Day 3 Master the Top Ten Tips for Learning (and Remembering) New Words - Part I Get the Edge!

Ultimate word success - Peterson's 2009

Day 3 Master the Top Ten Tips for Learning (and Remembering) New Words
Part I Get the Edge!

By opening this book, you’ve taken an important first step toward mastering the difficult vocabulary words that appear on standardized tests such as the SAT, GED, PSAT/NMSQT, ACT, and TOEFL. That’s because this book was designed to give you the vocabulary you need to do your very best on standardized tests.

This book is packed with 100 percent “test-worthy” words. These are the words that the test makers include on standardized exams—especially on exam questions involving sentence completions, analogies, and antonyms, which test vocabulary directly.

To unlock the secret to a wide and useful vocabulary, you need to do more than memorize lists of words. Your goal should be to…

• Develop a system that will help you remember the vocabulary words you’ll learn; and

• Increase your chances of correctly defining and using many other words that you’ve yet to encounter on standardized tests and in life.

The following twelve tips (the Top Ten and two bonuses!) can help you develop just such a strategy. Whatever your level of skill, you can benefit from the following time-tested vocabulary techniques. They’re easy—and they work.

To get the greatest benefit from this section, read the guidelines several times. Practice them with the vocabulary words provided later in this chapter. Then, use the guidelines as you work your way through this book.

Tip 1: Read

Reading is probably the single best way to improve your vocabulary. When you’re preparing for standardized tests, read material that contains words you are most likely to encounter. Possibilities include classic novels such as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, and The Sound and The Fury by William Faulkner.

Don’t have the time or inclination to read? All is not lost. In this chapter, you’ll learn some effective and enjoyable ways to increase the number of test-worthy words you know.

Tip 2: Use a Dictionary and a Thesaurus

If you’re serious about improving your test-worthy vocabulary, you must have (and use!) a good dictionary. (A good thesaurus also helps a lot, but more on that later.)

A dictionary entry always includes the following components:

• Spelling

• Pronunciation

• Part(s) of speech

• Irregular forms of the word

• Definition

• Etymology (the derivation and development of words).

An entry may also contain synonyms and antonyms of the word; prefixes, suffixes, and other elements in word formation; and abbreviations.

An abridged dictionary contains only the most common words that people use every day. These are the dictionaries you’ll use in your daily life. An unabridged dictionary contains all the words in English. Unabridged dictionaries come in many volumes, like a set of encyclopedias.

Most people think that all dictionaries are the same. After all, all dictionaries are chock full of words listed in alphabetical order. They all have pronunciation guides, word definitions, and word histories. However, all dictionaries are not the same. Different types of dictionaries fit different needs.

For example, some dictionaries have been written just for scholars. The most famous scholarly dictionary is The Oxford English Dictionary (OED). An unabridged dictionary, OED contains more than 500,000 entries. Don’t rush right out to buy one to stash in your bookcase, however, because OED now contains about 60 million words in twenty volumes.

Dictionaries also have been created just for adults, college students, high school students, and elementary school students. The following list includes the bestselling general dictionaries and the Web addresses for the online versions, when available:

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (Houghton Mifflin Co.: www.bartleby.com/61)

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, Inc.: www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm)

Merriam-Webster’s Pocket Dictionary (Merriam-Webster, Inc.)

The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford University Press, Inc.)

The Random House College Dictionary (Random House, Inc.)

Webster’s New World College Dictionary (Hungry Minds, Inc.)

Which dictionary should you purchase and use? Since more than 30,000 dictionaries are currently offered for sale online, you’ve got some shopping to do. Here’s what you need:

• A dictionary that contains all the words that you are likely to encounter on standardized tests. This will most likely be the same dictionary that you can use in school, in your personal life, and in your professional life.

• A dictionary that explains the words in terms you can understand.

• A dictionary in a size that fits your needs. You might wish to buy a hardbound dictionary to use at home when you study and a smaller paperback to keep in your backpack or briefcase for immediate reference.

An online dictionary can’t fulfill all your needs, unless you like to tote around your laptop all the time. Always have a print dictionary to use—even if you like to use an online version.

When you’re trying to find a word in the dictionary, always begin by making an educated guess as to its spelling. The odds are in your favor. However, the more spelling patterns you know for a sound, the better your chances for finding the word quickly. You can find a pronunciation chart in the beginning of any dictionary. Once you’ve narrowed down your search and you’re flipping through the pages, use the guide words, located on the upper corners of the pages, to guide your search. Then, follow strict alphabetical order.

The following diagram shows how to read a sample entry.

Image

Let’s look a little closer at the entry:

• Notice the pronunciation comes right after the entry word. It’s in parentheses—(kan’de).

• The part of speech is indicated by the n. It’s an abbreviation for “noun.” Look at the third entry. The vt. right before the 3. shows that the word can be used as a transitive verb (a verb that must be followed by a direct object). The vi. at the end of the fifth entry shows that the word can also be used as an intransitive verb (a verb that does not need a direct object to make sense in a sentence).

• The pl. at the beginning of the entry shows how you can make the word plural. Here, the singular “candy” becomes the plural “candies.”

• The definitions follow the plural forms of the word. The word “candy” has several different meanings. They are arranged by the part of speech: the first definitions show what “candy” means when used as a noun; the second group shows what “candy” means when used as a verb.

• The information at the very end of the entry is the etymology or history of the word. This shows how the word was formed and came into English.

A thesaurus is a reference book that contains synonyms and antonyms. The word thesaurus comes from a Greek word that means “collection” or “treasure.” A thesaurus is especially helpful when you’re trying to express an idea but you don’t know how to phrase it. It is also a helpful reference book when you are trying to find a better word than the one you’ve been using. This helps you state exact shades of meaning rather than approximations. As a result, your vocabulary increases by heaps and heaps of words. This is clearly a big advantage when it comes to preparing for a standardized test.

In a thesaurus, words with similar meanings are grouped together. To find a synonym for a word in a traditional print thesaurus, you must use the index at the back of the book. However, new editions and online versions of a thesaurus are arranged in alphabetical order like a dictionary.

If you look up the word excitement in a print thesaurus, you would find this entry:

excitement [n] enthusiasm; incitement

action, activity, ado, adventure, agitation, animation, bother, buzz*, commotion, confusion, discomposure, disturbance, dither*, drama, elation, emotion, excitation, feeling, ferment, fever, flurry, frenzy, furor, fuss, heat*, hubbub*, hullabaloo, hurry, hysteria, impulse, instigation, intoxication, kicks*, melodrama, motivation, motive, movement, passion, perturbation, provocation, rage, stimulation, stimulus, stir, thrill, titillation, to-do, trepidation, tumult, turmoil, urge, warmth, wildness. SEE CONCEPTS 38, 410, 633.

SEE CONCEPTS in the print thesaurus takes you to the Concept Index, which helps you link different related ideas. In this way, you can find the exact shade of meaning you need. Use the key in the beginning of the print thesaurus to understand different symbols. In this entry, for example, the * shows that a word is colloquial or the slang level of usage.

Online thesaurus programs are especially useful for distinguishing among homonyms. If you intended to type “whether” but instead keyboarded “weather,” the thesaurus will give you synonyms like atmospheric conditions, climate, meteorology, and the elements. This can help you keep your homonyms straight.

Both the print thesaurus and the online thesaurus will unquestionably help you beef up your vocabulary; however, in general, the print thesaurus will offer you more options. That’s because the print versions have more words in them. Chances are, even if you like using an online version, you will need to use a print thesaurus when your writing requires a wider variety of word choices.

Tip 3: Pronounce Words Correctly

Knowing the meaning of a word is only half the battle; you also have to know how to pronounce it. It’s astonishing how many words are misunderstood simply because they are mispronounced. Words get mangled in surprisingly inventive ways. For example, people often switch letters. For example, abhor (hate) becomes uh-bor rather than ab-hor.

People have also been known to drop letters. For instance, the food poisoning known as salmonella is correctly pronounced sal-muh-nel-uh. Dropping the l results in sam-uh-nel-uh.

The pronunciation problem is especially acute with words that can function as more than one part of speech. The word ally is a case in point. As a noun, it’s pronounced al-eye. As a verb, it’s pronounced uh-leye.

In addition, people often insert an extra letter or two, which can make the word unrecognizable. For instance, ambidextrous (able to use either hand) has four syllables and is correctly pronounced am-bi-deks-trus. But sometimes speakers add an extra syllable to get am-bi-deks-tree-us or am-bi-deks-tru-us.

Even the lowly word picture can get warped as pitcher. As a result, no one knows what anyone else is talking about. Incorrect pronunciations can make it impossible to define the word, too.

The most effective way to learn how to pronounce new words is by using a dictionary. Get a reliable desk or pocket dictionary. It’s the best source for the words you need to get you where you want to go.

How well do you pronounce test-worthy words? Take the following self-test to see. Cover the third column with a piece of paper. Then read each word and its definition. Pronounce each word. Last, check the third column to see how well you did.

Word

Meaning

Pronunciation

Amish

Pennsylvania Dutch

ah-mish

aplomb

assurance

uh-plahm

awry

wrong, crooked

uh-ry

banquet

feast

bang-kwit

buffet

self-service meal

buh-fay

buoy

floating marker

boo-ee

Celtic

Irish

kel-tik

denouement

conclusion

day-noo-mah

entrepreneur

businessperson

ahn-truh-pruh-nur

fracas

noisy fight

fray-kis

hegemony

leadership

hi-jem-uh-nee

insouciant

carefree

in-soo-see-int

khaki

light brown

kak-ee

larynx

voice box

lar-inks

mausoleum

tomb

maw-suh-lee-um

niche

corner

nich (rhymes with “itch”)

penchant

inclination

pen-chint

posthumous

after death

pahs-chuu-mus

quagmire

swamp

kwag-myr

remuneration

payment

ri-myoo-nuh-ray-shin

shallot

onion

shal-it or shuh-laht

toupee

hairpiece

too-pay

vehement

fiery, passionate

vee-uh-mint

verbiage

wordy

vur-bee-ij

worsted

yarn

wuus-tid

Tip 4: Use Word Cards

One of the most effective ways to make a word your own is through repetition. Going over the word can help you master its meaning as well as its pronunciation and usage. Try this idea: buy a stack of 3 3 5 index cards.

As you read through the following chapters, write each difficult test-worthy word on the front of an index card, one word per card. Then, write the definition on the back. Here’s a sample:

FRONT:

matriarch

BACK:

the female head of

a family or tribe

We’ve already done some for you—turn to the back of the book. Study the cards every chance you get. Take them with you on the bus, train, or plane; hide them in your lap and sneak a peek during dull meetings. Be sure to rotate the cards so you learn many different words. Also, turn to the back of this book. We’ve gotten you started with 216 vocab words.

Word games are another great way to learn test-worthy words. There are lots of games and puzzles in this book to help you out, but why not add Scrabble® and BoggleTM to your repertoire?

Tip 5: Learn Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms are words that are nearly the same in meaning as other words. Antonyms are words that are opposites. Learning different synonyms and antonyms can help swell your vocabulary. Go ahead and try it now.

Complete the following chart by writing at least one synonym and antonym for each word. Then, see how many more synonyms and antonyms you can brainstorm. The answers appear on here.

Word

Synonyms

Antonyms

1. adapt



2. authentic



3. chronic



4. conquer



5. frustrate



6. indulge



7. naïve



8. punish



9. relinquish



10. sullen



Seventh-Inning Stretch: Word-Definition Match

Take a stretch by completing this easy quiz. Just match each of the twenty vocabulary words with its definition. Write the letter of the definition in the space provided by each word. Use the techniques you learned so far in this chapter as you complete the exercise below. The answers appear on here.

_____ 1. inalienable

a. mistakes

_____ 2. crotchety

b. academic

_____ 3. lumbering

c. thinking

_____ 4. hinterlands

d. not to be taken away

_____ 5. endemic

e. grind

_____ 6. kiosk

f. to give in

_____ 7. distraught

g. left unplanted

_____ 8. macerate

h. moving in a clumsy way

_____ 9. cognition

i. sober, self-restraining

_____ 10. abstemious

j. greatly upset

_____ 11. didactic

k. grouchy

_____ 12. capitulate

l. common in a particular area

_____ 13. decadence

m. decline

_____ 14. winsome

n. great many

_____ 15. turbid

o. lacking firmness

_____ 16. myriad

p. region remote from cities

_____ 17. loath

q. murky

_____ 18. fallow

r. unwilling

_____ 19. errata

s. magazine stand

_____ 20. flaccid

t. charming

Tip 6: Understand a Word’s Unstated Meanings

Every word has a denotation, its dictionary meaning. In addition, some words have connotations, their understood meanings or emotional overtones. For example, both house and home have the same denotation, a shelter. Home, however, carries a connotation of warmth and love not present in house.

Slight differences in connotative meaning are important for precise speech and writing. For example, do you adore, cherish, have affection for, worship, revere, treasure, esteem, honor, or prize your latest sweetie? All these words are synonyms for “love,” but I think you’ll agree that there’s a world of understood difference between saying “I love you” and “I worship you.”

Let’s take the opposite of love, hate. Do you abhor, despise, scorn, abominate, curse, despise, condemn, shun, or spurn your most bitter foe? Cursing is not the same as shunning because the former involves foul words, while the latter is silent. Likewise, scorning is not the same as condemning.

Check out your understanding of connotation and denotation by completing the following chart. Write a plus sign (1) next to any word with a positive connotation and a dash (2) next to any word with a negative connotation. The answers appear on here.

Word

Connotation

Word

Connotation

1. emaciated


6. steadfast


2. slender


7. reckless


3. cheap


8. bold


4. thrifty


9. obstinate


5. stubborn


10. constant


Incorporate new words into everyday conversation. Use new words as you converse with friends. As you do so, pause to explain what the word means, and ask your friend if he or she knows any similar or contrary words. You’re bound to discover even more test-worthy words this way!

Tip 7: Use Word Parts

A surprisingly large number of words can be divided into parts that you can figure out easily. If you can define the parts, then you can often decode the entire word. This is a crucial skill on standardized tests, when you’re under time constraints.

There are three main word parts to know: prefixes, roots, and suffixes.

• A prefix is a letter or a group of letters placed at the beginning of a word to change its meaning. Prefixes are covered in depth in Day 4.

• A root is a base or stem form of many words. Roots are covered in depth in Day 5.

• A suffix is a letter or a group of letters placed at the end of a word to change its meaning. Suffixes are covered in depth in Day 6.

For example, if you know the Latin root ami means “like” or “love,” you can easily figure out that amiable means “pleasant and friendly.” Similarly, you could deduce that amorous means “loving.” Even if you can’t define a word exactly, recognizing the different parts of the word will give you a general idea of the word’s meaning.

Tip 8: Use Mnemonics

Mnemonics are memory tricks that help you remember everything from the order of the planets to your grocery list. Mnemonics are another technique you can use to help you distinguish between easily confused words. For example, to remember that principal means “main” (as in the principal of a school), look at the last three letters: the principal is your pal. To remember that principle means “rule,” remember that both words end in le.

Likewise, stationary means “standing still” (both stationary and standing contain an “a”) while stationery is paper used for writing letters (both stationery and letter contain “er”). Desert and dessert become easier to define when you remember that dessert has a double “s,” like strawberry shortcake, or you could remember that dessert is double-delicious!

Create your own mnemonics to help you remember the easily confused words that you are most likely to encounter on standardized tests.

Tip 9: Use Context Clues

When you take standardized tests, you’ll be expected to define unfamiliar words. You can often get clues to the meaning of unfamiliar words by the information surrounding the word, its context. When you use context and context clues, you interpret a word’s specific meaning by examining its relationship to other words in the sentence. To figure out the meaning of the unfamiliar word, you make inferences based on what you already know and the details that you are given in the sentence or paragraph. Here’s an example:

Just after midnight on April 15, 1912, one of the most dramatic and famous of all maritime disasters occurred, the sinking of the Titanic. The Titanic was the most luxurious ship afloat at the time, with its beautifully decorated staterooms, glittering crystal chandeliers, and elaborate food service.

How can you figure out that maritime must mean “related to the sea, nautical”? Use context clues:

What you already know

The Titanic was an ocean liner.

Sentence details

“The Titanic was the most luxurious ship afloat…”

Try it yourself by defining futile as it is used in the following passage:

The “unsinkable” Titanic vanished under the water at 2:20 a.m., April 15. There were about 2,200 passengers aboard, and all but about 700 died. The tragedy was made even worse by the crew’s futile rescue attempts. Since there were not enough lifeboats, hundreds of people died who could have survived.

Context clues come in different forms. The most common types of context clues include:

• Restatement context clues

• Inferential context clues

• Contrast context clues

Let’s look at each type.

Restatement Context Clues

Here’s how one writer defined the word levee right in the passage:

The Army Corps of Engineers distributed 26 million plastic bags throughout the region. Volunteers filled each bag with 35 pounds of sand and then stacked them to create levees, makeshift barriers against the floodwaters.

Right after the word levee, readers get the definition: “makeshift barriers against the floodwaters.”

You can also use an entire passage to get a general sense of difficult words. For example, define epidemic as it is used in the following sentence: “Nearly 40 million Americans are overweight; obesity has become an epidemic.” Since the sentence describes the epidemic as affecting “40 million people,” odds are good that epidemic means “something that happens to a large group of people.” Sometimes you won’t be able to pinpoint the precise meaning. Here, for instance, you might infer that an epidemic indicates a widespread threat, but you might miss the subtle connection between epidemic and disease. Nonetheless, this clue might be just enough to help you define a new word that you encounter on a standardized test.

Each of the following sentences contains a restatement context clue. The unfamiliar word is in italics. Write the definition on the line next to each sentence. The answers appear on here.

1. Fatty deposits on artery walls combine with calcium compounds to cause arteriosclerosis, hardening of the arteries. ____________________________

2. The upper part of the heart, the left atrium, receives blood returning from circulation. _____________________________________________

3. In many Native American tribes, the shaman, or medicine man, acted as a ceremonial priest. _____________________________________________

4. I believe that life is short, so we should eat what we enjoy. As a result, I consume mass quantities of confectioneries, candies, and keep my dentist on retainer. __________________________________________________

5. She jumped into the fray and enjoyed every minute of the fight. _____________________________________________________

6. As with all electric currents or discharges, lightning will follow the path of least resistance. This means that it will take the route that is easiest for it to travel on. ____________________

7. Many settlers on the vast American plains in the late nineteenth century used sod, or earth, as a building material for their houses. _________________________________

8. Then, arrange a handful of mulch, dead leaves, on the top of the soil. ______________________________________________

9. Born in 1831, John Styth Pemberton was a pharmacist, a person licensed to dispense drugs and medicines, who moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1869. _______________________________________________________________________

10. To make a living, he created so-called patent medicines, homemade medicines that were sold without a prescription. ________________________________________________________________

Inferential Context Clues

As you have just read, sometimes the unfamiliar word may be defined right in the text. At other times, however, you will have to infer the meaning from what you already know and from details you heard or read. This takes a bit of detective work.

When you make an inference, you combine what you already know with spoken or textual clues to discover the unstated information. You may have heard this referred to as “reading between the lines” or “putting two and two together.” In graphical form, the process of making an inference looks like this:

Text Clues 1 What I Know 5 Inference

Try the following example:

In 1862, in order to support the Civil War effort, Congress enacted the nation’s first income tax law. It was a forerunner of our modern income tax in that it was based on the principles of graduated, or progressive, taxation and of withholding income at the source.

Context Clue

+

What I Know

=

Inference

It was a forerunner

+

fore means “before” or “precede”

=

forerunner means “before“

Contrast Context Clues

You can also figure out an unknown word when an opposite or contrast is presented. When you do this, you’re making an inference. For example, you can define literal by finding its contrast in the sentence:

It is hard to use literal language when talking about nature because people tend to talk about nature using figurative language.

Literal language must be the opposite of “figurative language.” If you know that figurative language is words and expressions not meant to be taken at face value, you can infer that “literal” must mean the strict or exact meaning. Other synonyms would include verbatim or word-for-word.

Use contrast clues to infer the meaning of menace in the following sentence:

I was afraid that my mother-in-law would be a menace to our already cranky family, but she turned out to be a great peacemaker.

Menace means “threat.” You can infer this from the contrast between “menace” and “peacemaker.”

The following words express contrast. Watch for them as you read passages on standardized tests.

Expressions That Show Contrast

but

conversely

however

in contrast

on the other hand

still

nevertheless

yet

Since using context is such an important way to define unfamiliar words on standardized tests, you’ll want some additional practice to help you master this critical skill. Use all the different types of context clues as you decode these unfamiliar words in italics. The answers appear on here.

Most natural hazards can be detected before their threat matures. But seisms (from the Greek seismos, earthquake) have no known precursors, so they come without warning, like the vengeance of an ancient warrior. For this reason, they continue to kill in some areas at a level usually reserved for wars and epidemics—the 11,000 deaths in northeastern Iran occurred on August 31, 1968, not in the ancient past. Nor is the horror of the lethal earthquake completed with the heavy death toll. The homeless are left to cope with fire, looting, pestilence, fear, and the burden of rebuilding what the planet so easily shrugs away.

Word

Pronunciation

Definition

seisms

si-zums


precursors

pree-ker-sers


vengeance

ven-jens


lethal

lee-thal


pestilence

pes-til-ens


The film industry metamorphosed from silent films to the “talkies,” after the success in 1927 of The Jazz Singer. Mickey Mouse was one of the few “stars” who made a smooth transition from silent films to talkies with his 1928 cartoon Steamboat Willie. Within a year, hundreds of Mickey Mouse clubs had sprung up all across the United States. By 1931, more than a million people belonged to a Mickey Mouse club. The phenomenon was not confined to America. In London, Madame Tussaud’s illustrious wax museum placed a wax figure of Mickey alongside its statues of other eminent film stars. In 1933, according to Disney Studios, Mickey received 800,000 fan letters—an average of more than 2,000 letters a day. To date, no “star” has ever received as much fan mail as Mickey Mouse.

Word

Pronunciation

Definition

metamorphosis

meh-tah-mor-foh-sis


transition

tran-sih-shun


phenomenon

fee-nohm-ih-nan


illustrious

ih-lus-tree-us


eminent

eh-min-ent


A worldwide economic Depression in the 1930s left many people unemployed. One such person was Charles Darrow of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who had lost his job as a heating engineer. To try to make a living, Darrow invented a board game he called “Monopoly.” Initially, Darrow tried to sell his idea to the leading game manufacturer in America, but Parker Brothers turned the game down because it felt the game was too elaborate to play. In desperation, Darrow used his own money to have 5,000 games made by a small company. He sold the games himself, and the craze spread. Seeing the success of the game, Parker Brothers changed its mind and purchased the game for manufacturing and distribution. In 1975, twice as much Monopoly money was printed in the United States as real money. All told, nearly 100 million Monopoly sets have been sold since 1935.

Word

Pronunciation

Definition

economic

ek-oh-nah-mihk


initially

in-ih-shull-ee


elaborate

ee-lah-bor-ayt


desperation

dehs-per-ay-shun


craze

crayz


Context clues are especially crucial when you encounter words with more than one meaning. The word favor, for example, has many different meanings. Here are six of them: a kind act, friendly regard, being approved, a gift, to support, and to resemble.

When you read, you often come across a word that you think you know but that doesn’t make sense in the sentence you’re reading. That’s your clue that the word has more than one meaning. In this case, you must choose the meaning that fits the context.

Follow these three simple steps:

1. Read the sentence and find the word with multiple meanings.

2. Look for context clues that tell you which meaning of the word fits.

3. Substitute a synonym for the word and see if it makes sense. If not, try another meaning for the word. Continue until you find the right meaning.

For example: Nico was resigned to working overtime on Friday night.

1. Resigned has multiple meanings. Resigned means “quitting a job.” It also means “giving in unhappily but without resistance.”

2. Since Nico is working overtime, he is not quitting his job. Therefore, the second meaning of resigned should fit.

3. Using the synonym agreeable for resigned: Nico was agreeable to working overtime on Friday night. The sentence makes sense, so you have found the correct meaning for resigned.

Here are some examples of multiple-meaning words:

Word

Example

Meaning

Example

Meaning

address

home address

residence

graduation address

speech

game

play a game

sport

have a game leg

injured

catholic

catholic tastes

universal, wide

Catholic religion

of the Roman church

rash

have a rash

skin problem

rash action

hasty

Tip 10: Learn Word Histories

In the 1600s, people believed that toads were poisonous, and anyone who mistakenly ate a toad’s leg instead of a frog’s leg would die. Rather than swearing off frogs’ legs, people sought a cure for the “fatal” food poisoning. Performing in public, “quack” healers would sometimes hire an accomplice who would pretend to eat a toad, at which point his employer would whip out an instant remedy and “save” his helper’s life. For his duties, the helper came to be called a “toad-eater.” Since anyone who would consume anything as disgusting as a live toad must be completely under his master’s thumb, “toad-eater” or “toady” became the term for a bootlicking, fawning flatterer.

And that’s how the word toady came to be. English is a living language. From its Germanic beginnings, English absorbed influences from a wide variety of sources, including classical Greek and Latin to Italian, French, Spanish, and Arabic languages. English continues to absorb new words as our culture changes. In addition, a significant part of our vocabulary is artificially created to meet new situations. Exploring the history of these words, their etymology, can help you learn many useful everyday words.

And Two Bonus Tips…

Tip 11: Vocalize as You Learn

Saying words aloud or hearing somebody else say them helps you to recall them later. Try reading sample sentences and definitions aloud as well.

Tip 12: Review, Review, Review

It’s not enough to “learn” a word once. Unless you review it, the word will soon vanish from your memory banks. This book is packed with quizzes and word games to help refresh your memory.

Answers and Explanations

Synonyms and Antonyms (here)

(Possible answers)

Word

Synonyms

Antonyms

1. adapt

adjust, accustom, accommodate

disarrange, dislocate

2. authentic

genuine, real, legitimate

fake, counterfeit, bogus, imitation

3. chronic

habitual, ongoing, constant

one time, single

4. conquer

defeat, vanquish, overwhelm

surrender, yield, forfeit, give up

5. frustrate

baffle, beat, disappoint

facilitate, encourage

6. indulge

tolerate, humor, allow, permit

prohibit, deter, restrain, enjoin

7. naïve

innocent, ingenuous

worldly, urbane, suave

8. punish

discipline, castigate

reward, compensate, remunerate

9. relinquish

quit, renounce

perpetuate, keep

10. sullen

irritable, morose, moody

cheerful, jolly, blithe, happy

Word-Definition Match (here)

1. d

2. k

3. h

4. p

5. l

6. s

7. j

8. e

9. c

10. i

11. b

12. f

13. m

14. t

15. q

16. n

17. r

18. g

19. a

20. o

Word Connotations (here)

All the even-numbered words have a positive connotation; all the odd-numbered words have a negative connotation—even though the word pairs have basically the same denotations.

Here are some additional examples to swell your vocabulary even more:

Denotation

Positive Connotation

Negative Connotation

confused

puzzled

flustered

without a friend

friendless

reclusive

raw

unrefined

crude

inexperienced

trusting

naïve (ny-eev)

fat

plump

obese

underfed

slim

emaciated (ee-may-she-ay-tid)

courteous

polite

groveling

civil

considerate

obsequious (ob-see-kwe-us)

bent

curved

warped

minor

not significant

petty

Restatement Context Clues (here)

1. Arteriosclerosis means “hardening of the arteries.”

2. Atrium means “the upper part of the heart.”

3. Shaman means “medicine man.”

4. Confectioneries means “candies.”

5. Fray means “fight.”

6. Current means “discharges,” and the path of least resistance means “the route that is easiest for it to travel on.”

7. Sod means “earth.”

8. Mulch means “dead leaves.”

9. Pharmacist means “a person licensed to dispense drugs.”

10. Patent medicines means “homemade medicines that were sold without a prescription.”

Contrast Context Clues (here)

Word

Pronunciation

Definition

seisms

si-zums

earthquakes

precursors

pre-ker-sers

warnings, forerunners

vengeance

ven-jens

revenge, retribution

lethal

lee-thal

deadly

pestilence

pes-til-ens

a deadly and widespread disease, like the plague

Word

Pronunciation

Definition

metamorphosis

meh-tah-mor-foh-sis

change

transition

tran-sih-shun

development

phenomenon

fee-nohm-ih-nan

event, occurrence

illustrious

ih-lus-tree-us

distinguished, celebrated

eminent

eh-min-ent

famous

Word

Pronunciation

Definition

economic

ek-oh-nah-mihk

having to do with money

initially

in-ih-shull-ee

at first

elaborate

ee-lah-bor-ayt

complicated

desperation

dehs-per-ay-shun

frantically

craze

crayz

fad, fashion