12 Essential words
1. abandon (əˈbandən)
desert;leave without planning to come back; quit
Examples:
a.When Roy abandoned his family, the police went looking for him.
b. The soldier could not abandon his friends who were hurt in battle.
c. Because Rose was poor,she had to abandon her idea of going to college.
2. keen (kēn)
sharp; eager;intense; sensitive
Examples
a.The butcher's keen knife cut through the meat.
b. My dog has a keen sense of smell.
c. Bill's keen mind pleased all his teachers.
3. jealous (ˈjeləs)
afraid that the one you love might prefer someone else; wanting what someone else has
Examples
a. A detective was hired by the jealous widow to find the boyfriend who had abandoned* her.
b. Although my neighbor just bought a new car, I am not jealous of him.
c. Being jealous, Mona would not let her boyfriend dance with any of the cheerleaders.
4.tact (takt)
ability to say the right thing
Examples
a.My aunt never hurts anyone's feelings because she always uses tact.
b. By the use of tact, Janet was able to calm her jealous* husband.
c.Your friends will admire you if you use tact and thoughtfulness.
5. oath (ōTH)
a promise that something is true;a curse
Examples
a.The President will take the oath of office tomorrow.
b. In court,the witness took an oath that he would tell the whole truth.
c. When Terry discovered that he had been abandoned,* he let out an angry oath.
6. vacant (ˈvākənt)
empty;not filled
Examples
a. Someone is planning to build a house on that vacant lot.
b. I put my coat on that vacant seat.
c. When the landlord broke in,he found that apartment vacant.
7. hardship (ˈhärdˌSHip)
something that is hard to bear;difficulty
Examples
a.The fighter had to face many hardships before he became champion.
b. Abe Lincoln was able to overcome one hardship after another.
c.On account of hardship, Bert was let out of the army to take care of his sick mother.
8. gallant (ɡælənt)
brave;showing respect for women
Examples
a.The pilot swore a gallant oath* to save his buddy.
b.Many gallant knights entered the contest to winthe princess.
c.Ed is so gallant that he always gives up his subway seat to a woman.
9. data (ˈdadə)
facts;information
Examples
a.The data about the bank robbery were givento the F.B.I.
b.After studying the data, we were able to finish our report.
c.Unless you are given all the data ,you cannot do the math problem.
10. unaccustomed (ənəˈkəstəmd)
not used to something
Examples
a.Coming from Alaska, Claude was unaccustomed to Florida's heat.
b.The king was unaccustomed to having people disobey him.
c. Unaccustomed as he was to exercise,Vic quickly became tired.
11. bachelor (ˈbaCH(ə)lər)
a man who has not married
Examples
a. My brother took an oath* to remain a bachelor.
b. In the movie, the married man was mistaken for a bachelor.
c. Before the wedding,all his bachelor friends had a party.
12.qualify (ˈkwäləˌfī)
become fit; show that you are able
Examples
a.I am trying to qualify for the job which is now vacant.*
b.Since Pauline can't carry a tune, she is sure that she will never qualify for the Girls Chorus.
c.You have to be over 5'5"to qualify as a policeman.
Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below.
1. As I looked at all the ...........which the salesman showed me, I knew that I was getting more and more mixed up.
2. I used .......... when Itold my fat uncle that his extra weight made himlook better.
3. When the guard saw that the cot was ..............,he realized that the prisoner had left the jail.
4. Althoughhetook an ...........on the Bible,Sallied to the jury.
5. My aunt was so ..........of our new couch that she bought one just likeit.
6. I enjoyed reading the story of the .......... man who put his cloak over a mud puddle so that the queen would not dirty her feet.
7. The loss of Claudia's eyesight was a ......... which she learned to live with.
8. The driver was forced to ................his carwhen two of the tires became flat.
9. Betty could not ............ for the Miss Teenage America Contest because she was twenty yearsold.
10. The blade was so .......... that Icut myself in four places while shaving.
11. .......... to being kept waiting,the angry woman marched out of the store.
12. Because he was a ..........,the movie actor was invited to many parties.
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