Accolades - Subjective

Ambiance – Reminisce Part II

Accolades

• (n.) an award, an honor; approval, praise

• Sharon is an excellent writer; she has received many accolades for her writing, and has even published a short story.

• Are you current grades and study habits worthy of accolades?

• A smiling Britney was excited to win an accolade for Best Pop Video!

Aptitude

• (n.) Inherent or natural ability; capacity or potential for learning

• The SAT is the Scholastic Aptitude Test; it is supposed to measure your capacity for learning.

• Johnny’s aptitude for math is tremendous. Even though he’s only in the 5th grade, he can figure out many of his older brother’s algebra equations.

• Determine what your natural aptitudes are and excel at them!

Arduous

• (adj.) requiring much effort; difficult or demanding

• Every student finds different subjects difficult; some find math vexing, while others believe English is more arduous.

• Many teens find themselves involved in arduous, high maintenance, dating relationships that result in their grades suffering.

• It’s not fair that my sister gets all the easy inside chores and I get stuck with the arduous outside jobs!

Authoritarian

1. (n.) A person who acts like a dictator, tyrant, or disciplinarian

2. (adj.) descriptive of a system where one person has control or rule

• As a teenager, you might find that your parents act as authoritarians in your life, especially when they’re, “laying down the law!”

• Although the U. S. is a democracy, many countries function under authoritarian (adj.) rule and are not allowed the basic freedoms that citizens in our country enjoy.

Discriminate 1. (v.) to recognize a difference between things; to

make fine distinctions2. (v.) to treat differently based on differences (i.e.

gender or race)

• To answer the essay question correctly, you must be able to discriminate fact from opinion.

• Employers can be sued if they discriminate based on age, gender, race, etc.

• A person can have discriminate tastes, preferring one thing over another.

Impartial (adj.) not biased, treating all equally; not

showing favoritism or prejudice

• A good judge and jury must remain impartial and listen to all of the evidence presented before determining whether a person is innocent or guilty.

• Her impartial attitude towards the students and their opinions facilitate great discussions in her class.

• Taking into consideration my incredulous nature and your incongruous, nefarious history, it is hard to be impartial.

Indifferent (adj.) Not caring one way or the other;

apathetic – without an opinion or preference

• After my favorite singer on American Idol was eliminated, I was indifferent to the show; I stopped watching and used that time to study.

• Most students care about their grades; however, some are indifferent.

• Indifferent and impartial are not the same!

Milieu

(n.) the setting, surroundings, environment

• After growing up in the milieu of the Great Depression, Billy’s grandfather lived frugally and saved every penny he earned.

• Each classroom has a different milieu, depending on the teacher and subject matter.

• Romeo and Juliet is set in the milieu of medieval Verona.

Myriad (adj.) in very great numbers; too many to

count (n.) a very great number

• If you talk to all the students and teachers at school about uniforms, you will get a myriad of opinions.

• The exchange student was overwhelmed by the myriad of questions from her classmates.

Objective (adj.) not influenced by emotions or

personal prejudices; based on facts and reality (n.) a step toward meeting a goal

• You will often see objective and subjective used together, as opposites.

• Even though you want your friend to win, you must be objective when judging The Battle of the Bands.

• It is my primary objective, this year, to make better choices and better grades.

• The student met each objective on the rubric and made an A on the project.

Proficient

(adj.) skilled, expert, or capable in any field or activity

• After 3 years of studying French in college, I became a proficient speaker of that language and obtained a job in an international corporation.

• Although I wish I was more proficient at math; I do tend to have a natural aptitude for dealing with people and personal relationships.

Subjective (adj.) taking place within an individual's mind;

affected by individual bias or feelings

• The teacher could not possibly mark my discussion response incorrect. “How do you feel about the current economic condition of our nation?” is a completely subjective question.

• Questions such as “Who is your favorite musician?” and “What is your favorite color?” are subjective.

• Questions such as “Who signed the Declaration of Independence?” and “How many Justices are on the Supreme Court?” are objective.