Grade 11-12: Vocabulary Lesson for Friday, Week 6

Word List 6

1. precocious: manifesting or characterized by unusually early development or maturity, especially in mental aptitude
2. pompous: characterized by excessive self-esteem or exaggerated dignity; pretentious; full of high-sounding phrases; bombastic
3. plethora: a superabundance; an excess
4. prattle: to talk or chatter idly or meaninglessly; babble; to utter or express by chattering foolishly or babbling; idle or meaningless c
5. prosaic: matter-of-fact; straightforward; lacking in imagination and spirit; dull
6. prevalent: widely or commonly occurring, existing, accepted, or practiced
7. precedent: an act or instance that may be used as an example in dealing with subsequent similar instance; a judicial decision that may be u

Friday Activities

1. On week one, we suggested you create an account on Study Stack. Click the link to go to Study Stack.
2. Log into your account. You will see the stack you created last week. Click on the "edit" button to the right of that stack. Click on the "Data" tab. Write your words on the left and the definitions on the right. If you run out of blank areas, click on the Save Changes button.
3. Use the scroll down bar on the right to see the blank line at the bottom of the list. After entering your words and definitions, click on the "Save Changes" button. The icons at the bottom of the page are the various games you can choose to play. Select a game for this week and see how well you do!

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:

Mozart was extremely precocious, composing music when he was only five years old.
Unfortunately the serial killer was intellectually precocious yet emotionally stunted with no morals.

The pompous referee enjoyed giving orders, blowing his whistle, and issuing fouls.
In the second before the torpedo hit the second in command told the captain, "You pompous fool, you've killed us all.^

The problem with an unfocused Internet search is that it brings up a plethora of websites.
The month leading up to election seems to bring forth a plethora of advertising.

As we took a walking tour of Washington DC I had to listen to my friend's incessant prattle about hundreds of trivia facts about the city.
Grandma meant well but each day after school my sister had to listen to her unending prattle.

Everyone wanted to believe that the old house was haunted but the fact of the matter was a much more prosaic explanation.
The marvelous stained glass window seen very close up has a much more prosaic appearance.

The prevalent opinion seems to be that daily portions of dark chocolate will be good for you.
Two centuries ago bloodletting was a prevalent medical practice.

Allowing cheating to happen sets a dangerous precedent for academic achievement.
There is no precedent for negotiating with terrorists.

 
 

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