W hat does careful description add to a given conversation, story, or explanation? Adjectives add color, definition, and detail to any piece of writing. They serve to qualify and clarify the subject at hand. Consider a mental image coming into focus as additional information is put forth: “There was a man. There was an old man. There was an old, dolorous man.” In this way, adjectives help us account for speci- ficity when trying to conjure up a figure, picture, mood, or situation in our minds. CHAPTER Vocabulary List 11: Adjectives CHAPTER SUMMARY Adjectives are typically understood as words used to describe nouns, that is, people, places, things, and ideas. But, beyond this textbook defi- nition, we may begin to think about the role of adjectives in our expe- riences as readers, writers, speakers, and listeners. 14 171 – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – 173 1 3 4 2 6 5 78 9 1211 10 14 17 15 18 19 16 13 Across 2 something that’s meant to be funny 3 shy, modest, reserved 6 relating to 8 touchable, perceptible 9 devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, gourmet 10 bold, adventuresome, insolent 14 commanding 17 indirect, circuitous 18 innumerable 19 surly Down 1 apt, disposed to 2 glib, lacking appropriate respectfulness 4 stylish, lively 5 spunky, showing aggressiveness, liveliness 7 tempering, moderating 11 elaborate, sumptuous 12 woeful, melancholy 13 intense, desperate 15 amazing, massive 16 cynical, scornful Choose the word from the Vocabulary List that best fits into the crossword puzzle. You can check your answers at the end of the chapter following the answers to the questions. Vocabulary List 11: Adjectives audacious churlish demure dolorous epicurean extenuating facetious feisty flippant imperious jaunty myriad oblique ornate palpable prodigious prone relevant sardonic vehement audacious (o˙·da¯ ·shəs) (adj.) fearlessly, often recklessly daring, adventurous, and brave; unrestrained by convention or propriety; insolent The student’s behavior—swearing at the teacher in class—resulted in detention for a week. churlish (chər·lish) (adj.) boorish or vulgar; having a bad disposition; surly; difficult to work with; intractable The child was immediately punished for his bad attitude and behavior. demure (di·myu˙ r) (adj.) modest and reserved in manner or behavior; shy Having always been attracted to the shy and quiet type, James predictably fell for the woman to whom he was introduced. dolorous (do¯ ·lə·rəs) (adj.) exhibiting sorrow, grief, or pain My friend’s expression could be explained by the painful divorce process in which she found herself. epicurean (e·pi·kyu˙·re¯ ·ən) (adj.) devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, especially to good food and comfort The feast lasted for hours as those in attendance enjoyed fine wine, delicacies, and the host’s beautiful home. extenuating (ik·sten·yə·wa¯t·in) (adj.) lessened the magnitude or seriousness of, especially by making partial excuses After hearing the entire story surrounding the supposed crime, the judge realized there existed circumstances that put the situation in perspective. facetious (fə·se¯ ·shəs) (adj.) playfully jocular “Don’t be ,” requested the girl’s mother, who was tired of her daughter’s refusal to take the situation seriously. feisty (f¯·ste¯) (adj.) touchy; quarrelsome; full of spirit; frisky or spunky Our new young puppy was extremely , jumping playfully all over the apartment and licking our faces. flippant (fli·pənt) (adj.) marked by disrespectful levity or casualness; pert Her remarks during the interview cost her the job as she failed to demonstrate the necessary respect for her potential coworkers. imperious (im·pir·e¯·əs) (adj.) arrogantly domineering or overbearing; dictatorial “It is my , ruthless political strategy that will conquer all contesting factions in this city,” exclaimed the egocentric, overconfident mayor. jaunty (jo˙ n·te¯) (adj.) having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk; crisp and dapper in appearance The groom looked dapper in his stylish suit and hat as he confidently entered the church on his wedding day. – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – 175 myriad (mire¯ ·əd) (adj.) constituting a very large, indefinite number; innumerable; composed of numerous diverse elements or facets (noun) a great number, countless The species of fish, plants, and micro- organisms populate the ocean. oblique (o¯·ble¯k) (adj.) having a slanting or sloping direction, course, or position; indirect or evasive; devious, misleading, or dishonest While the president’s political maneuvers were expedient, they did not earn him the trust of the general public. ornate (o˙ r·na¯t) (adj.) elaborately and often excessively ornamented; showy or flowery The actress’s style of dress was tastelessly overdone. palpable (pal·pə·bəl) (adj.) capable of being handled, touched, or felt; tangible The tension in the room was so one felt it could be cut with a knife. prodigious (prə·di·jəs) (adj.) impressively great in size, force, or extent; extra- ordinary; marvelous A talent like the great tennis player Pete Sampras doesn’t come along very often. prone (pro¯n) (adj.) lying with the front or face downward; having a tendency; inclined Chloe is quite clumsy and to accidents. relevant (re·lə·vənt) (adj.) having a bearing on or connection with the matter at hand Gabriel brought up a point that at first didn’t seem , but later, we all realized that it had a direct bearing on the situation. sardonic (sar·da·nik) (adj.) scornfully or cynically mocking I tend to gravitate toward people with a sense of humor because I, too, have a cynical outlook. vehement (ve¯ ·ə·mənt) (adj.) characterized by forcefulness of expression or intensity of emotion or conviction; fervid; intense His reaction was , so it was clear there was no convincing him to change his mind. Words in Context The following exercise will help you figure out the meaning of some words from Vocabulary List 11 by reading context clues. After you have read and under- stood the paragraph, explain the context clues that helped you with the meaning of the vocabulary word. Refer to the answer section at the end of this chapter for an explanation of the clues. When my young daughter, Tanya, came home one day claiming she had adopted a lost puppy, I thought this an audacious move. After all, we live in a small two- bedroom apartment, and further, Tanya knows her sister is prone to allergies, espe- cially around long-haired dogs like this pup she found. Under normal circum- stances, I probably would have demanded we let the dog go. Yet, there were extenuat- ing circumstances that seemed relevant to – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – 176 the decision I had to make. The playful and feisty puppy reminded us so very much of Jelly, the playful dog next door who, three months ago, was tragically killed by a speeding car. The loss had stayed with my daughters and me; our sad- ness was palpable, filling our home with gloom. And so, I agreed that the sweet stray would become a member of our family. Sentence Completion Insert the correct word from Vocabulary List 11 into the following sentences. 1. Because James is quite shy, he tends to get along with girls who have a nature. 2. Her behavior was shocking, as she was normally shy and reserved. 3. The circumstances helped to justify why the normally conscientious student didn’t turn in his term paper. 4. I enjoyed my job until I had to work closely with the Louise—she is impossible to get along with! 5. I tend to like people with a disposition, as I like a personality with spirit and spunk. 6. It was no surprise that the day Kathryn lost her job, she had a expres- sion on her face. 7. Jason is so playful that it is hard to tell when he is being or serious. 8. It was clear by Paul’s behavior that he didn’t care about the project. 9. Andrew’s tastes inspired him to go to cooking school and open his own restaurant. 10. As she served for the match, no one made a sound, and the tension in the air was . 11. There are cultural activities to choose from in New York City. 12. Because of my pale skin, I am to getting freckles in the sun. 13. I had to leave my last job because of my boss; he thought that the best way to manage a department was by being dictatorial. 14. Bob’s strategies may work in the short term, but eventually, his sneaky dealings will get him in trouble. 15. Her coworkers respond well to Lauren’s demeanor, as everyone likes to be around someone who is self-confident. 16. Your denial is so insistent that I no longer believe that you are responsible. 17. The room was too for my taste with its gaudy, elaborate décor. 18. The storm was so huge, I thought it the most intense weather we had experienced all year. – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – 177 19. He never seemed open to new experiences; he and his attitude mocked everything even remotely unfamiliar. 20. My past experiences proved to the situation once I was able to make the connection. Synonyms The following exercise lists vocabulary words from this chapter. Each word is followed by five answer choices. Four of them are synonyms of the vocabulary word in bold. Your task is to choose the one that is NOT a synonym. 21. audacious a. daring b. defiant c. insolent d. fearless e. churlish 22. demure a. prudish b. graceful c. shy d. solemn e. modest 23. dolorous a. demure b. sorrowful c. unpleasant d. painful e. distressful 24. flippant a. careless b. flexible c. disrespectful levity d. rudely casual e. pert 25. ornate a. showy b. flowery c. epicurean d. highly decorated e. excessively ornamented 26. jaunty a. dapper b. buoyant c. self-confident d. athletic e. stylish 27. palpable a. substantial b. touchable c. weighable d. tangible e. sensitive 28. sardonic a. sarcastic b. prodigious c. cynical d. caustic e. scornfully mocking – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – 178 29. vehement a. fervid b. passionate c. relevant d. zealous e. forceful 30. myriad a. plenty b. numerous c. indefinite d. countless e. oblique – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – 179 Choosing the Right Word Circle the word in bold that best completes the sentence. 41. I found your casual, (flippant, feisty) attitude during the formal ceremony very disrespectful. 42. “Might makes right!” declared the (facetious, imperious) dictator. 43. It’s difficult to know whether you are serious when you are so (facetious, jaunty) with me. 44. It was very (audacious, churlish) to stand up before the crowd and recklessly begin speaking without having prepared at all. 45. I can’t work with you in this professional envi- ronment when you are so (extenuating, churlish). 46. How can you afford your (epicurean, extenuat- ing) tastes; they are so lavish and luxurious! 47. Can’t you forgive me considering the (extenuat- ing, feisty) circumstances? 48. Did you notice how (dolorous, feisty) she became when the touchy subject came up? 49. His (oblique, jaunty) answers to my simple questions left me at a loss for understanding. Antonyms 31. conservative, restrained, reserved, timid 32. polite, poised, tractable, malleable 33. respectful, mindful, serious, courteous 34. joyful, blissful, happy, mirthful 35. finite, numerical, limited, homogenous 36. clear, straight, honest, direct 37. plain, unadorned, modest, simple 38. irrelevant, disconnected, moot, unrelated 39. intangible, imperceptible, subtle, untouchable 40. ordinary, weak, unimpressive, pedestrian 50. She became (prodigious, prone) to illness when her immune system began to fail her. Practice Activities Go to your favorite magazine and, while reading an arti- cle, story, or any considerably lengthy feature, circle all the adjectives (words that describe or qualify nouns) you come across. Take note of the nouns (people, places, things) they describe or qualify, and then ask yourself how the presence of adjectives contributes to the piece in specific cases, and also as a whole. The next time you write an e-mail or an old-fash- ioned letter to a friend, see what happens to the qual- ity and character of your prose when you make a point of including carefully selected adjectives, including those you learned in Vocabulary List 11. – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – 180 [...]... change, or move, and would not be a synonym – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – 25 c epicurean Ornate means elaborately and 26 27 28 29 30 Antonyms excessively ornamented Something ornate may also be considered showy or flowery Epicurean means devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasures and thus would not be a synonym d athletic Jaunty means having a buoyant or self-confident air It also means having a crisp,... disrespectful, considering the context clues, flippant is the stronger choice 42 imperious Context clue is that imperious means dictatorial and domineering – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – 43 facetious Context clue is that facetious means play- 47 extenuating Context clue is that extenuating fully jocular; when one is facetious, it may sometimes be difficult to determine whether one is joking or not... or understanding 50 prone Context clue is that prone means susceptible or inclined toward 183 – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – Across 2 facetious 3 demure 6 relevant 8 palpable 9 epicurean 10 audacious 14 imperious 17 oblique 18 myriad 19 churlish Down 1 prone 2 flippant 4 jaunty 5 feisty 7 extenuating 11 ornate 12 dolorous 13 vehement 15 prodigious 16 sardonic P D E M U R E O R E L E V A N T X E...– VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – Answers 13 imperious If you got this question wrong, refer Words in Context Tanya’s move of bringing home the puppy was seen as audacious, or bold and even reckless, considering... prodigious Prodigious means extraordinary or impressively great in size or force and would not be a synonym c relevant Vehement means characterized by forcefulness or intensity The word choices are all useful vocabulary terms that have similar meanings to vehement except for relevant, which means having a connection with the matter at hand Relevant would not be a synonym e oblique Myriad means constituting... If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition relevant If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition Synonyms 21 e churlish Audacious means fearlessly or reck- lessly daring Defiant and insolent convey similar meanings, whereas churlish means vulgar and would therefore not be a synonym of audacious 22 b graceful Demure describes modest and reserved behavior... wouldn’t be a bad idea for this feisty puppy—so obviously playful and full of spirit—to stay 14 15 16 17 18 19 Completing the Sentence 1 demure If you got this question wrong, refer back 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 to the word’s definition audacious If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition extenuate If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition churlish If you got . clue is that prone means suscepti- ble or inclined toward. – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – 183 – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – 184 DE U P EVANT R. of adjectives in our expe- riences as readers, writers, speakers, and listeners. 14 171 – VOCABULARY LIST 11: ADJECTIVES – 173 1 3 4 2 6 5 78 9 1211