2 nouns, 3 verbs, 4 adjectives

onerous - very difficult work or an activity that requires a great struggle (often physical); if something is burdensome, it is onerous

to bristle - literally this is when hair or bristles stand up on an animal indicating fear or aggression; to bristle means to become upset and consequently to become more aggressive. A person might bristle at the actions of another person.

sullen - this describes a person who is upset or sad and who simply won't talk

infamous - famous for negative reasons

to indulge oneself - to give yourself some source of pleasure, usually as a type of reward

a coup - an achievement that was unexpected and amazing

to calibrate - to adjust some type of measuring device so that it can measure something with the utmost accuracy

ghastly - terrible, disgusting

a palisade - a fence established to provide protection - the fence is usually made of wooden posts with pointed tips at the top


Answers are below the exercise:


Joe _______________ at Mike's suggestion that he was lazy and not working at full capacity. Joe felt himself to be a hard worker and took pride in this.

Al Capone was the most _________________ gangster and criminal in Chicago's history.  He bribed police and officials and was a cold-blooded killer.

Bob had been ill for several weeks.  Frankly, when I saw him he looked __________________; he was as pale as a ghost and seems quite tired and weak.

These days many children feel that taking care of elderly parents is an ________________ task but it is often unavoidable.

I am not even sure how far I walked yesterday. It's true I wore a special device on my shoe to measure my number of steps, but it turns out that the device wasn't properly ________________________ and did not count any steps.

Getting a great writer like Maribel for our magazine was a real ______________.  Everybody wanted her and she chose us because she liked our energy and integrity.

It was just impossible to communicate with Bill yesterday.  Due to the death of his dog he was _______________ all day.

I have been working so hard for so long that I think it's time I _________________ myself in a long night of eating chocolate.

Jamestown is known as the first sustainable European-type city in North America.  Yet, it wasn't really a city.  Basically it was a little collection of houses surrounded by a __________________ to ensure safety from potential native American attacks.


Answers are below:






Answers:

bristled
infamous
ghastly
onerous
calibrated
coup
sullen
indulged
palisade

7 adjectives, 1 noun - Free SAT, GRE, TOEFL Vocabulary

resplendent - shining beautifully, brightly colored, shining

nascent - being born, developing

implacable - if someone is implacable, he/she is very angry about something and this person cannot be made less angry or made happy

insidious - something insidious is something sneaky which causes harm, or something which doesn't appear to be harmful but you slowly realize it is harmful; something insidious can actually look very attractive at first, before you realize it is harmful

savvy - if someone is savvy about something, he/she has a shrewd or very insightful understanding about something that most people don't have, but the connotation of the word is a bit negative - a savvy politician knows what voters want and will promise this to them or a savvy businessman will know how to make money (in a less than honorable way) than other people

a neophyte - a beginner, a newbie

irredeemable - hopeless, not possible of being saved

ponderous - when this word is used, it usually means someone is trying to say or write something very deep and profound, but instead what the person writes is very boring and dry and dull and uninteresting

Answers are under the exercise:


Alexander Hamilton believed that industrialization would be good for the ________________ American economy after the Revolution.  The economy was, after all, being born, and it was necessary to generate wealth quickly for the new republic.

When you start to ski you have to be patient.  As a _____________ I lacked patience and tried to ski down slopes that were too difficult for me, and I took some violent falls.

Sunflowers were a favorite object for Vincent van Gogh to paint.  He would go to ______________ fields of such flowers and create images that were even more vibrant than what he saw. 

Is there still chance for peace in the Middle East or is the situation totally ____________________?

I'm really interested in philosophy because it raises interesting questions we all should ask ourselves.  But this professor delivers some of the most ___________________ lectures I have ever heard. He gives philosophy a bad name.

Joseph McCarthy was a _______________ politician who realized that he could benefit from the fear Americans had of communism in the early 1950s.  He became quite popular and won several elections by falsely accusing other powerful people of being communists.

I don't know what Bob did to make Joe angry, but Joe has become ___________________ in his anger and hatred toward Bob.  He does not even want to see Bob again and if he does, I think there will be trouble.

AIDs is one of the more __________________ viral diseases.  A person who has AIDs will probably live with the disease for many years and will not even know it until the disease suddenly appears.  

Answers are below:






Answers:

nascent
neophyte
resplendent
irredeemable
ponderous
savvy
implacable
insidious

4 adjectives, 2 nouns, 1 verb

precipitous (precipitously - adverb) - this adjective comes from the noun 'precipice.' A precipice is a high point or cliff on a mountain - if you accidentally step off a precipice, you drop to your death.  So 'precipitous' means a quick decision that you make without thinking about it and often can't change after you make it or a quick action that was taken without enough thought behind it.

prodigious - basically this means huge or much bigger than normal

an ambit - a range or a boundary within which something or someone works

ad hoc - put together for just one reason or purpose; often you will read about ad hoc committees or ad hoc action - this means a committee is put together or action is taken to address this one situation

enmity - very strong hatred toward someone; often enmity means that two groups or two people really hate each other

ruthless -  showing no mercy or pity or compassion for others when taking an action

to curdle - when milk is treated with chemicals to become harder, so that it can be made into cheese; this term usually has another common meaning though: if a person is really shocked or scared, he might say that his/her blood curdled.


Answers are beneath the exercise: 

 
It was very dark in the room, and the light switch would not work.  Suddenly I heard a scream that made my blood ______________________.

The pirates of the Caribbean were renowned for being totally __________________ toward any ship that provided resistance.  If a ship's captain surrendered, the crew was spared but the cargo was stolen. If the captain chose to fight, no mercy would be shown and the entire crew would be slaughtered. 

Bob was a little too ___________________ in his choice to marry Becky.  They had only gone out with each other for 2 months before he proposed marriage to her, and their marriage only lasted 6 months.

Cyrano, with his __________________ nose, is a story of unrequited love (un-returned) love. His huge nose made him ugly to women but he was able to coach his handsome friend to be beautifully eloquent and to win the heart of the woman that Cyrano, himself, loved. 

Bill was an amazing US History professor, but he had spent so much time doing research within his academic________________ that he knew very little else about other fields of study.

There seems to be so much long-standing ______________ between countries in the Mideast that some US presidents do not even try to initiate peaceful negotiations.

Bob was not the most organized person in the world, nor was he good at predicting problems.  Instead, he chose to deal with things in an _______________ manner.

Answers are below:



Answers:

curdle
ruthless
precipitious
prodigious
ambit
enmity
ad hoc

8 new SAT, GRE, TOEFL vocabulary words

to indemnify, to be indemnified - two meanings: 1) to insure someone for some type of possible loss (if you buy insurance on your car, you are indemnified against damages - if your car gets damaged, you'll receive a payment from the insurance company); 2) to pay someone for some type of damage or harm which has occurred

indolent - being lazy, not feeling like working

sedentary - being seated; a sedentary lifestyle is an inactive lifestyle - a sedentary job is a job in which you sit a lot

endemic to - common to

conspicuously - obviously, noticeably

graft - illegally obtaining money

keening - this is an obscure word which means vocally expressing grief or mourning after a person's death, especially at a funeral (I found the word in the book: Empire of the Summer Moon)

resilient - able to bounce back (usually after something negative happens)

Answers are underneath the exercise:


Designer bags have become a huge industry, as women pay high prices for these luxury items and ___________________ carry them around to show others that they have money and can live the high life.

It was the summer of Bob's junior year and his parents had not pressured him into finding a job.  He felt he had the right, this one summer, to be _______________ and relax and casually do some reading and lounging around.

According to the contract, we are __________________ against any losses we may suffer due to the negligence of our partner.

Lately a report noted that those who work at ________________ jobs seem to live shorter lives than those who work at jobs that do not require them to sit for long hours at a time.  If a person has to sit for long periods, he/she should find ways to get up and move around often.

One form of political corruption involves _______________. This is when the politician is able to illegally make money through actions he/she preforms as a public servant.

The disease of malaria is _______________ to about 100 countries around the world which have not been able to control the spread of a certain type of mosquito.

The loss of her husband at an early age was devastating for Mary.  At the funeral she was literally ________________ over the coffin of her husband with tears running down her face.

Bob proved himself to be extraordinarily ___________________. Even though he was unfairly fired from a job, he soon had another job at a better company in a better position.

Answers are below:




Answers:

conspicuously
indolent
indemnified
sedentary
graft
endemic
keening
resilient




Yes, I'm the guy who caused the scandal in Korea by revealing to a journalist that I did not feel that K-pop performers were being treated well in NY City:

http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20100512000682

http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20100511000742

4 adjectives, 1 verb --> Free SAT, GRE, TOEFL Vocabulary Exercise

mercurial - if a person changes his mood or temper very quickly, he/she is mercurial (The god Mercury traveled quickly between the other gods and people.)

louche - decadent, lacking in morals, corrupt, not an ethical person (pronounced loosh)

glutinous - glue-like or sticky

to ingratiate yourself with someone - to try hard to make someone like you

to be hobbled - to be slowed down (in the old west cowboys would deliberately tie the front legs of their horses together at night to make sure they would not run away - this was 'hobbling' their horses)

Answers are below the exercise:


I had heard that my current boss was a no-nonsense type of person who could be difficult to work with.  So I went out of my way to _____________________ myself with him.  I often asked his advice, complimented him and even bought him lunch sometimes.

I asked Bob how his research was going, and he told me it wasn't going well.  His team has been __________________ by the fact that the government has cut their funding in half.

I'm a rotten cook (a bad cook).  I can't even cook rice.  When I cook rice it looks, feels and tastes like some _________________ mess.

Chicago is known as one of the most politically corrupt (dishonest) cities in America. Political corruption has existed for so long that most of the politicians become ___________________ after just a short time. If you don't go along with the system there, you don't get anywhere in your political career.

Jack is an amazing guy with a good heart, but he has a significant shortcoming in his personality.  He is quite _________________ and it's hard to predict what his mood will be from one moment to the next.


Answers are below:





Answers:

ingratiate
hobbled
glutinous
louche
mercurial

2 nouns, 2 adjectives, 1 verb

compunction - a feeling of regret or a sense of guilt over something a person did which he/she considers wrong.  This word is often used with 'without' - he acted without compunction, or: he had no compunction in regard to etc.

tandem -  when two people/groups work together on something or work on something at the same time; or two people working in conjunction with each other (for instance, in the Olympics there is 'tandem' swimming where two people perform the same activity at the same time)

to abscond with - this means to go somewhere and secretly take something and run away with it

bumptious - a person who is really proud and boastful and kind of rude so that he/she annoys others

protocol - a list of rules to be followed to accomplish something


Answers are below the exercise:


The United States and the Soviet Union pursued their space programs __________________ and the competition added extra pressure which allowed quick and amazing innovations.

Al Capone showed little or no ___________________ for the years that he had run a criminal organization in the City of Chicago.

If a student wants to learn how to conduct a scientific experiment properly, he/she must learn the proper ___________________.

We all understood that Bob was very proud that he had won a scholarship to the college he wanted to attend, but it went to his head.  He became very arrogant and ____________________ to the point where we began avoiding him.

The elderly lady thought that Mark was a kind person who liked doing volunteer work.  When she invited him to her home, however, she later discover that he had __________________ with some of her priceless jewelry.

Answers are below:




Answers:


in tandem
compunction
protocol
bumptious
absconded

5 adjectives, 4 nouns, 1 verb ---> Free SAT, GRE, TOEFL vocabulary

I chose these 10 words from an amazing book:  The Empire of the Summer Moon (by S.C. Gwynne).  It is a book about an American Indian tribe (the Comanches) that lived in Texas until the 1800s.  If you are studying for the SAT or GRE, this would be a good book to read to improve your vocabulary (if you look up all the words you don't know.)  


malfeasance - this means an illegal or wrong action, especially by a government official

ornery - an ornery person is kind of a nasty, bad-tempered person who likes to argue and fight

untrammeled - unrestricted, not fenced in, free to move about

arbitrage - when you buy something cheaper in one place and sell it for a higher price in another place

ubiquitous - all over the place; if something looks as if it is all over the place, it is ubiquitous (the word is pronounced with an initial 'you' sound --> you BIK wih tus

unalloyed - pure, not mixed with anything else

an obloquy - a very nasty or mean statement about another person; harsh, severe criticism (this noun can be countable or non-countable...i.e. non-countable: How can you resort to such obloquy!  countable: I am tired of all these obloquies being directed at the president!)

a blandishment - this is a deliberately kind of flattering or nice statement meant to get a person to do what you want him/her to do

to bowdlerize - to remove material from a literary work because the material is thought to be too 'dirty', vulgar or offensive; basically this means to censor a work but there is an extra meaning - if a work is bowdlerized, it no longer has the same meaning as it had before the censoring

athwart -  in opposition to, against something


Answers are below the exercise:


Sometimes young adult versions of classic famous novels are ____________________ so much that they no longer even resemble the original works.

The current data were completely ________________ what everyone had believed.  The theory obviously had to be changed.

One of the worst cases of _________________ in recent American history involved Rod Blagojevich, the governor of Illinois.  He was thrown in jail for trying to sell a high-ranking political position to anyone who wanted to buy it.

These days there are people who engage in what is called the "forex" trade, which is a type of ___________________.  They buy a certain amount of foreign currency at one price and then sell it at a higher price in a different market.  Basically, 'forex' is a type of individual gambling that produces no real good for any economy.

Sometimes it's better to use _________________ to encourage a person to do something that is right than using threats of punishment.

I don't understand why it is so hard to catch a cab in Manhattan.  The cabs seem to be _________________, yet they all also seem to be carrying people. 

If a country in Europe joins the European Union, their citizens will have ____________________ access to other EU countries.

Bob recently proposed marriage to Becky and when she accepted, he was filled with the deepest and most _______________ joy he had ever felt.

Frankly, I was disgusted by the recent presidential campaign.  I do not understand why candidates cannot focus on the issues and why they have to resort to ____________________ that attack the reputations of other candidates.

Many people say that New York City cabbies (cab drivers) are rude.  That is an understatement.  They are worse than rude, they are __________________ and it is best to just take the subway in order to avoid arguments and nasty exchanges with them.

Answers are below:




Answers:

bowdlerized
athwart
malfeasance
arbitrage
blandishments
ubiquitous 
untrammeled
unalloyed
obloquies
ornery

2 verbs, 3 adjectives, 2 nouns: SAT, GRE, TOEFL vocabulary

to skulk - this means to hide or move around secretly, either because a person is afraid of being seen or because the person wants to do something wrong.  So if you did something embarrassing at school, you might skulk around the school hoping not too many people see you. Or, if someone is a criminal who wants to commit a crime, he might skulk around looking for an opportunity. 

docile - this word usually means submissive or willing to take orders and do what one is told to do

to dote on - to show too much emotion or affection (love) for someone; to really cater to someone because you really love that person.  

vitriol - this is literally a type of acid, therefore, figuratively, it means a very very harsh or nasty type of criticism

chagrin - when a person feels annoyed or irritated because he has failed at something

pendulous - when something is hanging very loosely or low

fallow - in the old days, farmers would leave some of their land fallow for a year so that it could recover from a previous planting and harvesting.  So leaving land fallow means not using it so that it can recover. 


Answers are below the exercise:


The current trend in the field of education is to build up a student's sense of confidence.  I remember the old days, however, when a teacher might verbally attack a student, using such __________________ that the student would be deeply embarrassed.

By the time a student reaches a university, his/her professors expect that student to be completely __________________. This is why professors are sometimes surprised when students complain or demand better efforts and more meaningful types of learning in the classroom.

I called the police and reported a guy who was just ________________ around my neighborhood. Every night when I come home I see him just kind of hiding around the corners of buildings and looking around.

The grapes in that area of the world grow to be so huge that they are __________________. They are large and round and just hang low on the vine ready to be plucked.

Because of China's 'one child' policy, parents tended to really __________________ their only child, and many of these children grew up to be very spoiled and self-absorbed.

I love gardening and my little garden has produced so many cucumbers and tomatoes. But I think I am going to leave my garden ________________ this year so that the soil can recover from previous plantings.

Bob was sure that he was going to be admitted to the graduate program he really wanted to go to. To his _______________, he was denied admission and we knew this because he started skulking around our school.

Answers are below:



Answers:

vitriol
docile
skulking
pendulous
dote on
fallow
chagrin

5 adjectives, 3 nouns (2 non-countable, 1 countable)

a milieu - a surrounding environment

pious - very devoted to one's religious beliefs

dingy - dirty, shabby, old and discolored

astute - to be sharp or very clever or very discerning

despicable - disgusting, shameful, something that appalls you because it is so bad

fidelity - faithfulness

reverence - extreme respect for a person or thing

blithe - carefree, showing little concern for things


Answers are below the exercise:


I prefer reading the Economist magazine because of its _______________ analysis of world events.

Because she was very young and came from a wealthy background, Victoria had a ______________ attitude toward life in general.

Is a person born a genius or does his/her childhood ________________ have to do with his/her intellectual development?

I once knew a remarkable woman named Estelle who had been married to her husband for over 50 years. Indeed, when I knew her they still loved each other and their _______________ was beyond question.

Bob goes to church each Sunday and observes all the religious holidays and even prays before he eats.  He is one of the most _______________ people I know.

The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibet, but many people around the world treat him with _______________ since he seems to be a man who represents peace and mercy. 

I used to do volunteer work in which I delivered meals to senior citizens (people over 65) who could not leave their homes easily.  It was sometimes sad to see the _______________ apartments with the very old and torn furniture where some of these poor elderly people lived.

Many people were upset that the basketball player, Dennis Rodman, recently traveled to North Korea and sang "Happy Birthday" to Kim Jong Un.  Almost everybody in the world recognizes Kim as a __________________ dictator who enjoys life while his people suffer. (a dictator is a leader of a country who controls everything in the country)

Answers are below:



Answers:

astute
blithe
milieu
fidelity
pious
reverence
dingy

2 adjectives, 2 verbs, 1 (non-countable) noun

conciliating - when you try to make an angry person feel more calm about a situation

to quell something - basically it means to stop something or to suppress something

prudence - if you are a careful person, you are probably prudent.  Prudence means doing things only after you've really considered what the consequences might be.

lustrous - shining

to solicit s/t - to ask for something

Answers are below the exercise:

I love going to the MET Museum in New York City and seeing the _____________ armor that the knights of the Middle Ages wore.

Gout is a very painful disease that makes one of your big toes hurt (alot!).  Luckily there is an ointment that can _______________ the pain while your body takes care of eliminating the gout.
(An ointment is a liquid type of medicine that you rub on a body part.)

I really don't think we should give anything to beggars who _________________ money.  There are many free food and clothing programs for them in the city, and the city will even help them find jobs and housing.

Sophia was wonderfully ___________________ with me.  I became so angry but she was very kind and understanding and helped me get rid of my negative feelings.

If a person is going to take out a loan, he/she should show great ________________.  Only take out a loan if you are pretty sure you can pay it back some day.

Answers are below:




Answers:

lustrous
quell
solicit
conciliatory
prudence

4 adjectives, 1 noun

congenial - this word has two basic meanings: 1) pleasant, friendly 2: if you find a person to be congenial it's because you and that person share certain interests or values

supercilious - a supercilious person is someone who thinks he/she is better or superior to other people

cantankerous - a person who is cantankerous is difficult to get along with; this type of person is kind of nasty and bad tempered

impervious - if something is impervious, it can't be penetrated, you can't get through it

an iconoclast -  this is the type of person who enjoys attacking what everyone else believes in; iconoclasts are generally 'good' for a society since they attack ideas or beliefs which may be wrong

Answers are below the exercise:

In Italian universities in the 1500s, the philosophy of Aristotle dominated the study of science.  Galileo, however, was an ___________________ who openly attacked this philosophy by showing that it did not explain what he had actually observed through his telescope. 

Some cell membranes allow a wide variety of substances into the cell while some are more selective. No cell membrane is ever, however, totally ____________________. Each cell has to admit some substances.

Joe was an amazing athlete and could play several sports, but few colleges wanted to accept him because he had the reputation for being quite _________________ with his coaches and teammates.

The person who wrote the book "Tiger Mom" argues that Chinese mothers, like herself, are "superior" to all other mothers.  Yet, she seems like a very ____________________ person from a privileged background who likes to look down on people who were not as fortunate or blessed as she was. 

From his email messages, Bob struck me as being a cantankerous guy who liked to complain.  But when I met him, I found him to be quite _________________.  He was pleasant and agreeable. 

I hate blind dates.  But, when I met Suzy, I discovered she was totally ________________. We like the same types of movies and share the same types of values.

Answers are below:




Answers:

iconoclast
impervious
cantankerous
supercilious
congenial
congenial

3 verbs, 1 adjective, 1 noun

1. to atrophy - this is when a muscle becomes weaker and smaller because it is not being used
2. intangible - something that is not physical; something which can't be touched
3. to extrapolate - when you extrapolate, you take what you already know and you make a prediction from it
4. to dwindle - to decrease in size
5. a derivative - this comes from the same root word as 'derive;' so a derivative is something that you get from something else

Answers are below the exercise - good luck!

Many foreign tourists come to New York City with lots of money, and before they know it, they realize that their money has ______________ down to a very small amount.

There is a significant problem with using just one test to allow students admission to 'elite' schools.  The problem is that some students have amazing but more ________________ qualities that are harder to measure academically (like creativity, kindness, leadership, generosity).  It has been a huge failure of our school system to neglect these less measurable qualities.

Gasoline is actually a type of _________________ from oil.  After oil is pumped out of the ground, it is refined into gasoline and other products.

From the economic trends of the past year economists have __________________ that unemployment will go down and consumer purchasing will rise.

When astronauts travel in space, they have to make sure that they do various exercises or their muscles will quickly ______________ due to a lack of gravity in space. The lack of gravity means their muscles are not used as much as they are on earth.

answers are below:




answers:

dwindled
intangible
derivative
extrapolated
atrophy

2 verbs, 2 adjectives, 1 noun

1. to capitulate - to give up, to surrender
2. to feel dismayed - to suddenly lose your excitement for something due to a bad experience, to be shocked and to lose interest in doing something
3. to denote something, to be denoted - to indicate something
4. woeful - something that fills one with deep grief or extreme sadness
5. a paroxysm (of) - when emotion comes pouring out,  an outburst of emotion



I had been listening to him lie to me for about an hour.  Suddenly I exploded in a ________________ of anger! I yelled, "You disgusting liar!  How dare you lie to me!"

The coach of the football team was so __________________ after his team's loss, that he quit his job and went into retirement.

Goethe's novel The Sorrows of Young Werther told such a ______________ story, that many people killed themselves after reading it in the 1800s.

In the contract, the obligations of the purchaser are __________________ in paragraph 3.

In the 1700s, pirates gave captains of the ships they attacked two choices.  The captains could try to defend their ships and fight the pirates, or the captains could ______________ without a fight.  If they fought and lost, the pirates would kill everyone on the ship; otherwise the pirates would not hurt anyone on the ship, but would take all the valuables on board.

answers are below:





answers:


paroxysm
dismayed
woeful
denoted
capitulate

More SAT, GRE vocab

The best way to improve your vocabulary is to read challenging, thoughtful books and to look up the words you don't know.  I'm reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein these days, so I jotted down some vocabulary that I thought would be useful to SAT or GRE students. You should also read literature and make your own vocab lists.

1. harrowing - very frightening
2. impertinent - this usually means rude or disrespectful; it can also mean 'beside the point'
3. repose - rest
4. emaciated - the way a person looks who is starving; very thin
5. melancholy - sadness, but a special kind of 'thoughtful' sadness


Bob was fortunate to go to a little liberal arts college out in the countryside of Pennsylvania.  When he was tired of studying, he could take a short walk and lie on the grass, under the trees for some much needed _____________.

Most clerks at department stores are very cordial and polite, but sometimes clerks can also be _________________ toward customers.

Our vacation trip down the Amazon River was supposed to be safe and tranquil, but when we got deep into the river we experienced some ___________________ adventures.

A person probably shouldn't dwell too much on the mistakes he/she has made.  This just leads to a type of useless _____________________.

I could tell Bill had been ill for quite some time.  When I had last seen him, he seemed hardy and robust, but now he looked weak and _______________________.

answers are below:





answers:

repose
impertinent
harrowing
melancholy
emaciated

9 SAT, GRE level vocabulary words

1.  quaint - something which is charming or appealing because it seems old fashioned
2.  viscous - something that is in between being a solid and a liquid
3.  a liability - this word has two big meanings 1) a liability can be a responsibility or 2) a liability can be a handicap, or something that makes something more difficult for a person or group
4.  superfluous - too much, something unnecessary, more than you need
5.  gratifying - pleasing
6.  fickle - changing quickly; usually fickle is used in regard to a person - if a person is fickle he/she changes his/her mind quickly or does things randomly
7.  to rescind something - to remove something, to repeal something; for example, if a law is         rescinded the law is eliminated
8.  to depreciate - there are two big meanings for this word 1) to lessen the value of something - for instance, after you buy and use a car it depreciates in value or 2) to speak negatively about someone or something
9.  didactic - instructive, trying to teach something; the opposite word is pedantic - if a teacher is   pedantic, he wants to impress his students with his knowledge but if a teacher is didactic, he really wants his students to learn something



I had heard that my new professor was world-renowned for his scholarship, but he had an amazing teaching style and was concerned with being more ____________________ than other professors who were more pedantic in order to demonstrate their mastery of their subjects.

I honestly think that we can settle this matter in just one meeting.  More than one meeting will just be ____________________.

I just had to have that rocking chair which I saw in the antique shop.  It was very sturdy and had such a ________________ design - like something you'd see in the early 1800s.

Although the crust and upper mantle are certainly made of solid forms of rock, as you go deeper toward the earth's core you find hotter and more ________________ substances. 

We really need a bilingual speaker for this new position.  Although Bob is really smart, his inability to speak Spanish will be a ________________ to our whole program.

Although your compliment is certainly ________________, I was only doing my job.

Although it's true that Alexander Hamilton experienced some scandals and died as a result of a duel (an illegal activity), I don't think we should ________________ the value he had in the service of the United States of America.  He contributed greatly.

I don't even ask my girlfriend what she wants to do on a date any more - she is so _______________!  She'll tell me one thing, then suddenly change her mind, and then she'll change back to the original decision!

Initially the school library was going to charge students $1 per day for overdue books. However, so many students complained that the library _____________ their policy.

answers are below:





answers:

didactic
superfluous
quaint
viscous
liability
gratifying
depreciate
fickle
rescinded

7 useful words + examples + exercise

to fuss (or to fuss over) - to be worried about something that isn't important
a whim - a sudden, random idea or desire
savory - something that looks delicious to eat
a conscience - the little voice inside of us which tells us what is right or wrong
timorous - being fearful or timid
shrewd - this could mean very clever or very sneaky
rueful - showing sadness, sorrow or regret

Why are you fussing so much over this chapter?  The material in that chapter will not even be on the test.

On a whim, I decided to go visit my cousin in Toronto.

Although Bob bought the book "The Joy of Cooking," he was a terrible cook and never made any really savory meals.

In good conscience, I can't help you cheat on this test.

Some people are risk takers but some people are more timorous, cautious and conservative.

The politician was very shrewd.  He knew that there were many elderly people in his district so he always campaigned around the theme of preserving social security and other programs for the elderly.

That was one of the most stupid things I ever did and I remain rueful to this day.



From the smell of the food that was wafting from the kitchen into the dining room, I could tell we were in store for a most ________________ dinner.

After it became apparent that the War in Iraq was not going to end quickly, many Americans became ________________ that the war had ever been started.

I bought this tie on a _____________.  I didn't expect to buy anything, but when I saw it, I felt I needed to have it.

As far as I can tell all of the preparations for the wedding are in place.  Bob, however, still feels he has to ________________ over some minor details.

Bob is a ________________ businessman.  Even in an economic downturn he can make lots of money.

I felt that I had to quit that job because I have a ______________ conscience.  I did not think that company was doing the right thing.

I tend to be a pretty conservative person because I tend to be a _________________ person.  I'm a little scared of taking risks and trying things that might hurt me.

answers are below:




answers:

savory
rueful
whim
fuss
shrewd
conscience
timorous

Check your high level English vocabulary - 7 useful words

furtively - secretly, surreptitiously, in a sneaky manner 
limpid - very clear, pellucid, transparent
to clamor - to be noisy, to be loud, when a group expresses anger in a loud manner
chic - stylish, trendy, elegant
monotonous - boring because it's the same thing over and over again
coquettishly - flirtatiously, teasingly
garrulous - too talkative



It was so good to be out of the city.  Bob could literally see the fish swimming through the _______________ stream of water near his campsite.

Is there anything worse than sitting next to a _______________ passenger on an overnight flight who just won't shut up? Well, maybe root canal surgery can be worse.

Bob adores Laura but is quite shy.  He did not want Laura to know that he was her secret admirer.  Once a week he would buy flowers and _________________ leave them on her front doorstep without anyone seeing him.

Initially the people of Tunisia accepted the poor conditions of the country.  After the economy began to really become bad, however, people began to _______________, especially through social media, that political change was necessary.

In the novel Naomi, by the Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki, the title character is an expert at acting _________________ toward the older man who falls in love with her. Although he realizes she is bad news, he cannot stop himself from falling for her over and over again.

A young woman does not need to have a lot of money to look ______________.  It is definitely possible to be trendy even if you are on a budget. 

Many foreigners cannot understand why Americans like the game of baseball.  To most people in the world it is a truly ________________ game in which nothing significant never seems to happen and which lasts for way too long.

answers are below:




answers:

limpid
garrulous
furtively
clamor
coquettishly
chic
monotonous

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