2012-09-20 23:00:26

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of words, a flurry of phraseology! I have been swept up and carried away by a veritable, formidable tornado of terminology!

“How can this be?” you ask. Well, here at Sentia we’re working on assembling a most excellent vocabulary course for students to work through online, on their own time. The course will cover 250 of the highest-frequency SAT words. We’re also coming up with funny and original mnemonic devices to help students understand and retain the meaning of each word.

All of this has made me think back to my old SAT-studying days. Back then, I really appreciated when vocab words popped up in popular songs. I'll never forget a word I can put to a tune.

Since we're not using song lyrics as mnemonic devices in our vocab course, I figured this strategy for vocab study deserves a blog entry of its own. Below, I list 10 awesome songs that include SAT-level vocab in their lyrics. Can you think of any others?

1.) Fidelity by Regina Spektor

Regina Spektor’s songs are so pretty! To find the vocabulary word in this song, you need look no further than the title. “Fidelity” means “loyalty.”

2.) The Past is a Grotesque Animal by Of Montreal

Of Montreal is another band you’d have to be crazy not to love! Additionally, A LOT of their songs include SAT-level vocab.

The Past is a Grotesque Animal is a really beautiful (12-minute!) song that will teach you the words “lilting” (meaning: “rhythmic swing or cadence”) and “grotesque” (meaning: “fantastically ugly or bizarre”).

3.) A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left by Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird is a big fan of big words. When you listen to A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left, be sure to keep an ear out for “bereft” (meaning: “deprived; lacking”), “banal” (meaning: “cliché; unoriginal”), and “imbibe” (meaning: “to drink”).

4.) Vicarious by Tool

Tool was my favorite band in high school—I just couldn’t get enough! This was great news for my vocabulary, as the band’s lyrics often use SAT-level words.

Listening to "Vicarious"—the hit single off Tool’s most recent album—is a great way to acquaint yourself both with Tool and the high-frequency SAT words, “vicarious” (meaning: “felt through imagined participation in the experience of others”) and “credulous” (meaning: “gullible”).

5.) History by Mos Def (Feat. Talib Kweli)

By listening to this classic rap song, you can learn the vocab words “ubiquitous” (meaning: “existing everywhere; omnipresent”) and “ephemera” (meaning: “things that exist for only a short time”).

6.) Born this way by Lady GaGa

Although Lady Gaga’s songs don’t exactly promote… erm… school-friendly activities and values, Born this Way will at least teach you a vocabulary word! Listen to the catchy, feel-good tune to learn “prudence” (meaning: the quality of being cautious or wise with regard to practical affairs.)

7.) Naïve by The Kooks

A bittersweet song, "Naïve" became popular when it was played in the movie 17 Again (2009). The word “naïve” is important SAT vocabulary and means “unsophisticated, inexperienced, and innocent.”

 8.) Testify by Common

In this song, Common tells a chilling tale of murder and betrayal, so it’s no surprise that he’d make use of such an tyrannical, fear-inducing vocab word as “stifling” (meaning: “suffocating; oppressively close”).

9.) The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel

I’ve recently become obsessed with this 1960s duo, and, in my rapacious listening, have learned that they use TONS of great SAT vocab words!

The Boxer is one of my favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs and includes the word “squander” (meaning: “to spend wastefully”).

10.) Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious from Mary Poppins

A childhood classic. I’ll let the lyrics speak for themselves:

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!
Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious!
If you say it loud enough, you'll always sound precocious,
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

(“Precocious” means “unusually advanced or mature in development.”)

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