Great Words and Sentences

[cierrataylorgreats]

Great Words and Sentences by Cierra Taylor

Welcome!

Scroll down to begin viewing the words and sentences, once you have reached the bottom of the page, please click NEXT (on the left side of screen under owl) to continue viewing the site. Click BACK to return to a previous page. Click HOME to return to this page. Happy scrolling!

This Project was completed by:

Cierra Taylor

Mrs. Weber

AP Rhetoric

10 January 2014

Sorting:

To view words, scroll down!

To view only sentences, click here

To view words and sentences by author, click here

To view works cited as single document, click here

[cierrataylorgreats]

1. abdicate

v. to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, or responsibility, especially in a formal manner.    

Source One:

"He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us" (Franklin)

Source Two:

 The popularity of Spain's King Juan Carlos has slumped to a record low, with almost two thirds of Spaniards thinking he should abdicate" (Alexander)

In both sources, the word refers to the relinquishing of power, however, there are differences in the tone of each quote. In the Declaration of Independence, colonists accuse the King of abandoning them, simply to declare war. In the current controversy in Spain's monarchy, the reasoning behind the possible abdication would be completely factual, based on a poll of the general public.

Sources:

Franklin, Benjamin. The Declaration of Independence.1776. Print

Alexander, Harriet. "King Juan Carlos Should Abdicate, Say Two Thirds of Spaniards." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 05 Jan. 2014. Web. 05 Jan. 2014.

[cierrataylorgreats]

2. astute

adj. shrewd, especially with regard to one's own interests; crafty

Source One:   

"You're talking like a crazy ma-- "

          "Like a crazy man? How astute"

          (Kesey 61)

Source Two:

"Snohomish County's astute purchase of rail corridor... is on track to provide recreational and freight options" (Riley)

While in source one the word is used to suggest rude behavior, the second source is less negative in its connotation, suggesting that the word closely relates to the simple regard of self, or in this case the county's, interest.

Sources:

Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. New York: Viking, 1962. Print.

Riley, Kate. "Editorial: Snohomish County's Astute Purchase of Rail Corridor." The Seattle Times. N.p., 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 31 Dec. 2013.

[cierrataylorgreats]

3. cabriolet

n. a light, two wheeled, one horse carriage

Source One:

"Monroe had to set the brake to keep the cabriolet from riding up over the horse's haunches" (Frazier 54)

Source Two:

"This cabriolet (or toy carriage) with a sheep doll attached cost between $8 and $13.50, or about $194 and $328 adjusted for inflation" (Novak)

After defining the word, I also looked up photographs to see what a cabriolet looked like. I realized that I had seen and even maneuvered a cabriolet many times before, while playing the video game Red Dead Redemption. Surprisingly, the word cabriolet was not the only similarity I noted between the book Cold Mountain and the game. During descriptions of setting, i frequently drew recollections from the hours I spent breaking horses and tending farms in Red Dead Redemption. 

Sources:

Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain. New York: Atlantic Monthly, 1997. Print.

Novak, Matt. "The Coolest Toys From The 1911 FAO Schwarz Catalogue." Gizmodo Australia. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

[cierrataylorgreats]

4. calibrate

v. to plan or devise (something) carefully so as to have a precise use, application, appeal

Source One:

Lecture

Source Two:

" You could hire a certified professional to calibrate your set, but that can cost a few hundred dollars" (Leung)

When Mrs. Weber first used this word in class I realized I had never heard it outside of a tech sense, as in calibrating a TV screen or calibrating the compass on a cell phone. After looking up the word upon arriving home, I learned of the word's general meaning. It was exciting to learn of the versatility of a word that I'd always considered computer jargon.

Sources:

Weber, Bergith. Lecture. 12 Dec. 2013.

Leung, Tony. "Easily Calibrate Your New HDTV." TechHive. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.

[cierrataylorgreats]

5. clamor

n. a loud uproar, as from a crowd of people

v. to shout loudly and insistently

Source One:

"Amid the clamor, which could reach deafening proportions... there was still a rigid set of rules about what was said and how" (Naylor)

Source Two:

"The Glazer's gave Buc fans what they clamored for, Lovie Smith" (O'Donnell)

When I first encountered this word and found the definition, it seemed simple, just a loud uproar. However, when I found the word in a second source, used as a verb, I was much more interested. I have always been a fan of the versatile words, words that can be used as both a noun and verb, or have both a positive and negative connotation. I will be putting clamor in the special space in my vocabulary where my favorite words go, because when I'm searching for something to say, odds are it could be the piece that fits.

Sources:

Naylor, Gloria. “The Meanings of a Word.” English III Rockstars. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.

O'Donnell, Kevin. "Young Cleveland Fans Clamor for Tressel." Fox Tampa Bay. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2014.

[cierrataylorgreats]

6. corrugate

v. to draw or bend into folds or alternate furrows and ridges.

Source One:

"It was a lot hotter, dad pointed out, down in the valley along Stewart Street, which was lined with those cute brick houses that had their neat, square lawns and corrugated aluminum breezeways" (Walls 189)

Source Two:

"Sited within the rural landscape, the four-bedroom... house in South West France is clad in corrugated fibre cement sheet, a material more commonly associated with agricultural architecture" (Mark)

After reading this passage in The Glass Castle, I had no idea what corrugated could mean. Due to an additional lack in understanding of aluminum breezeways, I was left without even a hint. After looking up aluminum breezeways and the word corrugated, the pictures that I found on Google did not match the houses that had popped into my imagination during Walls' description. They were much more grand than I had expected, and much less western.

Sources:

Walls, Jeannette. The Glass Castle. New York: Scribner, 2005. Print.

Mark, Laura. "Meld Reveals Corrugated Cement-clad Home in France." Architects' Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Jan. 2014.

[cierrataylorgreats]

7. daub

v. to smear, soil, or defile

Source One:

"She topped it with a head by stuffing the end of a worn-out pillowcase with leaves and straw and daubing a grinning face on it" (Frazier 240)

Source Two:

"Since daubing them in colour is lighter on their pockets, they are probably sticking to this method" (Bidkar)

This word reminds me of the word "dab", which has a sound, and conveniently, vaguely a similar definition. Associating daub with dab will help me remember the meaning. In both the first and second sources, the word seems to relate closely to 'smear'.

Sources:

Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain. New York: Atlantic Monthly, 1997. Print.

Bidkar, Manoj, and Mayuri Phadnis. "Coloured Chicks Sale Under AWBI Scanner."PuneMirror.in. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2013.

[cierrataylorgreats]

8. equanimity

n. mental or emotional stability or composure, especially under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium

Source One:

"Otherwise, he was known for his equanimity, his charitableness, and the fact that he paid good wages and distributed frequent bonuses" (Capote 10)

Source Two:

"[Buddha] also taught the "four divine abodes" -- loving kindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity" (Phillips)

When I discovered the word in source one, I assumed it meant something positive because it was accompanied by many other affirmative adjectives that described the wonderful Herb Clutter. The word has a more precise inclined meeting in the second source, because Siddhartha Gautama was known for his meditations and "calmness".

Sources:

Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. New York, NY: Vintage, 1993. Print.

Phillips, David L. "Buddha's Teachings on Social Harmony." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 03 Jan. 2014. Web. 05 Jan. 2014.

[cierrataylorgreats]

9. forlorn

adj. desolate or dreary; unhappy or miserable, as in feeling, condition, or appearance

Source One:

"And yet it was true that the farm nowadays made him uneasy: the locked house, Nancy's horse forlornly waiting in the field, the odor of windfall apples rotting under the apple trees, and the absence of voices" (Capote 121)

Source Two:

"Visibly exhausted, battered and bruised, Ohio State junior quarterback Braxton Miller stood covered in grass stains in front of his locker at Sun Life Stadium with a forlorn look on his face" (Seger)

Capote's description of Nancy's horse as forlorn struck me with an immense amount of sadness.  I imagine that Babe was dreary and miserable in both feeling and appearance, mourning over the death of it's owners and suffering from the lack of daily tender care. As I read In Cold Blood, I become more and more attached to the characters, who all experience some form of loss and grief, and I feel that when I come across the word "forlorn" in the future, I will associate it with Nancy' horse, and feel the same dreariness that it feels while it waits for the Clutter's return.

Sources:

Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. New York, NY: Vintage, 1993. Print.

Seger, Eric. "Reports: Ohio State Quarterback Braxton Miller to Stay for Senior Season." The Lantern. N.p., 05 Jan. 2014. Web. 05 Jan. 2014.

[cierrataylorgreats]

10. gelding

n. a castrated male animal, especially a horse

Source One:

Personal conversation

Source Two:

"The gelding seemed pleased to be on a jaunt" (Frazier 53)

This word reminds me of the word "welding", due to its similar sound, and so I immediately assumed it was a verb. Upon defining the word, realizing that it was a noun was a small shock, I'd never heard the word before reading it in Cold Mountain, despite the numerous summers I've spent with my mother and her horses on her ranch in Edmond, Oklahoma, but as I venture further into the equestrian world, I will probably encounter the word at a high frequency. 

Sources:

Bonavich, Sarah. Personal Conversation. 12 Dec 2013.

Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain. New York: Atlantic Monthly, 1997.   Print.

[cierrataylorgreats]

11. gumption

n. initiative; aggressiveness; resourcefulness

Source One:

"I stirred as hard as I could, stirring even after I knew the paint was ruined, because I also knew that we never get more, and instead of a freshly painted yellow house, or even a dingy gray one, we now had a weird-looking half-finished patch job--one that announced to the world that the people inside the house wanted to fix it up but lacked the gumption to get the work done" (Walls 158)

Source Two:

"Through it all, as England's experienced players were brushed aside with monotonous ease, one youngster had the gumption to fight back"  (Clench)

I enjoyed finding this word, because I like to think of myself as a resourceful and aggressive person. It was relieving to find another word that I could use when someone asked me to provide "one word that described myself". I, like Jeannette, would have resented the dingy gray house and also would've loved for my family to paint the house "cheerful yellow", if for nothing more than to say that it was a job we completed.

Sources:

Walls, Jeannette. The Glass Castle. New York: Scribner, 2005. Print.

Clench, Sam. "Bravo Ben Stokes, the One English Cricketer We Should All Applaud."Courier Mail. N.p., 05 Jan. 2014. Web. 05 Jan. 2014.

[cierrataylorgreats]

12. impotent

adj. not potent, lacking power or ability

Source One:

"...the people in my grandmother's living room took a word that whites used to signify worthlessness or degradation and rendered it impotent" (Naylor)

Source Two:

"The law is actually impotent in the face of existing patriarchy" (Joshi)

In both sources the word means 'powerless'. Naylor admires her elders' ability to take away the hatred in what was a common derogatory term for blacks, while Joshi reports on the lack of assistance women in New Delhi are receiving in their fight for gender equality. 

Sources:

Naylor, Gloria. "The Meanings of a Word." English III Rockstars. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.

Joshi, Mallicia. "Law Is Impotent in the Face of Patriarchy." Hindustan Times. N.p., 15 Dec. 2013. Web. 20 Dec. 2013.

[cierrataylorgreats]

13. impregnable

adj. cannot be overthrown by force; unconquerable

Source One:

"She's impregnable herself, and with the element of time working for her she eventually get's inside everyone" (Kesey 67)

Source Two:

The key point is that Boeing did not have to do this. Its bargaining position  was impregnable" (Fingleton)

The word "impregnable" is used interestingly in the first source, because in reference to a woman, seeing the word without knowing its meaning hints at infertility. The idea of Nurse Ratched being infertile is a shock, an unexpected weak spot in the ruthless leader that could not be guessed based on her cold, mechanical personality. After looking up the word, it is instead a adjective that contributes to the strength of her character, who is the ultimate champion over McMurphy in the novel.

Sources:

 Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. New York: Viking, 1962. Print.

Fingleton, Eamonn. "Secret Wounds Of Globalism." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 05 Jan. 2014. Web. 05 Jan. 2014.

[cierrataylorgreats]

14. indignant

adj. feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base

Source One:

"I don't know what to say, said Mrs. Hartman, her voice indignantly astonished and also despairing" (Capote 116)

Source Two:

"It doesn’t require a U.S. senator to be indignant and demand that UPS and FedEx refund all costs for all packages" (Brasch)

Mrs. Hartman of Hartman's Café had always been a cheerful woman in the past, so after seeing her voice described as indignant, I assumed that it was an innocence or sincerity. Discovering that the word meant a "strong displeasure", I realized how much people were changing in the town after the murders. In the past everyone trusted their neighbors, and relished the strong sense community that engulfed Holcomb. Now they were turning on each other, and becoming different people.

Sources:

Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. New York, NY: Vintage, 1993. Print.

Brasch, Walter. "Delayed Deliveries Are Not a Crisis." Scoop. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Jan. 2014.

[cierrataylorgreats]

15. innocuous

adj. not harmful or injurious; harmless

Source One:

"Words themselves are innocuous; it is the consensus that gives them true power" (Naylor)

Source Two:

"Pentagon officials described [the e-mails] as embarrassing, and General Allen’s associates said they were innocuous" (Steinhauer)

Both authors refer to a harmless quality about their subject, in Naylor's piece, a word, and in Steinhauer's, seemingly provocative e-mails. Naylor argues that words are harmless unless you give them meaning, while Steinhauer simply provides information on the status of reportedly inappropriate emails between a government officer and a younger woman.

Sources:

Naylor, Gloria. "The Meanings of a Word." English III Rockstars. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.

Steinhauer, Jennifer. "From Petraeus Scandal, an Apostle for Privacy." New York Times. N.p., 04 Jan. 2014. Web. 04 Jan. 2014.

[cierrataylorgreats]

16. nymphomaniac

n. a woman who has abnormally excessive and uncontrollable sexual desire

Source One:

"Had he called me a nymphomaniac or necrophiliac, I couldn't have been more puzzled" (Naylor)

Source Two:

"Charlotte Gainsbourg stars as Joe, a self-confessed nymphomaniac who tells her life story to a stranger" (Smith)

Due to the overbearing amount of television that I watch, I'd always known what a necrophiliac was, and I assumed that a  nymphomaniac couldn't be much better. This is one of the few times that my prediction was right. One good thing I've gained from knowing this word, aside from an interesting although probably unattainable Scrabble word, is a wonderful article in Elle magazine that discusses a movie that I may, or may not, end up seeing.

Sources:

Naylor, Gloria. “The Meanings of a Word.” English III Rockstars. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.

Smith, Anna. "ELLE Reviews Nymphomaniac." ELLE UK. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Dec. 2013.