n. briefness or conciseness in speech or writing

1. For the sake of ______, choose your words with care.

2. Limited space in the newsletter makes _______ essential.

adj. using few words in speaking and writing

1. A ______ explanation is preferable to a long-winded one.

2. Leslie's essay is pretty wordy; she should try to be more _______.

adj. using few words in speech

1. Because Bush's ______ reply lacked specificity, it raised more questions than it answered.

2. It was just too hot to give more than a _______ response to the question.

adj. brief and full of meaning and substance; concise

1. What expresses affection more _____ly than the three words: I love you?

adj. quiet; still; inactive

1. Mount St. Helens has been ______ since its last eruption in 1986.

2. Never one to make waves, Leo _______ly followed the coach's orders.

adj. not talking much; reserved

1. Usually ____, Ms. Worthy surprised us all with a long story at lunch.

adj. silent; sparing of words; close-mouthed

1. A ________ girl who said nothing during the long ride sat next to me.

adj. using only the words that are needed to make the point; very concise, sometimes to the point of rudeness

1. The principal's ______ reply was clear: "No dogs at school."

adj. using language in a pompous, showy way; speaking to impress others

1. Luke's speech was so _____; was he speaking to communicate or simply to show off?

n. speaking in circles; roundabout speech

1. _________ is commonly called beating around the bush.

2. To avoid hurting anyone's feelings, Hank resorted to _______.

adj. pertaining to common everday speech; conversational

1. The book is filled with ________ expressions that reflect the speech of people in the deep South.

2. Sometimes a _______ word becomes standard in English usage.

adj. spread out, not concise; wordy

1. The classs discussion was so _____ that few solid points were made.

2. "This essay lacks focus," said the teacher. "It's too _______ . "

vb. to wander off from the subject or topic spoken about

1. We don't have time to _____ from the main issues right now.

n. artful ease with speaking; speech that can impact people's feelings

1. Even the most _______ graduation speeches are quickly forgotten.

adj. talkative; loquacious

1. ________ gatherings of students are unwelcome in a library that values silence.

adj. using big and fancy words when speaking for the purpose of impressing others

1. Mickey used ________ language to conceal his ignorance of the subject.

adj. very talkative; liking to talk; garrulous

1. The ______ audience grew quiet when the movie started.

vb. to speak on and on in a senseless and silly manner; to talk foolishly

1. After twenty straight hours in the car, their intelligent conversation turned into ______.

vb. to talk on and on pointless, without clear direction

1. The teacher ______d endlessly about various unrelated topics.

vb. to talk very loudly, even wildly

1. ______ing is far from a polite way to get your point across.

adj. relating to speech that is used to persuade or have some effect; insincere in expression

1. The attorney's forceful ______ convinced the jury to acquit the defendant.

2. Metaphors, allusions, and pithy quotations are examples of ______ devices.

adj. using too many words; wordy; long-winded

1. The teacher asked Brenda to cut her ___ speech from forty to fifteen minutes.

2. When time is short, ____ explanations are inappropriate.

adj. talking a great deal with ease; glib

1. Victor is such a _____ speaker that it takes him a half hour to answer a simple question.

2. Sean always has been shy around girls, but he's try to be more _______.