Jazz Up Your Lesson

For advanced students

No doubt, that the more words you know the more varied, vivid and expressive your speech is. But are you sure you are using right words? Check now in this mini-quiz and score 1 point for every correct answer. Then read the explanations and try to use words even more accurately! =)

1. To have … is to have an uneasy feeling that you have acted or are about to act against your better judgment.

a. compunction

b. demur

c. misgivings

d. qualms

e. scruples

2. For the student who does not read well, homework is … work, which means that it demands great physical or mental effort.

a. arduous

b. difficult

c. hard

d. laborious

e. trying

3. If your dog sits when you tell him to sit, you will want to … him for his obedience.

a. acclaim

b. commend

c. eulogize

d. extol

e. laud

f. praise

4. If you want to get ahead with your boss, you might try being … , which suggests an attitude of inferiority that may not be genuine, but that is assumed in order to placate a superior in hopes of getting what one wants.

a. subservient

b. slavish

c. servile

d. obsequious

KEY:

1. d. qualms

Misgivings are even stronger, implying a disturbed state of mind because you are no longer confident that you are doing right (e.g. Her misgivings about letting her 85-year-old mother drive herself home turned out to be justified.)

Compunction implies a momentary pang of conscience because what you are doing or about to do is unfair, improper, or wrong (e.g. They showed no compunction in carrying out their devious plans.)

Scruples suggest a more highly developed conscience or sense of honor; it implies that you have principles, and that you would be deeply disturbed if you thought you were betraying them (e.g. Her scruples would not allow her to participate in what she considered antifeminist activities.)

Demur connotes hesitation to the point of delay, but the delay is usually caused by objections or indecision rather than a sense of conscience (e.g. They accepted her decision.)

2. c. hard

An English assignment to write an essay might be particularly difficult, meaning that it not only requires effort but skill. Where hard suggests toil, difficult emphasizes complexity (e.g. a difficult math problem). Memorizing long lists of vocabulary words would be laborious, which is even more restrictive than hard and suggests prolonged, wearisome toil with no suggestion of the skill required and no reference to the complexity of the task. Reading “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy, however, would be an arduous task, because arduous would require a persistent effort over a long period of time. A school assignment may be difficult, but is usually not arduous; that is it may require skill rather than perseverance. It may also be arduous without being particularly difficult, as when a student says “I will not throw spitballs” five hundred times. A student who is new to a school may find it especially trying, which implies that it taxes someone’s patience, skill, or capabilities.

3. f. praise

Praise is a general term for expressing approval, esteem, or commendation that usually suggests the judgment of a superior (e.g. The teacher praised her students.) If a salesperson goes out of his way to help you, you may want to commend him to his superior, which is a more formal, public way of praising someone, either verbally or in writing. If you are watching a performance and want to express your approval verbally or with applause, acclaim is the verb you are looking for. Laud and extol suggest the highest of praise, although laud may imply that the praise is excessive (e.g. The accomplishments for which she was lauded were really nothing out of the ordinary). Extol, which comes from the Latin meaning to raise up, suggests that you are trying to magnify whatever or whomever you are praising (e.g. They extolled her virtues so that everyone would vote for her). If you want to praise someone who has died recently, you will eulogize him or her, which means to speak or write your praise for a special occasion, such as funeral.

4. d. obsequious

While subservient may connote similar behaviour, it’s more often applied to those who are genuinely subordinate or dependent and act accordingly (a timid, subservient child who was terrified of making a mistake). Servile is a stronger and more negative term, suggesting a cringing submissiveness (the dog’s servile obedience to her master). Slavish, suggesting the status or attitude of a slave, is often used to describe strict adherence to a set of rules or a code of conduct (a slavish adherence to the rules of etiquette).

NOTE: This and the following task can be used as a class activity during the lesson with the immediate checking afterwards. Students may do the test individually or in groups and gain scores for correct answers. Or the teacher might prefer to give this activity as a home assignment asking students to make a detailed search for the correct answer, giving reasons and explanations for their choice.

Synonyms? Synonyms! No doubt, they vary our speech helping us to express the slightest shades of meaning. But be careful using the right word. Choose one of the synonyms below that would better fit the sentence and check yourself. Then read the explanations and try to use words even more accurately! =)

1. Some people will believe anything. Those who are truly … are the easiest to deceive, which is why they so often make fools of themselves.

a. naive

b. trusting

c. unsophisticated

d. callow

e. credulous

f. gullible

g. ingenuous

2. When we are under the influence of a powerful attraction, particularly to something that is wrong or unwise, we are … (ed/d).

a. allure

b. beguile

c. tempt

d. seduce

e. lure

f. entice

g. inveigle

3. A wrench is a/an …, meaning that it is a device held in and manipulated by the hand and used by a mechanic, plumber, carpenter, or other laborer to work, shape, move, or transform material.

a. instrument

b. implement

c. appliance

d. utensil

e. tool

f. apparatus

4. We usually speak of the weather or the sea as … meaning free from disturbance or storm.

a. tranquil

b. serene

c. placid

d. peaceful

e. calm

f. halcyon

KEY:

1. f. gullible

Those who are merely credulous might be a little too quick to believe something, but they usually are not stupid enough to act on it. Trusting suggests the same willingness to believe (a trusting child), but is not necessarily a bad way to be (a person so trusting he completely disarmed his enemies). No one likes to be called naive because it implies a lack of street smarts (she’s so naive she’d accept a ride from a stranger), but when applied to things other than people, it can describe a simplicity and absence of artificiality that is quite charming (the naive style in which 19th century American portraits were often painted). Most people would rather be thought of as ingenuous, meaning straightforward and sincere (an ingenuous confession of the truth), because it implies the simplicity of a child without the naive overtones. Callow, however, comes down a little more heavily on the side of immaturity and almost always goes hand-in-hand with youth. Whether young or old, someone who is unsophisticated suffers because of lack of experience.

2. c. tempt

Entice implies that a crafty or skillful person has attracted us by offering a reward or pleasure (she was enticed into joining the group by a personal plea from its handsome leader), while inveigle suggests that we are enticed through the use of deception or cajolery (inveigled into supporting the plan). If someone lures us, it suggests that we have been tempted or influenced for fraudulent or destructive purposes or attracted to something harmful or evil (lured by gang members). Allure may also suggest that we have been deliberately tempted against our will, but the connotations here are often sexual (allured by her dark green eyes). Seduce carries heavy sexual connotation (seduced by an older woman), although it can simply mean prompted to action against our will (seduced by a clever sales pitch). While beguile at one time referred exclusively to the use of deception to lead someone astray, nowadays it can also refer to the use of subtle devices to lead someone on (a local festival designed to beguile the tourists).

3. e. tool

An implement is a broader term referring to any tool or mechanical device used for a particular purpose (agricultural implements). A washing machine is an appliance, which refers to a mechanical or power-driven device, especially for household use (the newly married couple went shopping for appliances). A utensil is a hand-held implement for domestic use (eating utensils), while an instrument is used for scientific or artistic purposes (musical instruments; surgical instruments). Apparatus refers to a collection of distinct instruments, tools. Or other devices that are used in connection or combination with one another for a certain purpose (the gym was open, but the exercise apparatus had not been set up).

4. e. calm

When applied to people and their feelings or moods, cam implies an unruffled state, often under disturbing conditions (to remain calm in the face of disaster). Halcyon is another adjective associated with the weather (the halcyon days of summer); it comes from the name of a mythical bird, usually identified with the kingfisher that builds its nest on the sea and possesses a magical power to calm the winds and the waves. Peaceful also suggests a lack of turbulence or disorder, although it is usually applied to situations, scenes, and activities rather than to people (a peaceful gathering of protesters; a peaceful resolution to their problems). Serene, tranquil, and placid are more often used to describe human states of being. Serene suggests a lofty and undisturbed calmness (he died with a serene look in his face), while tranquil implies an intrinsic calmness (they led a tranquil life in the country). Placid usually refers to a prevailing tendency and is sometimes used disparagingly to suggest a lack of responsiveness or a dull complacency (with her placid disposition, she seldom got involved in family arguments).

NOTE: This task can be used as a class activity during the lesson with the immediate checking afterwards. Students may do the test individually or in groups and gain scores for correct answers. Or the teacher might prefer to give this activity as a home assignment asking students to make a detailed search for the correct answer, giving reasons and explanations for their choice.