1.4 Words and Phrases

Vocabulary

Learn these words from the story. Try to make your own sentence for each.

Word Meaning Example sentence
renowned very well known and admired Krishnadeva Raya was a renowned patron of the arts.
monarch a king or ruler The monarch sat on an ornate golden throne.
illustrious famous and greatly respected He gathered illustrious poets in his court.
patron someone who supports artists or learning A good patron helps talented people flourish.
flourished grew and developed well Literature flourished during his reign.
trivial very unimportant They quarrelled over something quite trivial.
distraught deeply upset and worried The distraught queen looked for a solution.
forlorn lonely and sad The palace felt forlorn and quiet.
strategy a careful plan Tenali Rama worked out a clever strategy.
courtiers people who attend a royal court The courtiers snickered at his claim.
absurd clearly silly or unreasonable His claim sounded completely absurd.
unfazed not worried or disturbed He remained unfazed by their laughter.
sceptical doubtful, not easily convinced The king looked sceptical at first.
overreacted reacted far too strongly The king admitted he had overreacted.
restored brought back to how it was before Peace was soon restored in the palace.

Expressions and phrases

These vivid phrases appear in the story. Notice how they paint a picture in just a few words.

Expression What it means
cast a shadow to create sadness or gloom
stormed off left angrily
a hush fell over the court a sudden silence spread
a murmur swept through the room people whispered in surprise
snickers rippled through the court quiet laughter spread around
his mind raced back he quickly remembered something
pause for effect to stop briefly to make a point stronger
took it personally felt hurt or insulted by something not meant that way

Exam Tip In exams you are often asked to “find a word from the passage that means ___“. Practise the reverse too: cover the meanings above and try to recall each word. Knowing these expressions also makes your own writing far more lively.

Use what you’ve learnt

Fill each blank with the right word from the list: unfazed, trivial, strategy, restored, distraught.

  1. The argument was about a ___ matter, yet it upset everyone.
  2. Even when the courtiers laughed, Tenali Rama stayed ___.
  3. He had a clever ___ to make the king understand.
  4. Harmony was ___ once the king apologised.
  5. The ___ queen could not bear the silence.
  1. trivial   2. unfazed   3. strategy   4. restored   5. distraught