaptures the insouciant rat-pack spirit that made his initial remake of Ocean’s Eleven so enjoyable…" - Straight.com
"..in Ocean's Thirteen, the insouciant charm wears off early, and what seemed carefree about the earlier films comes to seem careless…" - Seattle Weekly
iconic,
revere,
reverence
| Paul Revere, an American historical celebrity |
Known to have warned others in the famous cry, “The British are coming!” Paul Revere became an iconic member of American patriots whose role in politics and the war efforts helped to bridge a gap between social working classes and intellectuals.
Source: Biography Shelf.
|
dictionary.com: revere reverence iconic
abridge
A bridge
can shorten the distance
between two places. |
|
An abridged book has had passages shortened and sections removed to provide an overview of a work that can be read more quickly than the original.
Image courtesy of Physics Balsa Bridge Building Contest.
colloquial
Understanding the etymology of a word can make it easier to comprehend its meaning and remember its definition.
prefix: co- (with)
[extra letter]: l
root: loqu (speak)
suffix: -ial (related to or characterized by)
This image was created using LEGO and the Georgia cross stitch pattern at Subversive Cross Stitch.
adjectives,
tone
The tone of a piece of writing refers to the stylistic manner in which opinions and emotions are expressed. Consider using these adjectives when analyzing compositions.
This entry continues with a list of adjectives to describe tone.
omnipresent,
ubiquitous
Countries with McDonald's restaurants
McDonald's Corporation opened its first restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois, USA in 1955. Today, the company operates more than 20,000 restaurants in 100 countries on six continents.
dictionary.com: ubiquitous omnipresent
Image courtesy of Wikimedia.
Information courtesy of licenseenews.com
venerate
venerate - (verb) to regard with deep respect
Image courtesy of Married To The Sea.
amiable,
coquettish,
haggle,
impetuously,
procure,
tenet,
vacillate
Reviewing word lists and making associations among words can make it easier to remember their definitions and connotations.
Heidi Klum has an avidity for shopping at flea markets and she shares her tenets for procuring bargains: 1. if you are vacillating over an item, do not buy it; 2. be coquettish; 3. do not act impetuously; 4. when haggling over a price, name an amount lower than you think you should pay; 5. be amiable.
This entry continues with
definitions of the words in bold. |
- avidity - (noun) eagerness
- vacillate - (verb) to go back and forth, as from one opinion or belief to another
-
impetuous - (adjective) impulsive
|
adroit,
sentimental
Sentence parsing can be helpful in understanding the ways words function in sentences, making it easier to identify errors and enhance the quality of your writing.
"This is a most adroit, confident film, calmly understated and never sentimental." - Philip French, Observer (UK)
This simple sentence contains one subject, one linking verb, a predicate nominative, and several modifiers.
This entry continues with an analysis and description of all the words in the quote.
anachronism,
formidable,
redoubtable
Dudes, Dinosaur Comics is AWESOME! FORMIDABLE!! REDOUBTABLE!!!
|
This entry continues with
a cartoon about anachronism,
which is the placement
of a person or thing
in the wrong time period. |
anatomy,
inherent,
innate,
intrinsic
Reviewing word lists and making associations among words can make it easier to remember their definitions and connotations.
The adjectives in the following word list are used to describe qualities that exist within a person from birth or within a thing by its nature.
|
This entry continues with cartoon-based visual mnemonics. |
|
innocuous,
noxious
Understanding the etymology of a word can make it easier to comprehend its meaning and remember its definition.
The word root "noc" means "harm." Different prefixes and suffixes are added to this root to create words that have to do with harm.
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This entry continues with cartoon-based visual mnemonics. |
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credible,
credulous,
incredulous
Understanding the etymology of a word can make it easier to comprehend its meaning and remember its definition.
The word root "cred" means "to believe." Different prefixes and suffixes are added to this root to create words that have to do with believing.
| This entry continues with example sentences. |
- a credible witness
- credulous young children
- most remain incredulous
|
