Classroom Management Vocabulary

verb to cause someone to feel irritated or displeased

adjective a feeling of irritation or displeasure

• She was visibly annoyed by the constant interruptions during the meeting.
• I'm so annoyed that my favorite show got canceled.
• I'm totally bugged by his attitude.
• The buzzing of the flies annoyed her like a persistent itch.

verb to act or conduct oneself in a specified way, especially in a social or polite manner

• It is important for employees to behave professionally in the workplace.
• Please behave yourself at the party tonight.
• Don't be a jerk, just behave.
• The storm caused the ocean to behave unpredictably.

noun a form of nonverbal communication through gestures, facial expressions, and other bodily movements

• It is important to be aware of your body language during a job interview.
• Dude, your body language totally gave away that you were lying.
• She was totally vibing with him, you could tell by their body language.
• His body language spoke volumes about his true feelings towards the situation.

adjective Cantankerous is used to describe someone who is bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative.

• The cantankerous old man refused to speak to anyone at the family gathering.
• My cantankerous neighbor always yells at kids who play near his yard.
• I try to avoid that cantankerous customer at work, he's always so grumpy.
• The storm clouds gathered overhead, looking as cantankerous as a group of angry gods.

noun a scolding or reprimand

verb to scold or reprimand harshly

• The boss decided to chew out the employee for not meeting the project deadline.
• I heard Sarah's mom chewed her out for coming home late last night.
• My coach really chewed me out for missing practice yesterday.
• The critics are going to chew out the new movie for its lack of originality.

verb to enter or arrive at a place

adverb used to indicate movement towards a particular direction or place

• Please come in and have a seat in the waiting area.
• Hey, come in and make yourself at home!
• Yo, come in and chill with us for a bit.
• The new information really made her come in and reevaluate her beliefs.

noun a word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element

interjection an exclamation or remark, typically abrupt or impassioned

• Please refrain from making that unnecessary noise, cut it out.
• Hey, stop bothering me, cut it out.
• Dude, quit being so annoying, cut it out.
• Your constant complaining is like a broken record, cut it out.

noun a person who shows a disposition to challenge, resist, or fight

adjective showing a disposition to challenge, resist, or fight

• Despite the consequences, the defendant remained defiant in court.
• She was defiant when her parents told her she couldn't go out with her friends.
• The teenager was being so defiant when his teacher asked him to put away his phone.
• The artist's brushstrokes were defiant, creating a bold and rebellious masterpiece.

noun a feeling or expression of disapproval; censure or condemnation

• The committee expressed their disapproval of the new policy proposal.
• My parents showed their disapproval when they saw my messy room.
• I could tell by the look on her face that she was throwing some major shade of disapproval.
• The dark clouds looming overhead seemed to cast a shadow of disapproval over the town.

noun a subject or field of study that involves rules and regulations

adjective relating to or enforcing discipline

• The company has a strict disciplinary policy in place to address any misconduct.
• If you keep breaking the rules, you'll end up facing some disciplinary action.
• You better watch out or you'll get slapped with a disciplinary write-up.
• His conscience acted as a disciplinary force, guiding him towards making better decisions.

verb to interrupt the quiet, rest, peace, or order of; unsettle

• I apologize if I disturb you, but could you please lower your voice?
• Hey, sorry to disturb you, but do you have a minute to chat?
• I don't mean to disturb, but can I borrow your charger?
• The sudden noise outside disturbed the peace of the neighborhood.

adjective nervous or unable to sit still

adverb in a fidgety manner

• The student appeared fidgety during the exam, constantly shifting in their seat.
• I always get fidgety when I have to wait in long lines.
• She was so fidgety before the big presentation, couldn't sit still for a second.
• The uncertainty of the situation made her feel fidgety, like she was on edge.

adjective tending to be troublesome or unruly; quarrelsome

• The fractious debate among the board members lasted for hours.
• The fractious family reunion ended in arguments and hurt feelings.
• The fractious group of friends couldn't agree on where to go for dinner.
• The fractious relationship between the two countries led to increased tensions.

verb to accompany or follow someone or something

adverb in a manner that is in accordance or agreement with something

• In order to achieve success, we must all go along with the new company policies.
• Hey, do you want to go along with me to the store later?
• I'm not sure if I want to go along with their plan, it seems risky.
• Sometimes in life, we just have to go along with the flow and see where it takes us.

noun A person's head or the top part of the body

verb To go in a particular direction or to a particular place

adverb In the direction of the front or top

• I need to head off to the meeting now.
• I should head off to catch the bus.
• Let's head off to the party before it gets too late.
• I need to head off this problem before it escalates.

noun a blustering, domineering person; a bully

verb to bully or torment in an aggressive way

• Hector was a well-respected leader in the community.
• I heard Hector is throwing a party next weekend.
• Hector is always the life of the party.
• His boss constantly hectors him about meeting deadlines.

noun a word that functions as the name of something, such as a person, place, or thing

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

adjective a word or phrase naming an attribute, added to or grammatically related to a noun to modify or describe it

adverb a word that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb, typically answering the questions how, when, or where

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

• It is important to keep down noise levels in a library.
• Can you please keep down the volume on the TV?
• Hey, keep it down! You're being too loud.
• She struggled to keep down her emotions during the difficult conversation.

noun a word that represents a person, place, thing, or idea

verb a word that expresses an action, state, or occurrence

adjective a word that describes or gives more information about a noun or pronoun

adverb a word that modifies or describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

• Please remember to keep quiet during the meeting.
• Hey, can you keep quiet while I'm on the phone?
• Dude, just zip it and keep quiet for once.
• Sometimes it's better to keep quiet and listen instead of speaking out.

adjective a word that describes or gives more information about a noun or pronoun, in this case, 'loutish' describes someone who is uncouth or rude

• His loutish behavior at the dinner party was quite embarrassing.
• Don't invite him over, he can be so loutish sometimes.
• He's such a lout, always acting so loutish.
• His loutish attitude towards the project hindered its progress.

noun a word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance, or quality

• The professor dismissed the student's presentation as mere nonsense talk.
• Stop with the nonsense talk and get to the point!
• I can't stand all this nonsense talk, it's driving me crazy.
• His promises were nothing but empty nonsense talk.

adjective extremely unpleasant or offensive

• His obnoxious behavior at the meeting was completely unacceptable.
• I can't stand hanging out with him, he's so obnoxious.
• She's always acting all obnoxious around her friends.
• The bright neon sign was obnoxious in the otherwise serene landscape.

adjective noisy and difficult to control

• The obstreperous behavior of the protesters led to their arrest.
• The obstreperous kids were causing a ruckus in the playground.
• I can't stand that obstreperous guy at the party, he's so annoying.
• The storm outside was obstreperous, with thunder and lightning filling the sky.

noun a period of time when there is little or no noise or activity

• The region experienced a quiet spell with minimal activity in terms of economic growth.
• We've had a quiet spell lately, not much going on around here.
• Things have been pretty chill during this quiet spell.
• After the storm, there was a quiet spell where everything seemed peaceful and calm.

verb to free or relieve someone or something of something unwanted or undesirable

• The company was able to rid itself of all unnecessary expenses.
• I need to rid my closet of all the clothes I never wear.
• Let's rid this place of all the haters.
• He couldn't wait to rid himself of the burden weighing on his conscience.

noun a quality or trait of being impolite or disrespectful

• The customer complained about the rudeness of the salesperson.
• I can't believe the rudeness of that guy!
• Her rudeness was off the charts.
• The rudeness in her tone cut through the room like a knife.

verb Seated is a past participle form of the verb 'seat', which means to put or place someone in a sitting position.

• The guests were all seated when the ceremony began.
• We were seated at the back of the restaurant near the window.
• I was seated next to my crush at the party last night.
• The idea of success was always seated firmly in his mind.

verb to tell someone to be quiet or to silence someone

interjection used to command someone to be quiet or to make a quieting sound

• The librarian had to shush the noisy students in the library.
• Shush, I'm trying to concentrate here.
• Hey, shush it or we'll get caught.
• The gentle breeze seemed to shush the rustling leaves in the forest.

noun the quality or state of being fractious; unruliness or quarrelsomeness

• The fractiousness among the board members hindered any progress in the meeting.
• The fractiousness between the siblings made family gatherings unbearable.
• The fractiousness at the concert turned into a full-blown brawl.
• The fractiousness of the storm caused widespread damage throughout the town.

noun a tendency to behave in an unpredictable or capricious manner

• The waywardness of the child was a constant source of concern for the teachers.
• I can't believe the waywardness of my cat, always getting into trouble.
• Her waywardness was off the charts, she just couldn't stay out of trouble.
• The waywardness of the river led to its meandering path through the valley.

verb to behave in a disruptive or unruly manner

• The computer system acted up during the presentation, causing a delay.
• My car always seems to act up when I'm in a hurry.
• His phone acted up and he missed the important call.
• The storm acted up, causing chaos and destruction in its path.

verb A verb is a word that expresses an action or a state of being. In this case, 'acts out' is a verb phrase that indicates the action of performing or portraying something in a dramatic or exaggerated manner.

• The child often acts out in class, disrupting the learning environment for others.
• Whenever he doesn't get his way, he acts out and throws a tantrum.
• She acts out whenever she's feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
• His painting acts out his innermost emotions and struggles.