1. “The Letter Part 1

2. Disdain Verb Scorn, despise, contempt I have colossal disdain for the Celtics.

3. Tempestuous Adjective Emotional, passionate His relationship with his father is tempestuous and characterized by a lot of fighting 

4. Surmise Verb Figure out; deduce Banquo surmised that Macbeth killed King Duncan because he had heard the prophecy.

5. Refrain Noun A repeated excuse Many teachers have heard the “my dog ate my homework” refrain.

6. Refrain Verb Abstain. Avoid doing something Please refrain from using profanity in class.

7. Quell Verb Calm, soothe If you have never been kissed and are nervous about your first kiss, I recommend chewing some gum to quell your fears about bad breath.

8. Poignant Adjective Moving, touching, heartbreaking The Saints’ Superbowl victory was a poignant win for a team that nobody thought could do it.

9. Peer Verb Gaze, look intently He peered through the window and saw his dog eating his homework.

10. Peer Noun Equal, friend You should ALWAYS listen to your teacher over the advice of your peers when it comes to your homework.

11. Debilitate Verb Impair, hinder The stroke left him debilitated.

12. Colossal Adjective Gigantic, huge The man’s colossal beard made him look…weird.

13. Colossal Adjective Important, vital It is of colossal significance that you pass the CAHSEE if you want to graduate high school.

14. Cogitate Verb Think, consider Macbeth had to cogitate about whether he should kill King Duncan.

15. Cardiologist Noun Doctor who specializes in the heart and cardiovascular system Mr. Rodriguez may have to see a cardiologist when the Lakers win the championship again this year (REPEAT!)

16. Abstain Verb Do without; refrain Please abstain from eating burritos in class.