My Brother, the Gentleman

Words in Use (Lesson 1)

• abandon
• keen
• jealous
• tact
• oath
• vacant
• hardship
• gallant
• data
• unaccustomed
• bachelor
• qualify

Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it.
   
My Brother, the Gentleman
The story of Sir Walter Raleigh, who spread his cloak on the ground to keep Queen Elizabeth from the hardship of crossing a muddy puddle, can qualify that nobleman for an award as a man of tact and good breeding. My brother Kenny, a bachelor with a keen interest in history, was impressed by that anecdote and thought he might demonstrate his excellent upbringing in a parallel situation. Accordingly, he decided to abandon his subway seat in favor of a woman standing nearby. Although unaccustomed to such generous treatment, the young woman was pleased to accept Kenny's kind offer. However, her jealous boyfriend swore an oath under his breath because he thought my brother was flirting with his girlfriend. I don’t have any data on the number of young men who get into similar trouble as a result of a gallant gesture, but it's probably one in a thousand. Poor Kenny! He pointed to the now vacant seat.