Vocabulary in action

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Vocabulary in action Semestral Very often, you will be required to describe people, places, events or an experience that you have had. This can be in an examination situation or in a social situation when you are just talking to people. In order to describe anything effectively, you must have a wide vocabulary. You must be especially able to use verbs, adverbs, adjectives and imagery aptly and with confidence. This section contains many examples of good descriptive sentences. It is hoped that you will be inspired by them to be more adventurous in your own descriptions of people, places and things. Your descriptive sentences should communicate information accurately and be interesting, even exciting.

1.

SOME DESCRIPTIONS OF PEOPLE (a) The face: (b) His profile was sensitive and delicate with an expression of patience and gentleness. His face was large and good-humoured. He wore an expression of great good nature. He had pale brown hair inclined to curl, and a pair of honest brown eyes. His grey hair was sticking out and his red face seemed to be swollen with anger. He had a surly face with a bull-neck, overhanging temples, and his hair was cut close all round his head. She had a shock of untidy black hair, brown eyes, thin bony face, and an unexpected charming smile. He has a broad face with high cheek bones. His face is round with a blotchy complexion.

Dress: People dressed in bright, lurid colours, tight long skirts and oversized shirts. He was clad in a loose cotton jacket over a voluminous shirt. She wore an ostentatious evening gown that looked like molten gold. He was dressed in a bedraggled suit of khaki. He was wearing a bright red cotton shirt and a heavy corduroy jacket and solid shoes with thick soles. He was untidily, even shabbily dressed. He was well dressed, but his brilliant necktie, shining pin and glittering rings were flamboyant in their effect.

(c)

Voice:

 (d)

Her voice was loud and dictatorial. She has a deep, authoritative voice. His voice was dry and caustic. His voice was tremulous as he spoke. There was a note of self-satisfaction in his voice. Her voice was full, rich and seductive. He had a deep bass voice.

General appearance: She had a general air of vitality and good health. She was in the bloom of her maturity, a strong straight figure of beautiful carriage. She was light on her feet despite her corpulence. He was a lively, articulate boy with inquisitive eyes.

2.

CHARACTER Decisive action had always been his forte. He had always been a detached figure, standing aloof from his fellow men. He had two of the saddest eyes in the world and looked like he was suffering from a persecution complex. His cold-blooded callousness was staggering. She was a lady of unimpeachable breeding and social standing. He had an impetuous nature and a rough exterior. He had a sense of ready wit, gaiety and infectious cheerfulness. Her cautiousness rubs off on me and helps me to get through difficult situations, and my outgoing nature rubs off on her, helping her to be less shy. She succumbed to temptation easily. He had the knack of making people feel good about themselves. They were rude, inconsiderate and unpleasant to look at. He was capable of furious profanity when provoked. He was an eccentric but inoffensive figure.

3.

EMOTION A haunted haze of fear surrounded him. His chest swelled with patriotic fervour. He could bear calamities with fortitude. Terror gripped his whole being and perspiration started dripping from his forehead. A wave of futile rage swept over him. They stared at him in blank amazement. Terror seized us all. He began to entertain serious doubts about himself. Panic engulfed him.

 4. ACTION

A chill ran swiftly up his back causing the nape of his neck to tingle. The shock robbed him of speech. No words could express the secret agony of my soul. They were saturated with happiness. She sat down and pondered her predicament. I was sick to my stomach at the sight. I woke up sobbing, drenched in sweat and paralysed with fear. I was powerless, frantic with terror.

Good description of action depends on well chosen verbs and adverbs. This is illustrated in the following sentences: He coaxed the bird gently, patiently and it fluttered down to him. Savagely he put the car into motion and hurtled ahead. When the food was put before the prisoner, he ate voraciously. She beckoned imperiously to her maid and in a minute or two, her maid came to her. We both pleaded guilty rather shamefacedly. He poured out his gratitude profusely. I rose shakily to my feet. He glanced down the road apprehensively. He was smiling enigmatically to himself. The frightened child was screaming incoherently. Clutching the smouldering joss-sticks, he prayed fervently. He was floundering around helplessly in the water. Perfume wafted delicately across the room towards us. An agonising wail issued from the hound before it was thrown bodily aside. The shark could easily tear the frail raft to shreds. The stranger moved restlessly in his seat and gesticulated freely. The ship was tossed and buffeted about helplessly by the mighty waves. I gave him a conspiratorial smile. He moved closer to the roaring fire, letting the heat work into his frozen bones. He drew in his breath with a long hiss. I prepared savoury food to beguile his palate. The cup was smashed to smithereens when it was dropped. The very young and the old succumbed to exhaustion quickly. She trekked into the wilds of Alaska in pursuit of adventure. She rummaged frantically in her handbag for some money.

5.

PHYSICAL REACTIONS

 6. SCENERY

There was a burning sensation in my throat that forced me to cough. He was becoming dizzy and nauseated. I experienced a nasty feeling of weakness, as though I was going to faint. The room tilted and swirled before my eyes. He hit the fence and the gate shuddered and groaned. The minutes ticked by and soon his eye started to droop sleepily. I remained prostrate with fatigue and sleep soon overtook me. He was getting progressively drunk and boisterous. His hands were shaking uncontrollably and an occasional violent tremor racked his entire body. It gave him a pleasant sensation of walking on air.

Scenery can be beautiful or dull, soft or harsh. (a) Examples of a beautiful scenery: (b) Beautiful beaches encircled the island. I paused to look at the gay flowers that rioted in the garden. In the distance towered a snow-capped, beautifully symmetrical volcanic mountain. Low hills ringed the valley, rolling away into a blue haze of high mountain peaks. Washed and dusted, the trees glittered, and the hordes of parrots came back to flash their rainbow bodies amid the timber, more loquacious than before.

Examples of dull scenery: The grey brown land was devoid of life except for an occasional snake. The recent rains had dampened the wild flowers in the fields and they now looked battered and bedraggled. The countryside was awash with sheeting rain, howling with boisterous winds, and robbed of all colour by the ashen skies.

(c)

Examples of soft scenery: The Atlantic spread out before them like a piece of pale blue china. Chimney smoke arched and danced in the wind under a blue sky. The sun shone more kindly now, and the trees which framed the scene were golden and lovely. A gentle breeze came up to spin white drifts of sea water over the beach.

(d)

Examples of harsh scenery: They were halted by a seemingly insurmountable rocky mountain range. Gigantic waves crashed on the rocks around us in a pandemonium of sound.

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The rock was hard as flint, and a fall would have meant serious lacerations and broken bones.

NATURAL PHENOMENA

The sky and clouds, sunrise and sunset, lightning and thunder, wind and rain often inspire good descriptions. (a) The sky and clouds: The high sunlit clouds drifted across a clear blue sky. The sky above was full of tumultuous, dark, ragged clouds. A sky of mackerel clouds, crimson and amber-tinted. It was a grey afternoon with a dull sky threatening rain. A cloud, ominous and black, drifted over the mountain and released a sudden shower.

(b)

Sunrise and sunset: The sun rose in a pool of crimson and gold, spilling light all over the land and the white clouds. From freezing night, it turned to scorching day as the sun climbed towards its zenith. As the sun set, the few thin strips of clouds on the horizon turned shimmering gold. It was a lovely walk, with the sun setting behind the mountain in a sea of liquid gold. The sunsets have been glorious lately, all rosy and salmon- pink.

(c)

Lightning and thunder: Thunder came marching from far away with increasing tread. Lightning and thunder raged with fury. A flash of forked lightning and a great clap of thunder came close upon each other. A bolt of lightning tore across the sky and a peal of thunder followed.

(d)

Wind and rain: The wind was sighing and thrashing in the tree tops and the boughs moaned. The morning was cold and wet with a brisk wind sweeping the rain across the land. A curtain of rain beat down from the heavens.

(e)

The moon: The moon was abnormally large and it bathed the earth with its luminous glow.

8.

ATMOSPHERE It was a blindingly hot day and the humidity in the air was stifling. The evening was very still and the darkness carried the faint perfume of flowers and the scent of the dew-rinsed earth. The seconds merged into minutes and the minutes into hours as the prisoner waited for his execution. We could hear the chorus of frogs from the creek, and the myriad softer sounds that stir in the night. The atmosphere in the dance hall was saturated with music and sweet perfume. The air was heavy with dust beaten up by the soldiers.

9.

THINGS

Mangled corpses littered the battlefield. The stench from the rubbish dump was nauseating. The little house was desolate and sterile, full of grief and wretchedness. What had once been a flower bed was now scarcely recognizable under the rampant growth of weeds. It was a well-built, characterless modern house. A row of dilapidated shop houses was gutted in the fire. Fireworks blossomed in the night sky, turning to giant flowers of pink, orange and green. The deserted house looked eerie and ominous. The road snaked along the plain into the horizon. The fair was in full swing and the stalls were dressed in gorgeous colours. Light came in through windows fogged with smoke and grime. Pink papaya, golden pineapple, glistening watermelon slices, heaps of pomelos and starfruit were spread under the lamps of the stalls. It was a sleepy little settlement with only a handful of houses. She walked past windswept bushes and what looked like a dilapidated barn of blackened wood. Glass can be so beautiful, so exquisite. The house on the hill commanded a glorious view of the sea

Apt Words And Phrases For Composition Writing2

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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Sue broke into tears. A dark mood came over Jane. She was on the verge of tears. Tears rolled down her rosy cheeks. No words could express his agony.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34.

Tears welled up in Nancys eyes. The poor child sobbed sorrowfully. With a heavy heart, he left the hospital. My heart sank when I heard the sad news. Her eyes were puffy and red after all the crying. She cried her heart out on hearing the tragic news. The frightened child was on the brink of tears. They were sobbing their hearts out when they heard of their fathers sudden death. Mrs Lee was so overcome with grief that she fainted a few times at her husbands funeral. My heart sank when my teacher told me that I had failed the examination. The little girl burst into tears when she could not find her mother. The little girl was close to tears when her mother left her in the care of the new maid. She was so upset that she could not stop her tears from streaming down her cheeks. A tingle of sorrow swept over me. Her heart was shattered after hearing the devastating news. With tears in my eyes, a quaver in my throat, tears streamed down my cheeks onto the ground. Grief, remorse and depression covered me like a thick choking blanket. Tears of sorrow rolled down my cheeks when I heard the heart-breaking news. He howled dismally when his dog died. After being wrongly accused by his best friend, he felt down in the dumps. Kevin felt utterly miserable when Julia called off the wedding. His heart overflowed with sadness when he lost the race. Feeling blue, he went for a holiday to forget all his sorrow. She felt very wretched after being slapped and locked up by her husband. He told his cousins all his woes when they visited him. He was so sad that he tried to drown his sorrows by going out to drink. With tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks, Janice knelt down in front of her parents grave and cried out, Ive been such an unfilial daughter! My father felt demoralised because he failed his driving test again. The widow laments grievously at the death of her husband.

Apt Words And Phrases For Composition Writing3

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1.3 FRIGHTENED / EXCITED 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Terror seized us all. Panic started to engulf him. She was at a loss for words. He froze for a few seconds. I rose shakily to my feet. A rude shock awaited them. A chill went down her spine. The sight of the ghost sent shudders down her spine. A loud voice boomed, sending shivers down her spine. I was powerless and frantic with terror. She screamed at the top of her voice. She screamed her head off when she saw the corpse. She jumped in fright when her mother suddenly shouted at her. His face turned pale and his skin felt cold and clammy. Overcome with fright, she lost her balance and fell down in a swoon. She experienced a feeling of weakness before blacking out.

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She stood rooted to the ground. The shock robbed him of speech. I was too afraid to utter a word. A haze of fear surrounded him. The timid girl shrank back in fear. Gary stood motionless with horror. She was panic-stricken when she realised she was trapped. Frightened thoughts raced through his mind. They fled in panic when they saw the charging dog. Our hair stood on end as a cry rang shrilly in the night. Fighting back tears of fear, he stared motionless at the approaching danger. With his sense of direction gone, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Paralysed with fear, he was speechless. The frightened child was screaming incoherently. I woke sobbing, drenched in sweat and paralysed with fear. I was roused by a sound which brought my heart to my mouth. They huddled together and stared apprehensively into the darkness. Terror gripped his whole being and perspiration started dripping from his forehead. A chill ran swiftly up his back, causing the nape of his neck to tingle. I was sick to my stomach at the horrendous sight. Suddenly, he heard his childrens shouts from the garden, shrill with excitement. Back in the room, Tom was simply quivering all over with excitement. The crowd let out a stupendous cheer as the team scored a home goal. Their pulses raced as they neared their final goal. Henrys skin tingled with excitement as he watched the hair -raising race. They stared at him in blank amazement. She rummaged frantically in her handbag for the revolver. Ali crouched at the corner, shuddering in fear that the gangster might harm him. Cold fear gripped me as I began to imagine all sorts of things that could happen to me in the haunted house. I was about to turn the key when I heard something. I held my breath and put my ear against the door. Susan returned home and told her mother in a shaky tone that she had been robbed in the lift. Tom turned as white as a sheet when he was caught red-handed stealing Alis wallet. I was shocked when my brother got home with a bloodstained face, and bruises all over his arms and legs. He was scared stiff when he saw the ghost. Her hair stood on end when she watched the horror movie. The screams of terror gave way to dead silence in the haunted house. Nervously, I opened the door and slowly tiptoed towards him. My voice quivering, I felt goose pimples all over my body. Trembling with fear, I handed them the keys The piece of news hit us like a bombshell. We were too dumbfounded for words There was a lump in my throat when I saw the shadow. Cold sweat trickled down my forehead when I woke up from a nightmare. I tried to walk at a faster pace but my knees turned to jelly and I felt sick. The boy tried to stifle his scream but was unsuccessful. He was caught! My scream echoed eerily throughout the graveyard. I was paralysed with fear. He was speechless with fright when he saw the ghost. His heart pounded in his chest as he walked into the old mansion I jumped with a start when I heard the noise. The eerie room made my blood run cold. All the windows were closed and the figure looked dark and menacing. It missed me by a few centimetres but it scared the life out of me. Fear gripped me and I dared not move.

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All sorts of frightening things crossed my mind. My legs were heavy and frightening thoughts flooded my mind. My heart throbbed with fear at what I had seen. His senses were numbed when the crooks pointed a gun at him. My bones were jittering and my heart leapt to my throat. The killer was very instinctive, even his footsteps echoed danger. His unearthly and awesome appearance struck terror in all. He gave a blood-curdling scream when a vampire appeared in his room. We trembled when John did death-defying stunts on the ledge of his tenth storey apartment. This place gives me the creeps. I felt my blood chill in my veins.

5. Words to replace SAID Anger Fumed Roared Snarled Snapped Chided Exploded Growled Retorted Bellowed Barked Yelled Snorted Shouted Fear stuttered gasped implored pleaded whimpered stammered whispered Sadness sobbed moaned lamented wailed whined Excitement exclaimed raved ranted screeched shouted shrieked screamed ejaculated squealed

Synonyms

Synonyms are words that have the same or similar meanings. Note the highlighted word in each selection. Underline its synonym. The first one has been done for you.

1. This law is far from perfect. We need to change parts of it to make it fair. Unfortunately, its difficult to amend a law. 2. That womans remarks are always rude! Why cant she keep her comments to herself? 3. Dont expend too much energy on that game or you wont have enough left to use on homework.

4. You shouldnt make a big deal about Sams errors when you havent even corrected your own mistakes! 5. Ill create a new account for you if you make a list of features you want it to have. 6. Carefully observe the behavior of Johns sister Ashley. If you study her actions, youll understand why John says shes weird. 7. Jordan is a very smart girl. Shes intelligent enough to solve puzzles that some adults cant handle. 8. The smell of your shoes is a most unpleasant odor. 9. The smell of that flower is a very pleasant fragrance.
Nouns as Adjectives
Sometimes words that are usually nouns can function as adjectives. This happens when the noun is used to define a noun. Underline the adjective in each sentence that is often a noun. The first one is done for you.

1. Karen always wipes her runny nose with paper towels. 2. Teasing a junkyard dog is a bad idea. 3. An intelligent person will never put his head into an empty pickle jar. 4. I hear that apple juice is a healthy drink. 5. Troy would like an onion sandwich with a touch of mustard. 6. Remind Kurt to stop eating cat food!

7. Thats what you get for using a glue stick as lipstick! 8. The chubby little frog refused to try the new beef diet. 9. Yes, there are automobile dealers you can trust.
Noun and Verb Twins
Underline the word that is used once as a noun and once as a verb in each sentence. The first sentence has been done for you.

1. Leon wont trade toys with you unless the toys you offer allow for a fair trade. 2. Ill show you how to display your food at the food show. 3. Ill design a silver cup with a cool design engraved into the silver. 4. A paper tiger cant roar, Mr. Smith declared as he put down his paper and listened to the roar of the ocean. 5. I will win honestly, or the win will be of no value. 6. This puzzle may puzzle you if you dont think harder than you usually think. 7. This fishing permit will permit you to do your fishing in any of our private lakes. 8. The dance would be more successful if everyone would dance.

9. The loud talking in the audience didnt bother me; the loud snoring was a bother. 10. Her haunting singing is truly haunting me now that she will never be singing again What Is the Topic?
The topic of a reading selection is, quite simply, what it's ALL about. What is the topic of each of the following short excerpts from the works of some great poets?

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not man the less, but Nature more,
by Lord Byron

The topic is _________________________. woods sea nature music

THE mountain held the town as in a shadow I saw so much before I slept there once: I noticed that I missed stars in the west, Where its black body cut into the sky.

Near me it seemed: I felt it like a wall Behind which I was sheltered from a wind.
by Robert Frost

The topic is the _________________________. mountain sky town wind

But the poor dog, in life the firmest friend, The first to welcome, foremost to defend, Whose honest heart is still his master's own, Who labours, fights, lives, breathes for him alone, Unhonour'd falls, unnoticed all his worth-Denied in heaven the soul he held on earth:
by Lord Byron

The topic is _________________________. honesty dogs masters life

Behold, we know not anything; I can but trust that good shall fall

At lastfar offat last, to all, And every winter change to spring.

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

The topic is _________________________. seasons facts faith anger