Category Archives: Glossary

Indolent

Indolent- lazy, irresponsible, no work ethic

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indolent

“Beloved” by: Toni Morrison

P 142

“Where she was once indolent, resentful of every task, now she is spry, executing, even extending the assignments Sethe leaves for them”

“Where she was once resistant, resentful of every task, now she is spry, executing, even extending the assignments Sethe leaves for them”

Genial

Genial-  obsolete, out of style

“A Jury of Her Peers” By: Susan Glaspell

“who was particularly genial with the law-biding, as if to make it plain that he knew the difference between criminals and non-criminals.”

“who was particularly obsolete with the law-biding, as if to make it plain that he knew the difference between criminals and non-criminals.”

The clothes that are in style today will be obsolete tomorrow.

Repression

Repression-  not allowing a memory or feeling to be expressed

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repression

“Story of an Hour” By: Kate Chopin

“whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength”

“whose lines bespoke such restraint and even a certain strength”

In the midst of a debate Ms. Cruz repressed her sudden anger.

 

Gaiety

Gaiety (noun)

Definition- joyful or festive activity.

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gaiety

Location: This word was found in the book Beloved by Toni Morrison; located in the 8th line on the 87th page.

Quote: She had never seen Beloved this happy. She had seen her pouty lips open wide with the pleasure of sugar or some piece of news Denver gave her. She had felt warm satisfaction radiating from Beloved’s skin when she listened to her mother talk about the old days. But gaiety she had never seen.

While reading the passage I understood that Beloved was happy but the word gaiety through me off because it made it seem that there was more to her happiness. With research I understand now that it means that she was simply at the highest extent of happiness, a more festive type of feeling. With the understanding of this word it simply made the paragraph a smoother read even though with context clues the definition can be assumed. With the understanding of the word and its definition the paragraph simply took more life and color.

Glossary Write-Up

  1. Bier
  2. Firmament
  3. Fatuity
  4. Florid
  5. Idyllic
  6. Cinder
  7. Dray
  8. Muslin
  9. Aleut
  10. Capricious
  11. Sassafras
  12. Monotonously
  13. Pleating
  14. Austere
  15. Arbor

Reflection

I really liked the idea or looking up words as they are needed. This is a great way of learning new vocabulary. You get an example of how the word used, and rewriting them helps commit them to memory.  I’ve been doing this with my own reading, and learned many new words this way. I find myself using these words in everyday conversations. I also try and spend some time trying figure out what the word means from context.

 

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Arbor

noun
1. a leafy, shady recess formed by tree branches, shrubs, etc.
2. a latticework bower intertwined with climbing vines and flowers.
3. Obsolete. a grass plot; lawn; garden; orchard.

“I never saw such a garden -large and shady, full of box-bordered paths, and lined with long grape-covered arbors with seats under them.”
In “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Gilman

15 Words

1. Jutting

2. Monotonously

3. Reins

4. Ravenous

5. Febrile

6. Larynx

7. Posse

8. Flaws

9. Wharf

10. Evangelists

11. Vexed

12. Cistern

13. Muslin

14. Impertinence

15. Dainty

 

Throughout all the readings we had in class some of these words I didn’t really know while reading. While looking them up, I then understood what it meant and made the sentence much more clearer. For example while reading “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, while reading the book it was already a pain trying to understand what was going, but with words I don’t know made it even worse. After looking some of the words, it helped me understand the book a little better. Sometimes I even come across these words while reading articles online. The glossary helped my range of vocabulary and made understanding many things much more easier. I can say that I can always do this while I’m reading anything. I can look up the word and find out whats the definition and make a list for later preferences. This will help me in other classes when I won’t understand a word, I would remember what I have learned in this class and use it to my advantage.

15 WORDS, 1 SEMESTER

1. Cupola
2. Tumultuously
3. Powwow
4. Riotus 
5. Querulous
6. Calceolaria
7. Impertinence
8. Rendezvous
9. Pilfer
10. Camphor
11. Spigot
12. Shawl
13. Serenading
14. Savage
15. Regalia

When reading, whether it is a newspaper, a book, manga, etc, I tend to come across words I don’t really know about. I think what does this and that mean? When or how should I use this word in real life? Later on however, I tend to ignore it and make my own definition based on context clues but I guess based on the SATs from the past 2 years, I shouldn’t have done that. Now that I’m in college, I should be using more complex words in my work. This now brings me up to this assignment. This glossary assignment did in fact help me improve my vocabulary. Not only that, I can improve it further just by looking back at the other classmate’s words. By doing this, I also did something that I haven’t done before and that is to stop reading and look up the definition online. By doing this, I’m now guaranteed to know what the word I’m looking at means. Not only am I implementing this strategy in this class, I’m also using this as I read other writings. For example, if I’m reading something online and I see a complicated word, I would stop reading and look it up online. It may seem like a hassle however it actually helps. To sum things up, this Glossary project helped me a lot when it came to vocabulary and it helped me improve my reading skills. The strategies I use will definitely be used in the future.

 

Dainty

adjective, daintier, daintiest.
1.of delicate beauty; exquisite:a dainty lace handkerchief.
2.pleasing to the taste and, often, temptingly served or delicate;delicious: dainty pastries.
3.of delicate discrimination or taste; particular;fastidious: a dainty eater.
4. overly particular; finicky.
“Here was the friend I lived so happily with, and all this fairy land of sun and shadow, the free immensity of our view, and the dainty comfort of the Cottagette.”
The Cottagette by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Impertinence

noun
1.unmannerly intrusion or presumption; insolence.
2.impertinent quality or action.
3.something impertinent, as an act or statement.
4.an impertinent person.
5.irrelevance, inappropriateness, or absurdity.
“I get positively angry with the impertinence of it and the everlastingness. Up and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere.”
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman