vocab wk 6

Improbable
Source sentence: Vietnam was full of strange stories, some improbable, some well beyond that, but the stories that will last forever are those that swirl back and forth across the border between trivia and bedlam, the mad and the mundane. (pg. 89) Tim o' Brien

Context clues:
Synonyms: fascinating, unbelievable
Antonyms: ridiculous, uneventful

Definition: not probable; unlikely to be true or to happen

Original sentence: Most people thought that having an african american as president was improbable.

Mortared
Source sentence: The place was never mortared, never taken under fire, and the war seemed to be somewhere far away. (pg. 92) Tim o' Brien

Context clues:
Never taken under fire this might mean that the area was never really bothered.

Definition: A vessel in which substances are crushed or ground with a pestle.

Original sentence: I wonder what life would be like if New York was never mortared by terrorists.

Excrement
Source sentence: Thick and numbing, like an animals den, a mix of blood and scorched hair and excrement and the sweet-sour odor of moldering flesh- the stink of the kill. (pg. 110) Tim o'Brien

Context clues:
prefix "ex" means from, out of, former
suffix "ment" means state, condition, or quality

Definition: waste matter discharged from the body, esp. feces.

Original sentence: The excrement from the toddler smelled worse than road kill.

vocab wk 5

Harried
Source sentence: The workers stand loosely grouped and at ease, but my uncle looks as harried and tense as a police officer trying to unsnarl a New York City traffic jam.(pg.417)McWhorter

Context clues:
Synonyms: uptight, nervous
Antonyms: calm, relaxed

Definition: to harass, annoy, or prove a nuisance to by or as if by repeated attacks, worry

Original sentence: The woman was harried by the repeated attacks from her discriminatory co-workers.

Ominous
Source sentence: Such an unnecessary loss has ominous implications for the spiritual, economic, social, and political health of society.(pg. 423)McWhorter

Context clues:
Ominous sounds like omen which is something bad or harmful
the suffix "ous" refers to a state, condition, or quality

Definition: portending evil or harm, foreboding, threatening, inauspicious

Original sentence: Halloween is the only holiday that always seems to have an ominous connotation.

Gauge
Source sentence: So how do you gauge how much oil went into your food?(pg.488)McWhorter

Context clues:
Synonyms: keep track of
Antonyms: forget, lose sight of

Definition: to determine the exact dimensions, capacity, quantity, or force of; measure

Original sentence: Fashion designers often take measurements to gauge how much material they will need for their particular piece.

Weekly calender

To do list ( 2/6/09)
1. math lab for an hour
2. wish little cousin a happy birthday <3
3. work

To do list (2/25/09)
1. Finish reading hw and study for vocab test
2. work
3. Make plans for Saturday (19th bday)

To do list (3/6/09)
1. go to store and get 20% off for my bday =)
2. interview 2 kids for child dev
3. work on papers and study for tests