In the comments below, choose ONE of the words and write your OWN sentence using it as best you can. You will be assessed on the list of words your first week of class.
1. aberration; noun – deviating from the right path or usual course of action; a mental disorder, especially of a minor or temporary nature. We were convinced that Ed’s poor test marks were an aberration, and that he would do better the next time.
2. belittle; verb – to make something seem less important. The purpose of much campaign oratory is to belittle your opponent’s record.
3. cache; noun – a hiding place; something hidden in a hiding place. Police searched in vain for the cache of jewels which the thieves had skillfully concealed.
4. dearth; noun – shortage. The dearth of citrus fruits led to a host of illnesses.
5. ebb; verb – to decline. Investors watched their fortunes ebb as the stock market plunged to a new low.
6. facilitate; verb – to make easy; to bring about. To facilitate our move, the company sent a crew to crate all of the furniture.
7. galvanize; verb – to arouse suddenly; to startle. It took a mishap at Chernobyl to galvanize the peace movement into protesting vigorously.
8. hackneyed; adjective – used too often; trite; commonplace. Creative writers cringe when they hear egregiously hackneyed expressions.
9. iconoclast; noun – a person who attacks cherished beliefs or established institutions. When she shook up the conservative firm, Gloria earned the reputation of being an iconoclast.
10. jargon; noun – the specialized vocabulary of members of a group. The club members adopted a jargon that made them feel exclusive.
11. kindle; verb – to ignite; to arouse or inspire; to catch fire; to become aroused. With the wind blowing furiously, Ted found it difficult to kindle a fire.
12. labyrinth; noun- a maze; a complicated, perplexing arrangement or course of affairs. Once inside the cave, the searchers were confronted with a labyrinth that defied them to find the route to the wounded explorer.
13. malicious; adjective- spiteful; intentionally mischievous or harmful. The malicious man led the widow through a labyrinth of schemes to deprive her of her fortune.
14. nomenclature; noun – a systematic naming in an art or science. The nomenclature can be quickly mastered by using memory devices.
15. obliterate; verb – to blot out leaving no traces; to destroy. The authorities feared that the heavy rain would obliterate all signs of the escaped prisoner.