Improving Vocabulary Skills

1. Improving Vocabulary Skills Chapter Fourteen

2. Ten Words in context • 1. Alleviate - Verb • To alleviate his loneliness, the widower moved closer to his daughter and her family. • After a long game in the August heat, the young baseball players alleviated their thirst with ice-cold lemonade. • Alleviate means : a) to consider b) to hide c) to ease • Benefactor – Noun • The Second Street Bank is a long-time benefactor of the arts. This year it will sponsor a series of free jazz concerts in the parks. • The wealthy benefactorwho paid for the chil’s operation prefers to remain anonymous. • Benefactor means: a) a financial supporter b) a social critic • c) a cooperative person

3. Ten Words in context • Covert – Adjective • Miriam and David’s relationship is so covert that they never eat out. Even their best friends don’t know they are seeing each other. • If you enjoy covert activities, become a secret agent. • Covert means: a) obvious b) concealed c) easy to bear • Cynic- Noun • Her parents’ nasty divorce has made Libby a cynic about marriage. • Mr. Bryant was a cynic about people until he fell down on a street corner and several strangers rushed to his aid. • Cynic means: a) someone who believes the worst • b) someone who gives help • c) someone with a bad reputation

4. Ten Words in context • 5. Demise - Noun • During my years in grade school and high school, the untimely demise of several of my classmates made me very aware of my mortality. • In 1567, a beard caused a man’s demise. Hans Steininger’s beard was so long that he stepped on it while climbing a staircase, lost his balance, fell down the steps, and died. • Demise means: a) popularity b) a secret c) dying • 6. Infamous- Adjective • King Henry VIII of England was infamous throughout Europe for executing two of his six wives. • Visitors to the dungeons of ancient castles always want to see the instruments of torture, including the infamous Iron Maiden – a body-shaped box with spikes inside. • Infamous means: a) known favorably • b) thought to be annoying • c) giving hope

5. Ten Words in context • 7. Intrinsic - Adjective • Trust is intrinsic to any good friendship. • Because Lian has an intrinsic desire to learn, she doesn’t need the reward of good grades to motivate her studies. • Intrinsic means: a) popularity b) a secret c) dying • 8. Revulsion - Noun • Whenever I read about child abuse in the newspaper, I am filled with such revulsion that I often cannot finish the article. • When Sharon met the man who had cheated her father, she was overcome with revulsion. • Revulsion means: a) interest • b) hatred • c) understanding

6. Ten Words in context • 9. Speculate - Verb • It’s interesting to speculate how history might have been different if Abraham Lincoln had lived a few years longer. • The therapist asked Cassy to speculate about what might happen if she told Ralph her true feelings. • Speculate means: a) to remember b) to announce c) to guess • 10. Virile - Adjective • Men who are unsure about their masculinity sometimes try to “prove” they are virile by being overly aggressive. • When a male heron stamps his feet and sticks his neck out, and then drops his head and says “plop-buzz.” the female finds him very virile. In fact, that behavior is how the male attracts a mate. • Virilemeans: a) having attractive male qualities • b) lacking in confidence • c) unselfish

7. Matching words with definitions • Secret; hidden • A person who believes the worst of people’s behavior and motives; someone who believes people are motivated only by selfishness • Belonging to a person or thing by its very nature (and thus not dependent on circumstances) • Having a very bad reputation; widely known for being vicious, criminal, or deserving of contempt • A person or organization that gives help, especially financial aid • Manly; masculine • Death • To come up with ideas or theories about a subject; theorize • To relieve; make easier to endure • Great disgust or distaste

8. Sentence check one alleviate benefactor covert cynic demise infamous intrinsic revulsion speculate virile • Problems are _____ to life; they’re unavoidable. • My hunger isn’t fully satisfied, but the apple _____(e)d it somewhat. • Teenage guys usually welcome a deepening voice and a thickening beard as signs that they are becoming more _____. • The selfless work of the nuns in the slums of India is enough to touch the hearts of most hardened ______s. • Though she was tried and found not guilty, Lizzie Borden is still _____ for killing her parents with a hatchet.

9. Sentence check one alleviate benefactor covert cynic demise infamous intrinsic revulsion speculate virile • The children loved the ______ activities involved in preparing their mother’s surprise party. • The mass murderer’s neighbors were overcome with ______ when they learned what their “friend” had been doing in his basement. • “As no group has claimed responsibility, we can only _____ on the motives for the bombing,” said the newscaster. • Roger Novak had been a well-known _____ of AIDS research, so it was no surprise that he left a lot of money for the research in his will. • It’s a good idea for married couples to discuss their funeral plans in case of each other’s _____. For example, do they wish to be buried or cremated?

10. Sentence check Two alleviate benefactor covert cynic demise infamous intrinsic revulsion speculate virile 1-2. Nursing is a good career for Dee because it’s a(n) _____ part of her personality to try to _____ people’s pain. In addition, since she is physically and mentally strong, she will be able to handle the rigors of nursing, such as intense stress and long hours. 3-4. Although everything about the Nazis filled the Dutch spy with _____, his _____ assignment was to make friends with top Nazi scientists. He had few qualms about faking such friendships – he would have felt more guilty if he hadn’t done everything in his power to fight the Nazis. 5-6. The _____s in town said that Joyce Lester’s sorrow over her husband’s _____ was much less than her joy in getting the money from his insurance policy. 7-8. Young men who are bullies usually think of themselves as _____, but a _____ of the weak is far more manly than someone who takes advantage of weakness. 9-10. With all the stories told about Jesse James, the Dalton Gang, and other _____ figures of the Wild West, we can only _____ as to how much is fact and how much is fiction.