LESSON 2 ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS

 

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS LESSON 2

 

1 corpse (kôrps) a dead body, usually of a person a When given all the data* on the corpse, Columbo was able to solve the murder. b The corpse was laid to rest in the vacant* coffin. c An oath* of revenge was sworn over the corpse by his relatives. 2 conceal (k∂n sēl') hide a Tris could not conceal his love for Gloria. b Count Dracula concealed the corpse* in his castle. c The money was so cleverly concealed that we were forced to abandon* our search for it. 3 dismal (diz' məl) dark and depressing a When the weather is so dismal, I sometimes stay in bed all day. b I am unaccustomed* to this dismal climate. c As the dismal reports of the election came in, the senator’s friends tactfully* made no mention of them.     Words in Use Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it. Terror in the Cemetery I like to bet on anything that is exciting, so when my friends tried to tempt me with an offer, I took it. The idea was for me to spend a frigid December night in a cemetery, all alone, in order to win twenty dollars. Little did I realize that they would use dirty tricks to try to frighten me into abandoning the cemetery, therefore losing my wager. My plan was to recline in front of a large grave, covered by a warm blanket, with a flashlight to help me cut through the dismal darkness. After midnight, I heard a wild shriek. I thought I saw the grave open and a corpse rise out of it! Although I was somewhat numb with fear, I tried to keep my senses. Using good judgment, I knew that no peril could come to me from that sinister figure. When I did not run in terror, my friends, who had decided to conceal themselves behind the nearby tombstones, came out and we all had a good laugh. Those spirits that may inhabit a cemetery must have had a good laugh, too.   Fill in the Blanks Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below. 1 The chances of my winning the election were so ________ that I decided to quit before the votes were counted. 2 I won the ________ that my bachelor* friend would be married by June. 3 Kit Carson’s keen* eyesight protected him from the ________ in the forest. 4 While escaping from the bank, the robbers forced the teller to ________ on the floor of their car. 5 Since the shack was vacant,* we did not expect to hear the terrible ________ which came from it. 6 With a ________ smile, the gangster invited Martha into his Cadillac. 7 You cannot ________ the truth when you are questioned by the keen* lawyer. 8 It is said that many ghosts ________ the old Butler house. 9 In ________ weather I always wear three or four sweaters. 10 After standing guard duty for four hours, I became completely ________ . 11 As the closet was opened, the ________ fell out, frightening the janitor out of one year’s growth. 12 With the promise of a raise in pay, my boss tried to ________ me to stay on in the job.   Creativity Exercise Now make up your own sentences, one for each of the new words you have just been taught. 1 ______________________________________________________________________________ 2 ______________________________________________________________________________ 3 ______________________________________________________________________________ 4 ______________________________________________________________________________ 5 ______________________________________________________________________________ 6 ______________________________________________________________________________ 7 ______________________________________________________________________________ 8 ______________________________________________________________________________ 9 ______________________________________________________________________________ 10 ______________________________________________________________________________ 11 ______________________________________________________________________________ 12     Spotlight On sinister—In Latin this word means “on the left.” According to ancient belief, that which appeared on the left-hand side brought bad luck. Another explanation for connecting bad luck with the left side is that the west (left) is toward the setting sun.   Picture it Which of the words studied in this lesson is suggested by the picture?

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