Transcript Chapter Three: Supporting Details

IMPROVING
VOCABULARY SKILLS
Fourth Edition
Sherrie L. Nist
© 2010 Townsend Press
Unit Four: Chapter 20
• averse
• endow
• detract
• expulsion
• disdain
• mortify
• divulge
• nullify
• elation
• ominous
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 averse
– adjective
• That little boy was once so averse to tomatoes that the very sight
of them made him gag.
• Being averse to screaming crowds, I’d rather just listen to my
iPod than go to a rock concert.
Averse means
A. opposed.
B. accustomed.
C. open.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 averse
– adjective
• That little boy was once so averse to tomatoes that the very sight
of them made him gag.
• Being averse to screaming crowds, I’d rather just listen to my
iPod than go to a rock concert.
Averse means
A. opposed.
B. accustomed.
C. open.
If the sight of tomatoes made the boy gag, he must have had an
extreme distaste for them (been opposed to them). Being opposed
to screaming crowds could make one prefer to listen to an iPod
rather than go to a concert.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 detract
– verb
• Julius thinks the scar on his cheek detracts from his good looks,
but it’s barely noticeable.
• All of the litter in the park certainly detracts from the beauty of
the trees and flowers.
Detract means
A. to result.
B. to benefit.
C. to take away.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 detract
– verb
• Julius thinks the scar on his cheek detracts from his good looks,
but it’s barely noticeable.
• All of the litter in the park certainly detracts from the beauty of
the trees and flowers.
Detract means
A. to result.
B. to benefit.
C. to take away.
A scar would take away from a person’s good looks. Litter takes
away from the beauty of trees and flowers.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 disdain
– noun
• The snobby server in the French restaurant viewed Tanya with
disdain because she couldn’t pronounce anything on the menu.
• I was afraid my request to see the state senator would be treated
with disdain. Instead, the senator’s secretary politely made an
appointment for me.
Disdain means
A. pride.
B. disrespect.
C. sorrow.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 disdain
– noun
• The snobby server in the French restaurant viewed Tanya with
disdain because she couldn’t pronounce anything on the menu.
• I was afraid my request to see the state senator would be treated
with disdain. Instead, the senator’s secretary politely made an
appointment for me.
Disdain means
A. pride.
B. disrespect.
C. sorrow.
If Tanya couldn’t pronounce the names of
the dishes correctly, the snobby server
would view her with disrespect. In the
second item, instead of being treated with
disrespect, the person was treated politely.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 divulge
– verb
• My father wouldn’t divulge the type of car he had bought, saying
only, “It’s a surprise.”
• It’s against the law to ask people to divulge their age at a job
interview.
Divulge means
A. to hide.
B. to recall.
C. to tell.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 divulge
– verb
• My father wouldn’t divulge the type of car he had bought, saying
only, “It’s a surprise.”
• It’s against the law to ask people to divulge their age at a job
interview.
Divulge means
A. to hide.
B. to recall.
C. to tell.
If the father wanted it to be a surprise, he would not tell what type
of car he bought. People cannot be asked to tell their age in a job
interview.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 elation
– noun
• The principal shouted with elation when the football team scored
the winning touchdown.
• Roy had expected to feel elation at his graduation. Instead, he
felt sadness at the thought of not seeing his high-school friends
every day.
Elation means
Photo courtesy of Public Domain Images
A. anger.
B. confusion.
C. happiness.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 elation
– noun
• The principal shouted with elation when the football team scored
the winning touchdown.
• Roy had expected to feel elation at his graduation. Instead, he
felt sadness at the thought of not seeing his high-school friends
every day.
Elation means
Photo courtesy of Public Domain Images
A. anger.
B. confusion.
C. happiness.
The principle would shout with
happiness when the team scored the
winning touchdown. The sadness Roy
felt is contrasted with the happiness
he expected to feel.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 endow
– verb
• Nature has endowed hummingbirds with the ability to fly
backward.
• The author Oscar Wilde was endowed with the ability to find
humor in any situation. While dying, he said of the ugly
wallpaper in his hotel room, “One of us had to go.”
Endow means
A. to equip.
B. to curse.
C. to threaten.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 endow
– verb
• Nature has endowed hummingbirds with the ability to fly
backward.
• The author Oscar Wilde was endowed with the ability to find
humor in any situation. While dying, he said of the ugly
wallpaper in his hotel room, “One of us had to go.”
Endow means
A. to equip.
B. to curse.
C. to threaten.
Nature has equipped humming birds with the ability to fly backward.
Oscar Wilde’s deathbed remark demonstrates that he was equipped
with the ability to find humor in any situation.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 expulsion
– noun
• The manager told us we risked expulsion from the theater if we
continued to talk on our cell phones during the movie.
• Expulsion from school is supposed to be a punishment, but some
students may consider not being allowed to attend classes a
reward.
Expulsion means
A. being canceled.
B. being forced out.
C. being embarrassed.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 expulsion
– noun
• The manager told us we risked expulsion from the theater if we
continued to talk on our cell phones during the movie.
• Expulsion from school is supposed to be a punishment, but some
students may consider not being allowed to attend classes a
reward.
Expulsion means
A. being canceled.
B. being forced out.
C. being embarrassed.
Talking on cell phones in a theater during the movie can cause
you to be forced to leave the theater. If a student is not allowed
to attend classes, he or she must have been forced out of school.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 mortify
– verb
• It would mortify me if my voice cracked during my choir solo.
• I doubt anything will ever mortify me more than the streamer of
toilet paper that clung to my shoe as I returned from the ladies’
room to rejoin my date in a fancy restaurant.
Mortify means
A. to shame.
B. to insult.
C. to delay.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 mortify
– verb
• It would mortify me if my voice cracked during my choir solo.
• I doubt anything will ever mortify me more than the streamer of
toilet paper that clung to my shoe as I returned from the ladies’
room to rejoin my date in a fancy restaurant.
Mortify means
A. to shame.
B. to insult.
C. to delay.
Having one’s voice crack while singing a solo would make one feel
shame and embarrassment. Trailing a streamer of toilet paper
through a fancy restaurant would also make one feel shame and
embarrassment.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 nullify
– verb
• The college will nullify my student ID at the end of the term
unless I update it with a new sticker.
• A soft-drink company decided to nullify its contract with a wellknown athlete because he was convicted of drunken driving.
Nullify means
A. to renew.
B. to reveal.
C. to cancel.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 nullify
– verb
• The college will nullify my student ID at the end of the term
unless I update it with a new sticker.
• A soft-drink company decided to nullify its contract with a wellknown athlete because he was convicted of drunken driving.
Nullify means
A. to renew.
B. to reveal.
C. to cancel.
If one does not update one’s student ID, the college will cancel it.
If the athlete was convicted of drunk driving, the company would
cancel its contract with him.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 ominous
– adjective
• To many, cemeteries have an ominous quality, particularly at
night or on Halloween, when the threat of ghosts can seem very
real.
• The sore’s failure to heal was ominous, a possible sign of cancer.
Ominous means
A. embarrassing.
B. threatening.
C. unworthy.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 ominous
– adjective
• To many, cemeteries have an ominous quality, particularly at
night or on Halloween, when the threat of ghosts can seem very
real.
• The sore’s failure to heal was ominous, a possible sign of cancer.
Ominous means
A. embarrassing.
B. threatening.
C. unworthy.
To someone for whom the threat of
ghosts seems very real, a cemetery
would have a threatening quality. A
possible sign of cancer would be
threatening.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. averse
B. detract
C. disdain
D. divulge
E. elation
F. endow
G. expulsion
H. mortified
I. nullified
J. ominous
1. People talking in a movie theater greatly ________ from
the enjoyment of watching a film.
2. Because of the dark, _________ storm clouds, we
canceled the softball game.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. averse
B. detract
C. disdain
D. divulge
E. elation
F. endow
G. expulsion
H. mortified
I. nullified
J. ominous
1. People talking in a movie theater greatly ________
detract from
the enjoyment of watching a film.
People talking during a movie take away from the enjoyment of the film.
2. Because of the dark, _________
ominous storm clouds, we
canceled the softball game.
If they canceled the game, the dark storm clouds must have been
threatening.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. averse
B. detract
C. disdain
D. divulge
E. elation
F. endow
G. expulsion
H. mortified
I. nullified
J. ominous
3. I’m _________ to speaking in public because I don’t
enjoy making a fool of myself.
4. When he received the college scholarship, my brother felt
such _________ that he wept with joy.
5. The results of the mayoral election were _________ after
the townspeople found evidence of voting fraud.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. averse
B. detract
C. disdain
D. divulge
E. elation
F. endow
G. expulsion
H. mortified
I. nullified
J. ominous
3. I’m _________
averse to speaking in public because I don’t
enjoy making a fool of myself.
Fear of making a fool of oneself would make one dislike speaking
in public.
4. When he received the college scholarship, my brother felt
such _________
elation that he wept with joy.
The words wept with joy tell you that elation means “a feeling of
great joy.”
5. The results of the mayoral election were _________
nullified after
the townspeople found evidence of voting fraud.
If there was voting fraud, the results of the election would be cancelled.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. averse
B. detract
C. disdain
D. divulge
E. elation
F. endow
G. expulsion
H. mortified
I. nullified
J. ominous
6. The American water shrew is _______(e)d with feet that
have air pockets, enabling the small animal to walk on
water.
7. Some people want a law calling for the _________ of
illegal immigrants. Others want them to be forgiven and
allowed to stay in the United States permanently.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. averse
B. detract
C. disdain
D. divulge
E. elation
F. endow
G. expulsion
H. mortified
I. nullified
J. ominous
6. The American water shrew is __________
endowed with feet that
have air pockets, enabling the small animal to walk on
water.
Nature has provided the water shrew with feet that have air pockets.
7. Some people want a law calling for the _________
expulsion of
illegal immigrants. Others want them to be forgiven and
allowed to stay in the United States permanently.
In contrast with those who want illegal immigrants to be allowed to
stay, some people want a law that forces illegal immigrants to leave
the country.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. averse
B. detract
C. disdain
D. divulge
E. elation
F. endow
G. expulsion
H. mortified
I. nullified
J. ominous
8. Vinnie’s repeated boasts about his muscle-building backfired.
They caused his date to look at him with _________, not
admiration.
9. Never trust Esta with a secret. She’ll _________ it the
minute you turn your back.
10. The reporter was __________ when he learned that he
had delivered much of his news story facing away from the
TV camera.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. averse
B. detract
C. disdain
D. divulge
E. elation
F. endow
G. expulsion
H. mortified
I. nullified
J. ominous
8. Vinnie’s repeated boasts about his muscle-building backfired.
They caused his date to look at him with _________,
disdain not
admiration.
The word admiration is a clue that disdain means the opposite: “scorn.”
9. Never trust Esta with a secret. She’ll _________
divulge it the
minute you turn your back.
If Esta shouldn’t be trusted with a secret, she must be likely to reveal it.
10. The reporter was __________
mortified when he learned that he
had delivered much of his news story facing away from the
TV camera.
A television reporter would be humiliated to have made such a mistake.