The
Phone Keeps Ringing
Words
In Context
You have received these words on Monday April 22, 2013 (unless you
were absent)
The Test On These Words Will be on Friday, April 26, 2013
After a grueling day at the office, I feel I have the right to an evening
of serenity when I finally make it
home. After all, a man’s home is his
palace, right?
Well, not exactly.
The problem is the multitude of solicitors who, it seems, have resolved
to interrupt every task I am determined to complete. And what are these tasks? Nothing spectacular, I assure you: simply those monotonous,
though enjoyable, pursuits that conclude a day. You know: things like dinner and doing dishes
and catching up on a little email and TV.
Here’s a typical interruption: the
phone call from a charitable organization.
First, the caller identifies the
organization. It takes me just a moment
to infer his true purpose from his
tone and content. He wants some of my
money. Then he goes on to remind me of
the benevolent work his organization
performs. I don’t need reminding. I know the compassionate nature of the
organization’s work. That’s why I’ve
contributed each of the last five years.
What I really need is for the phone call to come to an end so that I can
resume preparing dinner. But that doesn’t happen as soon as I’d
like. The caller thanks me for having
contributed in the past, but he wants to know if this year I’ll be willing to
take the next step and donate as much as $500.
So I brashly take control of
the conversation. I tell him that I will
contribute $50, precisely what I gave last year.
That’s when he really starts to
annoy me. He wonders if $250 would be
possible. I say no. Well, how about $200? No. In
this manner, the amount of the request gradually dwindles, until we settle upon the $50 I’ve always given.
I don’t get it. What makes him think I’ve has such a terrific
year that I’d go from $50 to $500? And
why does he have to make me feel like a miser
because $50 is all I can afford?
By the time I return to chopping
vegetables, not only am I $50 poorer, I have also given up any hope of a quiet
peaceful evening. After all, it’s only
6:30, lots of time for the phone to keep ringing.
Below or on back or in your notebook-write the definitions and their
parts of speech
AND
Use it in a sentence of your own-it will help.
NO EXCUSES!
For Example: miser – n – a cheap person or someone who is
very cautious with money
Sentence
Example: Many people consider my friend
a miser because he only buys items
that are on sale.
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