LESSON 23 ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS

 

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS LESSON 23

 

1 reptile (rep’ təl) a cold blooded animal that creeps or crawls; snakes, lizards, turtles, alligators, and crocodiles a The lizard is a reptile with a very slender* body. b Reptiles are kept in the museum’s large hall. c A crocodile is a reptile that is more nimble* in the water than out of it. 2 rarely (ˈrerlē) seldom; not often a You rarely hear adults raving* about a movie they just saw. b People are rarely frank* with each other. c I rarely attend the annual* meetings of our family circle. 3 forbid (fər bid’) order someone not to do something; make a rule against a Spitting on the floor is forbidden in public places. b The law forbids drunken drivers to handle their autos. c I forbid you to enter the dense* jungle because of the peril* that awaits you there.     Words in Use Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it. Handling Poisonous Snakes How do the Indian snake charmers handle those live poisonous reptiles without being poisoned? Visitors to the Hopi Indians rarely leave the reservation without asking. Because Indians forbid any white person from taking part in such a ceremony, scientists could come to one logical answer: before the Indians exhibit the snakes, they proceed to remove the fangs. Yet some scientists verify* the fact that all the snakes have fangs. They have a different theory.* The Indians take an important precaution: they extract most of the poison prior to the snake dance. Now the Indian can embrace the snake without being poisoned. He will appear valiant because he knows that the snake has only a partial supply of its deadly poison.     Picture It Which of the words studied in this lesson is suggested by the picture?   Fill in the Blanks Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below. 1 I ________ my daughter when she came home from camp. 2 We ________ you to leave the area. 3 Did you ________ along the hall until you got to the room? 4 A turtle is a very common ________ . 5 We made a ________ listing of the people who owed the library books because it would take too long to copy all the names. 6 Betty Sue is always very ________ when she prepares her arguments for a debate.* 7 I ________ if ever go to the movies. 8 Have you seen the cave dweller ________ in the museum? 9 I went to high school ________ to entering the army. 10 Be sure to take the ________ not to swim after eating. 11 Sergeant York got a medal for being ________ in war. 12 Did you ________ the splinter from his foot?   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 valiant—The famous Prince Valiant has appeared in the comics for many years as the ideal knight. Since English has so many synonyms for the quality of courage, he might have been called Prince Gallant, Intrepid, Audacious, Hardy, Resolute, Indomitable, Fearless, Dauntless, Chivalrous, or Heroic. Or was Prince Valiant just the right name?

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