Unit 4 - Improving Vocabulary skills EAP-0090 - Chapter 21

Noun

Adjective

Verb

Adverb

Credibility

Credible: believable

Synonyms: reliable, sincere, tried, trustworthy, believable Antonyms: unreliable I think the jury found the defendant guilty mostly because of the testimony of Officer Malloy. His excellent service record and personal reputation made him a very CREDIBLE witness. Because of Officer Malloy’s record and reputation, the jury believed what he said. "Credible" means "believable," as in: It's not surprising that Walter was found guilty. The prosecution's witnesses were far more credible than the witnesses supporting Walter's story. When Inez called saying she was too sick to come to class, the instructor found her excuse CREDIBLE. She was coughing constantly and sounded absolutely miserable. Many of the e-mail messages in my in-box are not CREDIBLE. I do not believe that a pill can cure baldness overnight, or that a government official in South America wants to transfer funds into my bank account.

Cursory: done quickly and without attention to detail

Synonyms: careless, haphazard, superficial, hasty, brief, quick, rapid, hurried, Antonyms: thorough, complete After my little sister fell off the swing, Dr. Jones gave her what I thought was just a CURSORY examination and then said she was fine. My suspicions were proven true the next day when we realized she had a broken rib. To miss the signs of a broken rib, the doctor’s examination must have been quick and not detailed. "Cursory" means "done quickly and without attention to detail," as in: A cursory job of brushing your teeth is not adequate. You must brush thoroughly to avoid cavities and gum disease. “Were you in a rush when you edited this paper?” my teacher asked. “You did such a CURSORY job of proofreading that you left out or misspelled many words.” Lavon was in such a hurry to get to work that he did a CURSORY job of shaving. Several patches of whiskers were left on his chin and cheek.

Designation

Designative

Designate: to name to an office or duty; appoint

Synonyms: title, elect, style, describe, define, appoint Antonyms: At the first meeting of our committee to plan the Spring Carnival, Laurie was DESIGNATED chairman and I was named recording secretary. Laurie and the speaker were named officers of the committee. "Designate" means "to appoint," as in: Since she had been designated as the driver for the group, Betty drank soda rather than beer at the party. In their wills, Raquel and Luis have DESIGNATED Raquel’s sister as guardian for their children in the case of their deaths. Rather than hold an election, the retiring chairman of the board will DESIGNATE a new chairman to take his place.

Deviation

Deviate: to turn aside or stray, as from a path, direction, or standard

Synonyms: depart, stray, turn, digress Antonyms: conform The nineteenth-century novelist Mary Ann Evans DEVIATED from the strict behavior guidelines of her day. She used a man's name (George Eliot) as her pen name and had a long-term affair with a married man.  Mary Ann Evans strayed from the behavior guidelines of her day. "Deviate" means "to turn aside, as from a path or standard," as in: People often deviate from their own high standards for the sake of getting richer. “We’re going to DEVIATE a bit from the printed program,” said the principal at the awards ceremony. “Instead of announcing the foreign-language awards first, I’ll start with the math and science awards.”

Improvisation

Improvisatory

Improvise: to compose, perform,  or provide without preparation; invent

Synonyms: create, invent, make up, contrive, adlib Antonyms Madeline can IMPROVISE wonderful meals at the drop of a hat. The other day she whipped up a delicious lunch for me out of a can of tuna, some macaroni, and a head of lettuce. Madeline is good at creating a meal with no preparation. "Improvise" means "to perform without preparation," as in: The comedienne playing at the club is fast-thinking as well as funny. She often improvises routines based on suggestions from the audience. Depending on the audience’s reaction, a stand-up comic may suddenly stop following a script and start to IMPROVISE—making up jokes on the spur of the moment. When the pump broke, we had to IMPROVISE a way to get the water out of the flooded basement.

Interim: the period of time in between; meantime

Interim

Synonyms: temporary, provisional, short-term, ad hoc, Antonyms: permanent Our college president will retire in the spring, but the school doesn’t expect to hire a new president until next fall. The vice-president for student affairs will serve as acting president in the INTERIM. The college will have a temporary acting president during the period between spring and fall. "Interim" means "the period of time in between," as in: After the department secretary quit, our boss didn't hire someone for three weeks. During that interim, we all had to do our own typing. This morning I’m going to do schoolwork, and this evening I have a dinner date. In the INTERIM I plan to nap and take a shower. For vendors at the shore, the INTERIM between Memorial Day and Labor Day is when they must make their money.

Latency

Latent: present but hidden or inactive

Synonyms: dormant, hidden, covert, concealed, underlying, suppressed Antonyms: overt In the annual Senior Citizens' Talent Show, Mr. Arden demonstrated a previously LATENT talent for musical comedy. Although he had never sung or acted in public before, he stopped the show with his version of "Why Can't a Woman Be More Like a Man?" from MY FAIR LADY. Mr. Arden's talent had been present all along, but no one knew about it until he performed in public. "Latent" means "present but hidden or inactive," as in: People infected with herpes sometimes don't realize it because they have no symptoms. The virus that causes the disease can remain latent for years. Fear of risks can keep people from uncovering their LATENT talents. For example, you might have great potential for painting or singing. But unless you are willing to try something new, you’ll never know what talents lie within you. LATENT tuberculosis is a form of TB that does not make the person sick. Ten percent of people with the condition will, however, develop active TB later in their lives.

Secular: not directly related to religion; not spiritual; worldly

Synonyms: earthly, worldly, nonspiritual, material, irreligious, of this world Antonyms: spiritual My parents are going to France especially to visit Lourdes, the location of many reported miracles. They will also visit SECULAR attractions, such as the Eiffel Tower and art museums. The sentence contrasts a famous religious place with nonreligious attractions. "Secular" means "not directly related to religion," as in: Several children on our block attend a Catholic school across town, but most go to the secular public school just down the street. In his church choir, Lamar enjoys singing sacred music. But he also belongs to several SECULAR music groups, including a doo-wop group. Although The Christian Science Monitor sounds like a religious publication, the famous newspaper is now entirely SECULAR.

Shun: to keep away from; avoid consistently.

Synonyms: avoid, spurn, reject, ignore, shrink, turn away from, Antonyms: court Whenever Terry wears her new fur coat, she is SHUNNED by her friends who are concerned about animal rights. They say they won’t be seen with her while she’s wearing the skins of dead animals. If Terry’s friends “won’t be seen with her,” they must be avoiding her whenever she wears her fur coat. "Shun" means "to avoid consistently," as in: I used to spend a lot of time with Tracy, but she shuns me now that I am dating her former boyfriend. In order to eat a healthful diet, it’s a good idea for shoppers to SHUN the central aisles of the supermarket. That’s where cookies, crackers, candy, and other unhealthful foods are often kept. For some reason, our dog SHUNS a certain room in the house. He simply refuses to enter it. We joke that he can see a ghost there.

Simulation

Simulate: to act or look like; imitate

Synonyms: copy, create, fake, pretend, model, mock up Antonyms Polyester may SIMULATE cotton, but it doesn't feel as good as cotton. Polyester doesn't feel as good as cotton does even though it can look like cotton. "Simulate" means "to act or look like," as in: The top of our kitchen table simulates oak, but when you look closely you can tell it is really just plastic. It is simply good manners to smile, say “thank you very much,” and SIMULATE pleasure when receiving a gift, even if the gift is something you don’t much like. Many hotels in Las Vegas are reproductions of famous sites around the world. For instance, one SIMULATES a palace in Venice, while another looks like an Egyptian pyramid.