American Lit Vocabulary Unit 1 - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

American Lit

Vocabulary Unit 1

approbation

n. the expression of approval or praisesyn. approval,Commendation, sanctionant. disapproval, censure

Saban

gives his team another sign of approbation as they win the National title.

assuage

to make easier or milder, to calm or to quench, to appease or satisfysyn. mitigate, alleviateant. Intensify, aggravate, exacerbate

Granny can

assuage

your hunger with a homemade Jimmy Dean sausage and biscuit.

.

coalition

n. a combination, union or mergersyn. alliance, league, ant. splinter groupThe United States created the coalition that defeated Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War.

decadence

n. decline and decay; a period of decline and decay; excessive self indulgence syn. Degenerationant. rise, growth, developmentSENTENCESome musicians may experience a time ofdecadence if they only produce a one-hit wonder.

elicit

v. to draw forth or to bring out from some sourcesyn. Call forth, evoke, extract,Educeant. Repress, quash, stifleSENTENCEA teacher’s question may elicit several responses from the class.

expostulate

v. to attempt to dissuadesomeone from course or decision by earnest reasoningsyn. Protest, remonstrate, complain

Though it was a scorching 98 degrees outside, Bernie dressed in the chicken outfit in an attempt to

expostulate

against the harmful effects of eating fast food.

hackneyed

adj. Used so often as to lack freshness or originalitysyn. banal, trite, common place, cornyant. new, fresh, novel, original

“to be honest”“actually”“don’t just talk the talk; you got to walk the walk”“when I get around to it”“the fact of the matter is”“in conclusion”“first of all”Mrs. Sellors said I must “hack” away at the hackneyed phrases in my essay if I expected to earn an A.

hiatus

n. a gap, an opening, or a breaksyn. pause, lacuna ant. continuity, continuation

Joe’s doctor informed him that he would need to take a

hiatus

from table tennis for about ten weeks since he broke his arm while trying to carry his girlfriend’s purse.

innuendo

n. A hint or indirect suggestion or reference (often in a derogatory sense)syn. Insinuation or intimationant. direct statement

The gangster’s

innuendo

,

“Nice store you got there. Would be a real shame if something happened to it,” made me cringe.

intercede

v. To plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement syn. intervene, mediate

Since Hailey and Casey could not get a long, my brother-in-law decided to intercede and tape the two of them together!

jaded

Adj. wearied, worn-out, dulledsyn. Sated, surfeited, cloyedant. Unspoiled, uncloyed

The

jaded

Aerosmith fan had seen the show fifty times.

lurid

adj. causing shock, horror, or revulsion; pale in color; lack of restraintsyn. gruesome, gory, grisly, ghastlyant. pleasant, attractive, appealing, wholesome

The clown’s lurid appearance frightened Jesse so much that he could not sleep alone at night for three solid days.

meritorious

adj. worthy, deserving recognition, or praisesyn. praiseworthy, laudable, commendableant. blameworthy, reprehensible, discreditable

In recognition of all hermeritorious efforts in the reliefwork, Dresden received acertificate.

petulant

adj. peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upsetsyn. Irritable, testy, waspishant. even-tempered, placid, serene, amiable

Acting like a petulanttortoise, Tommy decided to crawl home rather thanmake amends with the red globidydook.

prerogative

n. a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellencesyn. perk, perquisiteBrittany Spears thinks she has aprerogative to change her mindabout going on tour, despite the factthat thousands of fans have alreadybought their tickets.

provincial

adj. pertaining to an outlying area, local, narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward n. A person with a narrow point of viewsyn. narrow-minded, parochial, insular, naïveAnt. cosmopolitan, broad-minded

The Puritans cast their

provincial

eyes on Hester Prynne as she

tightly holds Pearl

.

simulate

v. to make a pretense of; to imitate, to show the outer signs ofsyn. feign, pretend, affect

The video game SIMS

simulates

real life. Even the settings are realistic!

transcend

v. to rise above or beyond; exceedsyn. surpass, outstripSister Madonna Budertranscended everyone’sexpectations. As the oldesttrathlete, Sister Madonna hascompeted in more than 300 racesand is 78 years young!

umbrage

n. shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion syn. irritation, pique, annoyanceant. Pleasure, delight, satisfaction

One of my fondest childhood memories is when all of my family would gather underneath the

umbrage

of a Mimosa tree to shell peas and listen to my grandparents’ storytelling.

unctuous

adj. excessively smooth or smug; trying to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity or piety; fatty, oily, pliablesyn. mealy-mouthed, servile, fawning, greasyant. Gruff, blunt

Being naïve, I looked past his

unctuous

behavior and said yes when he asked me out.