If something is antique, it is very old and rare, and therefore valuable.
My grandmother’s antique rocking chair is worth a lot of money.- An applicant is someone who writes a request to be considered for a job or prize.
Lots of applicants came into the store when the job position became available. - An artifact is an old object made by humans that is historically interesting.
We studied artifacts from an ancient Chinese settlement. - When something is authentic, it is not false or a copy of the original.
lIlIe ate authentic Italian food on our vacation to Rome. - The chronology of a series of past events is when they happened.
lIlIe learned the chronology of World War II in history class. - A diplomat is a representative of a country who works with another country.
The Spanish diplomat discussed trade issues with officials in Peru. - An epic is a long book, poem, or movie about a period of time or a great event.
The poet wrote an epic about the great discoveries of the past thousand years. - An excerpt is a short piece of writing or music taken from a larger piece.
I didn’t listen to the entire symphony online, but I did play an excerpt. - A fossil is the hard remains of a prehistoric animal or plant.
The expert arranged the fossils to build the skeleton of the dinosaur. - To humiliate someone means to make them feel ashamed and embarrassed.
I was humiliated when I tripped and fell down in front of the whole school. - When a poem is considered lyric, it is written in a simple and direct style.
I enjoy reading and creating my own lyric poetry. - Majesty is supreme greatness or authority.
You should address the king and queen as your majesty. - The monarch of a country is the king, queen, emperor, or empress.
The monarch lived in a beautiful palace with a grand gate. - To precede something means to come before it.
The hurricane was preceded by a moment of still wind and clear sky. - When someone is punctual, they do something or arrive at the right time.
My mother hates being late. She is the most punctual person I know. - To recruit people means to select them to join or work for an organization.
We successfully recruited someone to be the new manager. - A refund is money given back to a person when an item is returned to a store.
I asked for a refund because the shoes I bought were too tight. - A register is an official list or record of people or things.
At a wedding there is register for all of the guests to sign. - Renown is the quality of being well known due to having done good things.
Michael is a singer of great renown in New Zealand. - A tusk is a long, curved, pointed tooth of an elephant, boar, or walrus.
Sadly, some people hunt elephants and remove their tusks to sell them.
Jen’s New Job
The history museum needed to recruit a new tour guide. The director interviewed dozens of applicants before he decided to hire Jen. She was chosen because she was friendly, punctual and had a great attitude. On her first day, Jen got to work and prepared to give her first tour. She looked at the names on the register. She saw that the Queen of England and a diplomat were visiting the museum. She thought, “It’s my very first day, and I have to impress a monarch! I hope I don’t humiliate myself in front of a person of such renown!”
Jen was nervous. She took a deep breath and said, “Hello, everyone! I’m going to talk to you about the chronology of ancient Egypt.” As she turned around to show the group some artifacts, she bumped into a fossil of an authentic elephant tusk. It fell to the ground and broke into a million pieces! “Oh no!” said Jen in a subtle voice. “I sure hope the rest of the tour goes better than this!” The rest of the tour did not go any better. She tripped over an antique vase and broke a piece off of it. As she was reading an excerpt from a lyric poem, she sneezed and tore a page of the epic.
After the tour, Jen approached the queen to apologize. She said, “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I was a terrible tour guide. Let me give you a refund for the money you spent.” The queen laughed. She said, “I don’t want my money back, Jen. I loved the tour. You just have to be a little more careful and work hard to become the best at your job. Hard work precedes success.” Jen smiled and thanked the queen. She decided to be extra careful from then on. She was persistent and worked hard. In time, Jen became the best tour guide at the museum.
