Grammar and Vocab WEEK FOUR

Weekly Words Cajole Dispel Exacerbate Garrulous Impecunious Inexorable Maudlin Pariah Recalcitrant Vociferous

Cajole Definition: Sentence: To influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering Sentence: Each time we dine there, Howard manages to cajole the waiter into giving us something for free.

Dispel Definition: Sentence: To make disappear The director of the disease center gave a press conference to dispel the myths about the Ebola virus.

Exacerbate Definition: Sentence: To make worse Because I do not wish to exacerbate my mother’s worries, I am not going to tell her about my problems at work.

Garrulous Definition: Sentence: Overly chatty and full of trivial conversation Sentence: The garrulous gentleman held up the checkout line as he rambled on to the cashier about his pet squirrel.

Impecunious Definition: Sentence: Not having enough money to pay for necessities Sentence: Although Vincent died an impecunious artist without a penny to his name, his paintings are now highly valued by art collectors.

Inexorable Definition: Sentence: Impossible to stop or prevent. Because James hit a police officer while driving drunk, he knows it is an inexorable fact he will serve jail time.

Maudlin Definition: Sentence: Effusively or insincerely emotional; self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental Sentence: Even though the reality show about the fives sisters is quite maudlin, it is still watched by millions of people each week.

Pariah Definition: Sentence: A person who is rejected from society or home Sentence: While the athlete was once considered a superstar in his hometown, he is now viewed as a social pariah because of domestic abuse allegations.

Recalcitrant Definition: Sentence: Stubbornly resistant to authority or control Sentence: Since his recalcitrant client was not following instructions, the lawyer had a hard time preparing a solid defense.

Vociferous Definition: Sentence: Expressing feelings or opinions in a very loud or forceful way : expressed in a very loud or forceful way Sentence: Of all the groups present at the school board meeting, the parents were the most vociferous about their opinions of the new principal.

Three Mini Lessons: Oxford comma, parallel structure, and the colon. Grammar Three Mini Lessons: Oxford comma, parallel structure, and the colon.

The Oxford Comma The final comma in a list of things. Examples: Correct: Please bring me a pencil, an eraser, and a notebook. Incorrect: I went to see my parents, Kanye West and Michelle Obama.

The Oxford Comma: Practice I ate a salad a pizza and a bowl of ice cream. I ran three miles swam for an hour and lifted weights.

Parallel Structure Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. Examples: Correct: The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and lacked motivation. Incorrect: The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and his motivation was low.

Parallel Structure Practice Having volleyball practice at night meant (to miss/missing) her sister’s birthday dinner. David is a known for being smart, being funny, and (being charismatic/his charisma). Missing Being charismatic

Colons A colon (instead of a semicolon) may be used between independent clauses when the second sentence explains, illustrates, paraphrases, or expands on the first sentence. Examples: Correct: It’s been snowing for three days straight: the roads around here aren’t very safe for driving. Incorrect: Every repairman must have: a screwdriver, a hammer, and a saw.

Colon Practice I’m looking for a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird: one of my students wants to read it. No error. The quiet library: I’ll get a lot of work done here. No error.