dfoww

Obsequious

Definition:

1. showing too great a willingness to serve or obey; fawning

2. excessively submissive; overly obedient

If you disapprove of the overly submissive way someone is acting — like the teacher’s pet or a celebrity’s assistant — call them by the formal adjective obsequious.

Obsequious people are usually not being genuine; they resort to flattery and other fawning ways to stay in the good graces of authority figures.

An obsequious person can be called a bootlicker, a brownnoser or a toady.

Part of Speech (POS)

adjective

I’ll use it in a sentence:

● Benjamin’s fawning an obsequious loyalty to his manager is quite annoying.

● The salesman’s sycophantic wheedling and obsequious flattery was a bit off-putting.

● The obsequious waitress was convivial and eager to satisfy our requests.

● Susan’s obsequious roommate Jessica kept her room clean, and anxiously volunteered to do additional household chores.

● Judge Joe Brown was not swayed by the obsequious defendant’s perfidious testimony.

You can change a word you really want to use into a different part of speech by adding a suffix to the word. For example, if you want to use the word obsequious in a different part of speech, what suffix would you add to this word to make it an adverb, and a noun? Please provide your answers below in the comment section. (Please review dfoww basic rules of grammar – Adverbs).  *At the bottom of the page, you’ll find a search bar. Just type in the word adverb and then press the enter or go button on your keypad. Our Adverb workshop will then appear.

dfoww will teach workshops in our word of the day section on the words: sycophantic and wheedling, sometime in October 2019.

Now it’s your turn, on a sheet of paper or in the comment section below, write a few sentences using the word: obsequious.

Tip: Use the word during a conversation today. The more you familiarize yourself with this word, by consistently incorporating it in your vocabulary and writing, the easier it will be to remember the word. Figuratively speaking, you’ll own the word.

We hope you enjoyed this workshop!

dfoww

Dowager

Definition:

1. a widow holding property or a title from her deceased husband

often used in combination with the title
queen dowager, dowager duchess

2. a dignified elderly woman

Part of Speech (POS)

noun

I’ll use it in a sentence:

● The congregation’s dowager, donated an exorbitant amount of money to assist the congregation’s youth summer camp program.

● Despite lamenting over the death of her husband, the dowager took solace in knowing she was financially well off.

● Lady Willamina Bouvier the town’s dowager, was respected by everyone including the local elected officials.

● As a dowager, Ms. Debbie Guggenheim now owns the estate of her late husband.

● The queen dowager became gravely ill with legionnaires disease.

Now it’s your turn, on a sheet of paper or in the comment section below, write a few sentences using the word: dowager.

Tip: Use the word during a conversation today. The more you familiarize yourself with this word, by consistently incorporating it in your vocabulary and writing, the easier it will be to remember the word. Figuratively speaking, you’ll own the word.

We hope you enjoyed this workshop!

dfoww

Canard

Definition:

1. an unfounded rumor or story.

2. canard is also an aviation term. It refers to the small, stabilizing wings toward the front of some aircraft, as well as to aircraft that have canards.

Part of Speech (POS)

noun

I’ll use it in a sentence:

● The story about Nicole being a prostitute, was a canard deliberately created to destroy her reputation.

● Because the canard wings were damaged on the airplane, the pilot was unable to fly the aircraft.

● Instead of being so credulous* about the canard, how you even asked him if it was true?

● The canard wings increase the aircraft’s performance.

● Because I’ve lost alot of weight, the canard floating around the neighborhood is that I’m on drugs.

● I was disconsolate after learning my best friend started the canard.

* dfoww will share the word: credulity, in our word of the day writing workshop, sometime in September 2019.

Now it’s your turn, on a sheet of paper or in the comment section below, write a few sentences using the word: canard.

Tip: Use the word during a conversation today. The more you familiarize yourself with this word, by consistently incorporating it in your vocabulary and writing, the easier it will be to remember the word. Figuratively speaking, you’ll own the word.

We hope you enjoyed this workshop.

dfoww is seeking volunteer editors and writers who can devote 2 – 3 hours per week, assisting our lead writer and editor. 

“dfoww” is a small nonprofit organization, with very limited resources. If you are interested in volunteering your time, talent, and or monetarily, please email us directly or visit our go fund me page in the link below. We appreciate any and all donations provided in an effort to help us further our mission.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/dfoww-writing-workshops?pc=em_dn_contacts_r&rcid=r01-156257601583-af0a6b8114a54825&member=2526630&utm_medium=email&utm_source=product&utm_campaign=p_email%2Binviteacceptedemailtoteammember

Our temporary email address is:

dfoww@comcast.net

dfoww

Fatuous

Definition:

1. silly and pointless

2. lacking intelligence; stupid

Part of Speech (POS)

adjective

I’ll use it in a sentence:

● Destiny’s decision to date Orlando, a known cheater, is fatuous.

● The salesman’s fatuous comments offended the customer.

● Kevin’s euphoric and fatuous behavior at the party was entertaining and caused everyone to guffaw.*

● The racist, reckless, incendiary rhetoric spoken by the convicted criminal was fatuous.

● His fatuous demands created a hostile work environment.

*dfoww will share the word: guffaw, in September 2019.

You can change a word you really want to use into a different part of speech by adding a suffix to the word.

Example:

Fatuous = adjective

The word fatuous wouldn’t make sense nor is it grammatically correct in the following sentence:

● As I smiled fatuous at my coworker Johnnie, he almost tripped and fell on the office rug.

The correct use of the word in this sentence would be fatuously. By addind – (ly) to the word fatuous, the word becomes an adverb.
(Please review dfoww basic rules of grammar – adverbs)

Correct Example:

● As I smiled fatuously at my coworker Johnnie, he almost tripped and fell on the office rug.

What suffix would you add to the word fatuous, to make the word a noun? Please provide your answer in the comment section below.

Now it’s your turn, on a sheet of paper or in the comment section below, write a few sentences using the word: fatuous.

Tip: Use the word during a conversation today. The more you familiarize yourself with this word, by consistently incorporating it in your vocabulary and writing, the easier it will be to remember the word. Figuratively speaking, you’ll own the word.

dfoww will host an online workshop – Basic Rules of Grammar – prefix and suffix, later this month in July.

dfoww is seeking volunteer editors and writers who can devote 2 – 3 hours per week, assisting our lead writer and editor. 

“dfoww” is a small nonprofit organization, with very limited resources. If you are interested in volunteering your time, talent, and or monetarily, please email us directly or visit our go fund me page in the link below. We appreciate any and all donations provided in an effort to help us further our mission.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/dfoww-writing-workshops?pc=em_dn_contacts_r&rcid=r01-156257601583-af0a6b8114a54825&member=2526630&utm_medium=email&utm_source=product&utm_campaign=p_email%2Binviteacceptedemailtoteammember

Our temporary email address is:

dfoww@comcast.net

dfoww

Accede

Definition:

1. to agree with someone or give in to his or her wish

2. assume an office or position

Part of Speech (POS)

verb

I’ll use it in a sentence:

● Frustrated with his wife’s nagging, David finally acceded to his wife’s request and cleaned the bedraggled garage.*

● After many months of protesting, the store manager acceded to his employees demand for higher wages. 

● Even though Keisha needed the credit card, she would not accede to the bank’s loan agreement.

● Although reluctant, I acceded to my students petition for less homework.

● Will you accede to his request?

● He acceded to the throne in 1770.

*dfoww will share the word: bedraggled sometime in September 2019.

Now it’s your turn, on a sheet of paper or in the comment section below, write a few sentences using the word: accede.

Tip: Use the word during a conversation today. The more you familiarize yourself with this word, by consistently incorporating it in your vocabulary and writing, the easier it will be to remember the word. Figuratively speaking, you’ll own the word.

dfoww is seeking volunteer editors and writers who can devote 2 – 3 hours per week, assisting our lead writer and editor. 

“dfoww” is a small nonprofit organization, with very limited resources. If you are interested in volunteering your time, talent, and or monetarily, please email us directly. We appreciate any and all donations provided in an effort to help us further our mission.

Our email address is:

dfoww@comcast.net

dfoww

Confound

Definition:

1. cause surprise or confusion in (someone), especially by acting against their expectations

2. mix up (something) with something else so that the individual elements become difficult to distinguish.

Part of Speech (POS)

verb

I’ll use it in a sentence:

● Jennifer was confound by her friend Sam’s apoplectic response, to her question.

● Mr. White’s students were confounded by the undisclosed topics he included on the quiz.

● The perfidious criminal defense attorney’s strategy was to confound the jury, in an effort to prevent the jurors from uncovering the truth.

● Because Rhonda had only been dating her boyfriend Tim for a few months, she was both overjoyed and confounded when he proposed to her.

● None of us should be confounded by what we see and hear on the news, because the Bible forewarned that there would be an increase of lawlessness in the last days.

To make the present tense form of a regular verb into the past tense simply add a -d or -ed This is called, past participle and is important when writing and speaking.

Past participles are parts of verbs used to form many verb tenses. They are used to form the past perfect tense, present perfect tense, and future perfect tense.

Example:

confound = present tense
confound+ (ed) = past tense
will confound = future perfect tense

dfoww will host an online workshop on past participles in August 2019.

Now it’s your turn, on a sheet of paper or in the comment section below, write a few sentences using the word: confound.

Tip: Use the word during a conversation today. The more you familiarize yourself with this word, by consistently incorporating it in your vocabulary and writing, the easier it will be to remember the word. Figuratively speaking, you’ll own the word.

dfoww is seeking volunteer editors and writers for our online writing workshop.

“dfoww” is a small nonprofit organization, with very limited resources. If you are interested in volunteering your time, talent, and or monetarily, please email us directly. We appreciate any and all donations provided in an effort to help us further our mission.

Our email address is:

dfoww@comcast.net

dfoww

Innocuous

Definition:

1. producing no injury; harmless

2. not likely to give offense or to arouse strong feelings or hostility; inoffensive

Parts of Speech (POS)

adjective

I’ll use it in a sentence:

● I tried to explain to my husband, that my co-worker Walter’s tight hug was innocuous.

● Because the northern water snake is not venomous, Jason doesn’t need to worry about the innocuous snake bite.

● Even though the late night dinner with my boss was innocuous, my fiance wasn’t happy about it.

● Dispite Frankie’s *fatuous behavior at his uncle’s funeral, the family wasn’t offended and viewed his light-hearted jokes as innocuous.

*dfoww will cover a workshop on the word fatuous, next month in July 2019.

Even though and because are both conjunctions.  The word despite is a preposition. dfoww will cover conjunctions and prepositions in our – Basic Rules of Grammar eight week series, Parts of Speech (POS).

Now it’s your turn, on a sheet of paper or in the comment section below, write a few sentences using the word: innocuous.

Tip: Use the word during a conversation today. The more you familiarize yourself with this word, by consistently incorporating it in your vocabulary and writing, the easier it will be to remember the word. Figuratively speaking, you’ll own the word.

dfoww is seeking volunteer editors and writers for our online writing workshop.

“dfoww” is a small nonprofit organization, with very limited resources. If you are interested in volunteering your time, talent, and or monetarily, please email us directly. We appreciate any and all donations provided in an effort to help us further our mission.

Our email address is:

dfoww@comcast.net