English

Phrase on - Value of family

"It made me realize that a fast-paced, well compensated, high-visibility career is of little value compared to the rewards of being with family.", Marc said that he couldn't take care of his mother and realized after her death.

cordial

(adj.) in a friendly manner, hearty; cheery; (n.) A liqueur; heartfelt ~~~~~ Despite being separated, Bill and Laura still have _______ relations with one another. ~~~~~ The principal gave the new teachers a _______ welcome at the teacher orientation. ~~~~~ Diplomats work hard to maintain c_____ relations with their colleagues from other countries so that disputes can be discussed in a friendly atmosphere.

erroneous

(adj.) incorrect, containing mistakes; mistaken ~~~~ Just because something is on the internet it's true, mind it there are so many ______ information is put on the web. ~~~~ If your assumption is _____ your conclusion will be incorrect, no matter how logical your reasoning is.

exemplary

(adj.) worthy of imitation, commendable; serving as a model; ~~~~~ Although, I don't agree with the book's argument, I admit its written in an _____ manner. ~~~~~ The town council voted to recognize Ms. Miller's thirty years of _______ service as town clerk with a special ceremony. ~~~~~ My English teacher said that my essay was _____ and that he would read it to the class to illustrate the qualities of a good essay.

contend

(v.) to fight, struggle; to compete; to argue; assert; earnestly ~~~~ In our next debate, our team must ______ that "Science has done more harm than good.". ~~~~ A good lawyer much be able to ______ convincingly that her client is innocent even if she feels sure that he is guilty. ~~~~ People known as "flat-earthers" _______ that the Earth is that rather than round as most people believe.

disperse

(v.) to scatter, spread far and wide ~~~~~ Tear gas was used to ______ the large crowd of angry protestors. ~~~~~ Biologists believe that every organism is born with the urge to ________ its genes as widely as possible. ~~~~~ At the sound of the bell signaling the end of the final period of the final day of the school year, the students di_______ almost instantaneously.

authoritarian

A government in which one leader or group of people holds absolute power; Completely dominating ~~~~ _____ governments restrict individual rights in order to maintain rigid control over the people. ~~~~ Children sometime rebel agains parents who are _______ ~~~~ China is becomes less __________, allowing individuals more freedom.

conflagration

A large destructive fire; great fire ~~~~ During World War II, Allied bombing of Tokyo caused a ________ in that city. ~~~~ The retreating army started a ________ in order to destroy supplies that could be used by the advancing forces. ~~~~ Firefighters in large cities with many high-rise buildings must be careful not to allow a small fire to spread quickly and become a _________.

artisan

A skilled craftsperson; skilled worked; craftsman ~~~~ Potters are _____ who can earn a good living by making things that are both useful and attractive. ~~~~ ______ normally earn more money than laborers because they have skills that are in greater demand.

Phrase on - America believes in Education

America believes in education, the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in whole week.

disputatious

Argumentative; fond of arguing ~~~~ Mary seems naturally ______; she takes an extreme positions on every issue. ~~~~ Phil has hardly a ________ hone in his body; he'll agree with practically everything you say. ~~~~ The di_______ customer disagreed with everything that she was told by the manager.

compile

Assemble; gather; accumulate ~~~~ Newspapers ____ information from many sources in order to give readers a wide view of what is happening in the world. ~~~~ After every season, the batting average and other statistics for every player in Major League Baseball are _______. ~~~~ A good prosecutor ______ evidence steadily until a convincing case is made of the defendant's guilt.

Wear out

Become no longer useful because of wear ~~~~ This sweater use to look beautiful, but now it is ___ ___.

braggart

Boaster ~~~ Mandy's Mom became a bit ______ after her daughter made to all state soccer team. ~~~ _____ are annoying, especially when their boasts turn out to be correct. ~~~ We have ______ in the team who always boast of his awareness of all the changes taking place in the organization.

Turn Into

Change In, Trnsform into ~~~~ The story of Dr Jachil and Mr Hyde is about a scientist who _____ __ a monster after drinking a chemical potion.

compliance

Change of behavior in response to an explicit request from another person or group; readiness to yield; conformity ~~~~ Unless you'd like to spend sometime in jail, ____________ with regulations of the internal revenue service is advisable. ~~~~ General Rogers did not expect every soldier to support his every command enthusiastically; hover, he did expect their _______ . ~~~~ Our organization asks each and every employee to attend mandatory training to be ________ with regulatory requirement of the FED.

Phrase on - Stress Level

Don't let Stress Level become dominant theme of your life.

apprehension

Fear; fearful anticipation of the future; dread ~~~~ Most people think that their own eventual death with _________. ~~~~ The student facing SAT are in full of __________ because their future depends on how well they perform in it. ~~~~ Many people are filled with ________ when they have to speak before large gatherings.

elated

Feeling or expressing great happiness or triumph; in high spirits, overjoyed. ~~~~~ The new author _____ when he saw his new book print. ~~~~~ I was ______ when my son called me and told that he got selected for Fed Challenge. ~~~~~ The member of our college debating team were el_____ when they found their team won the state championship.

avarice

Greed; greediness for wealth ~~~ According to psychologist, many gamblers are motivated not by ________ but by a need of excitement. ~~~ It was not ______ that motivated Joe to work hard to become wealthy so much as a desire for financial security. ~~~ Although Lou was not _________ person, but he came up with a business strategy that earned him 20 million dollars.

elusive

Hard to grasp; tending to evade ~~~~ My brother, an enthusiastic surfer, goes out to ocean every day in search of ______ perfect wave. ~~~~ Evidence of the existence of life outside the earth is proved to be elusive. ~~~~ "Alley Cat" is an el____ fellow; first he escaped from police custody then eluded from statewide manhunt.

candor

Honesty; open honesty ~~~~ It's unrealistic to expect people to speak _____ at all times. ~~~~ It seems to be human nature to expect ______ from others when we speak to them but not to also expect it from ourselves. ~~~~ Talk show hosts are good at getting guests to speak candidly about their lives.

glacial

Hostile; unfriendly; cold; icy; very slow; like a glacier; extremely cold. ~~~~ Negotiations on the issue are proceeding at such a ______ pace that their is little hope for a settlement in the foreseeable future. ~~~~ Arctic explorer must endure ____ temperatures. ~~~~ Uncle Toby completes one college credit every five years at this _____ pace he'll have a degree by the time I'm a grandfather.

Turn up

Increase the intensity; Arrive ~~~~ I like this song, could you ____ __ the radio. Not many people ___ __ in the party last night.

benevolent

Kind; generous; charitable ~~~~ Children in America think that Santa Clause is a ________ old man who dispenses gifts on Christmas. ~~~~ America relies on private ________ foundations to help many people faced with financial and other difficulties. ~~~~ It seems Mark Z. was in __________ mood last year when he donated 1 billion dollars to charitable foundations.

Phrase on - Money

Money is a terrible Master but an excellent servant. - P.T Burman.

antiquated

No longer used or useful; very old;old fashioned; obsolete ~~~~ Most people regard the phonograph as an ______ form of technology. ~~~~ Some famous writers still prefer to use an ______ typewriter than that of computer. ~~~~

gregarious

SOCIABLE; ~~~~ Although human beings by nature are _______ spaces, but some of them prefer solitude. ~~~~ Some studies suggest that girls are more ________ than boys. ~~~~ Oliver is generally _______, but sometimes he enjoys taking some time to be alone and reflect on things.

endorse

Support; approve ~~~ Governor Chris Christie was ______ by all the news papers and media, but after Bridge grate incident they regret of their approval. ~~~ After our Principal _____ the student council's plan for graduation ceremony, our committee went ahead of planning of the event. ~~~ After evaluating the technical plan for application migration, I en_____ it and asked team members follow the same step by step.

disinclination

Unwillingness; lack of inclination; reluctance ~~~~ Seeing wonderful sunny weather, my sons showed their ______ for mowing the lawn that day, in return I also showed my _______ to pay their allowance. ~~~~ Arthur, a slightly built young man, has a _________ to participate in sports involving physical contacts. ~~~~ I have a di_________ to help you because you didn't help me when I was having difficulties.

ferociosly

Violent manner/Great degree/Extremely The dogs barked ferociously. I am sweating ferociously. She is ferociously intelligent girl.

walk out

Withdraw, To leave an event before it is finished, To refuse to work because of a disagreement with your employer ~~~~~ It was such a bad movie that I felt like ______ __ in the first fifteen minutes. ~~~~ Airline pilots are threatening to ___ ___ next week. ~~~~~ Roger Federer has ______ ___ from the ATP World Tour final against Novak Djokovic because of a back injury.

precocious

advanced in development; unusually advanced ~~~ Listening to the grown-up way the child discussed serious topics, he couldn't help remarking how _________ she was. ~~~ I have noticed that the children of other nation are always ________. That's because strange manner of their elders caught our attention most and children echo those manners enough to seem like their parents.

acquiesce

agree without protesting Soldiers are expected to ______ to the order of their superior. Reluctantly Linda _______ with Jim's wishes and went to football game with him; to her surprise, she enjoyed it. The company _______ to the union's demands after a twelve-week strike nearly bankrupted it.

censure

criticize harshly; blame ~~~~ The US senate can vote to _______ members who's conduct is considered improper. ~~~~ Professional bodies have the power to _____ members; who violate their code of ethics. ~~~~ The state department ______ countries that allow the human rights of their citizens to be violated.

repudiate

disown; disavow ~~~ On separating with Tony, Tina announced that sh would ________ all her debts by her soon-to-be_ex-husband. ~~~ This generation has _______ the values of the past. ~~~~ He has publicly _______ the government's policies. ~~~~ He published an article that ______ the study's claims. ~~~ She says she has evidence which ______ the allegations.

discount

disregard; dismiss ~~~~ Until someone saw him having dinner with a woman in restaurant, the students _______ the rumor that the school oldest bachelor, Mr Leonard, was going to be married. ~~~~ The report ______ the story he was told because it contradicted all the other information he had about the situation. ~~~~ People who work for intelligence services such as the CIA must learn what information they should di_____ and which they should analyze.

embellish

to add ornamental or fictitious details; ~~~~ Sarah _______ her living room by vases she had collected in her travels all over the world. ~~~~ According to recent study, it was discovered that half of all job applicant admitted of ______ their qualifications. ~~~~ Journalist should not _______ their stories to make it more interesting.

emulate

to copy; strive to equal or excel; imitate; ~~~ Jim's mother wanted her son to _____ his father in all the fields but in one that is to overeat. ~~~ I try to _______ Jemmy Dimon the way manages and administers such a large organization. ~~~ After finishing her medical, Jenny will em____ her father and will practice in rural areas for initial few years.

debilitate

to weaken; enfeeble ~~~~ During very hot weather its important to drink plenty of water so as not to become _______ as a result of dehydration. ~~~~ Diseases d_______ many people in Africa who don't have adequate nutrition and lack access to modern medicine. ~~~~ Injuries sustained in automobile accidents _______ thousands of people in the United States each year.

aggregate

total ~~~~ The roman empire was an _______ of many states under the Emperor. ~~~~ The _________ wealth of country is an asset of individuals, companies, and other organizations. ~~~~ The _______ strength of various branches of US armed force is immense. ~~~~ I reviewed NJEA website and calculated their ______ wealth accumulation per annum, which is enormous.

altruistic

unselfishly generous; concerned for others ~~~ When one country gives aid to another country it is generally for reasons that are not entirely _________. ~~~ Many people are attracted to teaching for ________ reasons rather than financial ones. ~~~ A mother's love is often example cited as example of ________.

prevalent

widespread; generally well accepted. ~~~ Reed has no patience with conservative views _____ in the America of his day. ~~~~ Those teaching methods are still _____ at many schools. ~~~~

Phrase on - Comparing and assessing the personality

Admittedly, I was enthusiastic, over confident and idealistic, but immature and inexperienced. I am paying price for that.

equivocal

Ambiguous; unclear in meaning; intentionally misleading. ~~~~ Debaters normally can't take _____ position if they want to with the debate. They must take definite position either for or against the motion proposed. ~~~~ The judge demanded the witness give a definite "yes" or "no" answer, but received only an ________ "maybe". ~~~~ Politicians sometimes give ________ responses to questions in order to avoid having their position on an issue "pinned down".

iconoclastic

Attacking cherished traditions; ~~~~~ During the 1960's, many ________ young people questioned the accepted beliefs and values of the time.

flagrant

Clearly offensive or bad; conspicuously acting against what is right; conspicuously wicked; blatant; outrageous ~~~ The Mayor abuse of power became so ______ that the town council decided to remove him from office. ~~~ In a _______ violation of the school dresscode, Sally wore a halter-top to school yesterday. ~~~ Because of motorist violation was ______, the traffic policemen had no choice but to issue a summon to him.

exhaustive

Comprehensive, thorough, exhausting a topic or subject, accounting for all possibilities; draining, tending to exhaust ~~~~ After the _______ review of his old tax records, Stan found a small error that he had made. ~~~~ An _______ search is being perfumed for missing Malasyan Airlines plan for last one week.

belie

Contradict; give a false impression; ~~~~ The small size of Australian funnel web spider _____ the deadliness of its venom. ~~~~ His kind words were _____ by his angry tone and expression. ~~~~ Ms Johnson small size _____ the ferocity with which she can scold a student who doesn't hand in an assignment on time.

Composure

Control over expression and action; mental calmness ~~~~ While executing a double axel, the figure skier fell and became upset for a while; however, he soon regained his ______ and completed his routine successfully. ~~~~ A platoon leader must have __________ under enemy fire so he can make the correct decisions. ~~~~ With two minutes to go on a section of the SAT, John realized he had filled in the ovals out of order; he kept his _______, however, and corrected his mistake before the time was up.

ascendancy

Controlling influence; domination, ~~~ If one country gains ________ in a region of the world, its neighbors often band together to try to prevent it from gaining even more power and influence. ~~~ During the early part of twentieth century, Nascism was in ________ in Germany. ~~~ Over the past decade or so, China has been gaining ________ among Asian nations.

colloquial

Conversational; pertaining to conversational or common speech. ~~~~ ____ speech helps the members of the group to identify themselves as different from others. ~~~~ ______ words and expressions should not be used in formal english. ~~~~ "OK" is american ____ expression that is used around the world.

cursory

Hasty, Not thorough; kettle attention to detail ~~~~~ Many pilots make a final ______ inspection of their aircraft shortly become takeoff. ~~~~~ A ________ analysis of the problem, revealed a possible cause; however, a more thorough analysis would be needed to determine whether or not the actual cause had been identified. ~~~~~ An experienced editor can tell from a c_______ reading of a manuscript whether or not the weited is using correct English.

Enmity

Hatred; ill will ~~~~ The feud with in the family causes more ______ than it is between the people who aren't related. ~~~~ The US civil was caused great ______ between North and South that ever persist to some extent to this day. ~~~~ I don't think there is any en____ between Federer and Nadal, even though they are the biggest rivals of all the time, instead have respect for each other.

implicit

IMPLIED; UNDERSTOOD BUT NOT STATED ~~~~~ For others, the beliefs about learning and teaching may remain _________. ~~~ ________ in the notion of campaigning is the idea of change. ~~~~ In current discourse, teacher learning is often ______ rather than explicit. ~~~~ ______ assumption that tutors know about these things.

apathy

INDIFFERENCE; lack of interest or concern. ~~~~ Voters ______ in United States so great that in most of election less than half of eligible voters turn out to cast their votes. ~~~~ _____ about social or political issues often occurs when people think that these issues will not directly effect them. ~~~~ After many years of trying to become manager, John became ______ about striving to get ahead in his career.

artifact

ITEM MADE BY HUMAN CRAFT; Object made by human beings ~~~ Our history class decided to make a time capsule, so we gathered various _____ from our everyday life, put them in steel box and buried them in school yard. ~~~ The pyramids of Egypt are the largest _____ left by ancient humans. ~~~ From _______ left by the people of an ancient civilization, scientists can built a picture of how they lived.

facilitate

Make less difficult; help bring about ~~~~ To _____ the investigation to find lost Malaysian flight MH370, 26 countries have come together to solve this mystery. ~~~~ The governor's order that nonessential vehicles stay off the roads ______ the movement of relief supplies into the flooded area. ~~~~ The dictator refused to ________ UN inspections of his country's nuclear weapons.

ascetic

N. ONE WHO PRACTICES SELF-DENIAL, ADJ. SELF-DENYING OR AUSTERE ~~~ The monk led an ____ life, spending most of his time in prayer and eating only as much as necessary to stay alive. ~~~ Some religions encourage their followers to practice _______ as a way to purify themselves. ~~~ Some writers lead an _____ existence when they work on a book, living simply and spending nearly all of their time writing.

astute

(adj.) shrewd, crafty, showing practical wisdom ~~~ An ______ editor is able to correct a writer's faulty English without changing the meaning. ~~~ ______ investing by Mrs Ogden allowed her to buy several vacation homes for her family. ~~~ Psychologists say that experiments show that females tend to be more ________ than males at judging the motives of other people.

ardent

(adj.) very enthusiastic, impassioned; intense; passionate; zealous ~~~ _______ democrats or repubilicans usually vote for candidates nominated by their parties. ~~~ Even most _____ supporters of freedom of speech believe that there must be some limitation on what people are allowed to say. ~~~ An _____ environmentalist, Senator Wood for the bill even though it meant a loss of jobs for his state in the mining industry.

attribute

(n.) a quality or characteristic belonging to or associated with someone or something; (v.) to assign to, credit with; to regard as caused by or resulting from ~~~~ Americas economic success can be _____ to a number of factors, but one of these certainly is the hard work of its people. ~~~~ Small children often ______ to their teachers qualities that are almost super-human. ~~~~ John's reputation of courage was _______ by his rescuing a child from a burning building.

heresy

(n.) an opinion different from accepted belief; the denial of an idea that is generally held sacred; opinion contrary to popular belief. ~~~~~ The view that organized sports are a waste of time probably would be regarded as ____ by a majority of Americans. ~~~~~ The Ford buyer he entire life, Dad said he felt like he was committing ____ when he bought a Toyota last year.

Concede

(v.) to admit as true; to yield, submit ~~~~~ Our tennis team _______ the match after it was discovered that one of our players had not been academically eligible to play. ~~~~~ I ______ that I don't know much about the history of music. ~~~~~ Jim ________ that Bon had made some good points during the debate but refused to admit that Bob had made a better overall argument.

extricate

(v.) to free from entanglements or difficulties; to remove with effort; disentangle ~~~~ Many countries are reluctant to commit troops in foreign conflicts because it is often difficult to ________ them. ~~~~ The salesman buttonholed the potential customer and gave her his long sales pitch; the poor woman couldn't ________ herself from the conversation without being rude. ~~~~ The expression "put his foot in his mouth" is often used when a person has said something embarrassing or insulting and is going to have trouble ________ himself gracefully from the awkward situation.

aspire

(v.) to have ambitious hopes or plans, strive toward a higher goal, desire earnestly; to ascend ~~~ Many people ______ to be successful novelist but few succeed. ~~~ When he was high school student, Bill Clinton _____ to be the President of United states. ~~~ Malasia _________ to be developed country by 2020.

falter

(v.) to hesitate, stumble, lose courage; to speak hesitatingly; to lose drive, weaken, decline; ~~~~ The speaker ______ when he came to the part of his speech in which he told his memories of his beloved wife who had died recently. ~~~~ Our attack _____ soon after the enemy opened up on us with heavy artillery. ~~~~ People with faith in human progress believe that although progress may _____ at times, in the long run life will improve.

appease

(v.) to make calm, soothe; to relieve, satisfy; to yield to; pacify; relieve, assuage ~~~~ To ______ liberals in the party, the President appointed a liberal to the Supreme Court. ~~~~ The candy bar I took _______ my hunger. ~~~~ In order to _____ voters, Congress reduced taxes.

assuage

(v.) to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench ~~~ After long and bitter fight for control of the company, the new CEO felt that it was important to _________ the angry feelings of all the parties involved. ~~~ The soldier's pain was ________ by the painkiller that nurse gave him. ~~~ There is nothing better than cold pure water to _______ your thirst.

discriminating

1. able to make fine distinctions between; having good taste, 2. favoring one side/group and acting against another; able to see differences ~~~~~ A _______ reader Ms. Hansen chooses books that have been highly praised by respected reviewers. ~~~~~ Lucy's parents want her to become more ___________ in her choice of boy friends. ~~~~ Gail has di_______ taste in chocolate; she can tell with one bite if a piece of chocolate is high quality.

degradation

A decline to a lower condition, quality, or level; humiliation; degeneration ~~~~ The deliberate _____ of prisoners of war is prohibited under the Geneva Convention. ~~~~ Some teachers use d_____ to punish unruly students. ~~~~ The satellite was placed in such a low Earth orbit that the orbit ______ after only two days, and the satellite tell to Earth.

charlatan

A fake; fraud; imposter; cheat; pretender of knowledge ~~~~~ Jack pretended to be the linguistic with a vast knowledge of foreign language; however he was exposed as a _______ when he couldn't even tell us the meaning of au devoir. ~~~~~ The history of medicine is filled with _______ who promised cores for incurable illnesses. ~~~~~ A ______ sold me a watch worth of $5 for $50.

conviction

A fixed or strong belief; judgement that someone is guilty of a crime. ~~~~ During a debate you should speak with _______ to help persuade the judges of the correctness of your argument. ~~~~ For a democracy to remain strong and healthy, people must voice their _____ freely. ~~~~ I admire a person with strong c_______ even if I don't happen to share the same views.

hedonist

A pleasure seeker;One who believes that pleasure is the soul aim in the life. ~~~~~ As a young man, Charles was ________, but as he grew older he became more interested n spiritual matters. ~~~~~ "Eat, drink, and be merry" is a pretty good summary of a _________'s philosophy. ~~~~~ Saint Augustine abandoned the ________ pursuits of his youth to pursue spiritual life.

aversion

A strong dislike ~~~ I have a ______ of spicy food because it upsets my stomach. ~~~ Sue has such an ______ of cigarette smoke that she can't stand in the room when even one person is smoking. ~~~ An __________ to spiders has been found in large number of people around the world.

guile

deceit; trickery; cunning ~~~~ Unable to convince company to hire him, Jim resorted to ______ and added jobs in his resume, which he never worked in past. ~~~~ I suspected that the car sales person was using _____ , when he assured me that the car I was looking at had only driven by old lady to the church on Sundays. ~~~~ The gym salesperson used tricks to ______ me, telling that the membership can be cancelled at anytime.

duplicity

deliberate; deceptiveness, (n.) treachery, deceitfulness ~~~~ Joan has such a reputation for _______ that we don't believe her even when what she says sounds as though it may be true. ~~~~ The chief used ________ to gain entry into the bank; He posed as a telephone repairman. ~~~~ The spy was a mole; she used du____ to gain the trust of members of the intelligence service of the foreign government in order to infiltrate it.

calculated

deliberately planned; ~~~ Baseball managers sometime take _______ risks, such as calling for a double-steal. ~~~ The comedian performance appeared unrehearsed; however, we found out later that every line as carefully _______ to get a laugh from audience. ~~~ I was disappointed to find out that Bill's every move was _______ to win our boss's and make me look bad.

reprehensible

deserving blame; deserving of very strong criticism. ~~~~ Shocked by the viciousness of the bombing, the politicians of every party uniformly condemned the terrorists of _______ deed. ~~~~

corrode

destroy by chemical action; deteriorate ~~~~ The water pipes in many cities built early in the last century are beginning to ________ . ~~~~ People who live near the ocean often complain that the salty air ____ parts of their houses, such as metal window fixtures. ~~~~ If the chassis of your car starts to c_______, you should have it repaired before it becomes worse.

arbitrary

determined by chance or impulse; randomly chosen ~~~ Judge who makes _______ ruling can be removed from office. ~~~ Mr Hughes chose students in ______ manner for debate; he selected every 5th person from class roster. ~~~ Decision to use color green as "Go" is an arbitrary decision.

dogmatic

dictatorial in one's opinions; opinionated; arbitrary ~~~~~~ A good book reviewer is flexible and not ________ in his or her view about what makes a book worldwide. ~~~~~ A good scientist can't be _______ in evaluating evidence. ~~~~~ A good of education is to make people less do______ and more open to different viewpoints. ~~~~~

abstruse

difficult to understand ~~~ Writers who are ______ seldom are really popular. ~~~ Many people find higher mathematics to be an ______ subject. ~~~ The astronomer Carl Sagan had a gift for making the ______ areas of his field understandable to the layperson.

fallow

dormant; unused; plowed but not sowed; uncultivated. ~~~~ The field has lain _____ for so many years that people are beginning to wonder if its owner is planning to sell it to property developers. ~~~~ The minds of new students in college are like _______ fields waiting for me to plant in them the seeds of knowledge. ~~~~ Mr Jones decided to let ten acres of his farmland lie _______ this year.

affable

easily approachable, warmly friendly ~~~ The Judges in beauty contest often choose one of the contestants who is most _______. ~~~ People who work in sales are often most _____ individuals, who enjoy talking to many types of people. ~~~ The young teacher was so ______ he became his students's friend but lost their respect.

abstemious

eating and drinking in moderation; restricted to bare necessities. ~~~~ After feasting on Thanksgiving Day, I became _______ for a few days, so I lost some of the weight I had put on. ~~~~ Medical experts say that a fairly ______ lifestyle is advisable for good health. ~~~~ Models often must be ______ in order to avoid gaining weight.

audacious

fearless and daring; bold ~~~~ His plan was an _____ one to climb on the Mt everest. ~~~~ President Kennedy set one of the most _______ goals of all times, when he said that America should land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth before 1969. ~~~~ Japan's plan at the start of World War II was _________ strike at America quickly before it could build up its military strength.

adulation

flattery, admiration Rock stars often receive widespread _______ for a short period of time. On some college campuses there are movements to place less stress on intercollegiate athletics so that good students would receive as much _______ as good athletics. After World War II, the General Dwight Eisenhower received so much ______ for leading the allies to victory that it helped him to become President of the United States.

amorphous

formless; lacking shape or definition. ~~~~ The modern paintings are _______, I can't figure out what it's supposed to be. ~~~~ The company's plan to expand is at present ________, and should begin to take shape at a series of meetings next month. ~~~~ This essay is so _________ that it isn't possible to determine its main argument.

Turn in

go to bed ~~~~ It's been a rough day, I am going to ___ __ early and get a good night sleep.

degression

gradual decrease; reduction in taxes; wandering away from the subject ~~~~ Some students in history class think Mr. Romoano's _______ are a waste of time, but I enjoy them because I learn interesting facts that aren't in the textbook. ~~~~ Avoid _____ when you write an essay; teachers expect your writing to be focused and fews of irrelevant information. ~~~~ The judge instructed the witness to stop _______ and stick to the main events in her account of the crime.

confound

TO BAFFLE; PERPLEX; MIX UP; CONFUSE; PUZZLE ~~~~ until Louis Pasteur discovered germs, the origin of many diseases _______ scientists. ~~~~ The American watching a cricket match in Britain was _____ by the complex rules of game. ~~~~ Many statements that students make in their essays are _______ to teachers because they are poorly written.

deride

TO MOCK; ridicule; make fun of ~~~~~ Attempts to use radio waves for long-range communication were ______ by early twentieth-century physicists as impossible. ~~~~~ Every time Larry tried to diet, his friends _______ his effort to lose weight as futile. ~~~~~ Some people de_____ the study of art as a waste of time.

document

TO PROVIDE WITH WRITTEN EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT ~~~~~ The job of the biographer is made easier if the subject has ______ his or her life. ~~~~~ The historical society has started a project to ________ the history of our town. ~~~~~ Doad likes to do______ our summer vacation trips by recording highlights with his video camera.

beguile

To deceive; mislead or delude ~~~~ A conman _______ my mother with a sob story about how his child needed money for an operation. ~~~~ Many british soldiers enlisted in the army in World War 1 because they were ______ by the idea of taking part in a quick and glorious victory. ~~~~ A good magician uses a number of tricks to ______ his audience into believing that what they're seeing is real.

deprecate

To express disapproval of; belittle ~~~~ Linda enjoyed her creative writing class because her teacher never _______ the stories she wrote, but instead always praised what was good about them. ~~~~ Bob Dylan's singing was _______ by many people; nevertheless, he became one of the most famous singers in the history of popular music. ~~~~ After the principal de_____ the new teacher in front of her class, the students lost their respect for her.

exalt

To glorify; to praise; raise in rank or dignity ~~~~ The combat hero was ________ in his hometown when he returned home from the war. ~~~~ Hagin been made Bishop at the age of forty, Father Watson believe he would one day reach the ______ position of Cardinal. ~~~~ When the college of Cardinals selects a Pope, he is _____ above all the Roman Catholics.

exemplify

To illustrate by being an example of; serve as an example of ~~~~~ In the eyes of many people, the astronaut ______ the spirit of adventure. ~~~~~ President Roosevelt _______ for many Americans the rugged, independent man of action. ~~~~~ For many people the spirit of the 1960s was _______ at the Woodstock music festival in 1969.

extol

To praise; glorify ~~~~~ My brother ______ the virtues of camping under the open sky in a sleeping bag. I on the other hand prefer sleeping in a rainproof tent. ~~~~~ Marcia _______ the joys of living in a big city, but Peter prefers life of small town. ~~~~~ A lot of people _______ the pleasures of reading detective fiction, but I prefer historical fiction.

disclose

To reveal ~~~~ For tax purposes, the government requires that anyone earning an income _______ its source. ~~~~ A journalist can sometimes obtain information from a person if the journalist agrees not to di_____ the source of that information. ~~~~ Aunt Becky has never ____ the name of the man she was going to be married to thirty years ago but who died in a car crash just before the wedding.

glutton

a person who is devoted to eating and drinking to excess; ~~~~ Every Sunday, Steve's Dinner has a full house of _______ for the all your can each buffet. ~~~~ Fast food restaurants allow _____ to satisfy their desire for food almost instantaneously. ~~~~ My girlfriend could be described as a _______ for shopping because she spends most of her weekends at the mall.

anarchist

a person who seeks to overturn the established government; an advocate of abolishing authority. ~~~ Governments regard _______ as dangerous because they represent a threat to the existence of the state. ~~~ ______ generally believe that governments infringe on rights that human beings enjoy naturally. ~~~ Mr Jones, our Principal, seems to regard any student who argues for letting students have a voice in the running of the school as an ______.

antidote

a remedy that stops or controls the effects of a poison; something that relieves harmful effect. ~~~ Researchers are trying to find _____ of common cold but so far they have limited success. ~~~ Doctors often say that the best _____ of many deceases is time. ~~~ If you are bitten by snake, you should try to note its appearance so you can be prescribed right _____ based of type of species.

elegy

a sorrowful poem or speech; poem or song expressing grief. ~~~~ Deeply saddened by his young sons death, the poet wrote an _____ to him. ~~~~ One of the great ale____ in American Literature is Walt Whitman's moving poem for President Lincoln.

decorum

appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety; orderliness; ~~~~ The senior prom gave the usually rowdy Jack a chance to show us that he could behave with _______ . ~~~~ Expecting d_______ in kindergarden class is unrealistic. ~~~~ Students in the Junior high cafeteria behaved with ______ until a food fight that soon involved every student broke out.

contentious

argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement; causing quarrels ~~~~ I suggest that we avoid discussing _______ subjects such as religion and political until we get to know one another better. ~~~~ To help unity the party after then hard-fought election campaign, the president asked that _______ issues not be discussed for three months. ~~~~ Jean seems to be a naturally _______ person; I said the weather seems fine today and she replied that it wasn't true because there were some clouds in the sky.

affirmation

assertion; confirmation ~~~ Reciting pledge of allegiance is an _______ of our loyalty to our country. ~~~ Our Principal asked each of us to make an ________ of our determination to make our best effort in all our subjects. ~~~ As club President, I expect everyone to make an ______ of loyalty.

accolade

award of merit ~~ The Bharat Ratna is one of the highest ______ that only very few can receive. ~~~ Some writers achieve great popularity, but never receive ______ from literary critics. ~~~ I think I never worked for ______ but for the benefit of organization.

watch out

be alert; look out for ~~~~ "If you are on crowded subway or bus, you must ____ ___ for pick pockets.

reprove

censure; rebuke; criticize or correct gently. ~~~ The Principal severely _______ the students whenever they talked in the halls. ~~~

capricious

changing one's mind quickly and often; unpredictable; fickle ~~~~~ "The weather has been _______ recently," Bill said, "so I think I'll kip the picnic I planned with my friends and just order a pizza. ~~~~~ My cat is a _______ eater; every day she wants something different to each. ~~~~~ Science operates on the assumption that the laws of nature are not _________.

explicit

clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression. ~~~~~ Tim's parents left for a day with ______ instructions "No parties in our absence". ~~~~~ The bill of rights in the US Constitution is the first _____ statement of human rights in history. ~~~~~ The ________ meaning of the poem is clear, but its deeper implied meaning is much more difficult to understand.

cajole

coax ~~~~ Most children are good at _______ their parents to get them their desired toys. ~~~~ Joe consider himself as one of the most successful salesperson and he brags that he can _______ alaskan to buy air conditioner during winter. ~~~~ We _______ dad to take us US open this year.

analogous

comparable ~~~~ The heart of an animal or person is ________ to a pump. ~~~~ The struggle of species of animals for survival in nature is _______ to the struggle of companies for survival in the capitalism economic system. ~~~~ Business people sometime make an _______ between the hardware of a computer and the "Hardware" of a firm — that is, its physical assets, as opposed to its intellectual ones, which are compared to the software used by a computer.

anomaly

irregularity ~~~~ Any _______ with heartbeat must not be ignored and Doctor's advice should be taken. ~~~~ Earth atmosphere causes _______ with the telescopic observation of other stars. ~~~~ Because Fred came an hour late, his boss finds it as an ______ as he always comes on time.

ephemeral

lasting a short time; short lived; fleeting ~~~~ Most of the writing that appears in newspaper is _____. ~~~~ In comparison to billions of years this Universe existed, the life of living being seems ep_______ . ~~~~ Some slangs are ______ but few of them has made it to english dictionary like "phony".

preclude

make impossible; eliminate ~~~ She suffered an injury that _______ her possibility of an athletic career. ~~~ The fact that the band was so overly booked, it ________ the chance of getting it for new year's eve.

deterrent

obstacle; something that discourages, Something that discourages ~~~~~ The library's policy of allowing students to take out only one book at a time is ______ to reading. ~~~~~ The government imposes a high tax on cigarettes as a ________ to smoking. ~~~~~ The United States maintains a powerful military force as a de____ to aggression by other countries.

adversary

opponent Before committing her country to a war, a wise leader carefully sized up the strength of the possible ______. During World War II, Japan found that United States was much more powerful _______ than it had thought it would be. For many years Mohmmad Ali and Joe Frasier were regular _______ in the boxing ring, fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world.

pretentious

ostentatious, pompous, making unjustified claims, overly ambitious. ~~~ None of the other prize medals are wearing their medals, isn't it a bit ________ of you to wear yours? ~~~ The houses in my neighborhood are large and _______. ~~~

presumptuous

overconfident; impertinently bold; taking libraries ~~~ Matilda thought it was ______ of the young man to have addressed her without first having formally introduced. Perhaps manners were freer in the New world. ~~~

placate

pacify; conciliate; to soothe, mollify by concessions. ~~~ The store manager tried to ______ the angry crowd, offering to replace the damaged merchandise. ~~~ The administration _______ the angry crowd by agreeing to their demands.

Pass out

pass something out (to someone) to distribute something to someone. ~~~~~ Please ___ these ___ to everyone. Pass out these papers to everyone. ~~~~~ to faint; to lose consciousness. ~~~~~ Oh, look! Tom has _____ ____. When he got the news, he passed out. A few people _____ ___ from the heat.

deplore

regret; disapprove of ~~~~ Many people _____ the showing of extreme violence on television. ~~~~ The president said that he _______ the loss of life in the battle but mentioned that such losses were unavoidable. ~~~~ My grandfather d_______ the increasing commercialization of major sports such as football and baseball.

antediluvian

very ancient or prehistoric (literally "before the flood"); extremely old. ~~~ Young people of today find black and white TV as an ________ form of technology. ~~~ Because of generation gap, kids today often find the ideas of their parent ___________. ~~~ The origin of Egypt was lost in the mists of _____ times.

alleviate

relieve; make more bearable ~~~ The United Nations is working towards to ______ poverty in the world. ~~~ Many people find that exercise is a good way to ________ the effects of stress. ~~~ To ________ traffic congestion, cities such as London and Singapore impose fee on motorists driving into downtown areas during busy periods.

piety

religious devotion; godliness ~~~~ The nuns in the convent were noted for their _____, spending their days in worship and prayer.

reprimand

reprove severely; rebuke ~~~ Every time Emilie made the mistake in the class, she was afraid that her teacher would ________ her and tell her father how badly she was doing in school.

eulogy

speech in praise of someone; expression of praise ~~~~ At the funeral of beloved grandmother, Donna read a _______ she had written to her. ~~~~ Jim gave what might well be the shortest _____ in history at his friend's funeral "He was pretty cool dude". ~~~~ The biography of Abraham Lincoln isn't merely a _______ to him, it examines his weaknesses as well as the qualities that made him a great president.

criterion

standard used; in judging ~~~~ One ______ of a food vocabulary-building book is that words are reinforced in the student's mind. ~~~~ Many universities include the ability to write clear and correct english as one of their admissions ______ . ~~~~ Studies show that the most important c______ students use in judging the effectiveness of a teacher is his or her knowledge of the subject.

ponderous

weighty, unwieldy ~~~ His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always _______. ~~~ Most academic writing is often heavy, ________ and overly explained.

divergent

(adj.) going in different directions; different from each other; departing from conversation, deviant ~~~~ Sandra and Peter took ______ approaches to solving the equation, but both arrived at the correct answer. ~~~~ Paul and Sylvestor were good friends in high school, but their lives took ________ paths after high school; Paul enlisted in the Navy and sails around the world, while Sylvestor has settled down in our hometown. ~~~~ Its often more interesting to listen to a discussion between experts with di______ views than to a discussion in which similar views are expressed.

cryptic

(adj.) puzzling, mystifying, or enigmatic; mysterious; hidden; secret ~~~~ The only reply Mrs. Thomas got from her daughter Jussica when she asked her where she had been was a _______ "Out". ~~~~ Sharon got her essay back and was surprised to see that her teacher had written only a _______ comment: "Hmm". ~~~~ The historian believed that he had found a c_____ message buried in the old text.

Concise

Brief, to the point; ~~~~ Judge Judy is famous for demanding a _______ summary of the events in cases that she hears. ~~~~~ Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" is a model of ______ writing. ~~~~~ "Will you marry me" asked Writer, "Yes" was Sally's _____ answer.

diligence

Careful and persevering effort to accomplish what is undertaken; steadiness of effort; persistent hard work ~~~~~~~ Learning a foreign language requires _______ on the part of a student. ~~~~ Di_______ is only one of the requirements for success; another is the application of intelligence. ~~~~ Work _______ in all your subjects so that ;you can reach your full potential.

deficit

Loss, shortfall, deficiency, shortage, debt Nadal came out of love 30 ________. After Shaurya's college education, I was in ________, but because of planning I managed Seharsh's education as well.

culpable

Deserving blame; ~~~~ The police investigation narrowed down the list of suspects to three people, one of whom was considered most likely to be ______. ~~~~~ Suspects cannot be held unless there is reasonable evidence that they are _______ ~~~~~ The principal found Jim c_____ of cheating on the exam and suspended him from school for a week.

fastidious

Difficult to please; very careful ~~~ The _______ editor spent an hour considering the placement of a single comma. ~~~ John is a very unusual teenager - he's ______ in keeping his room neat. ~~~ A _______ housekeeper, Doris vacuums the living room carpet daily.

assiduous

Diligent; earnest and persistent in undertaking a task. ~~~ Bruce is certainly no mathematical genius, but through _______ work he managed to get a high score on the SAT math test. ~~~ An _______ student in high school, Louis lost a lot of his interest in studying in college when he made friends with a group of students whose only interest was partying. ~~~ Most scientists say that _________ observing and experimenting is the best way to make a new discovery.

dissent

Disagreement; ~~~ No one _____ , so the motion was passed unanimously. ~~~ Courage is often required for a person to _______ from the opinion of the majority. ~~~ Justice Smith wrote the _______ opinion for the minority.

benign

Harmless; showing gentleness; exerting a beneficial influence; ~~~~ The king's ______ rule has made him popular which his subjects. ~~~~ The senator supports the new polity because she believe it will have ______ consequences for the economy. ~~~~ According to computer experts, a trojan horse is a malicious program that passes itself off as a _______ application.

gullible

Easily deceived; ~~~~~ Its often seen the new managers are _______ and succumb to problems because of incorrrect feedback from team members. ~~~~~ The saying "Never give a sucker an even break.", means that one should not hesitate to take advantage of someone who is _______. ~~~~~ My wife is easily ______; she thinks that the phone call from IRS asking for social security are valid calls.

exuberance

Ebullience; joyful enthusiasm; overflowing abundance ~~~~ Shaurya could hardly control his ________ as he got the email that he got selected in Fed Challange. ~~~~ When Shaurya for the chance to play for college tennis game after spending a year as backup, he played with so much of _______ that his coach was so impressed with his performance. ~~~~ I became quite __________ when found that people elected a government whose single agenda was to eradicate corruption, but all my expectation vanished to see their duplicity.

egotism

Excessive self-importance; conceit; ~~~~ The good definition of growing up is losing your ____ and become more concerned about the needs of other people. ~~~~ It could be hard to avoid _____ if you get straight A's, perfect score in SAT, lead in the school play and selected in school tennis team. ~~~~ Some people are so eg____ that they don't give chance to other people to speak and prefer to talk constantly.

fanaticism

Excessive zeal; extreme devotion to a belief or cause; extreme devotion. ~~~~ Moderate believe that _______ is dangerous because it divides people into opposing, often hostile, goups. ~~~~ Miranda's ______ in imitating the dress of her favorite pop singer is beginning to worry her parents. ~~~~ Uncle Jim is _______ follower of the Chicago Cubs baseball team; he attends nearly every game even away games.

autonomous

Independent; self governing ~~~ In the American system of Government, states are not ________ ; many powers are reserved to the central government. ~~~ After the fall of Soviet Union, many of the former republic became ________ nation states. ~~~ With the issuance of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the United States asserted its rights to be an _________ nation.

disdain

Intense dislike; scorn ~~~ The soldier was treated with _____ by his comrades because he fled the battle after the first shot was fired. ~~~ Dishonest individuals are regarded with ________ by most people. ~~~ In summarizing what the convicted man had done; the judge made no attempt to hide her di____ for a person who would abandon his own children.

depravity

Moral corruption; extreme corruption; wickedness ~~~~ War often brings out the most extreme forms of _______ in human beings, such as the use of torture. ~~~~ Many people believe that without civilization humanity would sink into ___________ . ~~~~ The citizens committee on the censorship decided that no form of de______ should be portrayed in the newspaper.

manifest

Obvious; apparent; evedent

dismiss

Put away from consideration; reject ~~~~ My boss asked me for suggestion to improve efficiency but then ______ my ideas as ridiculous. ~~~~ Before you ______ a new idea as impractical, consider it carefully. ~~~~ The company director _______ reports that he was planning to resign, saying there was no basis in fact for such speculations.

complacency

Self-satisfaction; smugness ~~~~ __________ among employees is a problem sometimes faced by managers of successful companies. ~~~~ Some experts believe that Japanese industry became ________ after its great success in the 1980's. ~~~~ Health workers urged parents to guard against ________ and make sure that their children are immunized against measles and other infectious diseases.

derivative

Something that comes from another source; unoriginal sourced from ~~~~~ Few works of art are truly original; nearly all are _______ in that they use the ideas and styles of earlier works. ~~~~~ American Impressionism is a _______ style; American artists adapted European Impressionism to create a new style. ~~~~~ Critica agree that the new novel is merely de_______ , offering nothing new in either style or content.

antagonism

actively expressed hostility ~~~ ___________ developed between two close friends after they discovered liking for the same girl. ~~~ According to psychologist, it is natural to have some ________ between siblings as each of them looks for their share of parental love and affection. ~~~ Jason knew that he will ________ his history teacher if he criticizes his teaching method but he decided that he has no other option as he was hardly learning in his class.

archaic

ancient; old-fashioned; antiquated ~~~ The typewriter is regarded by many people as ______ form of technology. ~~~ The words thou and thee are form of _____ english.

aloof

apart; reserved ~~~ Shy individuals often try to remain ______ in large gatherings of people. ~~~ The new student was ______ for a few weeks, adjusting to her hew classmates. ~~~ Some managers remain ______ from their workers, while others prefer to be "one of the gang".

Conciliatory

appeasing; soothing; showing willingness to reconcile; overcoming hostility or distrust ~~~~ After her argument with her boyfriend, Jane made _____ gesture and bought him a CD by his favorite band. ~~~~ The "Good Cop, bad cop" routine allows one person to be harsh and rigid with another party while the other is ________. ~~~~ After Senator Smith won the bitterly fought election for governor, she decided to be _____ towards her defeated opponent and offered him a job in her cabinet.

acclaim

applaud, announce with great approval Edison was _____ across the world for his many useful inventions. Often it takes many years for any author to earn ______ from his readers and critics. The Principal ________ the winner of the Best Student of the Year award and then gave him a prize.

hollistic

more than sum of parts, textual and contextual, distributed across people, resources, and histories ~~~ Recognized for taking leadership role and initiative on application outage calls for the immediate restoration services and providing long term solution keeping _____ view

abstract

not concrete, theoretical ~~~~ Numbers are _______, but they can be represented by symbols. ~~~~ The idea of infinity is an ______ concept that people have difficulty imagining. ~~~~ When discussing ______ ideas such as truth, justice and freedom in an essay, you should give concrete examples to illustrate your argument.

aesthetic

pertaining to art or beauty To be successful an interior decorator needs to have well developed _______ sense. ~~~ A well designed house combines practical and _______ elements so that it is pleasing both to look at and to live in. ~~~ _______ is branch of philosophy that studies such questions as what makes something beautiful.

rhetorical

pertaining to communication; insincere in language. ~~~ To win his audience, the speaker used every _______ trick in the book. ~~~ Clinton's acceptance speech evidenced some of the classical _____ devices such as paronomasia, or punning, and anaphora, or repetition of key words or phrases.

advocate

plead for, urge ~~~~ The government of United States _______ that the democracy is the best form of political system for all the countries. ~~~~ The people who _______ increased immigration to Australia argue that the country has much more resources to support more people that it does now. ~~~~ The _______ of higher minimum wage supported their case by saying that it is nearly impossible for a person to survive on the present minimum wage.

bombastic

pompous in speech and manner; using inflated language. ~~~~ Today; _____ speeches are critiqued for their pomposity but in the past many pimple enjoyed them as entertainment. ~~~~ A ______ piece of writing may impress some readers but others will surely conclude that its author is an insecure and pretentious person. ~~~~ Be careful putting all the complex words and para phrases in your essays, your teacher might find it bombastic and hence not reward you appropriately.

adversity

poverty, misfortune Some people believe that ______ improves the character making one a stronger and more resilient person. During a war, civilians as well as soldiers usually experience _______. The stoic philosopher of ancient Greece believed that facing ______ calmly is a great virtue.

pragmatic

practical; concerned with the practical worth or impact of something ~~~ The coming trip of France should provide me with a ________ test of the value of my conversational French class. ~~~ The book's mind over matter has _____ approach and well explained.

haughtiness

pride; arrogance; ~~~~~~ The headwaiter in the fancy franc restaurant is so _____ that he thinks that he is Americas leading waiter. ~~~~~~ Tired of the __________ of their overbearing boss, the employees decided to complain about there to the CEO of the company.

Furtive

secret, stealthy; sneaky; secretive ~~~~ During SAT test last week, I saw a student take a _______ glance at an electronic dictionary he had apparently stuck into the test center. ~~~~ The man's ______ behavior in the department store attracted the attention of the security guards, who suspected that he was planning to shoplift. ~~~~ The children crept _____ down the stairs on Christmas Eve, hoping to see their presents and perhaps even catch a glimpse of Santa Clause.

eclectic

selecting from or made up from a variety of sources; composed of elements drawn from diverse sources. ~~~~ Lionel has an _____ collection of model trains from all over the world. ~~~~ The works of the writer Isaac Asimov demonstrate that he had remarkably _______ interests; they cover practically every subject imaginable from Shakespeare to nuclear physics. ~~~~ Dr McAllister owns an ec____ collection of art from every continent.

austere

severe or stern in appearance; undecorated; severely simple and unornamented. ~~~~ I enjoy the _____ beauty of Arizona desert. ~~~~ Monasteries are ________ places designed to encourage prayer and reflection. ~~~~ Schoolmasters in colonial America generally were ______ figures who inspired fear in their student.

garrulous

talkative ~~~ The psychologist is good at encouraging reserved individuals to open up and talk about their problems; sometimes in fact, they become so ______ that she has trouble getting a word in herself. ~~~ The normally ______ actress became speechless when it was announced that she had won the Academy award for best acting. ~~~ I ran into an old friend who is so _______ that I missed my dentist appointment listening to her updates on what our mutual friends have been doing..

evanescent

tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing; fleeting ~~~~ Thoughts are often _______, coming into the mind for an instant and then vanishing as quickly as they came. ~~~~ Tim joined a monastery because he believes that worldly happiness is ________, while spiritual happiness is eternal. ~~~~ The artist is trying to capture the ________ play of sunlight on the surface of lake.

what the doctor ordered

the perfect thing; demand of time ~~~~ "How about nice cup of tea" "Thats exactly what I'm in the mood for. Its just ___ __ _____ _____. "

ambivalence

the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes. ~~~ Because he knew the teaching gives steady income whereas writing usually does not, it was with considerable _______ that he gave up teaching to become a freelance writer. ~~~ Joan was attracted to Ted, so she finally decided to a date with him; however, she did so with some ______ because of his reputation for being self centered. ~~~ Seharsh was _______ about whether to try out for the soccer or the basket ball team because he enjoyed both the sports equally.

coalesce

to grow together to form a single whole; combine; fuse ~~~~ To work together successfully, military units must _____ to become a group of like-minded individuals. ~~~~ The United States began to _______ as a nation during the early nineteenth century as the experience of many groups were communicated around the country. ~~~~ Our business plan began to ______ in our minds after several brainstorming sessions.

alude

to refer to casually or indirectly ~~~~ My presentation _______ processes, where I mentioned gaps in the applicaiton design flaws.

bolster

to support; prop up; reinforce ~~~~ Knowing a lot of difficult words will _________ your confidence when you go for management meetings. ~~~~ A good manager knows when to criticize an employee and when to bolster his or her confidence with praise. ~~~~ Britain and his allies were _______ by the entry of the United States into World War II in 1941.

walk off

to walk away; to leave on foot abruptly. ~~~~~ She didn't even say good-bye. She just _____ __. ~~~ He ______ ___ and never looked back. ~~~~ Who ______ ___ with my drink?

ambiguous

unclear or doubtful in meaning. ~~~ When writing an essay, try to avoid making _______ statements. ~~~ The language used in advertising is often deliberately _______. ~~~ Homonyms - words that sound the same but mean different things are sometimes ______ when used in speech; like pear/pare/pair is an example of this.

retract

withdraw; take back ~~~ When I saw how Fred and his fraternity brothers had trashed the frat house, I decided to _____ my offer to let them use our summer cottage.

without a hitch

without a problem ~~~~ "How was your presentation" "Great, it went well ____ _ ___.