1. Abject (Adj): Hopelessly Low; Wretched; Miserable; Without Self-Respect

VocabUlary 2

1. abject (adj): hopelessly low; wretched; miserable; without self-respect 2. admonish (v): to reprove mildly and kindly but seriously; to caution or warn; to urge 3. commensurate (adj): in proper proportion; having the same scale, measure, or size; proportionate 4. distraught (adj): in a state of mental conflict; agitated; crazed 5. euphemism (n): a mild expression used in place of a harsh, crude, or distasteful expression 6. nebulous (adj): hazy; vague; not clearly defined 7. phlegmatic (adj): sluggish; indifferent; calm 8. propriety (n): acceptable behavior; conformity with conventional standards 9. prosaic (adj): matter-of-fact; ordinary; commonplace 10. revile (v): to attack with abusive language; to call insulting names 11. choose 12. chose 13. than 14. then 15. apparent 16. attendance 17. definitely 18. especially 19. immediate 20. independent

Vocabulary 2 Practice

1. Wollstonecraft’s early home life, which greatly influenced her views about men and women, was not a model of ______, or respectability.

2. As a child, Wollstonecraft was often ______. She was especially distressed by her father’s cruelty to her mother.

3. Wollstonecraft’s father physically abused her mother; probably he also ______, or berated, her.

4. You might say that Wollstonecraft’s father was often “under the influence,” which is a ______for “drunk.”

5. Wollstonecraft’s passive, submissive mother was ______in her reaction to the abuse. Wollstonecraft, on the other hand, reacted quickly and tried to help her mother.

6. Wollstonecraft’s father made the family’s ______home life even more pitiable by wasting an inherited fortune.

7. Surely, no one would ______, or express disapproval, to Wollstonecraft for leaving home at the age of nineteen.

8. Wollstonecraft needed a job that matched her abilities. Becoming a companion to a widow was ______with her limited experience at the time.

9. Her physical circumstances may have been ______, but Wollstonecraft’s independence was unusual for women of her time.

10. Even if her overall plans for life were ______, Wollstonecraft had one clear goal: to educate herself. Practice Answer Key 1. propriety 2. distraught 3. reviled 4. euphemism 5. phlegmatic 6. abject 7. admonish 8. commensurate 9. prosaic 10. nebulous