Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Word Challenge: Your Creativity is My Motivation Continued

ANCILLARYserving as an aid
TYROnew to an activity
INCIPIENTonly partly in existence
ASPERITYharshness of manner
MORDACIOUScaustic, biting

Lets hear 'em!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Daily Dose of Diction

Todays Formidable Five:

1. Dearth- lack; scarcity
2. Inveigle-to win over by deception, coaxing, flattery
3. cogent- convincing
4. specious- seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive; plausible but false
5. guy- (noun or verb) a rope, cord or cable attached to something as a brace or guide; to steady or reinforce using a guy.

Please enjoy these words in any creative or non-creative fashion. The ultimate goal, as selfish as it sounds, is to improve my GRE score. The personal benefits to your contribution are innumerable, not excluding tax-exempt status for your gift of time. Please contact my accountant for tax forms.



Thursday, November 19, 2009

For you Wordies (like foodies, people who love words)








diligent; persistent; hard-working
sedulous

calm; sluggish; unemotional
phlegmatic

exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
obsequious

causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep
soporific

disgrace; contempt; scorn
opprobrium

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Vocabulary Respite



A passive activity for recovery purposes:

Vocabulary Quiz: Matching game. Drag the word to match the definition.

Keep those wheels greased.

The picture is just for pure goodness.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Day 5 of the Vocabulary Challenge that has become the Platform for Creative Writing Exhibitionists


Here are the words that must be included in your "piece":

1. spurious- (adj.) lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit
2. mendacity- (n.) the condition of being untruthful
3. obfuscate- (v.) to deliberately make obscure; to make confusing
4. trenchant- (adj.) sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating
5. inimical- (adj.) damaging; harmful; injurious

Again, for your reading pleasure, click on the comments link to read the daily entries. Damn, my GRE score had better improve!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Day 4 Vocab Challenge: 3 weeks to GRE.

5 more:


antediluvian (adj.) ancient; outmoded (literally, before the flood)

Cadge (v.)to get something by taking advantage of someone

irascible (adj.) prone to outburts of temper; easily angered

occlude (v.) to close or obstruct

peccadillo (n.) small sin or fault

Make sure to read the comments after each day's challenge. There are several great entries. Lots of creativity going on at the Juniper Tree these days.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Day 3 Vocab Challenge

Okay. So I didn't give you much time before bed, but it is the Sabbath. If you get a chance, here are 5 new words. Create at your own risk!

1. RapaciousGreedy, ravenous.
2. VenalOpen to bribery; mercenary.
3.Ineffable Incapable of being expressed; indescribable or unutterable.
4. PenuryExtreme poverty.
5. TaciturnHabitually untalkative.

Choose your verbs wisely.


Friday, November 13, 2009

25 Day Vocabulary Challenge Continues: Day 2


Wow! I have some prolific friends! Please see yesterdays contributions by clicking on the comment link.

Thanks for facing this challenge with me. I wouldn't last two days without you! Too bad the $150 registration fee for the GRE isn't quite motivation enough. But, it really does underline my ideology in regards to community: we need it like water.

So, with no further ado:

Todays 5 Graduate Record Exam Vocabulary Challenge:

1. diurnal (adj.)-existing during the day
2. dyseptic (adj.)-suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable
3. effrontery (n.)- impudent boldness; audacity
4. equivocate (v.)- to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
5. adumbrate (v.)- to foreshadow vaguely or intimate; to suggest or outline sketchily; to obscure or overshadow

Again, please share an ode, an editorial, or any other genre of writing that uses these words in context (even 5 disconnected sentences). Why? Cause you love to exercise your mind and you love to help me study for the GRE!




Thursday, November 12, 2009

Word Challenge: Your Creativity is My Motivation



There's really nothing like studying for the GRE to humble me. I think my first practice math score put me at 3rd grade mastery level. I have a little more than 3 weeks left to study, and I am avoiding it every chance I get.

For motivation, I thought I would put a little activity out there for my faithful readers to participate in. I can only think of something for the verbal portion, but if someone can come up with an inspiring algebra/geometry (TOTAL oxymoron) exercise, I'd be all ears.

Okay, here its is: Each day, for the next 25 days, I will list 5 GRE vocabulary words (and their definitions.). The best paragraph, poem (please, no haikus...that will absolutely not help one iota), or written piece of any kind that demonstrates understanding and creativity -and, ultimately, cements the definition of the words in my mind-, wins! So, you don't really win anything tangible, but the intangibles are limitless!

Todays words are:

truculent-(adj.) fierce and cruel, eager to fight
obdurate-(adj.) unyielding; hard-hearted; intractable
aver- (v.) to state as fact; to declare or assert
probity- (n.) adherence to highest principles; complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness
paean- (n.) a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving

Hope you have fun with these words! And, don't forget, this is for a good cause. Be moved by Luther's charge: In all things charity!

Post Away!