Monday, November 28, 2011

Placate

Placate
tr. v. to calm; to pacify; to appease

I tried to placate the little kids that I was baby-sitting before they went to bed, but they were high on sugar and refused to go to bed. I tried to serve as a placater but nothing seemed to work.

Complacent

Complacent
adj. self-satisfied; smug

Kim Kardashian is complacent in her wealth and has worked very hard for the money that she has obtained. She recently broke off her marriage with Kris Humphries because she felt as if he did not work hard enough and was living off of her wealth. She seems complacent with herself and who she is.

Dyslexia

Dyslexia
n. a severe difficulty learning to read in the usual way

Since my cousin has dyslexia, he has extended time on all of his assignments and tests. It is hard for him to read and process information as well as someone without dyslexia.

Empathy

Empathy
n. the ability to identify with someone else and understand that person's situation of feelings

In the book The Hunger Games, Katniss' empathy toward the other tributes proved hard to overcome when she was watching them being killed. She had to turn off any kind of emotion she had and began to think only for herself and of course Peeta.

Antipathy

Antipathy
n. A hatred or dislike

Hitler's antipathy towards Jewish people led him to kill thousands of them in concentration camps. He thought that they were not the ideal person and should not be a part of the society.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Bibliophile

Bibliophile
n. a person who collects or has a great love of books

In the twilight series, Edward is a bibliophile. He has a bookcase full of books that he has collected over the years that he has been alive.

Amicable

Amicable
adj. having a spirit of friendliness

Cassius does not portray amicable qualities when he tries to convince Brutus to kill Ceaser. He is trying to get Brutus to do his dirty work.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Hydrophobia

Hydrophobia
n. 1. Fear of water
    2. Rabies (a usually fatal disease caused by a bite from an infected animal)

I do not have hydrophobia, because I swim competitively year-round and I am in the water all the time. If I had this fear, I would not be able to swim at all.

Pacific

Pacific
adj. Peaceful; serene.

As I was laying on the beach, the pacific water was soothing and calming and made my stay at the beach much more enjoyable.

Phobia

Phobia
n. Strong, irrational fear.

I am not scared of heights or spiders, but my phobia of snakes kept me from playing hide and go seek in the woods over the summer. I did not want to get bitten by a snake, since it is very hard to see the snakes in the woods.