[...]... 12:51 PM Page 14 THINK YO U KNOW YO UR VO CABULARY? 4 To get the party started, you might decide to stand up and read the fantastic _ you wrote as part of earning your honors status in your senior year 5 Your teacher told you that it was so amazingly well written that a new has begun in student essays, although he was rolling his eyes when he said it 6 Even though everyone at your party would... you and your high school buddies decided to get together after you graduated, you would host a(n) _ party 2 If you refused to serve a certain kind of chip dip because you discovered that the company that made it didn’t pay their workers well, you started your own 3 Despite the lack of chip dip, you would make sure to serve more than one for the hot dogs and burgers 13 Think_ 01_001-062.qxd:Essentials... you can’t do so without a verb For a sentence to be complete, you need both nouns and verbs; they work hand in hand Remember that message you left for your parents? Well, if you wrote another one with nouns but no verbs, you d end up with something like the following: John and I the mall Dinner too My job today See? Still, there is no clear message John and you what? What about dinner? What about your. .. money, what would you hope it did as quickly as possible? a accrue b delineate c inveigle d officiate 2 If your muscles start to atrophy, it means you ll get _ a stronger b taller c weaker d older 3 If you were asked to officiate at your sister’s basketball game, it would mean that you were allowed to a play in the game b throw the first ball c sit in the stands d make the rules 4 If your parents... your parents are upset with you, they’re most likely going to _ you a beguile b admonish c inveigle d modulate 21 Think_ 01_001-062.qxd:Essentials style 4/22/09 12:51 PM Page 22 THINK YO U KNOW YO UR VO CABULARY? 5 If you are vacillating, it means you are a exhausted b undecided c educated d delighted 6 Your teacher would probably be very upset to find out that you d a plagiarized b... So you can avoid what your teacher might label “vague and abstract terms,” like things or stuff To give you an idea of how synonyms work, I’ve organized this section a little differently Hopefully, it will give you a glimmer of how synonyms can improve your writing and speaking, and show you the many options the English language offers if you just take the time to go beyond the usual “stuff.” 25 Think_ 01_001-062.qxd:Essentials... “stuff.” 25 Think_ 01_001-062.qxd:Essentials style 4/22/09 12:51 PM Page 26 THINK YO U KNOW YO UR VO CABULARY? Thesaurus: No, It’s Not a Dinosaur! You already know that a dictionary is for looking up what a word means It may list a synonym of the word, but what if you want to know as many synonyms as possible to enrich your vocabulary? You re in luck A thesaurus does just that Words may be in alphabetical... and speaking They’re where the action is; they tell you what’s happening Without verbs, you d be unable to do anything—or at least, your communication about the things you were doing would be seriously lacking in substance Being able to use a wide variety of verbs when you talk or write will make it far easier to explain what you mean For example, you might write, “The wind blew.” That’s straightforward,... same school as you do are known as kindred _ 3 An exact copy of a document or illustration is a facsimile _ 4 Your neighborhood can be referred to as a metropolis _ 5 A pacifist is unlikely to be interested in negotiation 15 Think_ 01_001-062.qxd:Essentials style 4/22/09 12:51 PM Page 16 THINK YO U KNOW YO UR VO CABULARY? Activity 6: CROSS-A-WORD Read each clue Write the correct vocabulary word... Think_ 01_001-062.qxd:Essentials style 4/22/09 12:51 PM Page 10 THINK YO U KNOW YO UR VO CABULARY? Is there a message there? No! The recipient of the note wouldn’t know where you were going or with whom, when you would return, or what you re doing Just Be Glad Be thankful this is a vocabulary book and not a grammar book If it was, you d see instructions on how nouns relate to appositives, articles, pronouns, . USED NOUNS Think_ 01_001-062.qxd:Essentials style 4/22/09 12:51 PM Page 9 THINK YOU KNOW YOUR VOCABULARY? 10 Is there a message there? No! The recipient of the note wouldn’t know where you were. grade, convincing your boss to give you a raise, or persuading your parents to let you have a new mp3 player. 18. understand the world better because you ll have a stronger knowledge of what’s. of what’s going on around you. 19. keep up with your favorite TV shows because you ll finish your homework faster. 20. race through this book, laughing maniacally because you know every single word