3 nouns, 1 verb, 1 adjective

1. adulation - extreme praise, when someone is almost worshiped by someone or others
2. a eulogy - a little speech mentioning good things about a person who recently died
3. to linger - to remain a little longer than others, to be slow in leaving
4. reticent - not saying much, if anything; being quiet 
5. a sycophant - someone who flatters more powerful or influential people to get ahead, a 'yes-man', someone who falsely praises his superior to get some type of benefit



One of the best ______________ for Rosa Parks, at her funeral, came from Oprah Winfrey, one of the most famous women of color in the world.

A teen pop star will receive so much ________________ from his/her fans, that it might become difficult for this person to transition into the 'real' world and live meaningfully.

Many professors will ______________ in their classrooms after the class is over to answer questions from students.

It is, of course, important to be a supportive employee, but nobody wants to be mistaken for a _________________ who goes out of his way to praise the boss.

One of the toughest jobs a teacher has is to help a very shy and _________________ student to begin speaking in class.  Often times such a student is just a little insecure and needs a little encouragement.


answers are below:




answers:

eulogies
adulation
linger
sycophant
reticent

3 adjectives and 2 verbs

1. to deplore s/t - to really dislike something
2. immutable - unchangeable
3. prudent - sensible, judicious, showing good judgment, not making a foolish decision, only acting after thinking a lot about the consequences
4. stagnant - not changing, not being active, something that stays the same for too long
5. to undermine s/t - to ruin or upset something through some sneaky or secret way

s/t means: something

Political conservatives believe that the American economy has remained _______________ for too long. They believe it is the role of the US government to decrease taxes in order to stimulate the economy and make it more active.

Most Americans now believe that the decision to attack Iraq in 2003 was not _______________.  Very little was accomplished through this war and too many people suffered.

The US Constitution is not __________________. The Constitution can be changed, but it is very difficult to do so, 

Bob's rival co-worker was jealous of Bob's success and always looked for ways to _________________ Bob's projects.

I attended a couple Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011 and, like others, I _________________ the way the New York Police Department acted toward the protesters. The police were often rude and violent.

answers are below:




answers:

stagnant
prudent
immutable
undermine
deplored

3 adjectives, 2 nouns ---> SAT, GRE, TOEFL words

a conflagration - a huge fire that destroys property and perhaps even kills people
to be indifferent - not interested in something, not worried about something
scrupulous - someone who is careful to always do something right
tranquility - feeling peaceful, serene, calm
whimsical - playful, silly, not serious


Is there one goal that every religion seems to shoot for?  If there were, I would guess it is a type of ___________________.  Every religion seems to promise that peace is possible and that it is a goal worth attaining.

Bill's father was the most _______________ man he had ever known.  He could not remember hearing his father ever tell a lie and, in everything he did, he seemed to be as honest as a person could be.

Why did only about 25% of New York registered voters vote in the last mayoral election? Well, it seems that most people are ________________ to local politics.  Perhaps they feel that it doesn't matter who the mayor is.

Joe had two uncles.  One was very studious (very serious about his studies) and serious but the other one took a more ________________ approach to life.  Joe learned a lot from his first uncle but loved being around the second. (Or:  Joe learned a lot from the latter but loved being around the former.)

Until September 11, 2001, the most people in New York City who had died in one day was 1,019, due to the _________________ on the ship called The SS General Slocum. Nobody knows how the fire started, but it spread quickly causing such a huge death toll. 

answers are below:





answers:

tranquility
scrupulous
indifferent
whimsical
conflagration

3 verbs, 2 nouns, 1 adjective ---> SAT, GRE, TOEFL vocabulary

to appease s/o - to try to satisfy or make someone happy
to deride s/o - to make fun of someone, to mock someone, to ridicule someone
fastidious - to be very detail oriented
to impede - to stop someone's progress
a recluse - a hermit, someone who lives alone, someone who seeks solitude
a virtuoso - someone who has an amazing skill at something (like a musical instrument)


1)  Paganini is considered to have been one of the greatest violin _______________ in history. He was so great that some people rumored that he had sold his soul to the devil to gain his super-human skills.

2)  Bob is the most ______________ dresser I have ever met.  His clothing has to look perfect before he goes out.  His shoes must be polished and there can't be one wrinkle in his suit.

3) Mitt Romney was often _______________ during the last presidential campaign because he was so rich and did not seem to understand how poorer people lived. Someone even made a video called: Mitt Romney Style (based on Gangnam Style).

4) Even if a customer is wrong, it is sometimes better to ______________ him/her than to argue with him/her.  

5) Republican politicians and businessmen in New York City are worried that the new mayor's plan to increase taxes might _______________ economic development.

6)  One of America's most famous ____________ was Howard Hughes.  After becoming a successful airplane engineer and Hollywood producer, he seemed to disappear into a Las Vegas hotel room for the last several years of his life.

answers are below:




answers:

1) virtuosi or virtuosos 
2) fastidious
3) derided
4) appease
5) impede
6) recluses

4 nouns and 1 adjective

a criterion - a standard by which to measure something
fallacious - false
a hedonist - someone who lives for pleasure
a skeptic - someone who needs proof before he/she believes anything
adversity - difficult or trying times


Although the new theory as to how life began on earth sounds nice, I remain a ___________ because there has yet to be any hard proof or sound experiments to verify the theory.

Frans Hals is one of my favorite painters and he was certainly no ascetic. Indeed, if anything he was a ____________ who loved the pleasures of life.

Many academic experts do not believe that a student should be admitted to a university based on just one test. There should be more than one _____________ by which to determine college admission.

I like this philosophical question: Are you ethical or were you lucky?  The question implies that people who are 'good' are people who have often not experienced much _______________.  It implies that if you have not experienced difficult times, you have not truly been tested and you are 'lucky' and not 'good' or ethical.

To say that I can't prove that fairies do not exist, and therefore they may exist is a _________________ argument.  You can't prove a 'negative'.

answers are below:




answers:

skeptic
hedonist
criterion
adversity
fallacious

Paintings by Frans Hals!

2 adjectives, 2 verbs, 1 noun

1. ascetic - avoiding pleasure, a simple life in which one does not pursue physical comfort (this word can be a noun or adjective)
2. to embellish s/t - to add extra details to make something sound or look better
3. ominous - threatening, scary
4. a reprimand - this is an official statement that a person has violated a rule, it's a verbal or written statement that someone has done something wrong
5. to temper s/t - to decrease a possible response, to make something less severe

(s/t = something)

1.  If you work with the public, it is a good skill to know how to __________ your anger. You are always going to have to deal with people who will be nasty and unreasonable, but you do not have to respond in a negative way.

2.  Jackie Robinson was the first African American athlete to play in Major League Baseball.  Many racists opposed his inclusion into "white" baseball.  Robinson received many ____________ letters which threatened to harm or kill him, but thankfully nothing that terrible ever happened.

3.  What you heard from Joe was partly true.  But remember, Joe likes to _______________ his stories so some of what he said was just made-up to make you laugh.

4.  Although Congressman Charles Rangle had engaged in various types of misconduct, the US Congress merely issued him a _________________. There was no real punishment.

5.  In many religions, religious leaders are expected to live an ____________ life style.  The ability to refrain from seeking comfort and pleasure seems to indicate the person is somehow closer to God.

answers below:




answers:

1. temper
2. ominous
3. embellish
4. reprimand
5. ascetic

10 common SAT vocabulary words

1. innocuous - harmless, not bothering anyone
2. miserly - cheap, parsimonious
3. nonchalant - easy going, not in a hurry, casual, very relaxed
4. ostentatious - very flamboyant, showy, deliberately showy to draw attention
5. a quandary - a dilemma, being unable decide what to do next (to be in a quandary)
6. to repudiate something - to turn away from something, to refuse to be associated with something
7. surreptitiously - secretly, in a sneaky way
8. trite - an expression which is used too commonly, a cliche
9. to venerate - to respect highly, to worship
10. a zealot - someone who is extraordinarily passionate about something (usually a cause)

1.  I'm in a bit of a _______________. I am not sure whether to go to graduate school or take this new job.

2.  As a young man the politician had belonged to a club that did not allow women members.  He, of course, _________________ his membership in that club and stated it was a youthful mistake.

3.  Foreigners have to realize that in Thailand they do not just respect their king, they _______________ him and a person can be thrown in jail for showing disrespect to the Thai king.

4.  The security guard threw the homeless man out of the public library because he had been sleeping.  I felt that this was wrong - the homeless guy was ____________________; he wasn't really bothering anyone.

5.  One of the reasons Americans have turned against the Tea Party is that members of that political party often seemed to act like ________________.  They were very emotional, aggressive and passionate in expressing their hatred for Obama and for liberal government policies.

6.  Bob is getting married and I want to write something meaningful in the card I am going to give him.  Can you help me think of something that won't sound ______________?  I don't want to write, "Congratulations on your marriage!" or "Best of luck in the coming years!"  Those expressions have been used too many times before.

7.  Our boss is OK but his big problem is that he seems to be a bit ________________. He tries to save money in regard to everything we do and this makes it hard to operate effectively.

8.  The American people were shocked to learn that their president, Bill Clinton, had been ___________________ seeing and having an affair with one of his interns in the 1990s.  He was married but secretly pursuing this affair.

9.  The attitude of some clerks at coffee houses really bothers me.  In the morning I am always in a hurry and need to get my cup of coffee quickly.  But the clerks are often quite ____________________ and they take their sweet time.

10.  I am getting sick of seeing all the women in New York walking around with these big __________________ Louis Vuitton bags.  Oh my God!  Whom are they trying to impress!?  I don't care whether a woman owns such a bag.

answers are below:






answers:

1. quandary
2. repudiated
3. venerate
4. innocuous
5. zealots
6. trite
7. miserly
8. surreptitiously
9. nonchalant
10. ostentatious

3 nouns, 4 adjectives

1. an analgesic - a drug that eliminates pain
2. to be absolved of something - to be made clean or pure, to be determined innocent
3. a harbinger - something that happens which indicates something else will happen
4. punitive - something done to punish someone
5. inveterate - you usually hear this adjective with 'liar' (an inveterate liar); someone is an inveterate liar if he always lies; if you are inveterate in regard to something, you can't help yourself, you have to do it: an inveterate alcoholic
6. meticulous - very detail oriented
7. apathy - a lack of concern

The economic reports of the past few months have shown high unemployment trends.  Economists fear this may be a ______________ of another economic recession (severe downturn). 

Progressive educators tend to steer clear of various ______________ measures in their classrooms.  They try to be positive and provide rewards for good behavior instead of punishments for bad behavior.

The president of the company turned out to be an ______________ liar. Everything he ahd said over the past three years had been false.

Anthony Weiner, an American politician who resigned from his congressional position due to a personal scandal, claimed that he had sought psychological counseling and felt he was now ________________ of all of his previous questionable activities. However, when he was running for a new political office, new scandals emerged, showing he had not truly cleansed himself of his former demons. 

Toshiro was in the USA to set up a Japanese branch of the company he worked for. he needed American assistants but was afraid they would not be as ______________ as his Japanese assistants.  He needed people truly dedicated to details.  He was pleasantly surprised to find such assistants here in America as well.

In the last mayoral election in New York City, only 24% of eligible New Yorkers voted.  This is probably due to _______________.  Most people simply do not care who the mayor is since they do not think most politicians are honest and do not think any mayor can really change anything for the better.   

Sun ae told me that I should avoid taking any type of ________________ for my back pain.  She said it removes the pain but not the ultimate cause of the pain.  But I have discovered that after I take that type of pill my back feels better for weeks.

answers are below:







answers:

harbinger
punitive
inveterate
absolved
meticulous
apathy
analgesic 

3 adjectives, 1 verb, 3 nouns

1) homogeneous - when all the elements or parts of something are the same
2) integrity - a deep sense of honesty, a moral reliability
3) to jeopardize s/t - to put something at risk, to possibly destroy something
4) kudos - praise, congratulations
5) lavish - too much of something good, overly generous
6) a liaison - two big meanings: 1) someone who is a type of bridge between two organizations and 2) a love affair which is usually kept secret
7) malleable - something that be be changed or re-shaped easily


Many teachers enjoy teaching younger students because they are more _____________than older students. These teachers feel they can have more of an impact in the lives of the younger students.

It was essential for Sun mi to learn English perfectly, because her company in Seoul wished to send her to America to become a _____________ between a business partner in New York and themselves.  

Although Shanghai is an amazing city, the population seems quite ________________ compared to a world city like New York, which has amazing diversity.

For Jack's graduation party his parents spared no expense - it was a ______________ affair with more food and alcohol than the guests could possibly eat and drink.

Maria was a quite humble person, but also an amazing artist.  Therefore, it was difficult for her to accept all the _______________ that her teachers and fellow students gave to her.

George McGovern was a rare politician in American history.  he was not only brave (he had been a war hero in WW II), intelligent and creative, but he had a strong sense of __________________. He was completely honest and always did what he felt to be right.

When my best friend Bob asked me to loan him some money, I was afraid to because I thought that loaning him money might ______________ our friendship.  Yet, after I loaned him the sum, he paid it back immediately.

answers are below:







answers:

malleable
liaison
homogeneous
lavish
kudos
integrity
jeopardize

A little video about George McGovern.  He was the first politician to demand that the Vietnam War end.  He was one of the most honest politicians in American history - his integrity was beyond doubt.

6 adjectives and 1 noun

amiable - friendly, warm
bellicose - warlike
complaisant - eager to please
decrepit - very old, falling apart because of the old age of the object
empirical - based on the evidence of the senses, based on real experience
formidable - difficult to defeat, something which seems intimidating, fearful
guile - deceitfulness, trickery


Bob was one of the most straight-forward guys I knew.  He never acted with any type of ____________; I could truly trust him.

The photos of the building had not been recently taken.  When we arrived to look at the property we expected to buy, it was ________________ and looked as if it might collapse at any moment.

When I first met Bill he seemed like an _______________ guy.  He was outgoing and warm.  But, when he moved in as my roommate he seemed to be a totally different person - rude, selfish and loud.

We went to one of the most expensive restaurants in town and, as you might expect, the waiters were especially _________________ and catered to our every need.

Many liberal American presidents - like Carter and Obama - begin their presidencies in a peaceful manner but seem to become more __________________ as time goes on.

At its beginning stages psychology was very theoretical and there were many competing concepts.  Now the subject has become more ________________ and many concepts have been proved through experiments.

Was there ever a more _______________ basketball team than the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s? They regularly and easily humiliated the New York Knicks, as well as just about every other basketball team in the NBA.

answers are below:






answers:

guile
decrepit
amiable  
complaisant
bellicose
empirical
formidable


Chicago Bulls: