solecism
noun: a socially awkward or tactless act
Mother Anna was always on guard against any solecism from her children and scolded them immediately if any of them talked out of place in public.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
cede
verb: relinquish possession or control over
Eventually, all parents must cede control of their growing childrens' educations and allow their offspring some autonomy.
effrontery
noun: audacious (even arrogant) behavior that you have no right to
The skateboarders acted with effrontery, skating through the church grounds and spray-painting signs warning trespassers.
litany
noun: any long and tedious account of something
Mr. Rogers spoke to a Senate committee and did not give a litany of reasons to keep funding the program, but instead, appealed to the basic human decency of all present.
recapitulation
noun: a summary (think of recap)
Every point of the professors lesson was so clear that the students felt his concluding recapitulation was not necessary.
approbatory
adjective: expressing praise or approval
Although it might not be her best work, Hunter's new novel has received generally approbatory reviews.
sententious
adjective: to be moralizing, usually in a pompous sense
The old man, casting his nose up in the air at the group of adolescents, intoned sententiously, “Youth is wasted on the young.”
invective
noun: abusive or denunciatory language
The Internet has unleashed the invectives in many of us; many people post stinging criticism on the comments section underneath newspaper articles or YouTube videos.
mellifluous
adjective: smooth and sweet-sounding
Chelsea’s grandmother thought Franz Schubert’s music to be the most mellifluous ever written; Chelsea demurred, and to her grandmother’s chagrin, would blast Rihanna on the home stereo speakers.
quisling
noun: a traitor
History looks unfavorably upon quislings; indeed they are accorded about the same fondness as Nero—who watched his city burn down while playing the violin.
