Clumsy — A Vocabulary Story
Wanjiru and the Wibbling Jelly
Wanjiru was the clumsiest girl on Acacia Road. Everyone said so. She tripped over flat pavements. She knocked over cups that weren't even near her elbows. Once, she waved hello to the postman and somehow sent a plant pot flying.
So when Mum made an enormous strawberry jelly for Uncle Njoroge's visit, she pointed at Wanjiru and said, "You. Sit on your hands. Far from the table."
Wanjiru sighed and sat on her hands. Her brother Kamau smirked as he carried plates past her, balancing them like a waiter in a fancy restaurant. "Watch and admire," he whispered.
But then the cat from next door shot through the open window like a furry firework. It skidded across the table, and the jelly — the beautiful, wibbling jelly — slid towards the edge.
Mum gasped. Kamau froze, arms full of plates.
Wanjiru leapt up. She tripped over the rug, of course, because she was still clumsy even in emergencies. But as she stumbled forwards, her arms flew out, and the jelly landed — plop — right in her hands. It wobbled. She wobbled. Neither of them fell.
Clumsy means being awkward in the way you move, so you often drop or knock things over. It can also mean something done without skill or grace.
"Don't move," whispered Mum. "Don't even breathe."
Uncle Njoroge arrived to find Wanjiru standing statue-still in the middle of the room, holding a jelly like a trophy.
"Is this a new family tradition?" he asked.
"No," said Kamau, shaking his head slowly. "That's just Wanjiru. The clumsy one saved pudding."
Wanjiru grinned. "I'd bow," she said, "but we'd all regret it."
Word Definition
clumsy
meaning
awkward in movement and likely to knock things over or drop them; done or made awkwardly, without skill or grace
synonyms
awkward · ungainly · bungling · clunky · uncoordinated
antonyms
graceful · nimble · agile · dexterous
example sentence
He was so clumsy that he knocked over the vase.