Unit 5 - Improving Vocabulary skills EAP-0090 - Chapter 28

Noun

Adjective

Verb

Adverb

Constriction

Constrictive

Constrict: to make smaller or narrower, as by squeezing or shrinking

Synonyms: tighten, narrow, contract, compress, squeeze, shrink Antonyms: loosen In the novel Gone with the Wind, Scarlett O’Hara wore a corset in order to CONSTRICT her waist to a tiny 18 inches. The corset made Scarlett O’Hara’s waist smaller by squeezing it. "Constrict" means "to make smaller or narrower, as by squeezing or shrinking," as in: An old Chinese tradition called for women's feet to be constricted with tight bands of cloth that kept the feet tiny. The reason people turn pale when they are frightened is that their blood vessels CONSTRICT, allowing less blood to flow through them. A straitjacket is a tight-fitting garment used to CONSTRICT a person who is physically out of control, making it difficult for the person to move.

Exhaustion

Exhaustive: covering all possible details; complete, thorough

Exhaust

Synonyms: thorough, comprehensive, complete, in-depth, full, extensive, intensive, Antonyms: restricted In researching her family tree, Laurie made an EXHAUSTIVE search for all her living relatives. She got dozens of phone books and called every person in them who had her last name.  The description tells us that Laurie's search for her relatives was quite thorough. "Exhaustive" means "covering all possible details," as in: Before buying the used car, Frieda put it through an exhaustive inspection, from tailpipe to hood latch. Before a person is nominated for a high political office, there is usually an EXHAUSTIVE investigation into his or her personal life, looking for anything that might later create scandal. To try to identify the child’s mysterious illness, his doctor took an EXHAUSTIVE medical history, covering everything from medications his mother took during pregnancy to any minor injuries he might have had.

Fallibility

Fallible: capable of making an error

Synonyms: imperfect, unsound, mortal, weak, frail, Antonyms: perfect, infallible Polly and Ron are at that early stage in their romance where neither believes the other is FALLIBLE. “He’s so smart!” she keeps saying, “She knows everything!” he repeats. Later on, they’ll begin to realize that everyone, even young lovers, can make mistakes. The sentences suggest that “fallible” means the same thing as “can make mistakes.” "Fallible" means "capable of making an error," as in: Joe thinks his boss should forgive his many mistakes because everyone is fallible. But his boss thinks Joe is far more fallible than necessary. Small children usually assume their parents are perfect. But all too quickly, they discover parents are as FALLIBLE as anyone else. When Mrs. Martinez pointed out that her son had missed a large spot as he mowed the lawn, he jokingly told her, “I did that on purpose, just to remind you that I am FALLIBLE.”

Formulation

Formulated

Formulate: to plan or express in an orderly way

Synonyms: express, frame, verbalize, articulate, communicate, convey, put into words Antonyms: Before bursting into the house where the hostages were being held, the police team FORMULATED their approach, carefully planning which area of the house each member would cover. The police team carefully developed their approach to the house. "Formulate" means "to form or work out in one's mind," as in: Hank had carefully formulated his argument for a raise before he asked for an appointment with his boss. When scientists FORMULATE a hypothesis, they start with a general question, and then rephrase it as an “if—then” statement, which they can then test experimentally. Critics of the war say that we should not have gone into it before we had FORMULATED an exit plan. They say that is why we will be stuck there for years to come.

Geniality

Genial: friendly, pleasant, and kindly

Synonyms: friendly, amiable, warm, welcoming, kindly, cordial, convivial, sociable Antonyms: unfriendly Toby does a terrific job as host of his restaurant. His GENIAL personality makes everyone feel truly welcome. A personality that makes others feel welcome would be friendly and pleasant. "Genial" means "friendly, pleasant, and kindly," as in: I felt more relaxed about Grandma's being in a nursing home after I met the genial staff who worked there. The lunch counter waitress is very GENIAL, always smiling, laughing with everyone, and attentive to all the customers. With his twinkling blue eyes and snowy beard, Mr. Thompson looks GENIAL. But in fact, he’s unfriendly and bad-tempered.

Habitat: the natural environment of an animal or a plant

Habitable

Synonyms: home, locale, environment, territory, haunt, habitation, surrounding Antonyms: You must re-create the HABITAT of a houseplant in order for it to do well. As a native of the desert, for example, the cactus requires desert conditions: hot sun and little water. Hot sun and little water are characteristic of a cactus's natural environment. "Habitat" means "the natural environment of an animal or plant," as in: Some people object to zoos, arguing that animals should remain in their natural habitats, not be put in cages. Judging from my son’s room, you’d think that teenage boys prefer living in a messy HABITAT filled with dirty socks, rumpled sheets, and the sticky remains of spilled sodas. It is hard to imagine a less inviting HABITAT than Antarctica, but that land of ice and snow is where penguins make their home.

Pragmatic

Pragmatic: practical; dealing with the problems that exist in a specific situation in a reasonable and logical way instead of depending on ideas and theories

Synonyms: practical, realistic, logical, rational, sensible, reasonable, matter-of-fact, Antonyms: idealistic Unless you can afford a lot of clothes, it's not PRAGMATIC to buy many patterned pieces. It's more practical to purchase clothes in solid colors that you can mix and match. The sentence indicates that "pragmatic" and "practical" mean the same thing. "Pragmatic" means "practical," as in: My pragmatic sister was always known in the family as "Practical Polly." By planning to live at home, attend community college, and work part-time, Eileen was able to put together a PRAGMATIC plan to get her associate’s degree. After trying for several years, Rodrigo admitted it was just not PRAGMATIC to grow water-loving tomatoes in his yard in the desert.

Pretentiousness

Pretentious: making a show of excellence or importance, especially when undeserved

Synonyms: affected, showy, conceited, hollow, pompous, fake Antonyms: It's incredibly PRETENTIOUS of Myrna constantly to drop foreign phrases into her conversation. To make her showing off even more obvious, she'll then say something like "Oh, I beg your pardon--you don't speak classical Greek, do you?" The sentence suggests that a person who does something "pretentious" is showing off. "Pretentious" means "making a show of superiority, excellence, or importance," as in: Even if Don does know all the answers in class, it isn't necessary for him to be so pretentious. His classmates dislike his showing off. Howie wasn’t impressed with the meal at his boss’s house. The multiple forks and spoons, many different courses, and dishes with French names struck him as silly and PRETENTIOUS. It seems PRETENTIOUS of Lise to fill her office with photographs of herself taken with celebrities. Does she think such a display makes her seem important?

Reconciliation

Reconcilable

Reconcile: to bring (oneself or someone else) to accept

Synonyms: settle, reunite, resolve, merge, join, out to rights, bring together Antonyms: Although Zoe’s mother opposed her marriage to Rod, she RECONCILED herself TO her new son-in-law once the wedding took place. After the wedding, Zoe’s mother brought herself to accept her new son-in-law. "Reconcile to" means "to bring (oneself) to accept," as in: After Grandma reconciled herself to the fact that Grandpa was really dead, she found the courage to go on with her own life. It’s hard to RECONCILE myself to the fact that my happy, cheerful child has become a critical, crabby adult. I still can’t believe her personality has changed for the worse. Winona doesn’t like having diabetes, but she has RECONCILED herself to it. She watches her diet, checks her blood sugar, and in general does what she needs to do.

Vileness

Vile: offensive to the senses, feelings, or thoughts; disgusting

Synonyms: dreadful, despicable, revolting, awful, contemptible, hateful, disgusting Antonyms: admirable The disgust that people feel for slugs seems nearly universal. At least, almost everybody I know finds the slimy creatures VILE. The sentence suggests that something that is vile causes disgust. "Vile" means "offensive to the senses, feelings, or thoughts," as in: When the garbage collectors went on strike, piles of garbage in the street soon developed a vile odor. Sam forgot to take the wet towels out of the washing machine before leaving on vacation. When he discovered them, the towels had become so sour-smelling and VILE that he had to wash them three more times to remove the foul odor and mold. A chunk of raw chicken thrown into the garbage can was soon a VILE sight, rotting and crawling with maggots.