Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 32 - Day 3

Word List
  • menial [mē´ nē el]
    humble, degrading
    → “It is difficult to visualize the numbers of menial laborers required to build the famous Egyptian pyramids.” E. A. Wallis Budge, The Mummy
  • venerable [ven´ ər ə bəl]
    respected, worshiped
    → “Despite their huge popularity the most venerable papers refused to accept crossword puzzles as more than a passing fad.” Bill Bryson, Mother Tongue
  • extraneous [ek strā´ nē əs]
    foreign, not belonging
    → “The ballet struck me as extraneous and out of keeping with the rest of the play.” Wolcott Gibbs, More in Sorrow
  • ambiguous [am big´ yü əs]
    vague, undefined, not specific
    → “If you disagree with a friend, be firm, not ambiguous.” Samuel Ornage, The Golden Book
  • succinct [sək singkt´]
    brief, concise
    → “In clear and succinct tones, our division head proceeded to tear me to shreds in front of the entire staff.” Elleyn Falk, “They Promised Me a Rose Garden”

We have ardently* taken to the cell phone as a replacement for the venerable dial-up model. The most striking feature of the cell phone is the variety of uses to which it can be put. The dial-up phone is restricted to the menial task of mere conversation. For the garrulous* person who isn’t restricted to one place, the mobile cell phone has a myriad* of uses. Should one be in an area that requires silence, there is an ability to utilize the succinct text messaging feature. Should one come upon an ambiguous event that one wishes to keep, one may photograph it or make it into a film for further study. Do not preclude* from the list of uses the access to your computer, music, and weather reports. One can hardly imagine an extraneous technical marvel that will not embellish* the cell phone in the future.

Sample Sentences Complete the sentences with the new words.

  1. The prodigy* revered* the __________ master.
  2. To those who could understand every nuance* of the cryptic* message, there was nothing __________ about it.
  3. He could say the most vitriolic* things in a __________ way.
  4. Although she did not find it congenial,* we cajoled* our daughter into doing some of the __________ tasks around the house.
  5. The astute* voter is not susceptible* to the many __________ shibboleths that saturate* a politician’s speech.

Definitions Match the new words with their definitions.

  1. a. vague, undefined, not specific
  2. b. humble, degrading
  3. c. respected, worshiped
  4. d. foreign, not belonging
  5. e. brief, concise
  1. menial __________
  2. venerable __________
  3. extraneous __________
  4. ambiguous __________
  5. succinct __________

Answer Key
the writing on the wall—an incident or event that shows what will happen in the future
In retrospect* he should have seen the writing on the wall when his girlfriend gave him only a cursory* greeting on his birthday.

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