Unit 4 - Improving Vocabulary skills EAP-0090 - Chapter 23

Noun

Adjective

Verb

Adverb

Bizarreness

Bizarre:

Synonyms: strange, curious, inexplicable, unusual, weird, odd, wacky, whacky, eccentric Antonyms: ordinary This month, the museum is displaying a collection of   BIZARRE masks from all over the world. Some are faces with three eyes, and others are half human and half animal.  Faces with three eyes and creatures that are half human and half animal would be “dramatically unusual.” "Bizarre" means "odd," as in: The mentally ill man had the bizarre notion that cloud formations in the sky were sending him messages. People with a medical condition known as “pica” feel the need to eat BIZARRE items, such as dirt, clay, or sand. The Wilsons’ neighbors are not happy about the BIZARRE appearance of their house. The Wilsons have painted it bright purple with huge yellow stars and spirals.

Conducible

Conducive:

Conduce

Synonyms: favorable, helpful, encouraging, advantageous, beneficial Antonyms: Even though Matty and Bill have been married 15 years, they still set aside two evenings a month for a private "date." They believe that spending time alone is   CONDUCIVE TO a good marriage. Matty and Bill think that spending time with each other helps support a good marriage. "Conducive to" means "tending to bring about," as in: Many students couldn't concentrate on their work yesterday. The warm air and sunshine were conducive to spring fever. Staying up until 3 a.m. playing video games is not CONDUCIVE to good performance in school the next day. Fatigue can interfere with learning new material and doing well on tests. Having weekly family meetings is CONDUCIVE to respect and understanding among the family members. Such meetings give each person a chance to understand what the others are thinking and feeling.

Falter

Falter:

Synonyms: hesitate, waver, weaken, fade, pause, fail Antonyms: continue The little boy walked bravely into the nursery school for his first day. But when he saw all the strange faces in the classroom, he   FALTERED and shyly stepped behind his mother. The little boy hesitated and acted uncertain when he saw the unfamiliar faces. "Falter" means "to act with uncertainty, or hesitate," as in: The little flower girl didn't falter once as she walked down the aisle, even when the five-year-old ring bearer sat down and refused to continue. Realizing that every eye was upon him, Raymond FALTERED over the first words of his presentation. But he pulled himself together and spoke confidently. I wanted to apologize for my rudeness to Dan, but I FALTERED as I began to speak: “I…uh…that thing. I mean, sorry.”

Flaunt

Flaunt:

Synonyms: exhibit, display, parade, flourish, sport, vaunt, boast, expose, show off Antonyms: hide Although other students admire Pauline’s intelligence, they certainly don’t like it when she   FLAUNTS her knowledge in class and mocks others for not knowing as much. The reaction of the other students tells us that Pauline shows off her knowledge. "Flaunt" means "to show off (something)," as in: It would be in better taste for the Stuarts to enjoy their wealth quietly, rather than to flaunt every new purchase in front of their poor relatives. The other students are not impressed by the way Jeremy FLAUNTS his celebrity relative. In every other sentence he uses the phrase “my aunt, the famous movie star.” Since returning from France, Irene FLAUNTS her knowledge of the language, throwing French phrases into every conversation.

Frenzy:

Frenzied

Synonyms: fury, anger, turmoil, fever, agitation, emotion,  craze Antonyms: calmness I suppose a pack of hungry wolves attacking a deer could come close, but nothing quite equals the   FRENZY of a four-year-old ripping into a pile of birthday presents. Both the hungry wolves and the excited child show a “wild outburst of excited feelings or actions.” "Frenzy" means "a wild outburst of excited feelings or actions," as in: When Mrs. White couldn't find her little girl in the hardware store, she went into a frenzy and didn't calm down until the child was located. In the veterinarian’s waiting room, one little dog was in an absolute FRENZY, racing about and barking wildly at every other dog or cat it saw. In the hour before the new restaurant opened, its owner and staff were in a FRENZY, frantically trying to make everything perfect before the first diners arrived.

Gist:

Synonyms: essence. Substance, idea, kernel, point, meaning. Sense Antonyms: Jay told his therapist about an upsetting dream. All the details had faded from his memory, but the   GIST was that he was being pursued by a panther with the head of his third-grade teacher. Jay was able to remember only the central idea of his dream. "Gist" means "the main point," as in: Lydia's English is not very good, but if you speak slowly, she can usually understand the gist of what you're saying. Moby Dick is a long and complex novel, but its GIST can be summarized in one sentence. A sailor Ishmael and his shipmates serve under Captain Ahab, who thinks of nothing but killing the whale that bit off his leg.  In debate class, our instructor is always encouraging us to remember one central theme. “What is the GIST of your argument?” she says. “Don’t get sidelined by other ideas.”

Hamper

Hampered

Hamper:

Synonyms: hinder, obstruct, shackle, encumber, slow down, block, cramp Antonyms: Jake's lack of tact   HAMPERS his career. His tendency to insult people without realizing it keeps him from climbing very far up the professional ladder. Jake's insulting manners limit his career possibilities. "Hamper" means "to limit, interfere with, or restrict," as in: I never should have complained that my parents hampered my independence. They not only agreed; they suggested I begin being independent by taking care of my own meals and laundry. The lack of protein seriously HAMPERS a child’s development, which explains why children from very poor areas are often unusually small. Having her leg in a cast HAMPERED Anita’s movements as she moved from class to class. Fortunately, her instructors understood when she arrived a little late.

Paradox:

Paradoxical

Paradoxically

Synonyms: inconsistency, irony, contradiction, puzzle, illogicality, impossibility, enigma Antonyms: While he was at medical school, Stan complained about the   PARADOX that faces doctors: While most of them enter the profession because they truly care about people, their training sometimes encourages them to take an impersonal attitude toward their patients. Doctors deal with the contradictory situation of wanting to help people, yet being encouraged not to get too personally involved with their patients. "Paradox" means "a statement that seems contradictory yet may be true," as in: Mae became suspicious when her husband brought her flowers unexpectedly. So she confronted him with this paradox: "When a man brings his wife flowers for no reason, there's a reason." A famous PARADOX states “This sentence is a lie.” If the sentence is true, then, according to the meaning of the sentence, it is a lie. But if it is a lie, how can it also be true? When people who were once in love break up, they sometimes become bitter enemies. Apparently there is some truth to the PARADOX “There is a thin line between love and hate.”

Repertoire:

Synonyms: accumulation, assemblage, range, list, stock, collection, selection, catalog,  inventory, series, group Antonyms: Gina has a broad   REPERTOIRE of office skills. She can program computers, write press releases, create a budget, and skillfully chair a meeting. If she can program computers, write releases, create a budget, and chair a meeting, Jan certainly has a broad range of office skills. "Repertoire" means "a range of skills," as in: The late Sammy Davis, Jr., was a one-man show. His repertoire included singing, dancing, and acting. Sally is a creative and adventurous chef. Because of her large REPERTOIRE of cooking techniques, she can prepare delicious dishes using recipes from around the world. Martin is a great houseguest because he has a large REPERTOIRE of entertaining talents. He can tell funny stories, do magic tricks, sing beautifully, play the piano, do acrobatics, and carry on fascinating conversations.

Viability

Viable:

Synonyms: feasible, practical, worthwhile, possible, workable, sustainable Antonyms: impossible Although no one else thought it could work, the fictional Dr. Frankenstein believed that a living creature made of dead bodies was a   VIABLE project. The sentence contrasts "no one thought it could work" with "viable," suggesting that the two terms have opposite meanings. "Viable" means "capable of being successful," as in: All the interested parties finally had to agree: there was just no viable way of putting Humpty Dumpty back together again. When the Wright brothers talked about inventing a flying machine, few people believed it was a VIABLE idea. But by 1903, they proved their idea was workable. Rooming together turned out not to be VIABLE for LeBron and Vern. Their different sleep schedules, food preferences, and personal habits made them constantly irritated with one another.