Chapter 25 A Mixed Bag of Useful Words

1. miasma N. A poisonous atmosphere or influence There was a miasma of failure that hung in the locker room after losing to Fremont.

2. automaton N. A person that responds in a mechanical way After waving to the crowd for so long, the movie star felt like an automaton.

3. pomp N. Magnificent or dignified display Tuxes, formals and flowers are all part of the pomp of Prom.

4. egregious adj. Outstandingly bad or offensive Kyle made an egregious mistake by taking Paula to McDonalds for their Prom dinner.

5. ululation N. Wail of great sorrow or deep sadness When Max learned that Sarah had already been asked to Prom, he let out a ululation that could be heard clear down the street.

6. minuscule adj. Very small, tiny A thing as minuscule as a smile is all it takes to help brighten someone’s day.

7. attenuate V. To reduce in force, value, size, or degree Niko’s robust health was attenuated by poor eating habits and lack of sleep.

8. nugatory adj. Of little or no importance Letting sleep become nugatory during testing week will only make test taking more difficult.

9. recrudescent adj. To come back to life after a period of quiet inactivity After a long summer of no school, students are recrudescent and ready to get back to studying.

10. sallow adj. Of a sickly, yellowish color or complexion After eating the spoiled food left out overnight, Jimmy’s face turned sallow before he finally threw up.

Chapter 26 Words for Pleading

1. importune V. Pleading so often that the person on the receiving end may become irked Lazy students should not importune their teacher to change their grade.

2. supplicate V. To ask in a very humble manner Some students supplicate their teacher to please let them do extra credit to help their grade.

3. cajole V. To nudge someone jokingly into doing what you ask by teasing or flattery A student may even try to cajole a teacher into changing a grade by smiling and saying nice things to him/her.

4. beseech V. Earnestly and humbly requesting something After getting a low grade, the student beseeched his teacher to please let him redo the assignment.

5. adjure V. The taking of an oath “I adjure you by my word of honor that I will get my homework done by next class period.” stated the humble student to his teacher.

6. implore V. To make a very serious or emotional request to someone The teacher implored her students to work hard and do their best on the book project.

7. woo V. to try to attract someone, such as a customer, voter, worker, etc. Students who want to run for student body office have to woo as many students as they can to vote for them.

8. entreat V. Asking in a very sincere manner The coaches entreated the administration to allow student athletes to leave class early for their afternoon games.

9. mendicant N. A beggar It is sad to realize the number of mendicant children in other countries while we take things for granted here.

10. cadge V. Begging for money or other things Sometimes kids who do not have a job will have to cadge their parents for money to go to a movie.