Travel Vocab Part 2:Day 3 and Day 4

Travel Vocabulary
Day 3

New Words:
Voracious Mongrel Conscientious Poignant Incarnate

Rainbows: From spoon to brain
During her usual Saturday morning activities of watching television and eating Lucky Charms, Liza was struck by a poignant TV ad about fly fishing and decided to become an angler. She headed to her local Bi-Mart and started berating several of the clerks.
“Look here, I’m going fishing and I don’t want to catch any old mongrel fish. I want a rainbow trout, what do I need?” Most of the clerks looked at her like she was nuts. Liza’s voracious desire to go fishing had driven her into such a frenzy that she took a shopping cart and started throwing in all types of supplies: 3 cases of salmon eggs, a couple tackle boxes, three poles, and some hooks with shiny neon bits on the end. She rammed the cart here and there throughout the aisles, all the while blathering to herself about this multi-colored trout. When she got to the checkout she realized she hadn’t even been conscientious enough to bring her wallet. As she left the store she kicked a bag of peat moss, numbing her big toe and returning her brain to a somewhat normal state.
“Jeez, I’ve really been ridiculousness incarnate over this whole trout bit; I should really quit eating Lucky Charms all the time.”

Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:

1. The _________ soccer team gleefully chowed down on an awful dish of meatloaf.

2. Every lawyer knows how to make a few _________ arguments to wow the jury.

3. “That dog is crazy, it’s like Rotweiller and Chihuahua and poodle. What a _________!”

4. Jake tried his best to be __________ about keeping his fingers out of his food while eating dinner at his girlfriend’s parents, but he could resist grabbing the brussel sprouts.

5. I often feel like selfishness __________, never wanting to share my jelly beans.

Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. ____Voracious a. personified or typified, as a quality or idea
7. ____Mongrel b. affecting or moving the emotions
8. ____Conscientious c. any cross between different things, esp. if inharmonious or indiscriminate.
9. ____Poignant d. exceedingly eager or avid
10. ____Incarnate e. meticulous; careful; painstaking; particular

Today’s Grammar Lesson
Commas are used to separate adjectives that equally modify the same noun. (Notice in the examples below that no comma separates the last adjective from the noun)
I can still remember how my heart started beating when I walked into the dark, little room.

The brief day drew to a close in a long, slow twilight.




Travel Vocabulary Part 2
Day 4

New Words:
Tranquil Indicative Exuberant Reticent Vindicate

No Sea in the City
It was a tranquil morning in Eugene; the birds weren’t squawking much and the neighbors hadn’t started weedwacking their yards or screaming at their children. It was this type of day that made Greg and Stephen, two ex-pirates that had recently assimilated themselves back into society, exuberant.
“Arrgh, y’d think we’er back out on the open seas again,” Greg said while stroking his red beard with his hook.
“A fine day indeed,” replied Stephen, somewhat bothered by Greg’s leftover pirate antics. The two agreed that the calm was indicative of good luck. Greg, who was usually reticent, couldn’t stop talking up the wonders that the day could hold and reverted into some of his past ways.
“Say we go an’ check those there dumpsters across the way for some pirate booty?” said Greg.
Stephen had moved on from his pirate phase and was mainly into spiritual hip-hop, yoga, and basically doing what he called “the right thing.” The two looked out their front window to see Hermes and Andrea on their parking strip.
“Do you remember when we first came off the sea and Andrea let me put a patch on that dog and carry him around for Halloween?” asked Greg.
“Yeah, that was ridiculous; I think she must have had a thing for pirate guys. I never would have let you do that,” Stephen said giving Greg a questioning look that said the dog thing was “not” cool.
“It was no big deal; it didn’t mean anything,” replied Greg. To vindicate himself, he refused to look into Hermes eyes.

Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:

1. What a _________ parrot, she won’t repeat a thing I say.

2. Tom Cruise was ________ when he heard that a Top Gun 3 will be made sometime this year.

3. It was only right that the students __________ themselves against the teacher that broke their cell phones.

4. Shelly always thought it foolish to think a four-leaf clover was _________ of good luck.

5. We waited until the lake was ________ before venturing out to go waterskiing.

Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. ____ Tranquil a. effusively and almost uninhibitedly enthusiastic; lavishly abundant
7. ____ Indicative b. free from commotion or tumult; peaceful; quiet; calm
8. ____ Exuberant c. showing, signifying, or pointing out; expressive or suggestive
9. ____ Reticent d. to uphold or justify by argument or evidence
10. ____ Vindicate e. disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved

Today’s Grammar Lesson
Commas are used to enclose an explanatory word or phrase.
Matthew, younger by two years, had always been more daring than I.

The teacher, Mr. Smith, was a suave dresser.