Vocabulary Warm-ups
Journal #4
English 11
Vocabulary 4.1
Date_______________
Read the following and make an educated guess as to what each vocabulary term means.
1.
celibate adj. (my guess:)_____________________ (correct definition:)____________________
In that religion, the priests take vows to remain impoverished and celibate.
2.
fortuitous adj. (my guess:)_____________________ (correct definition:)___________________
My father said meeting my mother was fortuitous; my mother said it was fate.
3.
recapitulate v. (my guess:)_____________________ (correct definition:)___________________
Television newsmen always recapitulate Presidential news conferences, as if the audience
were incapable of understanding what had been said.
4.
perfunctory adj. (my guess:)_____________________ (correct definition:)__________________
She greeted her guests in a perfunctory manner.
5.
baroque adj. (my guess:)_____________________ (correct definition:)_____________________
The new dance club had a great light show; the baroque furnishings seemed right in place.
6.
hedonism n. (my guess:)___________________ (correct definition:)________________________
John favors hedonism over self-sacrifice.
7.
obloquy n. (my guess:)_____________________ (correct definition:)________________________
His behavior brought shame to his family and obloquy on himself.
8.
debacle n. (my guess:)_____________________ (correct definition:)________________________
After reading the reviews, the actors knew the play was a debacle and would close in one
night.
Vocabulary 4.2
9.
quasi- adj. (my guess:)_____________________ (correct definition:)_________________________
Grandfather was only in quasi-retirement because he couldn’t give up control of the
business.
10. besmirch v. (my guess:)_____________________ (correct definition:)_______________________
My ex-best friend tried to besmirch my reputation with her vicious gossip.
11. imperative adj. (my guess:)___________________ (correct definition:)______________________
It is imperative that you leave immediately.
12. sacrosanct adj. (my guess:)_____________________ (correct definition:)____________________
The detective’s orders were to investigate everyone; no person was so sacrosanct that he or
she was above suspicion.
13. sadistic adj. (my guess:)_____________________ (correct definition:)_______________________
Donna took sadistic pleasure in tormenting her little sister.
14. demeanor n. (my guess:)_____________________ (correct definition:)_______________________
Believe me, his shy demeanor is just an act; he is really quite wild.
15. facetious adj. (my guess:)__________________ (correct definition:)_________________________
Her facetious comments were beginning to get tiresome.
Vocabulary 4.3
Date_______________
From the list below, supply the words needed to complete the paragraph. Some words will not be
used.
debacle
hedonism
demeanor
quasi-
perfunctory
besmirch
obloquy
sadistic
imperative
Advances in technology may have increased our life spans, but they also turned us into a
civilization of ____________________ in which people are slaves to entertainment and selfsatisfaction. We no longer question the _____________________ parenting techniques that produce
children with such pathetic _____________________ that they prefer sitting in living rooms and
playing ______________________ shoot-‘em-up video games to going outside and experiencing
the most beautiful days of the summer. It is ___________________________ that we nurture and
guide the latest generation to appreciate and embrace the beauty of the natural—the real—world.
The misconception of children that success in there digital kingdoms is comparable to real,
character-inspired success is one of the great ____________________________ of the twenty-first
century. Someday, the appropriate ___________________________ will be assigned to parents who
allow their own children to become ___________________________ zombies whose best talent is
playing internet role-playing-games for six hours a night---every night.
Vocabulary 4.4
Date_______________
Vocabulary 4.6
From the list below, supply the words needed to complete the paragraph. Some words will not be
used.
hedonism
recapitulate
besmirch
baroque
perfunctory
fortuitous
Date_______________
Complete the sentence in a way that shows you understand the meaning of the italicized
vocabulary word.
9. People who practice hedonism are likely to…
The _____________________ interior of Mrs. Addison’s house reflected her life of extravagance and
world travel. We wandered through the house in amazement, and occasionally we asked Mrs.
Addison to __________________ the significance of particular items. She told us that some of the
10. New recruits thought the drill sergeant was sadistic, but he was
actually…
11. Pam blamed the contractors for building the home in a perfunctory
way when she noticed…
items were ____________________ discoveries that barely survived floods, fires, or revolutions;
however, the smoke damage, water stains, and bullet holes that ____________________ the
12.
In Puritan society, people were expected to remain celibate unless…
13.
Jerry made a fortuitous find when…
14.
Please recapitulate what you just said because…
15.
Weary of sitting on rocks, the castaway made a quasi-recliner from…
appearance of the artifacts only added to their intrinsic value.
sacrosanct
facetious
celibate
obloquy
imperative
Thou four years had passed since Jake Bristol had been declared killed-in-action, his
___________________________ wife, Georgia, refused to date, even at the urging of her family.
“We all loved Jake,” said Jake’s brother, Robert, “but even the memory of my own
brother is not so ___________________________ that you should spend the rest of your life alone.”
Georgia did not take her eyes off the motionless porch swing.
“Is this a proposal, Bob?” Georgia’s ________________________ reply revealed that she
wasn’t as depressed as Robert had assumed.
Vocabulary 4.5
Date_______________
Complete the sentence in a way that shows you understand the meaning of the italicized vocabulary
word.
1. If you make a facetious remark during a job interview you might…
2. The congressman experienced obloquy as a result of…
3. Ivan has a bad injury; it is imperative that he…
4. Lori’s demeanor changed from angry to pleasant when…
5. No one expected to find such baroque furnishings in…
6. The failing grade besmirched Ryan’s…
7. The neighborhood is run down and overgrown, but the sacrosanct house
of the Jones family is…
8. Opening the classy restaurant in the small town was a debacle because…
Reflection 4.7