Words of the Day: Patterns Each week the words of the day will center around a common definition or theme. The purpose of this is to help you categorize and remember words more easily. Words will be assessed approximately every 5 weeks, so hold on to your words!

Week 1: Shhh! Words related to being quiet

Brevity - noun To the point in speaking or writing What is a word your familiar with that uses brevity as a root word? Limited space in the newsletter makes brevity essential.

Laconic- adj Using few words in a speech His laconic answers made him seem abrupt and rude.

Quiescent- adj Quiet; still; inactive What is an easy, visual way to remember this word? Mount St. Helens has been quiescent since its last eruption in 1986?

Reticent- adj Not talking much; reserved After consuming too much wine at the ladies' auxiliary lunch, the normally reticent Ms. Worthy shocked her table mates with ribald tales of the Merchant Marines.

Week 2 Blah…blah…. Words relating to speaking

Bombastic- adj Using language in a way to impress others What might be an easy way to remember this word? The politician was bombastic in his rhetoric, boring most of the audience.

Colloquial- adj conversational What about the first three letters of this word may help you remember it? Think co-worker. In an attempt to connect with his audience, the politician used a folksy, colloquial style.

Loquacious- adj Very talkative; liking to talk The loquacious audience grew quiet when the movie started.

Verbose- adj Wordy; long winded What’s the root word? In an effort to appear to have something to say, the student wrote five pages of verbose nonsense.

Week 3 Tah Dah! Words relating to feeling superior.

Contemptuous- adj Lacking respect; looking down on others How can you use the word tempt to help you remember this definition? The king treated the peasants contemptuously.

Ostentatious- adj Showing off; pretentious; pretending to be more important than is the case After earning her law degree, the woman bought a brand new Lexus and an ostentatious house in a wealthy neighborhood.

Narcissistic- adj Having to do with extreme self- adoration and feeling of superiority Do you remember this myth? Because he was so narcissistic, he gazed at his reflection whenever possible.

Presumptuous- adj Overstepping the bounds What is the root word? How can it help you to remember the definition? Isn’t it presumptuous of Julie to expect everyone to do what she wants?

Swagger- verb To walk around in a proud, showy manner Have you ever heard of this word? Mr. West swaggered onto the stage to interrupt Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech.

Week 4 Ho hum… Words relating to being over used, unoriginal, and overall cliché

Banal- adj Dull or stale from over use Umm, you know what it rhymes with right? Also, think of blah, blah blah Have you heard the banal joke about the man who threw the clock out the window to see time fly?

Insipid- adj Lacking in flavor; unexciting Think of being sick; think of soup; think of sipping that soup. After days with a stomach virus, the only thing the child could handle was bland chicken broth.

Mundane- adj Ordinary Think of Mondays! Going to the movies offers an escape from the mundane routine of everyday life.

Platitude- noun An obvious remark uttered as if it were original Think about a hot dog being offered up on a golden plate. Despite the variety in Hallmark cards, they are all filled with the same platitudes.

Vapid- adj Lacking freshness; flat; stale How can you remember this word? Behind every vapid, uninspiring TV sit-com you’ll find an empty-headed producer, director, and screenwriter.

Week 5 IT’S OK!! Words relating to lessening pain, Tension, and/or Conflict

Pacify- verb To calm; soothe What’s something that is given to babies that will help you remember this word? To pacify the crying baby, his mother gave him a bottle and changed his diaper.

Ameliorate- verb To make better; to lessen the difficulty This one you may just have to memorize! To ameliorate their stress from school, some kids get a message, play violent video games, or listen to their favorite music.

Assuage- verb To alleviate; to pacify The last few letters look like massage. To help her sister assuage her anger, Andrew let her cry and vent.

Mollify- verb To pacify Hmmm…not sure what to tell you. Not even the offer of a free airline ticket could mollify Greg’s anger after the airline lost his luggage.

REVIEW Get a 3x5 card Determine if you are a word or a category Meet in the corners and the center if a category Find your place if a word

Stump the Chumps Create two sentences using two different vocabulary words from your category. Make one sentence correct and the other incorrect. See if your classmates can both identify and explain the right and wrong answers.