Five Kinds of Quiet
Five already-known GRE words for being quiet (taciturn, laconic, demure, diffident, timid) get compared side by side through five kids at a school talent show, each hushed for a completely different reason.
Five kids wait behind the curtain, none too loud, and that part's certain. Same still room, five different reasons, silence comes in more than one season.
TACITURN has been this way since he was small, not sad, never sulking, simply still through it all. Ask him a question, he offers a nod, three words a week meets his usual quota. No fear behind it, no plan in his head, he simply prefers a hush instead. TACITURN means hushed as a lifelong way, a steady calm that will not drift away.
Ask the coach how the game went today, he answers in one word and walks away. "Won." One word, and nothing more, plenty of thoughts left waiting behind that door. He could say a paragraph, he could say much more, he trims it to one word, and shuts the door. LACONIC means few words, sharp and clean, choosing short over anything in between.
Five still voices, never the same, one low volume, a different name. Ask why each one keeps the words so few, the reason changes with every view.
At the party she curtsies, keeps her voice low, folds her hands nicely, soft as she can go. "Oh, this old dress? It is nothing, really," she waves off the compliment, gentle and steady. Fear never touches it, and doubt plays no part, she simply believes modest manners are smart. DEMURE means soft-spoken, modest and proper, a curtsy, a blush, and a voice kept lower.
His hand goes halfway up in class, then drifts back down before the moment can pass. "I think the answer might be nine, or maybe eight," his small voice trailing off, unsure and late. Manners are not why his words stay few, doubt in his own mind is what he goes through. DIFFIDENT means quiet, unsure of your own voice, a hush built from doubt, not really a choice.
Five still voices, never the same, one low volume, a different name. Ask why each one keeps the words so few, the reason changes with every view.
The new mouse in the corner jumps at a creak, tail curled tight, too scared to speak. Loud noise, quick shadow, the tiniest sound, and she is already halfway underground. No manners in this, no doubt in her mind, pure fright is the reason she stays confined. TIMID means quiet, jumpy, and quick to fear, a flinch, a freeze, when danger draws near.
One stays silent from nature, plain and true, one saves up words, and spends only a few. One turns still from manners, soft and polite, one turns hushed from doubt, unsure she is right, one goes wordless from fear, and quick to hide, five different rooms with one closed door outside. Same low volume, five different keys, hush comes in more than one degree.
Taciturn, laconic, demure so light, diffident, timid, each hushed in their own right. Five different reasons, one soft-spoken sound, five voices settling, safe and sound.
Curtain falls, five bows, five different ways, five kinds of quiet close out the day.
Key Concepts: taciturn means habitually quiet by nature, not by feeling | laconic means choosing very few words on purpose | demure means quiet out of modesty and good manners | diffident means quiet from self-doubt, unsure your words are worth saying | timid means quiet from fear, startled into silence
Key Words: taciturn, laconic, demure, diffident, timid