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

Chapter 8. Mystery
Part 1 General Words

Missing from the Mound

I had misgivings about accepting this case from the beginning. I'm not much of a sports fan, so I wasn't sure I was the right detective to go looking for a missing pitcher. But an old friend of mine was working PR for the team, and she knew I would keep the case a secret. The team didn't want anyone to find out its star pitcher was missing three days before the playoffs began.

I promised Tess that I would keep my investigation covert. It was going to make it more difficult to question people, but I'd manage.

My first call was to the pitcher's wife. She quickly assented to an interview in a bar near the stadium. I had a presentiment that the interview wasn't going to go smoothly. By the time I arrived, she looked to be drowning her sorrows in her fifth or sixth martini. I asked about her husband's activities the day he went missing. She started rambling about their marital problems and how he wasn't any good to her. When she got to the point, I found out that they'd had a huge fight that morning about an affair he'd been having with the team owner's daughter. He stormed out of the house, and she hadn't seen him since.

I decided to circumvent the usual routes to meeting Lola McCurvy, the owner's daughter, by staking out her favoring beauty salon. I don't like to deal with a lot of personal assistants and such when I need to talk to someone. Miss McCurvy seemed quite incredulous that I would want to speak with her about Thompson.

"Why talk to me? My relationship with George was a transitory affair. It only lasted for a couple of months. I dumped him over three weeks ago," she purred.

"What were you doing Monday between 10 am and 8 pm?" I asked.

"If you are asking if I have an alibj, I'm afraid it isn't a great one. I wasn't feeling well that day, so I stayed home in bed. My maid came in a couple of times to bring me a cup of tea and a snack. You can check with her."

"Oh, I will."

I'm usually an optimist, which is rare for a PI, but I was beginning to doubt whether I'd find Thompson before the playoffs began, and if I did, whether he'd be alive. I was going to have to take decisive steps to track him down. I needed to interview his teammates one by one starting with the first baseman Hernandez. It was widely known that he and Thompson had a strong aversion to each other. It was going to be a long day.

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 54, and underline any context clues you find. After you've made your predic­tions, check your answers against the Word List on page 59. 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

agreed

feelings of doubt

to go around

secret

a feeling that something is about to happen

□ 1. misgivings (line 1) ...

□ 2. covert (line 14) ...

□ 3. assented (line 18) ...

□ 4. presentiment (line 18) ...

□ 5. circumvent (line 24) ...

Set Two

a person who looks on the bright side

definite    

temporary   

disbelieving   

an excuse or explanation

□ 6. incredulous (line 26) ...

□ 7. transitory (line 28) ...

□ 8. alibi (line 31) ...

□ 9. optimist (line 35) ...

□ 10. decisive (line 37) ...

Self-Tests

1 Circle the correct word to complete each sentence.

1. The woman was certainly (decisisve, incredulous). She decided on the color to paint her bath­room after looking at three samples for two minutes.

2. The operation was (transitory, covert), so Gerry couldn't tell any of his friends about his mission.

3. As the leaves fall off the trees, I am reminded of the (decisive, transitory) beauty of autumn.

4. It is good to be (incredulous, covert) when someone says you can easily get rich.

5. I had a great (presentiment, alibi): I was speaking in front of two hundred people when the robbery took place.

6. Most people would (assent, optimist) to being given a million dollars.

7. Anil fried to avoid taking a placement test; he wanted to (covert, circumvent) the college's procedures.

8. After Meiling found out her fiance had cheated on her, she had (misgivings, assent) about marrying him.

9. Flor was nervous about getting in the car. She had a (presentiment, circumvent) that she would be in an accident.

10. Eddy is the eternal (alibi, optimist). Even when it is pouring rain, he is sure that it will clear up in time for a picnic.

2 Detectives often have questions or other thoughts running through their minds when they're trying to solve a crime. Write the vocabulary word that connects to the following thoughts the private investigator has about the case. Context clues are underlined to help you. Use each word once.

Vocabulary list

alibi

presentiment

circumvent

covert

decisive

assent

incredulous

misgiving

optimist

transitory

1. I'm glad the witness agreed to be interviewed.

2. I'm skeptical that Thompson's wife told me the whole story about their fight.

3. The team manager was in meetings Monday from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m.

4. I need to find a way to avoid the security guard so I can look around the locker room undisturbed.

5. I really feel like I will find Thompson tomorrow.

6. Did Thompson disappear because he had a feeling that something bad was about to happen?

7. I may have to conceal myself somewhere in the clubhouse to discover any team secrets.

8. The team owner's answers weren't very definite. Was he trying to cover something up, or does he just not know much about the team?

9. I need to search Thompson's locker right away because things may change quickly if anyone dis­covers he is missing.

10. Why do I have a feeling of distrust about Miss McCurvy's story that her maid brought her tea?

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

Vocabulary list

alibi

transitory

assented

misgivings

optimist

circumvent

covert

decisive

incredulous

presentiment

I had a(n) (1)... that something bad was going to happen while we were on vacation. My wife thought my (2)... were silly, but after I kept on about them for three days, she (3)... to going home early. When we got home, we were shocked that all our living room furniture was missing. At first my wife was (4)... . She was sure it was a joke by a neighbor, but I finally convinced her that we had been robbed. The police were great. They took (5)... action and started interviewing the neighbors right away. It must have been a(n) (6)... operation. No one saw anyone near our house. Even the sneaky kid down the street had a(n) (7)... . He was visiting his grandmother two states away all the time we were gone. It was no time to try to (8)... usual procedures, so I called the insurance company to get the paperwork started. I guess I should take my wife's view that possessions are only (9)... . In fact, she is such a(n) (10)... that she now sees the robbery as a great chance to redecorate the house.

Identify the two vocabulary words represented in the photos.

Collocations

The river was rising; it was time for decisive action or most of the town would be flooded. The citizens quickly banded together to fill the sandbags. (Chapter 8)

Andres is the eternal optimist. Though Veronica has turned him down twenty times, he still believes she will change her mind and one day go out with him. (Chapter 8)

Word Pairs

Covert/Overt: Covert (Chapter 8) means "concealed; secret," while overt means "open; not con­cealed." Tim's covert feelings for Leslie were in danger of being revealed when he dropped a love note he had written her but never planned to deliver. Tom was so overt with his feelings that Leslie was embarrassed when he announced his love for her over the loud speaker at school.

Connotations and Denotations

Optimist (Chapter 8): denotation—"a person who looks on the bright side." When some people think of an optimist, they picture a cheery, positive person. For other people, the word optimist connotes a person who refuses to face the harsher aspects of life. Which way do you see the optimist?

Interesting Etymologies

Alibi (Chapter 8). comes from Latin alibi, meaning "elsewhere." It is a reason a person uses to say he or she couldn't have committed a crime because the person was somewhere besides where the crime was committed. It has its roots in the Latin alius, or "(an)other," such as in the word alias, meaning "another, or false, name."

Interactive Exercise

List two situations that could be relevant to each word.

Example: presentiment-not wanting to answer the phone (due to 8 feeling that the call will bring sad news); deciding not to bo8rd an airplane (because of a feeling that something bad will happen)

1. presentiment

2. circumvent

3. incredulous

4. covert

5. misgiving

6. alibi

7. transitory

8. optimist

9. assent

10. decisive

Conversation starters

An excellent way to review the vocabulary words and help to make them your own is to use them when you are speaking. Gather three to five friends orclassmates, and use one or more of the con­versation starters below. Before you begin talking, have each person write down six of the vocabu­lary words he or she will use during the conversation. Share your lists with each other to check that you did not all pick the same six words. Try to cover all of the words you want to study, whether you are reviewing one, two, or more chapters.

1. What science fiction have you enjoyed, whether it was a book, movie, or television show?

2. Do you think real life is at all like romance novels?

3. Do you think you would make a good detective or private eye? Explain why or why not.

4. What kind of books or stories do you most enjoy reading? What makes this type appeal to you?

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.