week thirty five 1100 words

WEEK 35   DAY 1

NEW WORDS

parable

whimsical

lampoon

countenance

sanctimonious

A MODERN AESOP

The telling of a story in simple terms that has an inherently* important message is a venerable* art form. The parable may be found teaching a moral lesson in the Bible. Aesop is an incontrovertible* master of the fable. This story form is far from antiquated* as shown by the whimsical approach to life taken by the modern Aesop, James Thurber. His stories lampoon the strange behavior of his fellow men. Thurber seems unable to countenance the ideas that permeate* our society regarding the rules by which we should live. Least of all is he able to accept the sanctimonious notion that some people promulgate* that good always wins out against evil. Thurber's stones often take an exactly opposite didactic* point of view.

Sample Sentences Note that some words do not have a one word definition. Frequently, several words, or an entire sentence, is required.

Definitions Note the distinction between countenance as a noun and as a verb.

TODAY'S IDIOM

to pull up stakes-to quit a place

He could no longer rule the roost* or get the lion's share.*

so he pulled up stakes and moved on.

WEEK 35   DAY 2

NEW WORDS

equanimity

effrontery

nonentity

flabbergasted

debacle

MODERNIZING A PARABLE*

Thurber punctures in an incisive* way the platitudes* that come from stories handed down through the generations. These old saws are accepted by everyone. One such tale is about a tortoise who had read in an ancient book that a tortoise had beaten a hare in a race. The sage* old tortoise construed* this story to mean that he could outrun a hare. With equanimity he hunted for a hare and soon found one. *Do you have the effrontery to challenge me?* asked the Incredulous* hare. *You are a nonentity,* he scoffed* at the tortoise. A course of fifty feet was set out. The other animals gathered around the site*. At the sound of the gun they were off. When the hare crossed the finish line, the flabbergasted tortoise had gone approximately eight and three-quarter Inches. The moral Thurber draws from this debacle for the tortoise: A new broom may sweep clean, but never trust an old saw. Which of the five "new words" have you seen before? Answer with equanimity.

Sample Sentences Insert the new words in these sentences.

Definitions Match the new words with their definitions.

TODAY'S IDIOM

to raise Cain-to cause trouble, make a fuss

When he found he was left holding the bag,* he decided to raise Cain.

WEEK 35   DAY 3

NEW WORDS

vivacious

gaunt

mien

hirsute

refute

THINGS HAVE CHANGED

Thurber modernizes an old story that everyone has read or heard. It has to do with a nefarious* wolf who kept a vigil* in an ominous* forest until a little girl came along carrying a basket of food for her grandmother. With alacrity,* this vivacious youngster told the wolf the address to which she was going. Hungry and gaunt the wolf rushed to the house. When the girl arrived and entered, she saw someone in bed wearing a nightcap and a nightgown. While the figure was dressed like her grandmother, the little girl surmised* with only a perfunctory* glance that it didn't have the old lady's mien. She approached and became cognizant* of the hirsute face of the wolf. She drew a revolver from her purse and shot the Interloper* dead. Thurber arrives at a moral for this story that anyone would find difficult to refute: It is not so easy to fool little girls nowadays as it used to be.

Sample Sentences Insert the new words in these sentences.

Definitions Match the new words with their definition.

TODAY'S IDIOM

to leave no stone unturned-to try one's best, to make every effort

Since you're from Missouri,* I'll leave no stone unturned to convince you.

WEEK 35   DAY 4

NEW WORDS

pensive

whet

stupor

wince

cliche

ANOTHER SURPRISE

Thurber's stones are written in a jocose* manner, but they contain enough serious matter to make one pensive. He tells of some builders who left a pane of glass standing upright in a field near a house they were constructing. A goldfinch flew across the field, struck the glass and was knocked Inert.* He rushed back and divulged* to his friends that the air had crystallized. The other birds derided" him, said he had become irrational," and gave a number of reasons for the accident. The only bird who believed the goldfinch was the swallow. The goldfinch challenged the large birds to follow the same path he had flown. This challenge served to whet their interest, and they agreed with gusto.* Only the swallow abjured,* The large birds flew together and struck the glass; they were knocked into a stupor. This caused the astute* swallow to wince with pain. Thurber drew a moral that is the antithesis* of the cliche we all accept: He who hesitates is sometimes saved.

Sample Sentences Insert the new words in these sentences.

Definitions Match the new words with their definitions.

TODAY'S IDIOM

tongue in one's cheek-not to be sincere

John's father surely had his tongue in his cheek when he told his son

to go sow wild oats* and to kick over the traces* at his kindergarten party.

WEEK 35   DAY 5

REVIEW

To strengthen your word power, keep adding words from all the sources you use during the day. The words learned while reading this book give you a firm basis. School texts, newspapers, magazines, etc., should all give you the opportunity to corroborate* the fact that your vocabulary is growing, and they should also be the source for new words.