Week 1 Words

1.      abbreviate (v.) – make briefer; to reduce (as a word) to a shorter form intended to stand for the whole

2.      appropriate (adj.) – especially suitable or fitting; proper

3.      brainstorm (v.) – a problem-solving technique that involves the spontaneous input of ideas from one person or many; a sudden bright idea

4.      characteristic (n.) – a distinguishing trait, quality, or property; revealing, distinguishing, or typical of the individual character

5.      conclusion (n.) – a judgment or opinion formed after thought; an outcome

6.      discuss (v.) – to talk or write about; consider the pros and cons of

7.      foreshadow (v.) – the use of clues by the author to prepare readers for events that will happen later in a story

8.      heading (n.) – something forming the head, top, or front; the title, topic, etc. as of a chapter

9.      sequence (n.) – the coming of one thing after another; succession; a series

10.  preview (v.) to view or show in advance; to scan information before detailed reading

Week 2 Words

1.      citation (n.) – an act of crediting a source when using a quotation or paraphrase of information

2.      evidence (n.) – something that furnishes proof

3.      expository (adj.) – relating to conveying or explaining information

4.      illustrate (v.) – to make clear by giving an example or instance; to show clearly; demonstrate

5.      logical (adj.) – capable of reasoning or of using reason in an orderly, convincing fashion

6.      simile (n.) – a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like or as

7.      setting (n.) – the time and place in which the events of a literary work occur

8.      succinct (adj.) – expressed clearly in a few words; concise

9.      responsible (adj.) – reliable; trustworthy; able to choose for oneself between right and wrong

10.  exuberant (adj.) – joyful; effusively and almost uninhabited enthusiastic; abounding in vitality

Week 3 Words

1.      integrate (v.) – to form, coordinate, or blend into a functioning or unified whole; unite

2.      metaphor (n.) – a figure of speech that compares two seemingly unlike things without using like or as; a direct comparison

3.      transition (n.) – passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another; change

4.      symbolize (v.) – to represent, express, or identify by a symbol

5.      criteria (n.) – a standard on which a judgment or decision may be based

6.      focus (v.) – to concentrate attention or effort

7.      example (n.) – a particular single item, fact, incident, or aspect that is representative of all of a group or type; a parallel or closely similar case, such as a model

8.      consistent (adj.) – adhering together; holding firmly together; ability to be asserted together without contradiction

9.      argument (n.) – writing in which reason is used to influence ideas or actions. Argument uses logic, reasons, and evidence to persuade an audience of a given thesis.

10.  ambiguous (adj.) – having several possible meanings or interpretations; unclear; vague

Week 4 Words

1.         coherent (adj.) – logically ordered and integrated; understandable in a consistent, logical manner

2.         paraphrase (v.) – a restatement of a text, retaining the main idea but rephrasing in a new way

3.         outline (n.) – a preliminary written plan, sometimes using I, A, 1, a…

4.         theme (n.) – the central message, moral, or lesson of a work of literature that readers can apply to life

5.         prompt (n.) – something that incites a person to action

6.         irony (n.) – a contrast or discrepancy between appearance and reality

7.         objective (n.) – goal; target; purpose; something that one’s efforts or actions are intended to attain or accomplish

8.         analyze (v.) – to examine carefully and in detail so as to identify causes, key factor, possible results, etc.

9.         inane (adj.) – silly, empty of meaning or value

10.     nuance (n.) – a subtle or slight variation (as in color, meaning, quality)

Week 5 Words

1.      specific (adj.) – specified, precise, or particular

2.      compose (v.) – to make or form by combining things, parts, or elements: He composed his research paper from many research notes.

3.      assert (v.) – to state with assurance or confidence; to maintain or defend; affirm

4.      clarify (v.) – to make (an idea, statement, etc.) clear or intelligible

5.      awry (adj.) – away from the expected or proper direction; amiss; wrong

6.      reflect (v.) – to think, ponder, or meditate

7.      quotation (n.) – something that is quoted; a passage quoted from a book, speech, etc.

8.      thesis (n.) – the main idea of a work of nonfiction

9.      relationship (n.) – a connection, association, or involvement

10.  motivate (v.) – cause a person to act in a certain way or do a certain thing; incite; impel

Week 6 Words

1.      incorporate (v.) – to put or introduce into a body as an integral part; to combine into one body: She effectively incorporated the quotations into her essay.

2.      summarize (v.) – to make a summary of; state or express in a concise or abbreviated form

3.      significant (adj.) – important; of consequence

4.      irrelevant (adj.) – not relevant; not applicable or pertinent

5.      figurative (adj.) – involving a figure of speech, not literal; metaphorical

6.      revise (v.) – to amend or alter; to alter something already written or printed, in order to make corrections, improve, or update: She revised her rough draft.”?

7.      infer (v.) – conclude or judge from premises or evidence; to hint; imply; suggest; guess, lead to

8.      consequence (n.) – the effect, result, or outcome of something occurring earlier

9.      connotation (n.) – the associated or secondary meaning of a word or expression in addition to its primary meaning

10.  epiphany (n.) – sudden insight into the meaning of a situation or experience, an aha moment

Week 7 Words

1.         wrath (n.) – strong, stern, or fierce anger; ire

2.         compassion (n.) – a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering

3.         inevitable (adj.) – unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain; sure to occur or happen; unalterable

4.         plausible (adj.) – having an appearance of truth or reason; seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance; credible; believable

5.         abhor (v.) – to regard with extreme repugnance or aversion; detest utterly; loathe

6.         irrevocable (adj.) – not to be revoked or recalled; unable to be repealed or annulled

7.         skeptical (adj.) – showing doubt; having doubt

8.         ludicrous (adj.) – causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision; ridiculous

9.         cohesive (adj.) – well-integrated; unified

10.     integrity (n.) – adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty

Week 8 Words

1.      apathetic (adj.) having no interest or emotion

2.      alleviate (v.) – to make easier to endure; to relieve; to diminish

3.      facetious (adv.) joking or jesting

4.      reiterate (v.) say again, repeat

5.      profuse (adj.) pouring forth liberally

6.      obdurate (adj.) stubbornly resistant

7.      incorrigible (adj.) too firmly fixed to be reformed or changed

8.      distraught (adj.) – in a state of mental conflict and confusion; distracted

9.      restive (adj.) uneasy or fidgety

10.  imprecations (n.) curses, the act of invoking evil on

Week 9 Words

1.      meticulous (adj.) – very careful about details; fussy

2.      disconcerted (v.) – unsettled, thrown off balance, taken aback, perturbed

3.      torment (v.) – extreme pain or anguish

4.      inconspicuous (adj.)- not readily noticeable

5.      irrelevant (adj.) – not to the point; not relating to the subject

6.      perceptive (adj.) – discerning; observant; sensitive

7.      acquire (v.) – gain

8.      assess (v.) – the act of appraising or evaluating

9.      voracious (adj.) – ravenous; greedy; gluttonous

10.  sporadic (adj.) - occurring at irregular intervals

Week 10 Words

1.      conspire (v.) - secretly plan an illegal act

2.      relinquish (v.) - renounce, let go of

3.      ingenious (adj.) - very clever

4.      mortify (v.) - humiliate, embarrass

5.      arduous (adj.) - difficult

6.      insidious (adj.) - treacherous, seductive

7.      sluggard (n.) - habitually lazy person

8.      indignant (adj.) - offended by a word or act of others

9.      overwhelm (v.) - overcome completely

10.  gullible (adj.) – easily deceived

Week 11 Words

1.      endeavor (v.) - attempt

2.      acquiesce (v.) - consent or submit

3.      flagrant (adj.) – outrageous; glaringly offensive

4.      apprehensive (adj.) - fearful

5.      chastise (v.) – to criticize severely

6.      chronic (adj.) – lasting a long time; constant

7.      judicious (adj.) – wise; careful; showing sound judgment; prudent

8.      tedious (adj.) – long or verbose and wearisome; tiresome; boring

9.      obliterate (v.) - completely remove or destroy

10.   overwhelm (v.) - overcome completely

Week 12 Words

1.      pretentious (adj.) – claiming or demanding a position of distinction or merit; showy; self-important

2.      persistent (adj.) goes on in spite of difficulties

3.      duplicity (n.) – deceitfulness, lie

4.      quandary (n.) – condition of being doubtful or confused

5.      pugnacious (adj.) – eager and ready to fight; quarrelsome

6.      malicious (adj.) – spiteful; intentionally mischievous or harmful

7.      impede (v.) interfere with

8.      lethargic (adj.) lackluster, lazy, indifferent

9.      condone (v.) – to forgive or overlook

10.  resilient (adj.) – getting back strength or spirits quickly; springing back into shape or position

Week 13 Words

1.      benevolent (adj.) - compassionate, giving, kind

2.      significant (adj.) - very important

3.      induce (v.) -persuade, bring about

4.      skeptical (adj.) – not easily persuaded or convinced

5.      agitate (v.) - try to arouse public feeling; excite or trouble the mind

6.      audacious (adj.) - bold or insolent

7.      loquacious (adj.) - very talkative

8.      delusional (adj.) - believing that which is not true or real

9.      contend (v.) - strive against rivals; argue

10.  surreptitious (adj.) – sly; stealthy; done in a quiet or secret way

Week 14 Words

1.      paraphrase (v.) - restatement of a text giving the meaning in different words, restating in different words

2.      virtuous (adj.) - morally good, chaste

3.      tentative (adj.) – not definite or final; indicating timidity, hesitancy, or uncertainty

4.      visualize (v.) - form a mental image of something

5.      nonchalant (adj.) - showing indifference

6.      energetic (adj.) - full of energy or activity

7.      capricious (adj.) - impulsive and unpredictable, not reliable

8.      disparage (v.) - say bad things about

9.      profound (adj.) - marked by intellectual depth or insight; deeply felt

10.  vivid (adj.) - lively, brilliant, intense or sharp

Week 15 Words

1.      vivacious (adj.) - lively

2.      defiant (adj.) - disobedient, rebellious, insolent

3.      idolize (v.) – love or admire to excess; adore; cherish

4.      empathy (adj.) – understanding the feelings or thoughts of others; caring; sensitivity

5.      articulate (adj. or v.) – able to speak clearly and effectively

6.      illegible (adj.) – not readable; not legible

7.      revision (n.) – process of correcting or improving a written work

8.      exacerbate (v.) – to make a situation worse; to irritate

9.      equivocate (v.) – to use double meanings in order to mislead; to be shifty; to quibble

10.  despicable (adj.) – capable of causing hate; hateful

Week 16 Words

1.      disdain (n.) – a feeling of contempt for anything that is regarded as unworthy; scorn

2.      callous (adj.) – unfeeling; insensitive

3.      laconic (adj.) – brief or terse in speech; using few words

4.      remorse (n.) – a deep feeling of sorrow or guilt over a wrong one has done

5.      egregious (adj.) – extraordinarily bad

6.      surly (adj.) – angry and bad-tempered; rude

7.      diligent (adj.) – hardworking; industrious, not lazy

8.      biased (adj.) – favoring one side unduly; prejudiced

9.      candid (adj.) – frank; sincere; impartial; unposed

10.   incredulous (adj.) - disbelieving, skeptical

Week 17 Words

1.      despicable (adj.) – deserving to be hated; contemptible 

2.   genial (adj.) – warmly and pleasantly cheerful; cordial

3.      aversion (adj.) – a strong feeling of dislike, opposition, repugnance, or antipathy

4.      belligerent (adj.) – of warlike character; aggressively hostile; bellicose

5.      ominous (adj.) – portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening; inauspicious

6.      concede (v.) – to acknowledge as true, just, or proper; admit

7.      elated (v.) – overjoyed; very happy or proud; jubilant; in high spirits

8.      advantageous (adj.) – providing an advantage; furnishing convenience or opportunity; favorable; profitable; useful; beneficial

9.      optimistic (adj.) – disposed to take a favorable view of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.

10.  exuberant (adj.) - effusively and almost uninhibitedly enthusiastic; abounding in vitality; extremely joyful and vigorous