Word List. Unit 11
When a bad thing is acute, it is very severe and intense.
When she fell out of the tree, the girl felt an acute pain in her arm.- Aggression is behavior that is mean or violent to others.
The problem was only made worse by Mark’s aggression. - A banquet is a grand formal dinner.
Both families brought a lot of food for the wedding banquet. - A biography is an account of someone’s life that is written by someone else.
We read a biography about Charles Darwin in science class. - To boost something means to increase or improve it.
Lowering prices boosts customers’ interest in shopping. - To dap means to hit one’s hands together to express pleasure or get attention.
After the speech, everyone in the crowd clapped their hands for the speaker. - To compel someone to do something means to force them to do it.
Traffic signs compel drivers to drive safely. - The dominance of a person is their state of being more powerful than others.
Large gorillas hit their chests to express their dominance over others. - When something is gorgeous, it is very pleasing and attractive.
The girl picked out a gorgeous dress to wear to the dance. - When something is inevitable, it is certain to happen or cannot be avoided.
It is inevitable that the days will get longer in the summer. - A legacy is an effect that exists because of a person or thing in the past.
The legacy of the ancient Egyptians can be seen in their monuments. - A masterpiece is a very good painting, novel, movie, or other work of art.
The Arc de Triomphe is considered a masterpiece in the world of architecture. - If there are multiple things, there are many of them.
When the stunt went wrong, the man suffered multiple injuries. - To narrate a story means to write about it or read it aloud.
This story was written by John, but Aaron is narrating it to the crowd. - When something is notorious, it is well-known because of something bad.
This area of town is notorious for gang activity. - When something is outdated, it is old and no longer useful in modern time.
Tape players are becoming outdated because of digital music. - When a thing is talked about overall, the whole thing is considered.
Overall, the party was a huge success. - A partiality is a tendency to prefer one thing to another.
She has a partiality for walking to school instead of driving. - When an act is spontaneous, it is not planned. It happens suddenly.
My wife made a spontaneous decision to buy a new sofa while I was at work. - A virtue is a good quality or way of behaving.
My best virtue is forgiveness.
Beethoven’s Gift
Beethoven was a great composer of classical music in the 1800s. Many biographies have been written that narrate his dominance in the music world. But do you know what really makes him special? Even though millions of people got to hear his multiple masterpieces, he never did. Beethoven wrote his best pieces after he went completely deaf! His partiality toward classical music developed when he was very young. He wasn’t interested in anything else as a child. When he was five, he learned how to play the piano. From then, nothing could stop his passion for writing and playing music.
When Beethoven was twenty, he began to lose his hearing. He got acute, spontaneous pains in his ears. His hearing kept getting worse overtime. It was inevitable that he would eventually lose it altogether. It was very hard for him to keep writing music. He lost the virtue of patience, and he became notorious for his aggression. Still, he never stopped trying. His passion for music compelled him to keep performing even after he went deaf. He couldn’t hear himself play, but he knew that his creations sounded gorgeous. His final concert was held at a huge banquet.
He gave the musicians a cue, and they began to play. He directed the concert with all his heart. He couldn’t hear the music, but he said that he could feel it. Overall, performance was one of the finest in history. When it was over, he turned to the crowd. They clapped and cheered wildly. In that beautiful moment, the applause boosted his emotions, and he began to cry. In 1827, he suffered from lead poisoning. He didn’t survive the sickness, but his music did because great music never becomes outdated. Even though Beethoven is gone, his legacy will live on forever.