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

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

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