Active Vocabulary General and Academic Words - Amy E. Olsen 2013

Chapter 2. Relationships
Part 1 General Words

Dealing with People

Answers from April

Dear April,

I just started college, and my roommate is destroying my serenity. I am usually a calm person, but my roommate's dour nature is upsetting me. Every time I come home, she has something depressing to say, and then I too feel gloomy. What can I do to cheer us both up?

Truly,

Desperate for help

Dear Desperate,

You cannot be submissive in this situation. Don't surrender to her unhappiness! You must exemplify the type of person you want your roommate to be. Show her how to be cheerful by being cheerful yourself. When she makes a depressing comment, respond with a positive view. Most people prefer to be around amiable people, and your roommate needs to see that. Take her out on the town, and let her see how people respond to a warm greeting and friendly face. If this plan doesn't work, start looking for a new roommate.

Dear April,

One of my new friends has recently disappointed me. I thought we had a real affinity. We have had great times going to movies and hiking on the weekends. However, in the last month, he hasn't been very dependable where money is concerned. He has borrowed money from me five times and never paid me back. I don't want to appear mercenary, but I am beginning to think he is just being my friend for financial reasons. The first loan was for five dollars, but last week he borrowed seventy dollars. Yesterday I hinted about my being short on cash hoping he would pay me back; instead, he suggested I get a second job. What should I do about this friendship?

Sincerely,

Looking for change

Dear Looking,

Quit being so discreet! Tell your friend he needs to pay you back immediately. If the direct method isn't fruitful, you will know that he is only interested in the friendship your wallet can provide. You may have to write off the loans as a learning experience. Good friends share similar interests, but they also respect each other by paying back money. It is time to find out if your friend has a bad memory or if he sees you as his personal ATM. Good luck!

Predicting

For each set, write the definition on the line next to the word to which it belongs. If you are unsure, re­turn to the reading on page 16, and underline any context clues you find. After you've made your predic­tions, check your answers against the Word List on page 21. Place a checkmark in the box next to each word whose definition you missed. These are the words you'll want to study closely.

Set One

gloomy

agreeable

passive

peacefulness

to represent

□ 1. serenity (line 3) ...

□ 2. dour (line 4) ...

□ 3. submissive (line 12) ...

□ 4. exemplify (line 14) ...

□ 5. amiable (line 19) ...

Set Two

responsible

successful

liking

careful

greedy

□ 6. affinity (line 28) ...

□ 7. dependable (line 31) ...

□ 8. mercenary (line 34) ...

□ 9. discreet (line 46) ...

□ 10. fruitful (line 48) ...

Self-Tests

1 In each group, there are three synonyms and one antonym. Circle the antonym.

2 Finish the story using the vocabulary words. Use each word once.

Vocabulary list

exemplify

serenity

discreet

fruitful

mercenary

amiable

affinity

dependable

dour

submissive

I have been working at the local coffee shop for almost two years. I am a(n) (1)... employee. I am always on time, and I am (2)... to all of the customers. I know how to be (3)... and keep my mouth shut when I have heard something I shouldn't share with others. I actually have a(n) (4)... with the shop and its customers. They are like family. I would say I (5)... the type of employee who can read people's needs. I know that some customers want to chat about how (6)... their shopping has been at the nearby stores. But there are others who want to enjoy the (7)... of a smooth cup of coffee and a good book in one of our comfy chairs, so I give them their space. I know when to be assertive and when to be (8)... . I even know how to best ap­proach the (9)... man who comes in with a gloomy face so that he leaves smiling. The (10)... customer is the only type I really have a problem with. These people are so selfish they barely want to pay for their own cups of coffee much less leave me a tip.

3 Answer the following questions using the vocabulary words. Use each word once.

Vocabulary list

submissive

serenity

mercenary

fruitful

exemplify

dour

discreet

dependable

amiable

affinity

1. If you finish all your homework by noon, what has the morning been?

2. When directing a friend to remove a speck of food from her face, what is it usually polite to be?

3. If you agree to everything your friends want to do even if it isn't really what you want to do, what are you being?

4. If you enjoy spending your days at the beach or by a lake, what kind of relationship do you have with water?

5. If you are fun to be around, how might people describe you?

6. What kind of feeling might you experience while spending a weekend at a cabin in the woods?

7. After your favorite dog dies, how would you feel?

8. If you are never late and you never forget an appointment, what kind of person are you?

9. If you were hired as a member of a foreign country's army, what would your profession be?

10 If you were quiet at the theater in the hope that your younger brother and sister would be, too, what would you be trying to do?

Identify the two vocabulary words represented in the drawings.

Collocations

The salesman gave his assurance that the table would be delivered by Friday, so I would have it for my dinner party on Saturday. (Chapter 1) (Note: The collocation can also be gave her assur­ance.)

To implement a plan to achieve your goals begin by deciding which three of your goals are the most important. (Chapter 1)

After a fruitful discussion, the committee was able to arrange the conference with great speed. (Chapter 2)

Naya rattled on about the problems her friends were having, but she kept a discreet silence about her own financial troubles. (Chapter 2)

Connotations and Denotations

Zealous (Chapter 1): denotation—"enthusiastic, eager; passionate." Many people see being zeal­ous about an activity or interest as a positive emotion. For some people, however, the connotation of zealous conjures a person who h:;.is thrown oneself into an activity beyond the normal bounds of enthusiasm, making one a fanatic or zealot (an excessively zealous person).

Interesting Etymologies

Mercenary (Chapter 2) in the late fourteenth century meant "one who works only for hire." The word came from the Latin mercenarius, meaning "hired worker." The root is merces, meaning "wages or pay," with the further root of merx, "market." The adjective definition, "selfish; greedy," grew out of the earlier meaning, and its use was first recorded in the 1530s.

Interactive Exercise

Take a few minutes to complete the following questions on getting along with friends.

1. To achieve serenity with friends, what do you consider the most fruitful behavior for people to display?

2. What trait of a good friend does one of your friends exemplify? Give an example of a time your friend displayed this trait.

3. Do you feel that most people have an affinity with people who (Pick one.)

... share all the same interests

... do not share any interests

... share some interests

4. What are two situations when friends shouldn't be submissive? How should they work out these problems or differences?

5. What qualities are important in a good friend? A good friend is (Mark all that apply.)

… dependable

… apathetic

… dour

… patient

… mercenary

… amiable

… discreet

… good-looking

Shades of Meaning

Learning new vocabulary is more than learning synonyms. While some words you learn may be similar to other words you know and may be used in place of another word, every word is unique. Good writers choose their words carefully. Words have different shades of meaning, and conscientious writers think about those differences when picking a word to use. A careful reader also responds to those differences in meaning. In some cases the differences are slight, such as "On Sundays I eat a big dinner" or "On Sundays I eat a large dinner." But replacing "big" or "large" with "huge" or "gigantic" (both synonyms for "big") does alter the image of how much food the person is eating. Some synonyms have even bigger differences. For the sentence, "The clever woman found a way to get out of debt," "clever" could be replaced with the synonyms "smart" or "crafty." The reader would have a different reaction to the woman depending on whether the writer selected "smart" or "crafty." When reading or writing, pay attention to the diverse ways words can be used.

Word List

Words to Watch

Which words would you like to practice with a bit more? Pick 3-5 words to study, and list them below. Write the word and its definition, and compose your own sentence using the word correctly. This extra practice could be the final touch to learning a word.