The Antithetical Adventures
of Wanda Wonder Worker
and Loafing Lazy Larry
This blog and the subsequent ones for a while will be going through the Wanda and Larry’s story to develop your advanced vocabulary usage. This is the first chapter.
Follow these steps to use this story to improve your English vocabulary.
Don’t panic when you don’t understand the story. If you did, I would be shocked! Just read the Original Story and make a note of the vocabulary you don’t understand. Without looking up any of the words, try and understand as much as you can.
Then ask yourself these Comprehension Questions about the content:
- What kind of person is Wanda? How would you classify her?
- Would you want to work with Wanda? Be friends with her? Why or why not?
- Explain in your own words Wanda’s personality.
Then look at the vocabulary words I defined for you. I mainly used Merriam Webster’s Learner Dictionary. Look up any other words you don’t understand. Then read the story with the replaced, simplified vocabulary and see how much you understand. The replaced vocabulary is underlined. Better?
Now, try again to answer the Comprehension Questions.
If you still don’t feel like you understand the story, look at the Idioms I explained for you. Then read the story with the replaced, simplified phrases and see how much you understand. The replaced idiomatic phrases are underlined. Better?
Try again to answer the comprehension questions.
Finally, re-read the original story. How much more do you understand now? Hopefully, more of it!
If you want even more knowledge, try the Advanced Grammar Practice at the end.
Original Story: Chapter 1
Some people have an aversion to labor, but not Wanda Wonder Worker. She is all gung ho about scrupulous effort and gets her jollies by doing too much with too little. For Wanda, every circumstance is an opportunity to sizzle and shine. She can take the ubiquitous hubbub and with a little impetus, add a few odds and ends and a gizmo or two; then presto, a tidy solution to the chaotic mess will emerge. Though she might be a nitpicker of someone exhibiting otiose apathy and even want to give him a thwack on the back to get him going, she also delivers a droll knee-jerk reaction to any request with a quip yes without even conserving her strength. She likes to bask in a diet of blithe over-achievement. Wanda is one of a kind.
New Vocabulary Quick Definitions
Scrupulous- carefully correct
Ubiquitous – seen everywhere
Hubbub – noisy situation
Impetus – force to cause action
Gizmo – small gadget
Presto – happen magically
Nitpicker – concerned with small unimportant details
Otiose – futile
Apathy- not interested
Thwack – to strike
Droll – odd and amusing
Quip – clever remark
Bask – relax happily
Blithe – worry free
Revised Chapter 1: Simple Vocabulary
*The underlined words are phrases are the replacement ideas for the more sophisticated vocabulary defined above.*
Some people have a dislike of labor, but not Wanda Wonder Worker. She is all gung ho about carefully correct effort and gets her jollies by doing too much with too little. For Wanda, every circumstance is an opportunity to sizzle and shine. She can take the noisy situation happening all around and with a little forceful action, add a few odds and ends and a small gadget or two; then like magic, a tidy solution to the chaotic mess will emerge. Though she might be concerned with the details for someone exhibiting futile disinterest and even want to give him a thump on the back to get him going, she also delivers an amusing knee-jerk reaction to any request with a clever comment yes without even conserving her strength. She likes to relax in a diet of worry free overachievement. Wanda is one of a kind.
New Idioms Quick Explainations
Gung Ho – extremely excited
Gets her jollies – becomes excited
Sizzle and shine – stand out excellently
Odds and ends- small, unimportant things
Knee-jerk reaction – automatic
One of a kind – unique and original
Revised Chapter 1: No Idioms
*The underlined words are phrases are replacing the idiomatic expressions explained above.*
Some people have a dislike of labor, but not Wanda Wonder Worker. She is all excited about carefully correct effort and gets excited by doing too much with too little. For Wanda, every circumstance is an opportunity to stand out excellently. She can take the noisy situation happening all around and with a little forceful action, add a few small, unimportant things and a small gadget or two; then like magic, a tidy solution to the chaotic mess will emerge. Though she might be concerned with the details for someone exhibiting futile disinterest and even want to give him a thump on the back to get him going, she also delivers an amusing automatic reaction to any request with a clever comment yes without even conserving her strength. She likes to relax in a diet of worry free over achievement. Wanda is unique.
Reread the Original Story
Some people have an aversion to labor, but not Wanda Wonder Worker. She is all gung ho about scrupulous effort and gets her jollies by doing too much with too little. For Wanda, every circumstance is an opportunity to sizzle and shine. She can take the ubiquitous hubbub and with a little impetus, add a few odds and ends and a gizmo or two; then presto, a tidy solution to the chaotic mess will emerge. Though she might be a nitpicker of someone exhibiting otiose apathy and even want to give him a thwack on the back to get him going, she also delivers a droll knee-jerk reaction to any request with a quip yes without even conserving her strength. She likes to bask in a diet of blithe over-achievement. Wanda is one of a kind.
Advanced Grammar Practice
- Find two instances of alliteration
- Find one instance of rhyme
- Identify all the parts of speech in this sentence:
She can take the ubiquitous hubbub and with a little impetus, add a few odds and ends and a gizmo or two; then presto, a tidy solution to the chaotic mess will emerge.
Advanced English is difficult, to say the least. Little by little, word by word, with much effort and time, you can be able to understand the original paragraph! Let’s see if it gets a bit easier as you work through the story!