American Lit

Vocabulary Unit 1

approbation

n. the expression of approval or praise

syn. approval,Commendation, sanction

ant. disapproval, censure

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

assuagev. to make easier or

milder, to calm or to quench, to appease or satisfy

syn. mitigate, alleviate

ant. Intensify, aggravate, exacerbate

Granny can

assuage your hunger with a homemade Jimmy Dean sausage and biscuit..

coalitionn. a combination, union or merger

syn. alliance, league,

ant. splinter group

The 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. Degeneration

ant. rise, growth, development

SENTENCESome musicians may experience a time of

decadence if they only produce a one-hit wonder.

elicitv. to draw forth or to bring out from

some source

syn. Call forth, evoke, extract,Educe

ant. Repress, quash, stifle

SENTENCE

A teacher’s question may elicit several responses from the class.

And now for practice… (pg. 18-20)

Completing the sentences:6, 12, 16, 18, 19

Synonyms: 1, 9, 10

Antonyms: 1

expostulatev. to attempt to

dissuadesomeone from course or decision by earnest

reasoning

syn. 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.

hackneyedadj. Used so often as to

lack freshness or originality

syn. banal, trite, common place, corny

ant. 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.

hiatusn. a gap, an opening, or a

break

syn. 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 intimation

ant. 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!

And now for practice… (pg. 24)

Completing the sentences:

2, 11, 15, 16, 18

Synonyms and Antonyms

1, 2, 12, 15, 20

jadedAdj. wearied, worn-out,

dulledsyn. Sated, surfeited,

cloyedant. Unspoiled, uncloyed

The jaded Aerosmith fan had seen the show fifty times.

luridadj. causing shock, horror, or revulsion; pale in color; lack of restraint

syn. gruesome, gory, grisly, ghastly

ant. 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.

meritoriousadj. worthy, deserving

recognition, or praise

syn. praiseworthy, laudable, commendable

ant. blameworthy, reprehensible, discreditable

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

petulant

adj. peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset

syn. Irritable, testy, waspish

ant. even-tempered, placid, serene, amiable

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

globidydook.

prerogativen. a special right or privilege; a special

quality showing excellence

syn. perk, perquisite

Brittany Spears thinks she has a

prerogative to change her mindabout going on tour, despite the factthat thousands of fans have alreadybought their tickets.

And now for practice… (pg. 24)

Completing the sentences:

1, 5, 8, 9, 13

Synonyms and Antonyms

3, 4, 5, 11, 19

provincialadj. 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 view

syn. narrow-minded, parochial, insular, naïve

Ant. cosmopolitan, broad-minded

The Puritans cast their provincial eyes on Hester Prynne as she tightly holds Pearl.

simulatev. to make a pretense

of; to imitate, to show the outer signs of

syn. feign, pretend, affect

The video game SIMS simulates real life. Even the settings are realistic!

transcendv. to rise above or beyond; exceed

syn. surpass, outstrip

Sister Madonna Buder

transcended 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, annoyance

ant. 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.

unctuousadj. excessively smooth or

smug; trying too and to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity or piety; fatty, oily, pliable

syn. mealymouthed, servile, fawning, greasy

ant. Gruff, blunt Being naïve, I looked past his

unctuous behavior and said yes when he asked me out.

And now for practice… (pg. 24)

Completing the sentences:

3, 12, 14, 17, 20

Synonyms and Antonyms

6, 7, 8, 13, 17