Grade 11-12: Vocabulary Lesson for Wednesday, Week 2

Word List 2

1. vilify: to make vicious and defamatory statements about someone or something
2. trepidation: a state of alarm or dread; trembling or quivering
3. sporadic: occurring at irregular intervals; having no pattern or order in time; at widely scattered locations
4. renounce: to give up, especially be formal announcement; to reject or disown
5. pungent: affecting the sense of smell or taste with a sharp sensation
6. overt: open and observable; not hidden, concealed, or secret
7. muster: to call troops together as for an inspection; to gather; to cause to come together

Wednesday Activities

1. Make Mind Maps - Link your vocabulary words to words that you already know. >Here is an example of a mind map. On a piece of paper, or on the computer in Word, draw a circle and write/type the vocabulary word inside the circle. Think of words that mean the same thing and put those in circles around the outside of the word drawing a line to connect the synonyms.
2. Mind Games - Create a mind map with words that mean the opposite or antonyms. Use the thesaurus built into your word program to find more words that are antonyms. Or you can go to this this on-line thesaurus. Click on the button in front of Thesaurus at the top of the page, then type your word into the white area.
3. Use your word list to put in the information at this link. Choose which arcade game you wish to play. Good luck!

Other Help

If you need more information on your words, click on the link to use a on-line dictionary.

Use the daily activities to help you remember words that you learn each week. It is much easier to remember what the words mean if you do something with them and use them frequently in talking with your parents, family and friends.

Sample sentences:

The candidates attempts to vilify his opponent backfired.
The unfortunate soccer player found himself vilified in his country's newspapers.

I approached the closed door in the dark with fear and trepidation.
With much trepidation I stood in front of the entire school giving my first public address.

Sporadic outbreaks of the flu made it hard to predict where is would strike next.
Sporadic thunderstorms marked the weather patterns in our area for the last two weeks.

Brainwashing caused the terrorist to renounce his US citizenship.
The baptismal rite begins by asking, 'Do you Renounce Satan?'

Feta cheese adds a pungent taste to the salad.
The pungent odor of vinegar made me turn my head sharply.

The president said that he wanted all aid to the rebels to be overt.
There was no overt act of hostility, but I still didn't think that he liked me.

I didn't think that he could muster enough courage to stand up to the bully.
"Jake, you and Jimmy bring all the helpers you can muster.^

 
 

For more vocabulary, reading and other language arts resources, please visit our interactive skillbuilders.