Boris Bulatovic
Sonja Pasic
English Language and Literature
Vocabulary Enricher
This week we read 90 pages of The Diary of a Young Girl. For this literature circles meeting I assumed the role of Vocabulary Enricher. Here are some of the words that I found to be interesting, rare and unique from the pages that we read.
Rambunctious
Definition: Noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline
Sentence from novel: I washed my hair yesterday and because I knew he was next door, I was very rambunctious.
Original sentence: The students were rambunctious.
Garbled
Definition #1: Lacking orderly continuity
Definition #2: Make false by mutilation or addition
Sentence from novel: He’s amused us more than once by trying to pass on the news he’s just heard, since the message invariably gets garbled in transmission.
Original sentence: The student garbled his exam paper.
Nib
Definition: The writing point of a pen
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 1943 Dearest Kitty, I have a good title for this chapter: Ode to My Sentence from novel: Fountain Pen In Memoriam. My fountain pen was always one of my most prized possessions; I valued it highly, especially because it had a thick nib.
Original sentence: The pen had a silver nib.
Unrequited
Definition: Not returned in kind
Sentence from novel: For a long time we went everywhere together, but aside from that, my love was unrequited until Peter crossed my path.
Original sentence: Helena's love towards Demetrius was unrequited.
Repercussion
Definition: A remote or indirect consequence of some action
Sentence from novel: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1944. The minor run-in with Dussel had several repercussions, for which he had only himself to blame.
Original sentence: The war triggered certain repercussions.
Foist
Definition: To force onto another
Sentence from novel: Does Hanneli really and truly believe in God, or has religion merely been foisted upon her?
Original sentence: Love was foisted onto Hermia.
Mercurial
Definition: Liable to sudden unpredictable change
Sentence from novel: I was suffering then (and still do) from moods that kept my head under water (figuratively speaking) and allowed me to see things only from my own perspective, without calmly considering what the others -- those whom I, with my mercurial temperament.
Original sentence: The economy is volatile and mercurial.
Begrudge
Definition: Be envious of
Sentence from novel: Father doesn’t begrudge us those few hours and thinks it’s nice we get along so well.
Original sentence: John was behaving in a begrudging way.
Impasse
Definition: A situation in which no progress can be made
Sentence from novel: The war is at an impasse, spirits are low.
Original sentence: The project came to an impasse and no progress was made for a long time.
Witticism
Definition: A message whose ingenuity has the power to evoke laughter
Sentence from novel: Peter has amazing presence of mind in the face of these so-called witticism.
Original sentence: His speech was laced with witticism.
