VOCABULARY LEVEL E – UNIT 3. VOCABULARY LEVEL E – UNIT 3 pre-test 1. adversary 2. alienate 3. artifice 4. coerce 5. craven 6. culinary 7. delete 8. demise.

VOCABULARYLEVEL E – UNIT 3

VOCABULARYLEVEL E – UNIT 3

pre-test1. adversary2. alienate3. artifice4. coerce5. craven6. culinary7. delete8. demise9. exhilarate10. fallow

11. harass12. inclement13. muse14. negligible15. perpetuate16. precedent17. punitive18. redress19. sojourn20. urbane

This is the story of Tommy, the Amicable toothbrush.

This is also the story of the adversaries, or enemies that Tommyencountered when he went to live in the bathroom.

adversary – (n.) an enemy, opponent

Tommy is my adversary!

Yes, Tommy is my enemy

too!

From the very first day Tommy was brought home from Wal-Mart, Tommy felt not part of the group and alienated. The other toothbrushes alienated Tommy because Tommy was different.

alienate – (v.) to turn away; to make indifferent or hostile

Let’s alienate Tommy

because he’s different!

Okay! We

won’t talk to him at

all!

The other toothbrushes would think of nasty but clever little artifices to make Tommy’s life unpredictable and scary. Yes, they always tried to trick him.

artifice – (n.) a clever trick; clever skill; trickery

Just jump off that diving board into the pool! It’s fun!

No Tommy! Don’t fall for that mean

artifice!

The adversarial toothbrushes even tried to coerce Tommy to be mean to Sally Soap Bar, but he would not do it.

coerce – (v.) to compel; force

Tie Suzie up with this floss, or we’ll steal

your batteries!

No way guys! You can’t force me to do it! No –sir-ree! I won’t be coerced! Don’t let them

coerce you, Tommy!

No, no one could coerce Tommy to do anything because he was no craven.

He was not craven at all. He was very brave!

craven – (n.) coward (adj.) cowardly

I’m no craven. I’m very brave!Only cowards are craven!

Tommy learned to be brave, not craven, a long time ago at culinary school. No craven toothbrush could operate the hot, hot ovens at culinary school. Certainly, no craven would ever dare to use the wild, wild beaters!

culinary – (adj.) of or related to cooking or to the kitchen

Mr. Culinary’s School of

Cooking and Baking

Many culinary students unfortunately had been permanently deleted from the face of the earth because they got stuck in the hot, hot ovens . Tragically, other unfortunate culinary students were beaten by the wild, wild beaters!

delete – (v.) to erase, wipe out

Mr. Culinary’s School of

Cooking and Baking

The demise of a culinary student was always a sad event at culinary school.The hot, hot oven and the wild, wild beaters left Tommy bereft of many friends.

demise – (n.) the death of someone or something

Any culinary student who tangles with us will face his

demise!

Mr. Culinary’s School of

Cooking and Baking

However, when brave (not craven) culinary students finally learned to master the hot, hot oven and the wild, wild beaters, the students were happy and exhilarated. Yes, culinary school was an exhilarating experience!

exhilarate – (v.) to enliven, cheer, give liveliness to

Rats! Look at all those stinkin’ happy and

exhilarated culinary students!

After graduating with honors from culinary school, Tommy the Amicable Toothbrush tried his hand at farming, but he didn’t do very well. He always forgot to plant seeds in his fields, so his fallow fields produced no crops. Tommy decided to start a new life. He went to Wal-Mart to see if somebody would buy him so he could find a new home.

fallow – (adj.) unseeded or untilled; inactive

These fallow fields won’t grow any

crops!

He was bought very quickly, but sadly, as soon as he got to his new home, he was constantly harassed with artifices from his new adversaries in the bathroom.

harass – (v.) to disturb, worry; to trouble by repeated attacks

We are your adversaries, and we

will harass you!

Yes, we plan to

torture you night and

day!

The stormy, inclement atmosphere of his new home made Tommy very sad.

inclement – (adj.) stormy, harsh; severe in attitude or action

Let’s always make things

unpleasant and inclement for

Tommy!

He would muse and muse for hours trying to think of how to fix this problem.

muse – (adv.) to think about in a dreamy way; ponder

I’ve been musing like this for hours! I just don’t

know how to think myself out of this problem!

Suzie Soap Bar felt bad for Tommy and wanted to be his friend. The adversarial toothbrushes usually left Suzie Soap Bar alone because they considered her too negligible to even bother with.

negligible – (adj.) so unimportant that it can be ignored

Let’s be friends!

Who cares what she

does. She’s not important.

She’s sure is

negligible!

However, the mean toothbrushes did not consider Tommy negligible. They would perpetuate their harassment of Tommy by continuing to alienate him with cruel artifices.

perpetuate – (v.) to make permanent or long lasting

We’ll trick Tommy forever and ever!

Yes, we will perpetuate our

mean ways forever and ever!

Once the precedent of making being mean to Tommy was started, it seemed as though it would be a perpetual part of their daily routines.

HARASS

TOMMY TRICK

TOMMY

TRICK

TOMMYHARASS

TOMMY

HARASS

TOMMYTRICK

TOMMY

precedent – (n.) an example that may serve as a basis for imitation or later action

We must always follow the precedent

I started of always being mean to

Tommy!

Yes, we’ll always follow that example!

Even though Tommy was sick of being harassed, he would never attempt anypunitive actions against the mean toothbrushes. He was too amicable.

punitive – (adj.) inflicting or aiming at punishment

Why don’t you try to get them back, Tommy. Be punitive!

I’m just not a punitive guy, Suzie. I just turn the other cheek.

But one day Suzie Soap bar couldn’t bear to watch Tommy’s adversaries harass him any longer. She wanted to redress the horrible situation.

redress – (v.) to set right; to remedy (n.) relief from wrong or injury

I, Suzie Soap Bar, will seek redress for Tommy! Yes, yes, I will make everything

right!

One morning, Tommy noticed nobody was harassing him. He looked across the sink and saw only an empty toothbrush holder where the mean toothbrushes used to be. Tommy asked Suzie where the mean toothbrushes had gone. Suzie told Tommy that the mean toothbrushes were on a little sojourn.

Yes, Tommy, they are on a little sojourn! Gee, I hope they have a nice

little sojourn (not)!

Tommy was surprised and relieved when the mean toothbrushes never returned. The mean toothbrushes were quickly replaced with more cultured, sophisticated and urbane toothbrushes.Tommy, the urbane toothbrushes and Suzie all lived happily ever after.

urbane – (adj.) refined in manner or style, suave

I daresay we are a bit urbane, aren’t

we?

Why yes,

indeed! Culture is my

middle name!

VOCABULARYLEVEL E – UNIT 3

quiz1. adversary2. alienate3. artifice4. coerce5. craven6. culinary7. delete8. demise9. exhilarate10. fallow

11. harass12. inclement13. muse14. negligible15. perpetuate16. precedent17. punitive18. redress19. sojourn20. urbane