Cumulative VGL Semester Two

Quell (v)

Definition:

To put an end to or completely stop something

Example:

The police were called in to quell the riot.

Scope (n)

Definition:

the size of something(the amount of topics/area the thing covers)

**not physical size**

Example:

This confirmed the wide scope of the Church's powers.

Speculate (v)

Definition:

To form a theory without firm evidence; to guess

Example:

my colleagues speculate about my private life

Callous (adj)

Definition:

emotional word used to describe someone’s character or attitude as hard

Example:

don't be so callous; show him some sympathy

Acquiesce (v)

Definition:

To accept something reluctantly without protest

Example:

Mother asked me to do chores, and although I didn’t want to, I acquiesced.

Premise (n)

Definition:

The base of an argument, theory or undertaking

Example:

the fundamental premise of the report is that mistakes were made

Frenetic (adj)

Definition:

Fast and energetic in a rather wild or uncontrolled way

Example:

I can't stand the frenetic pace of modern life

Vehement (adj)

Definition:

showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense

Example:

he vehemently denied charges against him

Vivacious (adj)

Definition:

attractively lively and animated (typically used of a woman)

Example:

she was always a vivacious child

Circuitous (adj)

Definition:

Not being forthright or direct

Example:

the cab driver took them on a circuitous route to the museum.

coherent (adj)

Definition:

logically or aesthetically ordered; understandable

Example:

she was lucid and coherent and did not appear to be injured

Inscrutable (adj)

Definition:

impossible to understand or interpret

Example:

her inscrutable handwriting has become and issue for the peers copying off of her

Opaque (adj)

Definition:

not able to be seen through

Example:

she was wearing black opaque tights

Transient (adj)

Definition:

Something that only exists temporarily

Example:

my anxiety was transient because I realised there was nothing to be afraid of.

Ameliorate (v)

Definition:

to make better

Example:

Foreign aid is badly needed to ameliorate the effects of the drought

Ascribe (v)

Definition:

to attribute

Example:

he ascribed Jane's short temper to her upset stomach

Comprise (v)

Definition:

to consist of; be made up of

Example:

The act comprises three acts

**should not be used with “of”**

• The book is comprised of literature

↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑ That will be marked as wrong :\ ↑↑↑↑↑↑

(according to deb galler)

Consequently (adv)

Definition:

As a result of

Example:

she was the youngest child and consequently spoilt

Contend (v)

Definition:

to make an argument about something

Example:

they contend that they have a right to the land

Apostrophes

Occurs when you speak to someone who’s not there or an intimate object that can’t answer

Example:

Twinkle Twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are

Chiasmus

A rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures

Example:

“Never let a fool kiss you or a kiss fool you”

Rhetorical Questions

A question that is asked just for effect or to lay emphasis on what’s being discussed

Has no real answer

Examples:

• Who knows?

• Who cares?

• What’s in a name?

Simile

A comparison using “like” or “as”

Example:

My love is like a red, red rose

Metaphor

A direct comparison; symbol

Examples:

All the world’s a stage

The poem “Dreams” by Langston Hughs (metaphoric poem)

Hyperbole

Exaggeration for poetic effect

Example:

“I nearly died laughing”

Personification

Definition:

Giving human qualities to things that are not human

Example:

“The flowers were suffering from the intense heat”

Dash

Often used where we use a colon or comma

Example

1. Peter decided to focus on his priorities—applying to graduate and getting financial aid.

2. Kiere took a few steps back, came running full speed, kicked a mighty kick—and missed the ball.

Parentheses

Often used where we use a comma or dash

Used to enclose additional information (appositives)

Example

1. She is coming to our house after work (around 6 o’clock).

2. I am going to visit my grandma (my dad’s mom) today.

Appositive

A noun or phrase that adds information about another noun

Example

• Mike’s dog sat down in the street.

• Mike’s dog, a mutt, sat down in the street.

• Mike’s dog, a scrawny mutt, sat down in the street.

Appositives with commas

Use commas if the sentence would still be complete and clear without the appositive.

Put one comma before the appositive and one after when it provides non-essential information.

Example

Dilbert Dithers, one of the town’s junk dealers, collects vintage radios.

Appositives with no commas

If the appositive gives meaning to the sentence, you will not need to put commas around the appositive.

One-word appositives generally do not need commas.

Example

• Pinkie’s brother Roscoe lives in Walla Walla.

• The American author Ernest Hemingway spent many years abroad.

Ethos

persuasion that uses the identity of the persuader

Pathos

persuasion that appeals to emotions and prejudice

Logos

persuasion that relies on data and facts

Parallelism

parts of the sentence that have the same structure

Example

The apartment was filled with old newspapers, broken bottles, overflowing ashtrays.

Allusion

a casual reference to a famous historical or literary figure or event

Example

• Don’t be a scrooge! (literature - A christmas carol)

• Chocolate is my achilles’ heel! (greek mythology)

• She was a good samaritan when she helped the older lady. (the bible)