Vocabulary Workshop Level B Unit 9 Sentences from Choosing the Right Word

Vital

She made what proved to be a ___ mistake when she gave the job to one of the applicants without checking his references first.

Melancholy

Sunset on a cold autumn day can be a wistful, ____ sight.

Canvassed

The assistant principal ___ the faculty for ways of improving the educational standards of the school.

Downtrodden

"How can you compare a union employee," the factory owner asked, "to the ___ serfs and slaves of earlier times?"

Quibble

"This case is much more than a mere ___ between former friends," said the lawyer during the closing remarks.

Parched

After weeks of no rain, the __ earth turned to dust that was blown away by the strong winds.

Graphic

Aided by diagrams on the chalkboard, she gave a summary of her plan so clear and ___ that it won the full support of the audience.

Accelerate

Do her efforts to ____ our departure mean that she is trying to help us, or just get rid of us?

Enticing

I find your offer most ___, but my better judgment tells me to have nothing to do with it.

Gruesome

I think it showed bad judgment on your part to tell such a ___ story to a child who is so easily frightened.

Ordeal

If you have prepared properly for the exams, there will be no reason to regard them as a terrible ____.

Accelerate

If you press the gas pedal just a little, this car will ___ like a racing vehicle.

Bystander

In a democracy, the average citizen should be an active participant in public affairs, not just a quiet ___.

Persist

In spite of all the setbacks we have had, we must ___ in our efforts to achieve the goal we have set for ourselves.

Melancholy

In spite of the bright sunshine and the happy crowds, a strange mood of ___ seemed to take possession of me.

Parched

In the heat of the desert afternoon, we felt ___ despite drinking from our canteens every few minutes.

Flounder

Instead of continuing to ___, we must decide on a goal and start to move toward it.

Puny

It is hard to believe that this sturdy, six-foot basketball star was a ___ 100-pounder only a few years ago.

Eroded

No doubt he has our best interests at heart, but my faith in him has been ___ by repeated evidence of his poor judgment.

Stifle

The dictator used fear and violence to ___ discontent among the people he ruled.

Ratified

The soundness of the basic ideas of the U.S. Constitution has been ___ by the experience of more than 200 years.

Stifled

Wearing that thick scarf and ski mask, as well as a heavy coat over layers of clothing, he must have felt hot and ___ even in the chilly air.

Quibbling

When I asked you what you meant by those words, I wasn't ___ but trying to discover what the problem was.

Regal

With her ___ bearing and imperious manner, Elizabeth I looked every inch the queen she in fact was.

Casual

You will never do well in school as long as your attitude toward your studies remains ___ and unconcerned.