Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 27 - Day 3

Word List
  • vitriolic [vit´ rē ol´ ik]
    biting, burning
    → “The speaker’s vitriolic comments about ethnic and religious groups brought condemnation from the mayor.” New York Daily News, 9/5/98
  • invective [in vek´ tiv]
    insulting, abusive speech
    → “I watched him walk into the clubhouse, kick a bench and break a toe, never once stopping the flow of invective.” Jack Altshul, “Why Should the Other Guy Beat Me?”
  • besmirch [bi smė rch´]
    soil, stain, dim the reputation
    → “A primary attack on any witness against your client is an attempt to besmirch his or her character.” Quoted in New York Times Magazine, 9/20/70
  • voluminous
    bulky, large
    → “The testimony in the case relating to the President’s actions has become voluminous.” Washington Post, 5/15/99
  • retrospect [ret´ rə spekt]
    looking backward
    → “I shivered in retrospect when I thought of that afternoon meeting in the freezing hall.” Anna L. Strong, The Chinese Conquer China

A successor to Beethoven was Johannes Brahms. Also a prodigy,* he was the object of vitriolic attacks by other composers because of the individuality of his work. They heaped invective upon him for the intensely emotional quality and Germanic style of his writings. However, it was impossible to besmirch his talents for long, and he was soon one of the most popular composers in Europe. He produced voluminous varieties of compositions. Today, in retrospect, his originality is appreciated, and he is placed among the top romantic composers.

Sample Sentences Complete the following sentences with the new words.

  1. It is difficult to keep __________ out of our discussion about the enemy.
  2. One has to be amazed at the __________ amount of information that can be stored on a computer chip.
  3. The candidate tried to __________ his opponent’s record.
  4. In the future we will, in __________, regard today’s bizarre* behavior as quite ordinary.
  5. The __________ language used by critics of the new play tended to obliterate* its good qualities.

Definitions Study the paragraph and sample sentences for the meanings.

  1. a. insulting, abusive speech
  2. b. bulky, large
  3. c. soil, stain, dim the reputation
  4. d. biting, burning
  5. e. looking backward
  1. vitriolic __________
  2. invective __________
  3. besmirch __________
  4. voluminous __________
  5. retrospect __________

Answer Key
to bring down the house—to cause great enthusiasm
Popular entertainers can be counted on to bring down the house at every public performance.

Favorite Books
Table of Contents