LegalEdge Classroom Handout
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ENGLISH LANGUAGE
RC TONES VOCABULARY LIST
1. Irony: incongruity between what might be expected and what occurs
2. Satire: witty language used to convey insults or scorn
3. Mockery: showing your contempt by derision
4. Sarcasm: witty language used to convey insults or scorn
5. Caustic: capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
6. Acerbic: sour or bitter in taste
7. Incisive: demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
8. Pejorative: expressing disapproval
9. Droll: comical in an odd or whimsical manner
10. Healthy: humor
11. Lament: a cry of sorrow and grief
12. Chagrin: strong feelings of embarrassment
13. Bemoan: regret strongly
14. Cavil: raise trivial objections
15. Bewail: express sorrow or regret about something
16. Nitpicker: someone who makes small and unjustified criticisms
17. Fastidious: giving careful attention to detail
18. Annoy: disturb, especially by minor irritations
19. Preach: deliver a sermon
20. Didactic: instructive, especially excessively
21. Sermonize: speak as if preaching or expressing moral judgments
22. Pedantic: marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning
23. Persuasive: intended or having the power to induce action or belief
24. Coax: influence or persuade by gentle and persistent urging
25. Inveigle: influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
26. Jingoist: an extreme bellicose nationalist
27. Cynical: believing the worst of human nature and motives
28. Cautious: showing careful forethought
29. Chary: characterized by great caution
30. Circumspect: careful to consider potential consequences and avoid risk
31. Analytical: using or skilled in using reasoning
32. Critical: of a serious examination and judgment of something
33. Skeptic: someone who habitually doubts accepted beliefs
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34. Agnostic: a person who claims the existence of God is unknowable
35. Sardonic: disdainfully or ironically humorous
36. Indignant: angered at something unjust or wrong
37. Scathing: marked by harshly abusive criticism
38. Cutting: the act of penetrating or opening open with a sharp edge
39. Biting: causing a sharply painful or stinging sensation
40. Vituperative: marked by harshly abusive criticism
41. Vitriolic: harsh, bitter, or malicious in tone
42. Searing: extremely hot
43. Trenchant: having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought
44. Harsh: disagreeable to the senses
45. Vicious: having the nature of evildoing
46. Belligerent: characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight
47. Bellicose: having or showing a ready disposition to fight
48. Derisive: expressing contempt or ridicule
49. Contemptuous: expressing extreme scorn
50. Ridicule: language or behavior intended to mock or humiliate
51. Scornful: expressing extreme contempt
52. Disparaging: expressive of low opinion
53. Incendiary: capable of causing fires or catching fire spontaneously
54. Incitive: arousing to action or rebellion
55. Provocative: serving or tending to excite or stimulate
56. Evocative: serving to bring to mind
57. Commiseration: feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
58. Laudatory: full of or giving praise
59. Acclamation: enthusiastic approval or recognition
60. Adulatory: obsequiously complimentary
61. Introspective: given to examining own sensory and perceptual experiences
62. Contemplate: think intently and at length, as for spiritual purposes
63. Sanguine: confidently optimistic and cheerful
64. Buoyant: tending to float on a liquid or rise in air or gas
65. Gloomy: depressingly dark
66. Hypocritical: professing feelings or virtues one does not have
67. Obsequious: attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
68. Dogmatic: pertaining to a code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
69. Peremptory: putting an end to all debate or action
70. Condescending: characteristic of those who treat others with arrogance
71. Patronizing: characteristic of those who treat others with condescension
72. Superficially: in a superficial manner
73. Disdainful: showing arrogant superiority to those one views as unworthy
74. Partisan: a fervent and even militant proponent of something
75. Bigoted: blindly and obstinately attached to some creed or opinion
76. Prejudiced: showing bias or bigotry or influenced by preconceived ideas
77. Chauvinistic: fanatically patriotic
78. Apathetic: showing little or no emotion or animation
79. Populist: As the name says, a populist tone is used to discuss theories and characteristics exhibited by general
populace. The author of the passage utilizes a populist tone to explain features and behavior of common people.
80. Grandiose: As the name suggests, this type of tone is adopted by passages written in a descriptive or abstract
style. The passage may appear more elaborative than necessary. Also, sometimes abstract passages utilize a
grandiose tone of writing.
81. Commiserating: This type of tone is used to express grief or show sympathy for a person or a group of people
suffering from prejudiced practices or cultural norms. The author intends to familiarize the reader with the trauma
undergone by the sufferers.
82. Pedestrian: When a passage appears neither interesting nor complex to you, probably it has a pedestrian tone of
writing. In other words, this kind of tone is used when the RC passage talks about commonplace things and ideas.
83. Detached: This is a general highlight of an event. Not too descriptive, not too analytical, Hence, formal ; uninvolved,
having no interest or feelings, objective
84. Judgmental: This is typically used for passages when the author expresses his views on some issues and takes a
stand-is this person or issue right or wrong? Is this good or bad? Is someone intelligent or dumb? These are all
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judgements. Therefore, the characteristic of such a tone is the presence of opinions or the author’s perception/
views on a person, thing or issue.
85. Reverent: feeling or showing deep and solemn respect.
86. Facetious: treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.
87. Melancholic: feeling or expressing pensive sadness.; suffering from or denoting a severe form of depression.
88. Uneasy: causing or feeling anxiety; troubled or uncomfortable.
89. Nostalgic: feeling or inspiring nostalgia: such as. a : longing for or thinking fondly of a past time or condition
90. Dry: (of information, writing, etc.) dully factual.
91. Assertive: having or showing a confident and forceful personality.
92. Regretful: feeling or showing regret or sorrow
93. Invective: insulting, abusive, or highly critical language.
94. Inspirational: providing or showing creative or spiritual inspiration.
95. Objective: Broadly, the tones used are subjective or objective. As you would guess, the objective tone is used
when the author chooses to remain neutral and detached.
96. Narrative – In fact it is simply narration of events without any tone of description or analysis e.g. as the news
readers simply narrate the items of news.
97. Ironical: conveys a meaning that is the opposite of the actual meaning. Ironic statements bring attention to words
and phrases and show the difference between an ideal and an actual condition.
98. Descriptive – Description of an event –which may lead to inculcate interest among the readers and with description
the piece of writing may lead to form the opinion in optimistic, pessimistic manner.
99. Tolerant: showing willingness to allow the existence of opinions or behaviour that one does not necessarily agree
with.; (of a plant, animal, or machine) able to endure specified conditions or treatment.
100. Humorous: causing laughter and amusement; comic.
101. Cynical: scornful of the motives or virtues of others, bitterly mocking
102. Ambivalent: undecided, having mixed emotions, unsure
103. Absurd: silly, ridiculous
104. Amused: entertained, finding humor, expressed by a smile or laugh
105. Comic: humorous, funny
106. Compassionate: sympathetic, having feeling for others, showing pity, empathy
107. Complex: complicated, having many varying characteristics
108. Cruel: causing suffering, causing pain
109. Depressed: dejected, sad, unhappy, troubled
110. Distressed: upset
111. Earnest: sincere, showing deep feeling, seriousness
112. Formal: accepting rules, stiff, using textbook style, factual
113. Gentle: considerate, kind, mild, soft
114. Hard: unfeeling, hard-hearted, unyielding
115. Incredulous: doubtful, disbelieving, skeptical
116. Intense: deeply felt, concentrated
117. Intimate: personal, close, deeply associated
118. Wry: using or expressing dry, especially mocking, humour.; (of a person's face or features) twisted into an
expression of disgust, disappointment, or annoyance.
119. Irreverent: lacking respect , lacking reverence
120. Joyous: extremely happy
121. Loving: affectionate, compassionate, showing intense, deep feeling
122. Malicious: spiteful, desiring to harm others or to see others suffer
123. Mocking: ridiculing, imitating
124. Optimistic: positive, believing in positive outcomes
125. Outspoken: frank, candid, spoken without reserve
126. Pathetic: pitiful, useless, wretched
127. Pessimistic: tending to take the worst possible view of a situation
128. Playful: fun-filled, full of good spirits, humorous, jesting
129. Reticent: reserved, restrained]
130. Reverent: respectful, showing deep respect and esteem
131. Righteous: morally just, morally right, guiltless
132. Satiric: emotional, showing special feelings for (possibly romantic)
133. Serious: earnest, not funny
134. Straightforward: direct, frank, honest
135. Vindictive: revengeful, spiteful, bitter, unforgiving
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136. Tragic: disastrous, calamitous
137. Sympathetic: understanding
138. Contemptuous : Expressing contempt/ disdain: feeling, expressing, or demonstrating a strong dislike or utter lack
of respect for somebody or something.
139. Antipathy (hatered): 1.strongly negative feeling: anger, hostility, fixed opposition, or disgust directed toward a
particular person or thing
2. Object of loathing: a source of somebody’s anger, hostility, fixed opposition, or disgust
140. Burlesque: a type of writing or acting that tries to make something serious seem ridiculous
141. Lampoon: a piece of writing, a drawing, etc. which criticizes in an amusing way a famous person or a public
organization, allowing their bad qualities to be seen and making them seem stupid: satirical attack in writing or
verse
142. Pragmatic: Practical
143. Instructional:
144. Idiosyncratic: a strange or unusual habit, way of behaving or feature that someone or something has:
145. Paradoxical: self-contradictory statement: a statement or proposition that contradicts itself.
146. Rhetorical: Relating to the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of
speech and other compositional techniques.
147. Romantic: conducive to or characterized by the expression of love; of, characterized by, or suggestive of an
idealized view of reality.
148. Socratic Irony: Socratic irony occurs when you feign ignorance in order to get someone to admit something. In
other words, 'playing dumb' to catch someone in a lie or to confess to something they wouldn't otherwise concede.
149. Technical: relating to a particular subject, art, or craft, or its techniques.
150. Whimsical: playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way.; acting or behaving in a
capricious manner.
151. Pleonasm: the use of more words than are necessary to convey meaning (e.g. see with one's eyes ), either as a
fault of style or for emphasis.
152. Skeptical: not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations.
153. Sarcastic: marked by or given to using irony in order to mock or convey contempt.
154. Grim: very serious or gloomy.; (especially of a place) unattractive or forbidding.
155. Lamenting: express passionate grief about.; express regret or disappointment about something.
156. Paranoid: Paranoia is the feeling that you're being threatened in some way, such as people watching you or acting
against you, even though there's no proof that it's true. It happens to a lot of people at some point. Even when you
know that your concerns aren't based in reality, they can be troubling if they happen too often.
157. Piquant: having a pleasantly sharp taste or appetizing flavour.; pleasantly stimulating or exciting to the mind.
158. Coarse: (of a person or their speech) rude or vulgar.
159. Bucolic: relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.; rural
160. elated : ecstatically happy.
161. Elegiac: (in modern literature)relating to a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead.
162. Effusive: showing or expressing gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner.
163. Bantering: characterized by good-humoured teasing.
164. Sanctimonious: making a show of being morally superior to other people.
165. Pious: devoutly religious.
166. Serene: calm, peaceful, and untroubled; tranquil.
167. Desperate: feeling or showing a hopeless sense that a situation is so bad as to be impossible to deal with.
168. Solemn: formal and dignified.; characterized by deep sincerity.
169. Reflective: providing a reflection; capable of reflecting light or other radiation.; relating to or characterized by deep
thought; thoughtful
170. Questioning: the action of asking someone questions, especially in an official context.; showing an interest in
learning new things.
171. Soothing: having a gently calming effect.; reducing pain or discomfort.
172. Exuberant: full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness.; characterized by a vigorously imaginative artistic style;
growing luxuriantly or profusely.
173. Concerned: worried, troubled, or anxious.
174. Brash: self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way.; having an ostentatious or tasteless appearance.
175. Turgid: (of language or style) tediously pompous or bombastic.
176. Outraged: arouse fierce anger, shock, or indignation in (someone).
177. oppressive: inflicting harsh and authoritarian treatment.
178. Repressive: (especially of a social or political system) inhibiting or restraining personal freedom.
179. Speculative: engaged in, expressing, or based on conjecture rather than knowledge.
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180. hypothetical : supposed but not necessarily real or true.
181. Depressing: causing or resulting in a feeling of miserable dejection.; ausing a damaging reduction in economic
activity.
182. Snooty: showing disapproval or contempt towards others, especially those considered to belong to a lower social
class.
183. Inflammatory: tending to excite anger, disorder, or tumult : seditious.
184. Resigned: having accepted something unpleasant that one cannot do anything about.
185. Reminiscent: tending to remind one of something.; suggesting something by resemblance.
186. Vexed: (of a problem or issue) difficult and much debated; problematic.; annoyed, frustrated, or worried.
187. Pensive: engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought.
188. musing : characterized by reflection or deep thought.
189. Audacious: showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.; showing an impudent lack of respect.
190. Differential: of, showing, or depending on a difference; varying according to circumstances or relevant factors.; a
difference between amounts of things
191. Deferential: showing deference; respectful.
192. Compromising: (of information or a situation) revealing an embarrassing or incriminating secret about someone.
193. Haughty: arrogantly superior and disdainful.
194. Conceited: excessively proud of oneself; vain.
195. Narcissistic: having or showing an excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one's physical appearance.
196. Despairing: showing the loss of all hope.
197. Eloquent: fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing.; clearly expressing or indicating something.
198. Revealing: making interesting or significant information known, especially of a personal nature.
199. Creepy: causing an unpleasant feeling of fear or unease.
200. Remorseful: filled with remorse; sorry.
201. Contrite: feeling or expressing remorse at the recognition that one has done wrong.
202. Reluctant: unwilling and hesitant; disinclined.
203. Grudging: given or allowed only reluctantly or resentfully.
204. Bemusing: puzzling, confusing, or bewildering (someone).
205. Repentant: expressing or feeling sincere regret and remorse; remorseful.
206. Penitent: feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentant.
207. Choleric: bad-tempered or irritable.
208. Hesitant: tentative, unsure, or slow in acting or speaking.
209. Self-pitying: excessive, self-absorbed unhappiness over one's own troubles.
210. Impassioned: filled with or showing great emotion.
211. Ominous: giving the worrying impression that something bad is going to happen; threateningly inauspicious.
212. Menacing: suggesting the presence of danger; threatening.
213. Wretched: (of a person) in a very unhappy or unfortunate state; used to express anger or annoyance.
214. Despicable: deserving hatred and contempt.
215. Dismal: causing a mood of gloom or depression.; pitifully or disgracefully bad.
216. Dingy: gloomy and drab.
217. Doleful: expressing sorrow; mournful.
218. Woeful: characterized by, expressive of, or causing sorrow or misery.; very bad; deplorable.
219. Despotic: of or typical of a despot; tyrannical.
220. Incensed: very angry; enraged.
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