We have reached the end of another month, which means it’s time to review!
First, thank you to everyone who participated in my first “WordNerd Vocabulary Quiz.” I hope you had fun while stretching your brain briefly for the quiz. Special congratulations to the Word Nerds who got ALL THREE questions right! These awesome ladies are… *Drum roll*
- Susan Stilwell, who has two great blogs: I Hope for Him, with prayers, devotionals, and great links every Friday, and Blogmama Susan, tips for starting and maintaining a blog, with an emphasis on the technical aspects of such an endeavor. (She’s why I’m here!)
- Monique Liddle, who blogs about the how she copes with health challenges at Bends in the Road. She offers resources and encouragement for all of us facing those big “turning points” in life.
- Sally Mayor, who offers website and blogging resources at Word Nerd. (How can I not like this woman, another self proclaimed word nerd!?)
By the way, the correct answers were samovar, mellifluous, and inexorable. See the quiz here.
I’ve decided a month is too long to wait for results. (Right now, you’re probably scratching your head, trying to remember the quiz!) Since I’ll be on vacation next week (yippee), I’ll announce the winners and share link love in two weeks. From then on, I’ll congratulate the winners one week after the quiz.
On to the next review!
Word Nerd Workout
- Which word comes from Latin roots meaning “diviner by birds”?
- Supercilious
- Auspicious
- Gerrymander
- Fill in the blank for this analogy. Pedantic : academic :: pernicious : ________________.
- “Campbell offered several preternaturally bright ideas during Camp Invention.” In this sentence, preternaturally is an (adjective/adverb- choose one) that means
- Ostentatious
- Literal
- Extraordinary
Hope these get you thinking! Leave your answers in the comments below, and thanks for playing!
Julia
Hi Julia,
Thanks for the shout out at the top!! I’ve tried not to cheat, obviously I’m very keen to retain my 100% record!
I reckon it’s: 1. Auspicious 2. Malicious (not sure I understood the question – couldn’t it be lots of words??) 3. Extraordinary.
How’d I do??
Sally
You’re welcome! And you’re right, #2 could have lots of correct answers! I left it open to see what you guys could come up with! Thanks for stopping by! You did a great job.
Ooh! Malevolent is a good one! I always thought JK Rowling created such an appropriate last name for the Malfoys. No pressure! It’s for fun! Thanks for playing!
My brain was fried yesterday, so I needed a day to regroup. I think I’m ready, although I’m feeling the pressure from doing well last week…
1. Auspicious
2. Malevolent (another word I love)
3. Extraordinary (Your “preternaturally” post still rings in my ears)
Hitting Publish! (she said with fingers crossed and eyes closed)
Hi Julia!
I forgot the meaning of the word “pernicious.” So, I looked in the answers you provided for the other questions as possible responses for Question #2. None of them fit. Literal was my “only option” other than leaving my response blank.
Pedantic means characterized by having “an ostentatious concern for bk learning” or being “concerned w/the minute details of book learning.” An academic MAY be pedantic but not NECESSARILY so. A pernicious anemic is an excellent response because anemia is not necessarily dangerous. Anemia could become dangerous/harmful.
The response of “harmful” would not be a great response because harmful & pernicious are synonyms & thus define each other equally, in this case. A pernicious anemic is a superb response to Question #2!
Therefore, I definitely should not be named w/the others in this exercise, in you Tweet, because my 2nd answer is completely wrong. 🙂
Monique
p.s. I know now what pernicious means!
Hello Julia!
I have to close my eyes as I scroll down to make a comment! Don’t want to cheat! I am not sure about #2:
1. Auspicious
2. Literal (because it was the only viable option in your answers of the 3 questions!?!)
3. Extraordinary
Thank you also for the blog love. That was very kind of you!
Monique
I’m happy to share the love- you earned it! I’m curious about why you think literal is the only viable answer. We’ll have to discuss that later… Thanks for playing!
Didn’t you give us a multiple choice for the fill in last time…gah!
Ok, well here goes:
1 Gerrymander
2 Anemic
3 Extraordinary
Just trying to mix it up a little Laura. 😉 Good job, and thanks for stopping by!
This feels so very difficult. Here are my best guesses:
1. Auspicious
2. Harmful
3. Extraordinarily
I will wait with bated breath for answers! Enjoy your vacation!
Come on, this HAD to be easier than your trip to Mt. Longonot! Excellent answers! Thanks for stopping by.