Kenya Vocabulary
Day 3
New Words:
vehemence tremulous obstinate enigmatic beseech
Walking in Waiyaki’s Shoes
What could be worse than bearing the burden of being named the savior of your people? How about being unsure whether you’re the savior or not?! Poor Waiyaki. It seems far, far worse to have an enigmatic prophecy than a clear one. Wouldn’t you have beseeched Chege to tell you whether the prophecy was referring to you or not? If Chege had obstinately refused, you could have stubbornly kept asking until he finally broke down and told you. If the prophecy had indeed meant you, you would have the backing of the all your people. You’d have the courage to speak out with vehemence in support of your ideas. In your powerful presence, the voices of your enemies would become tremulous and weak. And, even if the prophecy had meant someone else, you would gain courage and strength from the hope that another savior would soon come. As Pascal once said, “Clarity of the mind means clarity of passion, too.”
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. With a ____________________ voice, Makesha timidly told her son that she felt worried about him.
2. She drove off and I was left there, dumbfounded. I knew that one day I’d grasp how I’d grown from going through all this, but in the moment, the lessons were completely __________ to me.
3. “Please, please, please can we keep him???” Derek and Josie ____________ their parents imploringly. “We promise we’ll take good care of him and take him on walks every day!”
4. The preacher spoke passionately and with great __________________ about what would happen to the members of his congregation if they indulged in sinful behavior at the dance that weekend.
5. My sister can be so ____________________ against being told what to do that, rather than simply cleaning her room when my parents ask her to, she will choose to complain about the smell and how she can’t find anything!
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. vehemence ___ a. stubborn: tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious
unwillingness to yield
7. tremulous ___ b. not clear to the understanding
8. obstinate ___ c. intensity or forcefulness of expression
9. enigmatic ___ d. to ask for or request earnestly
10.beseech ___ e. quavering: (of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
Today’s Homophones - Please write two sentences for each homophone using the word correctly.
Sight – an instance of visual perception
Cite – mention, make reference to, quote or refer to
Site – the piece of land on which something is located
Kenya Vocabulary
Day 4
New Words:
beset augur renounce depose alienate
Nayambura
She knew it was a bad omen at the time, but how could Nayambura have known that Muthoni dropping her water barrel would augur such horrible consequences for her sister, heartbreak for her family, trouble between the ridges, and conflict among her people? If you were in her shoes what would you do? Would you choose to stand by your father and your religion or would you renounce them and return to traditional customs? Both paths seem heavily beset with tough choices and very real dangers. If you remain Christian and the Gikuyu people attempt to depose the missionaries, who now have the most power in the region, you will mostly likely become a target of attack. If you choose tradition, you will alienate yourself from the only family you have left and will have to face the initiation ceremony that was directly involved in your sister’s death.
Sample sentences: Try your hand now at using your new words by writing them in their correct form (change endings if necessary) in these sentences:
1. My brother is continually __________________ romance, but it never lasts. It seems like as just as soon as he’s finished saying, “I want to die old and alone!” he has a crush on someone new.
2. The road was __________________ with trouble; it seemed at every turn we encountered a new obstacle.
3. In the movie Mean Girls, Cady Heron, a new girl in school, uses all sorts of mean tactics to try to ------------____________ Regina George, the reigning "popular girl" and leader of “The Plastics.”
4. The woman looked down at the tarot cards on the table and sighed ominously. “This card,” she finally said, pointing to one depicting a stormy sea, “______________________ troubled times ahead. “
5. Some people say that the reason Van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime was because his rude behavior _____________________ so many possible friends and customers.
Definitions: Match the new words with their dictionary meanings.
6. beset ___ a. to serve as an omen of; foretell
7. augur ___ b. to remove from office or power
8. renounce ___ c. to cause to become unfriendly or hostile; estrange
9. depose ___ d. to reject; disown
10. alienate ___ e. to attack from all sides; to trouble persistently; harass
Today’s Homophone - Please write two sentences for each homophone using the word correctly.
Aloud – using the voice
Allowed – permitted
