Unit 4 - Improving Vocabulary skills EAP-0090 - Chapter 22

Noun

Adjective

Verb

Adverb

Commemoration

Commemorative

Commemorate: to honor the memory of someone or something, as with a ceremony; celebrate; observe

Synonyms: honor, remember, memorize, celebrate, observe, venerate Antonyms: ignore Although Christmas   COMMEMORATES the birth of Jesus Christ, many non-Christians value the holiday as a time to celebrate friendships and family relationships.  Christmas honors the birth of Jesus Christ.  "Commemorate" means "to honor the memory of someone," as in: Since Thomas devoted his life to feeding the hungry, it is inappropriate to commemorate him with a fancy dinner party that only the rich can attend. “Mother” Clara Hale took in and cared for hundreds of babies. The founders of a program in New York that helps needy children COMMEMORATED this saintly woman by naming their organization “Hale House.” A plaque in the city playground COMMEMORATES the couple who donated the property. “Through their generosity, these anonymous persons have given the children of this city a gift that will be enjoyed for generations.”

Complacency

Complacent: self-satisfied; feeling too much satisfaction with oneself or one’s accomplishment

Synonyms: satisfied, smug, unworried, content, Antonyms: anxious Since Bertha won the lottery, she has become so   COMPLACENT I can hardly stand to be around her. Instead of admitting it was a matter of luck, she feels that skill and intelligence somehow led her to choose the winning numbers. Bertha takes more credit for winning the lottery than she deserves. "Complacent" means "feeling too much satisfaction with one's accomplishments," as in: It's dangerous for elected officials to become complacent about winning an election. Soon they will have to campaign again for the voters' support. In the fable about the tortoise and the hare, the hare is overly confident about winning the race.  COMPLACENT about his speed, the hare stops to take a nap. That’s when the slow and steady tortoise passes him and crosses the finish line first. Although Stan has won the city bike race three years in a row, he is never   COMPLACENT about winning again. He continues to train as hard as ever.

Consensus: an opinion held by everyone (or almost everyone) involved

Consensual

Synonyms: agreement, accord, harmony, compromise, consent, unanimity Antonyms: disagreement It was the CONSENSUS of the members of the Friday Night Supper Club that they shouldn’t meet during July and August. They all felt that too many members would miss the meetings because of their vacations. All the members of the Supper Club held the opinion that they shouldn’t meet during July and August. "Consensus" means "an opinion held by most or all involved," as in: There was little disagreement among the angry teachers. The union's consensus was that the teachers would strike if the school board did not immediately raise their pay. The CONSENSUS was that the movie should never have been made. Not a single critic said it was worth the price of admission—let alone the millions of dollars it cost to produce. After hours of arguing over their choice for the new superintendent, the school board members agreed to postpone the decision. They simply could not reach   CONSENSUS.

Depletion

Depletive

Deplete: to use up

Synonyms: reduce, drain, exhaust, diminish, lessen, use up Antonyms: increase Although the worst symptoms of her flu are gone now, Cynthia's energy is still easily   DEPLETED. It will probably be a week or more before she really feels like herself. Cynthia's energy is quickly used up. "Deplete" means "to use up," as in: My brother's constant demands for pity quickly deplete my supply of sympathy. The flu DEPLETED all of Liza’s energy. Even several weeks after her fever went down, she continued to feel exhausted. More people than ever before realize that we must protect the earth’s natural resources, rather than thoughtlessly DEPLETE them.

Diligence

Diligent: steady, determined, and careful on work

Synonyms: hard-working, industrious, conscientious, careful, attentive, persistent Antonyms: lazy If Marie doesn’t become more DILIGENT soon, she’s going to lose her job. Her boss doesn’t appreciate lazy and sloppy employees.  The sentence suggests that “diligent” means the opposite of “lazy and sloppy in work.” "Diligent" means "steady, determined, and careful in work," as in: If I had been more diligent about practicing piano when I was younger, I would be able to help my children with their lessons now. Even as a little girl, Magda was a DILIGENT worker. She always wanted anything she did to be just right. Because he is such a   DILIGENT athlete, attending every practice and working constantly on his skills, Brett earned his teammates’ respect this year.

Empathy: the ability to share in someone else’s feelings or thoughts

Empathetic

Empathize

Synonyms: understanding, sympathy, compassion, responsiveness, identification Antonyms: indifference "Fatima the Mind Reader" has a lot of people convinced she has supernatural powers. In my opinion, she simply has so much EMPATHY that she can often sense what's on people's minds. Fatima has such a strong ability to sense other people's thoughts and feelings that it seems as if she can read their minds. "Empathy" means "the ability to share in someone else's feelings or thoughts," as in: The families of people held hostage have empathy for one another because of their shared experience. Chimpanzees seem to show EMPATHY. For example, when another chimp is beaten by a rival, they will hug and comfort the defeated chimp, as though feeling the pain themselves. The best doctors have not only medical skills, but also   EMPATHY. They care about their patients’ thoughts and feelings as well as their physical health.

Menial: not requiring skills or higher intellectual abilities

Synonyms: unskilled, boring, tedious, basic, lowly, humble, low Antonyms: skilled Troy has unrealistic expectations about his job possibilities. He doesn't have a high school degree or any valuable experience, yet he looks down on all entry-level jobs as too MENIAL for him.  Troy feels that entry-level jobs are too lowly for him. "Menial" means "not requiring special skills or higher intellectual abilities," as in: No one escapes the menial tasks at summer camp. Even the camp director helps empty wastebaskets and mop floors. “I have to find a job by tomorrow,” the young man said. “I don’t care how MENIAL it is. Even if it’s scrubbing toilets, I will take it.” Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish immigrant who founded the Carnegie libraries, began his work life at the age of 12, doing   MENIAL labor for pennies a day in a bobbin factory.

Niche: an activity or situation especially suited to a person

Synonyms: place, position, function, role, forte, slot, vocation Antonyms: Helen was a teenage mother who managed to complete college and raise her son. She has since discovered a career   NICHE as a counselor to other pregnant teens. Helen has found work that is especially well suited to her abilities and interests. "Niche" means "an activity especially suited to a person," as in: After getting her degree in accounting, Laura decided that her niche was really in management, so she returned to school for more training. After being hired—and then fired—as a bank teller, bridal shop clerk, and garden shop assistant, Josette finally found her NICHE as a wedding planner. She’s extremely good at it, and her clients love her. Although Sean is obviously intelligent and talented, he can’t seem to find his NICHE in the working world. He never stays with a job for more than a year or so.

Transcendence

Transcendent

Transcend: to rise above or go beyond the limits of; exceed

Synonyms: exceed, excel, surpass, outdo Antonyms: trail Although Stephen Hawking was severely disabled by Lou Gehrig's disease, he has TRANSCENDED his condition to become one of the most respected scientists of our generation.  Hawking has risen above the limits of his disease. "Transcend" means "to go beyond the limits of," as in: The psychic's clients believed she could transcend time and space to talk with the dead. Although she was angry with her friend, Jeannine was able to   TRANSCEND her anger and focus on the hurt her friend was also experiencing.

Waiver

Waive: willing to give up (as a claim, privilege, or right);  do without

Synonyms: surrender, relinquish, ignore, abandon, renounce, give up, put aside Antonyms: enforce, retain Since Yasmin had seen her brother the day before, and he was allowed only one visitor each evening in his hospital room, she WAIVED her visit so that his best friend could spend some time with him. Yasmin gave up her visit so that her brother’s friend could have it. "Waive" means "to willingly give up (as a claim, privilege, or right)," as in: Although the defendant has the right to an attorney, he has waived that right and will speak for himself instead. When people choose to place their children for adoption, they WAIVE their parental rights, allowing those rights to be transferred to the adoptive parents. Because James had special-ordered items from the hardware store so often, the clerk   WAIVED the requirement that he put down a deposit. “We require that of customers we don’t know well,” she explained, “but since we know and trust you, it won’t be necessary.”