LESSON 15 : Is There Anything I Can Do For You, Master? Words Relating to Humility and Obedience

1. LESSON 15: Is There Anything I Can Do For You, Master? Words Relating to Humility and Obedience

2. Compliant • Mrs. Hayes prefers compliant students, those who’ll do everything they are told. • If you comply with the school rules, you won’t get into trouble. • Rose always complies with Charles’s requests. She never says no. • Adjective • Yielding, submissive

3. Fawning • Mike advised me to stop fawning over Dawn. “She’ll like you just as well even if you don’t overindulge her,” he said. • Fawning is a form of manipulation to win favors and get what you want from others. • As a fawning advisor to the Queen, Peters told Her Majesty only what she wanted to hear. • Adjective • Gaining the favor of another by acting overly kind or by using flattery

4. Obsequious • Uriah practiced obsequiousness by always telling others what a privilege it was to be of service to them. • Some teachers prefer obsequious students who fawn over them. • Hoping for a big tip, the waiter oozed obsequiousness, constantly flattering me and calling me “sir.” • Adjective • Obeying or performing a service for someone in an overly attentive manner

5. Servile • Roy has no right to treat you like a servile lackey. You are not his slave or valet. • I hate having a servile job. It’s not in my nature to bow to the whims of others. • Susan’s servility caused her to cater to everyone’s desires but her own. • Adjective • Slave-like; very humble and submissive

6. Slavish • Nicole worked slavishly in the kitchen preparing dinner for thirty guests. • Harry followed Sally around, slavishly attending to her every need. • Don had a slavish sidekick who did the dirty work and devoted himself to Don’s well-being. • Adjective • Slave-like; overly humble; involving very hard work

7. Submissive • Lauren was attracted to submissive friends, people who’d do everything she asked of them. • Over time, Lenny learned to be less submissive. He actually stood up to George once in a while. • A recruit has to be submissive to the sergeant or he’s going to get into big trouble. • Adjective • Voluntarily obeying another; humble

8. Subordinate • In a sentence, a subordinate (dependent) clause depends on the main (independent) clause for its meeting. • The general was accused of insubordination after defying the president’s order. • For the sake of good discipline, officers are forbidden to fraternize with their subordinate unit members. • Adjective • Inferior; lower in rank or status

9. Subservient • In my grandmother’s day, a wife was expected to be subservient to her husband. • Ricky asked subserviently, “May I please be excused, sir, for just a minute or two?” • The apprentice played a subservient role, trying to serve his master in every way. • Adjective • Obedient; obsequious

10. Sycophant • The king couldn’t distinguish the honest advisers from the sycophants who flattered him for personal gain. • Myron couldn’t get a promotion on his merits, so he got one by being a sycophant to his boss. • Jason made a sycophantic speech full of praise and flattery for the chairman. • Noun • A self-server who tries to gain the favor of others through the use of flattery or by being over attentive

11. Toady • Hoping to win the coach’s favor, James became the coach’s toady. • If Mary were less of a toady, she wouldn’t follow the teacher around so much. • Volunteering to wash the coach’s car shows what a toady Karen has become. • Noun • A flatterer; a sycophant