Unit 4 - Improving Vocabulary skills EAP-0090 - Chapter 26

Noun

Adjective

Verb

Adverb

Condoner

Condone: to forgive or overlook

Synonyms: overlook, excuse, disregard, forgive, ignore, pardon, tolerate, Antonyms: acknowledge, punish Fran knows her friend Keith is shoplifting. She doesn’t want to turn him in, but neither does she want to CONDONE his dishonest behavior by allowing it to continue. Although Fran doesn’t want to get Keith in trouble, she also doesn’t want to forgive or overlook his shoplifting. "Condone" means "to forgive or overlook," as in: "I can't stop my daughter," said the unhappy mother, "but she knows I don't condone her living with her boyfriend without being married." I love my brother, but I cannot CONDONE his cheating on the exam. He deserves to be caught, and he deserves to be punished. My grandmother was extremely strict about bad language. She would not CONDONE her children even saying “darn” or “heck.”

Contemplation

Contemplative

Contemplate: to think about seriously

Synonyms: anticipate, expect, plan, consider, intend, envisage, think of, think about Antonyms: "Once years ago, when things looked bad, I CONTEMPLATED suicide," admitted the cheerful old man as he played with his grandchildren. "Imagine what I would have missed if I'd gone through with it!" The old man had once seriously considered suicide. "Contemplate" means "to think about seriously," as in: Now and then my father contemplates going to night school to take a few business courses. During her sophomore year in college, Anne CONTEMPLATED changing her major. But after carefully weighing the pros and cons, and discussing various options with her advisor, she ultimately decided to stick with her first choice. Over lunch, the boss surprised Bill by saying, “If the company asked you to move to Hong Kong, would you be willing to CONTEMPLATE the idea? Or would you immediately turn the request down?”

Feasibility

Feasible: possible; able be done

Synonyms: possible, practicable, viable, achievable, reasonable, likely, sufficient Antonyms: impossible When Abraham Lincoln said, "You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time," he meant that it isn't FEASIBLE to fool all of the people all of the time.  Lincoln meant that it isn't possible to fool all the people all the time. "Feasible" means "possible," as in: My spouse and I have to share the cleaning chores. It isn't feasible for me to work full-time and still have time to do everything at home as well. It doesn’t seem FEASIBLE that my great grandmother could raise a dozen children without a hot water heater or refrigerator. But miraculously she somehow managed to do it. It’s simply not FEASIBLE for me to drop my child off at day care at 7:30 and arrive at work by 8. I’ll either have to find a day care that opens earlier or arrange to start work later.

Feign: to pretend; give a false show of

Synonyms: pretend, fake, simulate, invent, affect assume, sham, put on, make believe Antonyms: Uncle Bob is a great favorite with his nephews because of his willingness to pretend with them. When they’re playing cops and robbers, for instance, he will again and again drop to the ground as he FEIGNS being shot. Uncle Bob will pretend to be shot when he plays with his nephews. "Feign" means "to give a false show of," as in: When my boss feigned concern about my child-care difficulties, I could tell that he didn't really care. When Shanita tried on the purple sweater her boyfriend had bought for her, she thought it made her look like an overripe eggplant. But she FEIGNED delight because she didn’t want to hurt her boyfriend’s feelings. When I was a kid, I would often FEIGN sleep when my parents checked on me, but then read in bed with a flashlight after they left.

Fiscal: financial

Synonyms: economic, financial, monetary Antonyms: Tom and Marge began to solve their FISCAL problems by admitting they can't handle the temptation of credit cards. They cut the cards in half, worked hard to pay off their bills, and have refused to get another card since. Overusing credit cards would result in financial problems for Tom and Marge. "Fiscal" means "financial," as in: The new restaurant didn't attract enough customers to make money. It closed after two months because of fiscal problems. “If elected, my first concern would be restoring this city to FISCAL health,” said the mayoral candidate. “We simply have to get out of debt.” Dan realized his elderly mother needed help managing her money when he realized she was putting unpaid bills in a drawer and forgetting about them. “This is a FISCAL nightmare,” he groaned.

Furtiveness

Furtive: done or behaving so as not to be noticed; secret

Synonyms: secretive, secret, sneaky, cautious, shifty Antonyms: open Little Emily keeps a flashlight and a book under her bedcovers so she can enjoy some FURTIVE nighttime reading.  Emily's nighttime reading is done secretly, under her bedcovers. "Furtive" means "done or behaving in a secretive way, " as in: Cathy's furtive behavior became understandable when I found twenty people gathered at her house waiting to surprise me for my birthday. After several weeks of taking FURTIVE glances at the pretty new student in his homeroom, Justin put down the book he’d been hiding behind, boldly walked up to her, and asked her to go to the dance. Most parents become experts at noticing when their children are acting in a FURTIVE manner. “What are you hiding?” they may demand.

Gape: to stare in wonder or amazement, often with one’s mouth wide open

Synonyms: stare, gawk, gaze, goggle, scrutinize, look hard Antonyms: Some inner-city children who had never been in the country before were taken to visit a dairy farm. They GAPED at the ordinary black-and-white cows as if they were the Seven Wonders of the World. The children stared at the cows in amazement. "Gape" means "to stare in wonder or amazement," as in: The modern sculpture in front of the college is so strange-looking that passersby stop just to gape at it. As I GAPED at the winning lottery ticket in my hand, a fly flew into my mouth and nearly choked me before I had a chance to collect my prize. When a bright double rainbow appeared in the sky, many of our neighbors rushed out of their houses to GAPE at the unusual sight.

Pathetic: pitifully inadequate or unsuccessful

Synonyms: unfortunate, pitiful, sad, moving, tragic, doleful, touching, distressing, heartbreaking Antonyms: After Cindy’s PATHETIC performance at last night’s recital, she swore she would work hard at practicing piano from now on so she will never be so embarrassed again. Because she hadn’t practiced much, Cindy’s performance at the recital was pitifully unsuccessful. "Pathetic" means "so inadequate as to be ridiculous," as in: The plumber we hired did absolutely pathetic work. Now, in addition to having leaking pipes, we have a basement full of water. The crew the Jacksons hired to paint their house did a PATHETIC job. They missed entire sections, and didn’t let one coat dry before adding a second. The little boy did a PATHETIC job of lying about stealing the candy. He said, “I didn’t go near it,” even while his hands and face were covered with chocolate.

Precedent: anything that may serve as an example in dealing with later similar circumstances.

Synonyms: illustration, example, model, pattern, instance, guide, standard, practice Antonyms: I didn’t know what to do the first time a neighbor’s child used bad language in our house. I didn’t want a problem with my neighbor, but I also didn’t want to set the PRECEDENT of allowing that kind of language in our home.  The speaker doesn’t want to set the example of allowing bad language in his or her home. "Precedent" means "anything that may serve as an example in dealing with later similar circumstances," as in: Jean's company allowed her three months of leave after her baby was born, thus setting a precedent for other employees who would give birth. When he set up the first assembly line in his automobile factory, Henry Ford was setting a PRECEDENT that is followed to this day. Parents need to be cautious about overlooking a child’s naughty behavior “just this once.” In doing so, they can set a bad PRECEDENT that will be difficult to deal with later.

Punitive: giving or involving punishment; punishing

Synonyms: disciplinary, corrective, punishing, revengeful, in reprisal Antonyms: Rafael doesn’t approve of spanking his little girl, so he uses other forms of PUNITIVE action when she misbehaves. For instance, she might have to sit in a special chair for a five-minute “time out.”  Since spanking is a form of punishment, we can conclude that a “punitive action” is a punishment. "Punitive" means "giving or involving punishment," as in: The judge gives all drunk drivers a jail term, believing that a punitive experience is necessary to teach them a lesson. In your opinion, should prisons exist only for PUNITIVE reasons? Or instead of simply penalizing criminals, should they offer education and job training so convicts can someday earn a living lawfully? Some parents believe in physical punishment, such as spanking, while others rely on more gentle PUNITIVEaction, such as time-outs or taking away a toy or privilege.