1. accord (noun) agreement, harmony The United States and Iraq have reached an accord that will allow troops to pull out within the year. (verb) to agree, be in harmony or bring into harmony; to grant, bestow on

2. barter (noun) an exchange in trade (verb) to exchange goods Pioneers used to barter beads and trinkets for food and land from the Indians.

3. curt (adj) short, rudely brief I could tell that my mom was upset with me by her curt reply when I asked what was for dinner.

4. devise (verb) to think out, plan, figure out, invent, create Bobo actually devised a way to turn garbage into clothing!

5. dexterous (adj) skillful in the use of hands or body; clever The pianist’s dexterous fingers danced across the keyboard flawlessly.

6. engross (verb) to occupy the complete attention, absorb fully Oslow was so engrossed in the movie that he failed to notice the tornado race across his front lawn.

7. entail (verb) to put a burden on, impose, require, involve Many people don’t know how much work becoming a policeman entails.

8. ferret (noun) a kind of weasel (verb) to search or hunt out; to torment, badger The teacher was able to ferret out the details about how his desk was hung from the ceiling.

9. habituate (verb) to become used to; to cause to become used to The owner slowly habituated the puppy to the apartment by using a crate at night.

10. impending (adj, participle) about to happen, hanging over (in a menacing way) The impending hurricane had everyone on edge as people scrambled to prepare their homes for the worst.

11. personable (adj) pleasing in appearance or personality; attractive A great salesman is normally very personable, a trait that can’t be learned.

12. rue (verb) to regret, be sorry for “You will rue the day that you dropped out of school,” Oslow’s mother scolded. (noun) a feeling of regret

13. scoff (verb) to make fun of; to show contempt for Bill Gate’s friends and family originally scoffed when he dropped out of college to create software.

14. transition (noun) a change from one state, condition, or place to another The transition from middle school to high school is smooth for the organized, but often difficult for the disorganized.

15. trepidation (noun) fear, fright, trembling Many incoming freshmen feel trepidation the first few days of high school, until they get their feet wet.

16. upbraid (verb) to blame, scold, find fault with Mr. Spellman, the vice-principal, upbraided Lenny for laughing during an assembly.

17. veritable (adj) actual, true, real Bill Gates career decision proved to be a veritable stroke of genius.

18. vex (verb) to annoy, anger, exasperate; to confuse, baffle, puzzle Freshman are often vexed by upperclassmen, but usually it is mild.

19. vitality (noun) strength, energy, liveliness The vitality my 80 year old grandmother shows by waterskiing never ceases to amaze me.

20. whimsical (adj) subject to odd ideas, notions, or fancies, playful; unpredictable Why is it that many adults jettison the whimsical good nature of youth and act serious all the time?