This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website on Feb. 3, 2014.
Let’s do a practice round!
Acumen means:
A) Intense noise
B) Mental keenness
C) Extreme vitality
D) An area within the ear canal
Vocab Practice: Acumen
February 11, 2014 by
An Inventor’s Inchoate Idea…
February 10, 2014 by
Have you ever had a great idea for an invention?
Maybe you thought of a creative way to protect your cell phone…or a product to clean your closet.
But did you do anything with that idea? Not many people who come up with a unique, new product actually develop the inchoate (see definition and hear pronunciation below) idea so they can get a patent.
With a patent, the inventor can exclude others from inventing and trying to sell the same product.
The US government now issues about 200,000 patents each year. But the application process usually takes about two years to complete, and there’s no guarantee that the idea will be granted a patent.
Still, if you have a great idea, stick with it. You might just invent something incredible!
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: What are some inchoate ideas that you’ve recently had?
Inchoate: Recently begun, not completely formed or developed.
Click to hear the pronunciation of inchoate:
https://coolwordclub.com/wp-content/uploads/inchoate.mp3
Cool Word Challenge: Acumen and Capricious
February 7, 2014 by
Cool Word Challenge: Just for fun, come up with one sentence that uses both of the cool vocabulary words that you learned this week.
Here are the words again:
Acumen: Mental keenness, the ability to think quickly and make sound decisions.
Capricious: Unpredictable, apt to change quickly, fickle, impulsive.
Submit your sentence below. The most creative ones that we receive will be published on our site!
What a Capricious Character!
February 6, 2014 by
Mother Nature has a reputation for capricious (see definition and hear pronunciation below) behavior!
Whether it’s violent winds, torrential rains or heavy snowfall, extreme weather can quickly devastate an area.
Fortunately, modern technology allows meteorologists to track these unpredictable weather events more easily than ever before.
Hurricanes, for example, are often predicted well in advance, giving people time to evacuate from areas affected by severe storms.
This way, you can sometimes stay one step ahead of Mother Nature!
Here are some fun facts about hurricanes: http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/climate/a_hurricane.html
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: In what way do you think Mother Nature’s behavior is most capricious?
Capricious: Unpredictable, apt to change quickly, fickle, impulsive.
Click to hear the pronunciation of capricious:
https://coolwordclub.com/wp-content/uploads/capricious.mp3
Vocab Practice: Vicissitude
February 5, 2014 by
This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website on Jan. 30, 2014.
Let’s do a practice round!
Vicissitude means:
A) A change of circumstances
B) A vertical slant
C) An elevated platform
D) A colorful personality
Vocab Practice: Execrable
February 4, 2014 by
This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website on Jan. 27, 2014.
Let’s do a practice round!
Execrable means:
A) Exceptional quality
B) Extraneous detail
C) Foul smelling
D) Extremely bad, unpleasant
This Man’s Acumen Really Paid Off!
February 3, 2014 by
Most people know Bill Gates as a famous billionaire who created the massive Microsoft Corporation. With a net worth of $67 billion, he is one of the richest people on the planet.
It is true that Gates’ acumen (see definition and hear pronunciation below) for software development helped him revolutionize the way we use computers today. However, his fame doesn’t end there.
Gates is also known for his work as a great philanthropist. Together, he and his wife run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a charitable organization that promotes education and fights poverty in developing countries.
Want to learn more about the foundation’s work? Check it out here: www.GatesFoundation.org
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: What type of acumen do you think most helps an entrepreneur succeed?
Acumen: Mental keenness, the ability to think quickly and make sound decisions.
Click to hear the pronunciation of acumen:
https://coolwordclub.com/wp-content/uploads/acumen.mp3
Cool Word Challenge: Execrable and Vicissitude
January 31, 2014 by
Cool Word Challenge: Just for fun, come up with one sentence that uses both of the cool vocabulary words that you learned this week.
Here are the words again:
Execrable: Extremely bad, unpleasant or inferior.
Vicissitude: A change of circumstances, especially one that is unwelcome.
Submit your sentence below. The most creative ones that we receive will be published on our site!
Some Fictional Vicissitudes…
January 30, 2014 by
In 1798, the English novelist Jane Austen sat down to write Northanger Abbey, a tale of a young girl whose imagination almost gets the better of her.
The book’s main character, Catherine Morland, reads wild, horror-filled stories and begins to take them a little too seriously.
In the novel, here’s how Catherine is described: “She read all such works as heroines must read to supply their memories with those quotations which are so serviceable and so soothing in the vicissitudes (see definition and hear pronunciation below) of their eventful lives.”
But, as the story unfolds, Catherine’s own vicissitudes are not as dramatic as those in the novels she loves.
Eventually, she finds contentment and learns to use her imagination wisely. Now, that’s a happy ending!
Cool word vocabulary question of the day: What books have you read in which characters overcome vicissitudes in their lives?
Vicissitude: A change of circumstances, especially one that is unwelcome.
Click to hear the pronunciation of vicissitude:
https://coolwordclub.com/wp-content/uploads/vicissitude.mp3
Vocab Practice: Torpor
January 29, 2014 by
This word appeared on the Cool Word Club website on Jan. 23, 2014.
Let’s do a practice round!
Torpor means:
A) A blanket of thick fur
B) A cold environment
C) Marked by inactivity or lethargy
D) Characterized by bright colors
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