ADVANCING VOCABULARY SKILLS Fourth Edition Sherrie L. Nist © 2010 Townsend Press

Unit Three: Chapter 12 exhort masochist flamboyant meticulous foible rancor innocuous recrimination magnanimousrepugnant

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 1 exhort Exhort means A. to accuse. B. to praise. C. to urge. The school counselor gave an impassioned speech to the parents, in which she exhorted them to make every effort to keep their children off drugs. On the eve of the invasion, the general exhorted the troops to fight bravely for their homeland. – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Exhort means A. to accuse. B. to praise. C. to urge. The school counselor gave an impassioned speech to the parents, in which she exhorted them to make every effort to keep their children off drugs. On the eve of the invasion, the general exhorted the troops to fight bravely for their homeland. The school counselor would give an impassioned speech urging parents to keep their children off drugs. A general would urge the troops to fight bravely for their homeland. 1 exhort – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 2 flamboyant – adjective Flamboyant means A. flashy. B. self-centered. C. concerned with details. Lily can’t resist flamboyant clothes. She’d wear a hot-pink dress with gold satin trim to a funeral. The flamboyant pianist always wore sequined suits and glittering jewelry when he sat down at his silver piano. A flamboyant house

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Flamboyant means A. flashy. B. self-centered. C. concerned with details. Lily can’t resist flamboyant clothes. She’d wear a hot-pink dress with gold satin trim to a funeral. The flamboyant pianist always wore sequined suits and glittering jewelry when he sat down at his silver piano. A hot-pink dress with gold satin trim is an example of flashy clothes. Sequined suits, glittering jewelry, and a silver piano suggest that the pianist is flashy. A flamboyant house 2 flamboyant – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 3 foible – noun Foible means A. a serious problem. B. a minor fault. C. a complaint. Serious character flaws, such as abusiveness, are hard to overlook, but foibles—such as drinking soup through a straw—can often be easily tolerated. “I accept my husband’s foible of leaving clothes lying around,” Kia remarked, “because it lets me be messy without feeling guilty.”

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Foible means A. a serious problem. B. a minor fault. C. a complaint. Serious character flaws, such as abusiveness, are hard to overlook, but foibles—such as drinking soup through a straw—can often be easily tolerated. “I accept my husband’s foible of leaving clothes lying around,” Kia remarked, “because it lets me be messy without feeling guilty.” In contrast with serious character flaws, drinking soup through a straw is a minor fault. Leaving clothes lying around is also a minor fault. 3 foible – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Although most children engage in innocuous pranks on Halloween, some get out of control and do serious damage. Experts at the Poison Information Center can tell you if a household substance is harmful or innocuous. 4 innocuous Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Innocuous means A. without bad effects. B. expensive. C. satisfying. – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Although most children engage in innocuous pranks on Halloween, some get out of control and do serious damage. Experts at the Poison Information Center can tell you if a household substance is harmful or innocuous. Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Innocuous means A. without bad effects. B. expensive. C. satisfying. In contrast with pranks that get out of control and do serious damage, most children’s Halloween pranks do not have bad effects. In the second item, a substance that is without bad effects is the opposite of a harmful substance. 4 innocuous – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Magnanimous means A. forgiving. B. consistent. C. resentful. 5 magnanimous – adjective At age 5, Jonathan is already learning to be magnanimous. He hugs his baby sister, even when she hits him on the head with a wooden block. Last Thanksgiving, someone at work drew a funny picture of our boss as an enormous turkey. When the boss saw it, he was magnanimous—he laughed, said it was terrific, and even hung it up over his desk.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Magnanimous means A. forgiving. B. consistent. C. resentful. At age 5, Jonathan is already learning to be magnanimous. He hugs his baby sister, even when she hits him on the head with a wooden block. Last Thanksgiving, someone at work drew a funny picture of our boss as an enormous turkey. When the boss saw it, he was magnanimous—he laughed, said it was terrific, and even hung it up over his desk. Hugging someone who hits you on the head with a wooden block is being forgiving. The boss’s reaction to the picture of him as an enormous turkey shows that he was forgiving. 5 magnanimous – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Masochist means A. someone filled with hatred. B. someone who enjoys being hurt. C. someone who enjoys hurting others. Psychologists are trying to understand why masochists obtain satisfaction from suffering. “A masochist’s idea of a good time,” said the comedian, “is getting hit by a truck on the way home from having all his teeth pulled. 6 masochist – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Masochist means A. someone filled with hatred. B. someone who enjoys being hurt. C. someone who enjoys hurting others. Psychologists are trying to understand why masochists obtain satisfaction from suffering. “A masochist’s idea of a good time,” said the comedian, “is getting hit by a truck on the way home from having all his teeth pulled. Someone who gets satisfaction from suffering must be someone who enjoys being hurt. And only someone who enjoys being hurt would think that having his teeth pulled and being hit by a truck was a good time. 6 masochist – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Meticulous means A. very careful. B. bold. C. unconcerned. When you proofread your own writing, be meticulous—check every detail. Marcus is meticulous about his appearance. He never has a wrinkle in his clothing or a hair out of place. 7 meticulous – adjective A meticulously kept garden Photo: Daderot

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Meticulous means A. very careful. B. bold. C. unconcerned. When you proofread your own writing, be meticulous—check every detail. Marcus is meticulous about his appearance. He never has a wrinkle in his clothing or a hair out of place. If you check every detail you are being very careful. If Marcus never has a wrinkle in his clothing or a hair out of place, he is very careful about his appearance. 7 meticulous – adjective Photo: Daderot A meticulously kept garden

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Rancor means A. a minor fault. B. deep hostility. C. secrecy. The rancor between my uncles has lasted for twenty years, ever since Uncle Dmitri married the woman to whom Uncle Sergei had proposed. When there is long-lasting rancor between divorced parents, their children may also start to share this bitterness. 8 rancor – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Rancor means A. a minor fault. B. deep hostility. C. secrecy. The rancor between my uncles has lasted for twenty years, ever since Uncle Dmitri married the woman to whom Uncle Sergei had proposed. When there is long-lasting rancor between divorced parents, their children may also start to share this bitterness. If Dmitri married the woman Sergei wanted to marry, there would be deep hostility between the two men. In the second item, the word bitterness suggests that rancor means “deep hostility.” 8 rancor – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Recrimination means A. an urgent plea. B. a detailed suggestion. C. an accusation in reply. The couple’s session with the marriage counselor failed miserably; it began with the husband and wife hurling accusations at each other, and it never progressed beyond these recriminations. When Lainie’s father and her teacher met to discuss Lainie’s poor grades, they exchanged recriminations—each accused the other of not helping her do better. 9 recrimination – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Recrimination means A. an urgent plea. B. a detailed suggestion. C. an accusation in reply. The couple’s session with the marriage counselor failed miserably; it began with the husband and wife hurling accusations at each other, and it never progressed beyond these recriminations. When Lainie’s father and her teacher met to discuss Lainie’s poor grades, they exchanged recriminations—each accused the other of not helping her do better. The description of the husband and wife hurling accusations at each other tells you that recriminations are accusations in reply. If Lainie’s father and the teacher accused each other, the exchanged accusations in reply. 9 recrimination – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Repugnant means A. disgusting. B. amusing. C. remarkable. 10 repugnant My parents find some of my eating habits repugnant, but I see nothing offensive about mixing peas and ketchup into mashed potatoes. A snake is repugnant to many people—“Slimy!” they say, shivering with distaste. However, snakes are not at all slimy, and most are harmless. – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Repugnant means A. disgusting. B. amusing. C. remarkable. My parents find some of my eating habits repugnant, but I see nothing offensive about mixing peas and ketchup into mashed potatoes. A snake is repugnant to many people—“Slimy!” they say, shivering with distaste. However, snakes are not at all slimy, and most are harmless. In the first item, the word offensive suggests that repugnant means “disgusting.” In the second item, people who shiver with distaste must find snakes disgusting. 10 repugnant – adjective

SENTENCE CHECK 1 2.It was ____________ of the Greens to forgive the driver who ran over their dog. 1.Why is it that bats seem so __________? Do we think a flying mouselike creature is distasteful, or do we associate bats with vampires? Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. exhortB. flamboyantC. foibleD. innocuousE.magnanimous F. masochistG. meticulousH. rancorI. recriminationJ.repugnant

1.Why is it that bats seem so __________? Do we think a flying mouselike creature is distasteful, or do we associate bats with vampires? SENTENCE CHECK 1 2.It was ____________ of the Greens to forgive the driver who ran over their dog. Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. exhortB. flamboyantC. foibleD. innocuousE.magnanimous F. masochistG. meticulousH. rancorI. recriminationJ.repugnant repugnant magnanimous The word distasteful suggests a word meaning “repulsive” is needed. If the Greens forgave the drive who ran over their dog, they must be very generous in forgiving.

4.Although nail-biting is only a __________, it can become maddening to a companion who observes it day after day. SENTENCE CHECK 1 3.Battered women who stay with their abusive partners aren’t necessarily ________s; they don’t enjoy being hurt, but often they can’t see any way to escape. Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. exhortB. flamboyantC. foibleD. innocuousE.magnanimous F. masochistG. meticulousH. rancorI. recriminationJ.repugnant 5.Before the football game, the coach gave a fiery pep talk. He _______(e)d the players to fight for the honor of the team and the school.

4.Although nail-biting is only a __________, it can become maddening to a companion who observes it day after day. SENTENCE CHECK 1 5.Before the football game, the coach gave a fiery pep talk. He __________ the players to fight for the honor of the team and the school. 3.Battered women who stay with their abusive partners aren’t necessarily _________; they don’t enjoy being hurt, but often they can’t see any way to escape. Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. exhortB. flamboyantC. foibleD. innocuousE.magnanimous F. masochistG. meticulousH. rancorI. recriminationJ.repugnant The words enjoy being hurt suggest masochist. Nail-biting is only a minor fault. A fiery pep talk would strongly urge the players to fight. masochists foible exhorted

SENTENCE CHECK 1 6.To an allergic person, foods that are normally __________, such as milk or wheat, can cause discomfort and even serious illness. 7.The long-standing __________ between the two women finally came to an end when one of them fell and the other rushed over to help her. Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. exhortB. flamboyantC. foibleD. innocuousE.magnanimous F. masochistG. meticulousH. rancorI. recriminationJ.repugnant

SENTENCE CHECK 1 6.To an allergic person, foods that are normally __________, such as milk or wheat, can cause discomfort and even serious illness. 7.The long-standing __________ between the two women finally came to an end when one of them fell and the other rushed over to help her. Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. exhortB. flamboyantC. foibleD. innocuousE.magnanimous F. masochistG. meticulousH. rancorI. recriminationJ.repugnant For people without allergies, milk and wheat are harmless foods. One woman helping the other would end the long-standing intense hatred. innocuous rancor

9.Some jobs needn’t be done in a(n) ______ way. For instance, why sweep every speck of dust off a floor that’s only going to get dirty again in an hour? SENTENCE CHECK 1 8.The angry neighbors traded ___________s: “Your wild kids trampled all over my flower bed!” “Well, your crazy dog dug up my lawn!” Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. exhortB. flamboyantC. foibleD. innocuousE.magnanimous F. masochistG. meticulousH. rancorI. recriminationJ.repugnant 10.On New Year’s Day in Philadelphia, string bands called “Mummers” strut their stuff in __________ costumes designed to outshine all other bands in the parade.

9.Some jobs needn’t be done in a _________ way. For instance, why sweep every speck of dust off a floor that’s only going to get dirty again in an hour? 10.On New Year’s Day in Philadelphia, string bands called “Mummers” strut their stuff in __________ costumes designed to outshine all other bands in the parade. SENTENCE CHECK 1 8.The angry neighbors traded ____________: “Your wild kids trampled all over my flower bed!” “Well, your crazy dog dug up my lawn!” Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. exhortB. flamboyantC. foibleD. innocuousE.magnanimous F. masochistG. meticulousH. rancorI. recriminationJ.repugnant recriminations meticulous flamboyant The sentence gives examples of countercharges. Sweeping up every speck of dust is sweeping in an extremely careful way. In order to outshine all other bands, the costumes would have to be very showy.