Vaughan’s Vocabulary
Try my table technique for learning advanced words that you want in your vocabulary. In Microsoft Word click Table, then Insert Table. You’ll need four columns and 21 rows to begin with, and as you add a page, repeat the process.
The headings at the top of your table will be Word, Part of Speech, Definition and Sentence in which the Word is Used. For example, garrulous, adjective, having the habit of talking too much, especially about things that do not matter. Sybil didn’t date him again because of his garrulousness.
1. abhor (ab-HORE)
A. to love, admire
B. to detest
C. to stir up trouble
D. to rectify
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2. tendentious (ten-DEN-shus)
A. overly sensitive
B. spacious
C. having or showing a definite tendency, aim or bias
D. jubilant
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3. tour de force (tur-duh-FORCE]
A. oppressive
B. a world tour
C. enervative
D. an impressive performance or achievement
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4. flippant (FLIP-uhnt)
A. moving, dancing
B. parsimonious
C. indecisive
D. showing unnecessary levity, lacking in seriousness
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5. coup de grace (koo-duh-GRAHS)
A. an action or event that finally ends or destroys something that has been getting weaker or worse
B. a merciful act which puts a victim out of misery
C. a beautiful panorama
D. None of the above
No. 1, abhor, is B. I abhor the question, “Did I miss anything important in class?”
No. 2, tendentious, is C. It seems that every time I encounter Pam, she is tendentious of her religious views.
No. 3, tour de force, is D. The way the pilot landed that troubled plane was a tour de force.
No. 4, flippant, is D. Another reason Sybil did not go out with him again is because of his tendency to be flippant.
No. 5, coup de grace, is A and B. This French phrase literally means stroke of mercy. The veterinarian gave the old, suffering horse a shot, which she referred to as a coup de grace. The theatre critic called the play’s curtain call a coup de grace, for at last the audience members could rise and know that they would soon be leaving the theatre.
Editor's Note: Dr. Don Rodney Vaughan is the pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church near Eupora and is on the faculty of East Mississippi Community College, Golden Triangle Campus. Contact him at
dvaughan@eastms.edu.
