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When do you use a comma?

By Wiki Study in Vocab & Grammar February 5, 2020 1 Comment

There are many different ways to use a comma, below are examples of the more common rules of usage.
1. A comma is used to separate words and word groups in a simple series of three or more items.
I love fish, chicken, beef and lamb.
2. A comma is used to separate two adjectives when the adjectives are interchangeable.
He is a strong, healthy man. He is a healthy, strong man.
3. A comma is used in a conjunction.
He drives very well, but often too fast.
4. In sentences where two independent clauses are joined by connectors such as and, or, but, put a comma at the end of the first clause.
He drove all the way to the beach, and had a swim.
5. A comma is used after certain words that introduce a sentence, such as well, yes, why, hello and hey.
Yes, I agree that the winter has been very mild.
6. A comma is used to highlight and separate expressions that interrupt the sentence flow; nevertheless, after all, by the way, on the other hand and however.
I want to visit my parent’s house this weekend, on the other hand, I would like to finish my assignment.
7. A comma is used to set off quoted elements.
“The staff of the hospital arrive between 10am and 11 am each day,” Peter said.
8. A comma is used to set off phrases that express contrast.
The whole of the city was covered in smoke, except the hill top.

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The different meanings of “wrong”

By Wiki Study in Vocab & Grammar February 5, 2020 0 Comment

The word “wrong” is commonly used in the English language but did you know it has a number of slightly different meanings?
Wrong is used in the following ways:
Adjective:
– That is the wrong sock, it doesn’t match the other one.
– It’s the wrong example. Try again!
Adverb:
– What am I doing wrong?
– What am I saying wrong?
Noun:
– He has done a great wrong by leaving the club before the end of the season.
– It is important to know the difference between right and wrong.
Verb:
– He wronged me but now, he has apologized and I have accepted the apology.
– She felt deeply wronged by the allegations.

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Noun Gender – TOEFL Vocab & Grammar

By Wiki Study in Vocab & Grammar September 11, 2018 0 Comment

Using nouns correctly in English is relatively simple, with standard rules and only a few exceptions.

In general, nouns answer the questions:

? “What is it?” and “Who is it?”

They give names to things, people, and places.

The Noun-Gender tells us about the sex of the noun.

In Grammar-Nouns, there are THREE GENDERS.

1. Masculine gender:

A noun is said to be in the Masculine gender if it refers to a male character or member of a species.

Man, lion, hero, boy, king, horse and actor are nouns of masculine gender.

Example:

• A boy is playing in the play-ground.

• Hero of the movie is not a native of this country.

In these sentences the words “boy” and “hero” are masculine-gender nouns.

The next in the Noun-Gender is feminine gender.

2. Feminine gender:

A noun is said to be in the feminine gender if it refers to a female member of a species.

Woman, lioness, heroine, girl, mare, niece, empress, cow and actress are few of the feminine-gender nouns that we use.

Example:

• A girl is playing in the play-ground.

• Heroine of the movie is not a native of this country.

In these sentences the words “girl” and “heroine” are feminine-gender nouns.

The next in the Noun-Gender is common gender.

3. Neuter gender:

A noun is said to be in the neuter gender if it refers to a member of a species which is neither a male nor a female.

Normally nouns referring to lifeless objects are in neuter nouns.

Chair, table, tree, star, mountain, street, book, car, school,
paper, pencil and computer are few of the neuter nouns which We use regularly.

Example:

• Computer has brought about drastic changes in our lives.
• Tree is cleansing the air.
• Stars are not visible in the day-time.
• Books are our best friends.

In these sentences the words, “computer”, “tree”, “stars” and “books” are the neuter-gender nouns.

? Noun Gender :

Gender is sometimes shown by different forms or different words when referring to people or animals.

Masculine (M) . Feminine (F) . Gender Neutral (N) .

? Examples :

M: Man
F: Woman
N: Person / People

M: Father
F: Mother
N: Parent / Parents

M: Husband
F: Wife
N: Spouse

M: Boy
F: Girl
N: Child / Children

M: Rooster
F: Hen
N: Chicken

? Many nouns that refer to people’s roles and jobs can be used for either a masculine or a feminine subject. like:
? cousin, teenager, teacher, doctor, student, friend, colleague

? For example:

Peter is my cousin, he is a doctor. Sarah is my other cousin, she is a doctor, too.

? More Examples on Noun Gender ( M : F )

? god : goddess

( God : The spirit or being whom Muslims, Christians and Jews believe created the universe, and to whom they pray. God is unique.

god : A male spirit or being who is believed to control the world or part of it. Example: Hindu god )

? groom : bride

? fiance : fiancee

? hero : heroine

? lad : lass

? lord : lady

? gentleman : lady

? landlord : landlady

? king : queen

? prince : princess

? emperor : empress

? count : countess

? sir : madam

? nephew : niece

? actor : actress

? waiter : waitress

? manservant : maidservant

? boy scout : girl guide

? bachelor : spinster

? grandson : granddaughter

? father-in-law : mother-in-law

? son-in-law : daughter-in-law

? step-father : step-mother

? step-son : step-daughter

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Health Phrasal Verbs (Meaning & Example)

By Wiki Study in Vocab & Grammar September 10, 2018 0 Comment

Health Phrasal Verbs (with Meaning and Examples)

Pass away

Meaning: Die
Example: His mother passed away last year.

Run over

Meaning: Hit by a vehicle
Example: Two children were run over and killed.

Break out

Meaning: Develop skin sores or irritation
Example: The measles caused me to break out in a rash.

Fight off

Meaning: Resist an illness
Example: I’m trying to fight off a cold.

Come to

Meaning: Become conscious
Example: When he came to, he was lying on the floor with his hands tied behind his back.

Pass out

Meaning: Faint, lose consciousness
Example: People everywhere were passing out from the heat.

Get over

Meaning: Recover from something
Example: It’s taken me ages to get over the flu.

Come down with

Meaning: Become sick (not seriously)
Example: I think I’m coming down with the flu.

Throw up

Meaning: Be sick, vomit
Example: The baby’s thrown up her dinner.

Come round

Meaning: Become conscious
Example: Your mother hasn’t yet come round from the anesthetic.

Work out

Meaning: Train the body through physical exercise
Example: I work out regularly to keep fit.

Warm up

Meaning: Begin a physical activity gradually
Example: It’s necessary to warm up before exercise to prevent injuries.

Block up

Meaning: Stop something from moving through something else
Example: My nose is blocked up.

Lay (Laid) up

Meaning: Unable to work, etc. because of an illness or injury
Example: She’s laid up with a broken leg.

Swell up

Meaning: Become large, inflated, or bulging
Example: The boy’s arm swelled up where the bee had stung him.

Clog up

Meaning: Become or cause to become obstructed
Example: High-fat foods can clog up our arteries.

Dose up (UK)

Meaning: Give medicine to
Example: You should dose up with vitamin C to fight colds off.

Lay low

Meaning: Render someone unable to move or leave their bed
Example: The flu usually lays people low for five to ten days.

Let up

Meaning: Become less strong or stop
Example: A cold continues at its peak for several days, then it gradually let up.

Shake off

Meaning: Shake something in order to get something off of it
Example: She has failed to shake off her stomach injury.

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Tips for Learning English (TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC): Mastering Phrasal Verbs

By Wiki Study in Vocab & Grammar September 10, 2018 0 Comment

One of the most difficult, but unfortunately most important, aspects of learning English is its famous phrasal verbs. They are everywhere! Unfortunately, you cannot escape them, and to progress to an advanced level in English, you must learn them proficiently.

So first, a quick refresher: what is a phrasal verb?

Phrasal verbs are verbs with prepositions or adverbs attached to them. They are easy to understand if they are used literally, but many have completely different meanings from the normal sense of the verb being used and can, therefore, be very confusing for students of English as a foreign language.

For example, everyone will understand the phrasal verb in the following sentence because the meaning is literal and obvious:

“He was looking down at the floor while the teacher was shouting at him.”

But what about the same phrasal verb used in a more idiomatic way?

“She looks down on all her colleagues at work.”

This means she thinks she is better than and has no respect for her colleagues. When phrasal verbs are not used literally, they are idiom just like all other English idioms. There are many books on phrasal verbs, but because most of them only deal with phrasal verbs, they can be very boring and intimidating for students. Phrasal verbs should be learned together with other useful vocabulary and not in isolation.

A phrasal verb is a two or three-part verb consisting of a short verb, such as break, go, run, take, fall, get, or come, and a particle, such as up, in, on, off, over, out, down, or over.

Verb + Particle

The particle part of the verb greatly modifies, or changes, the meaning of the verb. So, sometimes you have a verb which has a completely different meaning, depending on its particle. For example, get up; get over; get around to; get in, and get through all have completely different meanings. It is imperative to understand these meanings to fully understand native speakers when they speak English.

Phrasal verbs are informal.

As such, they are extremely commonplace in speaking and informal texts, such as news articles or emails. Phrasal verbs do have equivalents that derive from Latin. This means that if you speak Spanish, Italian, Romanian, French or Portuguese, these verbs are going to be very familiar to you. Some examples are:

Call off: Cancel

Throw up: Vomit

Put off: Postpone

Runaway: Escape

Work out: Exercise

There is a strong tendency for learners to avoid using phrasal verbs because they do not appear in other languages. Do not do this! Search for phrasal verbs and try to use them as much as possible. Using phrasal verbs will make your English sound more natural.

There’s a trick to using pronouns with phrasal verbs.

Also, something which can be tricky with phrasal verbs is that you must separate the verb and the particle when you use a pronoun, and insert the pronoun in the middle. What? An example will make this clear:

I put off the meeting. I put it off.

I called off the dinner party. I called it off.

I let down my father. I let him down.

This rule requires some practice. The best thing to do is simply make sentences in your head, and then say them using the pronoun, making sure to insert it between the verb and the particle. Don’t let this small rule scare you from using phrasal verbs! It just requires a little bit of practice.

Phrasal verbs should not be understood literally.

You often have to study the word for word. This means that you cannot always understand the meaning of them in context, based on the verb and the particle. Sometimes this is possible: for example, blow away; fly away; pass away; go away. These phrasal verbs all have the idea of leaving.

However, other phrasal verbs have very strange particle verb combinations, which make little sense: run out of; give in; hang out; and crop up, for example. You, unfortunately, have to look up the meanings of these verbs in a dictionary to understand them.

Are you feeling better about using phrasal verbs when speaking English? I hope you take up learning them so that you can show off your awesome English while you are hanging out with your friends!

Don’t be afraid of phrasal verbs!

You can improve your use of phrasal verbs, advanced vocabulary, and idioms withPhrasal verbs list from the Practical Everyday series

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The 327 Best Words to Know: Ultimate TOEFL Vocabulary List

By Wiki Study in Vocab & Grammar May 17, 2018 0 Comment

Developing solid TOEFL vocabulary skills can be one of the most challenging parts of studying for the exam, but it’s also one of the most important. Many TOEFL questions either ask you the definition of a word outright or require you to have knowledge of certain words in order to answer a question correctly. With so many words in the English language, which are the ones you need to know?

We’ve done the hard work for you and determined the 327 most useful TOEFL words to know. They’re all listed below, along with a definition and sample sentence for each. We also end with tips on how to use this list most effectively in order to be prepared for vocabulary on the TOEFL.

How Did We Compile This TOEFL Vocabulary List?

To create this list, we first read through official TOEFL practice materials and made a list of all the words a person taking the TOEFL might struggle with. This was our primary source and finds words that you’re more likely to see on the real test. Next, we cross-referenced our list with TOEFL vocabulary lists from other sites, such as Magoosh and TOEFL Vocabulary, and examined their overlap with our list.

Words that appeared especially frequently from our research was automatically added to the final TOEFL vocabulary list you see below, as well as a selection of other words deemed particularly useful to know for the TOEFL. Once the list of 327 best words was compiled, we added a definition and sample sentence to each one to help you better understand the words and how they are used.

The 327 TOEFL Words You Need to Know

Below are the 327 best TOEFL vocabulary words, in alphabetical order.

Word	Definition	Sample Sentence
Abundant	Present in large quantities.	Living close to a lake means we have an abundant supply of water.
Accumulate	To gradually collect.	Each fall, leaves accumulate in our driveway.
Accurate	Correct; free from errors.	Make sure your address is accurate before submitting your online order.
Accustomed	Used to something.	Having 8AM classes means I’m accustomed to getting up early.
Acquire	To come into possession of.	When my grandmother died, I acquired her cookbook collection.
Adamant	Refusing to change an opinion.	The defendant was adamant that he was innocent.
Adequate	Enough to suit your needs.	Our house isn’t big, but it’s adequate for the two of us.
Adjacent	Close to or next to.	The park is adjacent to the school.
Adjust	To change something so it serves its purpose better.	The bike seat may be too high; you’ll probably need to adjust it.
Advantage	Something that makes it easier to achieve success.	His height gives him an advantage in basketball.
Advocate	To publicly support.	My aunt is a major advocate for women’s’ rights.
Adverse	Unfavorable; against one’s desires.	I had an adverse reaction to my medication and had to stop taking it.
Aggregate	To combine.	We should aggregate our resources to share them more easily.
Aggressive	Assertive and pushy.	The salesperson was very aggressive when trying to get us to buy the television.
Allocate	To put aside for a specific purpose.	The village needs to allocate funds for building the new school.
Alternative	Another option or choice.	If the ATM is broken, an alternative solution is to stop by the bank.
Amateur	Someone who is inexperienced or not highly skilled in a particular area.	He’s an amateur soccer player and is still learning the rules of the game.
Ambiguous	Having several potential meanings; unclear and difficult to understand.	When I asked the HR manager what my chances were of getting the job, she gave me a very ambiguous reply.
Ambitious	Having large goals.	My son is very ambitious and hopes to be a millionaire by the time he’s thirty.
Amend	To change for the better; to improve.	I believe we should amend our country’s tax laws.
Ample	Plentiful.	Our new apartment has ample space for the two of us.
Anomaly	Deviation from the norm.	The basketball player is the team’s best free thrower, so his missing both shots was an anomaly.
Annual	Occurring yearly.	The annual company barbeque takes place every August.
Antagonize	To tease or be hostile towards a person or group.	The boy loves to antagonize his little sister by pulling her hair.
Attitude	Manner or feeling.	After she got grounded, the teenager had a bad attitude for the rest of the day.
Attribute	To give credit.	Be sure to attribute credit to your sources when writing a research paper.
Arbitrary	Based on a whim or random decision.	Flipping a coin is an arbitrary way to make a decision.
Arduous	Requiring a lot of effort.	After you cross the bridge, there’s an arduous walk up the hill.
Assuage	To lessen a negative feeling.	The mother assuaged her child’s fear of the dark.
Assume	To suppose without solid proof.	I assumed he was rich because he worked as a lawyer.
Augment	To increase or make larger.	She augments her regular salary by babysitting on the weekends.
Benefit	Something positive or advantageous.	A benefit of doing homework on Friday is that your weekend will be free.
Berate	To scold.	Our neighbor berated us after we broke his window playing baseball.
Bestow	To give as a gift.	The medal was bestowed upon him by the president.
Boast	To brag or talk with excessive pride.	He always boasts of his talents after he wins a game.
Boost	To help raise or increase something.	I gave him a pep talk to boost his self-esteem before his speech.
Brash	Rude and tactless.	The brash man always asked inappropriate questions.
Brief	Short (in terms of time).	It will only have a brief meeting, so you’ll still have plenty of time for lunch.
Brusque	Abrupt to the point of rudeness.	After being away for so long, I expected more than her brusque greeting.
Cacophony	A harsh, unpleasant mixture of noise.	The cuckoo clock shop lets off a cacophony every hour.
Cease	To stop.	I wish they would cease arguing.
Censure	To express strong disapproval.	Every parent in our district censured the education cuts.
Chronological	Arranged in order of time or date.	Put the historical events in chronological order to make them easier to study.
Clarify	To make clear; to remove confusion.	I didn’t understand the instructions, so I asked the teacher to clarify them.
Coalesce	To combine or grow together.	The people on the street eventually coalesced into a group.
Coerce	To force someone to do something against their will.	The young boy was coerced into stealing by his friends.
Cognizant	Being aware or having knowledge of something.	Before mountain climbing, you need to be cognizant of the risks.
Cohesion	Uniting; becoming one.	Water molecules show strong cohesion when they stick together.
Coincide	To occur at the same time.	This year Thanksgiving coincided with my birthday.
Collapse	To fall down or break down.	The old building finally collapsed, leaving nothing but a pile of rubble.
Collide	To hit one another with a forceful impact.	The two cars collided on the freeway.
Commitment	Dedication to a cause or activity.	Joining a school play is a big commitment. You’ll need to practice every evening.
Community	A group of people who live or work together.	The Chinese community in my city is hosting a New Year celebration next week.
Conceal	To hide.	The mountains concealed the ocean from view.
Concur	To agree.	He believes women should be paid as much as men, and I concur.
Conflict	A disagreement or fight.	The conflict between the two families has been going on for generations.
Constrain	To restrict or repress.	You should move your plant to a bigger pot, otherwise you’ll constrain its roots.
Contemplate	To consider thoughtfully.	I spend a lot of time contemplating what career I want to have.
Continuously	To go on without stopping.	My neighbors have been continuously blasting their music since last night.
Contradict	To give the opposite opinion.	I told the employees that sales were down, but my boss contradicted me and said sales were actually up.
Contribute	To give something (usually money or time) to a common fund or cause.	Every roommate contributes part of his paycheck to the grocery bill.
Convey	To make known.	I’ve conveyed my interest in working for that company.
Copious	Abundant.	He always takes copious notes during class to study later on.
Core	Central; of main importance.	Although many employees left the company, the core leadership remained.
Corrode	To gradually wear away.	The rust corroded the paint on my car.
Cumbersome	Burdensome; clumsy	Trying to carry four grocery bags at once was very cumbersome.
Curriculum	The courses given by a school or program.	Our school needs to add more music courses to its curriculum.
Data	Facts, statistics, or pieces of information.	The data from these graphs show that yearly temperatures are increasing.
Decay	To decline in health or excellence.	After the tree died, its wood began to decay.
Deceive	To trick or mislead.	He deceived me by pretending to be a millionaire.
Decipher	To find the meaning of.	The spy deciphered the secret code.
Declaration	An announcement.	He made a declaration to the office that he was quitting.
Decline	1. To politely refuse.	1. I declined his offer of a ride home.2. Her health has declined ever since she turned 70.
Degrade	To lower in quality.	My attempt at cake degraded into a crumbly mess.
Demonstrate	To show.	Let me demonstrate the proper way of throwing a football.
Deny	To state that something isn’t true.	He denied being the robber.
Deplete	To significantly decrease.	Your shopping sprees have depleted my savings.
Deposit	To deliver and leave an item.	Please deposit your books in the bin outside the library.
Desirable	Worth having or wanting.	Bravery is a desirable trait for firefighters to have.
Despise	To hate.	I despise early morning classes.
Detect	To locate something.	The police dog detected the missing child’s scent.
Deter	To discourage.	The warning signs on the house deterred trespassers.
Deviate	To differ from the norm.	I decided to deviate from my normal route home and took a shortcut.
Devise	To plan or create.	The coach devised a plan for winning the game.
Diatribe	A sharp criticism or attack.	The politician went into a diatribe against her opponent.
Digress	To wander from the main subject.	The teacher digressed from the lecture to discuss the weather.
Dilemma	A situation where one must choose between two difficult choices.	The student faced the dilemma of attending school sick or missing her exam.
Diminish	To shrink or reduce.	Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet to diminish the stain.
Dispose	To get rid of.	I need to dispose of this trash.
Disproportionate	Too large or small when compared to something else.	The piece of pie I received was disproportionately small.
Disrupt	To interrupt by causing a disturbance.	The protesters disrupted the politician’s speech.
Distort	To misrepresent.	The camera filter distorted the image.
Distribute	To give portions of something.	Distribute the materials evenly among the class.
Diverse	Showing a lot of variety.	This city has a very diverse population.
Divert	To cause a change of course.	Because of the accident, the police had to divert traffic down a side street.
Dynamic	Constantly changing.	The theater has dynamic shows, so you never know what you’ll see.
Ease	To reduce unpleasantness or difficulty.	This prescription will ease your allergies.
Efficient	Maximizing productivity.	Now that I’m following a schedule at work, I’m much more efficient.
Eliminate	To remove.	Our team lost the match and was eliminated from the competition.
Elite	A select, above-average group.	The elite detective team were also sent for when there were big crimes.
Eloquent	Moving speech or writing.	Her eloquent writing has gained her many fans.
Emphasize	To give special importance to when speaking or writing.	The teacher emphasized the due date of the project.
Endure	To suffer through something difficult with patience.	He has endured four knee operations so far.
Enhance	To intensify or magnify.	The falling snow enhanced the beauty of the small village.
Epitome	A perfect example of something.	The duchess is the epitome of class.
Equivalent	Equal.	Twenty-four is equivalent to two dozen.
Erroneous	Incorrect.	He apologized for his erroneous statement.
Estimate	An approximate value.	Try to get an estimate of the number of people attending the concert.
Evade	To avoid or escape.	By hiding in the bathroom, we were able to evade the intruder.
Evaluate	To assess.	At the end of the class, every student will evaluate how well the professor taught.
Evidence	Facts or information that help prove or disprove something.	These fossils are evidence of evolution.
Evolve	To gradually change.	The small school evolved into a world-class institution.
Exemplary	Worthy of imitation.	She is an exemplary student, and you should copy her study habits.
Exclude	To leave out.	The young boy was excluded from his friends’ soccer game.
Exclusive	Not admitting the majority.	We may not be able to get in since that club is very exclusive.
Expand	To increase in size.	Adding air to bike tires will cause them to expand.
Expertise	Expert knowledge or skill in a particular field.	The surgeon’s expertise is knee surgeries.
Exploit	To use selfishly.	The company exploited its workers by making them work long hours.
Expose	To reveal or unmask.	The emails presented exposed the company’s corruption.
Extension	An act of making something longer.	If you’re sick on the day the paper is due, the teacher may give you an extension on the due date.
Extract	To get or remove something.	The dentist extracted one of my teeth.
Famine	A time when there is an extreme lack of food.	Millions of children in Ethiopia died due to the famine there.
Feasible	Possible to do.	This study plan you made for me sounds feasible, even with my work schedule.
Finite	Having an end or limits.	Remember that life is finite; you’re not immortal.
Flaw	A feature that ruins the perfection of something.	I got the diamond for a reduced price since the stone had a flaw.
Fluctuate	To change continually.	I’m not sure what to wear since the temperature has been fluctuating so much.
Focus	The central point or idea.	The program is going to focus on environmental issues.
Fortify	To strengthen.	The king decided to fortify the castle walls to protect them during attacks.
Framework	A skeletal structure designed to support something.	Skyscrapers must have a strong framework to support all the floors.
Frivolous	Unnecessary; of little importance	You must stop spending your money on frivolous purchases.
Function	A purpose natural to a person or thing.	The function of petals is to attract insects to the plant.
Fundamental	Of primary importance.	Learning scales is fundamental to being a good piano player.
Gap	A space in between to objects.	Be careful to avoid the gap between the two steps.
Garbled	Communication that is distorted and unclear.	Our answering machine is so bad that people’s voices are always garbled.
Generate	To produce.	The fire generates heat, which keeps the room warm.
Grandiose	Pompous; overly important.	The actress had only one small part before she got grandiose ideas of her fame.
Hackneyed	Overused and unoriginal.	HIs poems contain many hackneyed phrases.
Haphazard	Lacking planning.	There was no schedule, so the event was very haphazard.
Harsh	Not gentle; unpleasant.	Her comments on my performance were very harsh and not kind at all.
Hasty	In a hurry.	In order to avoid the police, the robbers made a hasty retreat.
Hazardous	Full of risk.	The nuclear reactor has a lot of hazardous waste.
Hesitate	To pause, often due to reluctance.	She hesitated before entering the abandoned building.
Hierarchy	A ranking system.	In the office hierarchy, the manager is higher than the associate.
Hindrance	Something that causes delay or resistance.	Her hatred of public transportation is a hindrance when trying to get around New York City.
Hollow	Empty inside.	The dead tree is hollow.
Horror	An intense feeling of fear.	The haunted house filled me with horror.
Hostile	Extremely unfriendly.	My ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend was very hostile towards me.
Hypothesis	An unproven idea that attempts to explain something.	You’ll need to conduct an experiment to test your hypothesis.
Identical	Exactly the same.	The twins were completely identical.
Illiterate	Unable to read.	Because he’d never been able to attend school, the man was illiterate.
Illustrate	To explain by using an example.	The professor illustrated the lesson with a personal story.
Impact	Effect or influence.	His moving words had a large impact on me.
Impair	To worsen.	Drinking alcohol will impair your driving abilities.
Implement	To carry out.	We will implement the new schedule starting next semester.
Imply	To strongly suggest.	My mother implied that I was the one who forgot to take out the trash.
Impose	To force upon.	After the riots, the mayor imposed a curfew on the town.
Impoverish	To reduce to poverty.	These medical bills are going to impoverish me.
Incentive	A reason to do something.	I hate my job, but the big paychecks are a good incentive to stick with it.
Incessant	Continuing without pause.	I can’t sleep because of the dog’s incessant barking.
Incidental	A minor part.	Don’t worry about your grade on this quiz; it’s only an incidental part of your grade.
Incite	To urge on.	The ringleader incited the soldiers to rebellion.
Inclination	A preference.	My inclination is to go to bed early.
Incompetent	Incapable; lacking ability.	The incompetent worker was fired from his job.
Inconsistent	Changing randomly.	His pitching has been very inconsistent all season.
Indefatigable	Untiring.	She is an indefatigable hiker and can walk all day.
Indisputable	Not able to be challenged.	She’s the indisputable star of the basketball team.
Ineffective	Not producing any major impact.	The drug was shown to be ineffective at curing cancer.
Inevitable	Unable to be avoided.	Even if you’re healthy, death is inevitable in the end.
Infer	To guess based on evidence.	I inferred that she was annoyed based on her body language.
Inflate	To increase in size.	Getting a promotion has really inflated his ego.
Influence	The ability to have an impact of something.	The older sister has been a positive influence on her younger siblings.
Inhibit	To hinder or restrain.	This cleaning spray inhibits the growth of bacteria.
Initial	The first.	She was the initial president of the company.
Inquiry	An investigation to determine the truth.	Congress launched an inquiry after the senator was accused of taking bribes.
Integral	Necessary to complete the whole.	You can’t quit. You’re an integral part of this team.
Integrate	To combine.	When making a cake, you need to fully integrate the wet and dry ingredients.
Interpret	To explain the meaning of something.	I need you to interpret this German speech for me.
Intervene	To come between people, objects, or an event and change what is happening.	When the toddlers couldn’t share their toys, their mothers had to intervene.
Intrepid	Fearless.	The intrepid mountain climber reached the top of Mt. Everest.
Intricate	Highly detailed.	The pattern on this blanket is so intricate.
Invasive	Intrusive.	We found the stranger’s questions too personal and very invasive.
Investigate	To examine or study.	The police are going to investigate the crime scene.
Irascible	Easy to anger.	Even though my grandfather seems irascible, he’s actually very loving.
Irony	The use of words to give a meaning opposite to their literal meaning.	“I love spending my Friday nights doing homework,” she said with irony.
Irresolute	Uncertain.	Not sure which direction to go in, he stood irresolute.
Jargon	Words specific to a certain job or group.	To be a successful doctor, you’ll need to learn a lot of medical jargon.
Jointly	Together.	The newlyweds jointly opened up a bank account.
Knack	A special talent or skill.	My brother has a real knack for solving tricky math problems.
Labor	Work or effort.	Building a house requires a lot of labor.
Lag	To fall behind.	I stayed with the front group of runners for the first few miles, but after that I began to lag.
Lampoon	To mock or ridicule.	The cartoonist lampooned the president’s speech.
Languish	To become weak; to be neglected.	During winter break, my plants languished since I was visiting my parents and couldn’t water them.
Lecture	A talk given to an audience.	The professor will give a 30 minute lecture before the quiz.
Leery	Wary.	I’m leery of taking the dark-looking shortcut.
Legitimate	Lawful.	The way he became mayor is completely legitimate.
Lenient	Merciful; less harsh.	The judge gave the criminal a lenient sentence due to his bad childhood.
Likely	Probable.	I don’t have much homework, so it’s likely I’ll be able to go out tonight.
Ludicrous	Ridiculous.	His claims about me are absolutely ludicrous.
Maintain	To continue at the same level.	She has maintained the same weight since high school.
Major	Very important.	This test is a major part of your final grade.
Manipulate	To influence, especially in an unfair way.	He tried to manipulate the results of the election.
Maximize	To increase to the greatest possible size.	The store’s goal this year is to maximize its profit.
Measure	To find the size and dimensions of something.	By measuring the tree, I found it was seven feet tall.
Mediocre	Ordinary, average.	The meal the chef made was only mediocre.
Mend	To fix.	My mother will mend the hole in my shirt.
Method	A way of doing something.	Her method for making bread takes three days.
Migrate	To move from one place to another.	Every fall, the geese migrate to Florida.
Minimum	The smallest or lowest amount possible.	You need to get a minimum of 70% on the test to pass the class.
Misleading	Giving the wrong idea.	The advertisement for the weight loss pills is very misleading since studies have shown they’re ineffective.
Modify	To change.	I need to modify my style so it looks more professional.
Morose	Gloomy, depressed.	The boy was morose after hearing he didn’t make the football team.
Negligent	Lazy, neglectful.	The negligent babysitter invited her friends over while the children were upstairs.
Nonchalant	Indifferent, unexcited.	I was hurt when my friend greeted me so nonchalantly.
Obey	To follow orders or instructions.	My dog always obeys me when I ask her to sit.
Obtain	To get.	The spy obtained the secret codes we need.
Obvious	Easily understood.	The large poster of Michael Jackson over her bed made it obvious who her favorite singer was.
Opponent	Someone on the opposite side for a game or contest.	The soccer player blocked her opponent’s shot at the goal.
Oppress	To unfairly burden.	For the past ten generations the royal family has oppressed the peasants by keeping them in poverty.
Origin	The source; where something began.	The explorers are trying to find the origin of the Nile.
Paradigm	A typical example of something.	This work of art is a paradigm of the period; you’ll see many examples of it in the museum.
Parsimonious	Frugal, stingy.	The parsimonious woman only donated a dollar to charity.
Partake	To join in.	My leg was feeling much better, so I decided to partake in the soccer match.
Partial	Preferring one option over others.	We can get strawberry ice cream, but I’m actually more partial to chocolate.
Paucity	Something existing in very small amounts; scarcity.	During the drought, the town had a paucity of fresh water.
Peak	The highest or most important point.	Winning the championship was the peak of his career.
Peripheral	Located on the side or edge.	There are some peripheral fights going on at the outdoor concert.
Permeate	To penetrate or pass through.	Let the maple syrup permeate your waffles before eating them.
Persist	To continue, especially when facing opposition.	I may have lost my last six games, but I will continue to persist trying to win.
Pertain	Relate.	How does your question pertain to the lecture?
Phase	A period or stage in a process.	In high school, I went through a phase where I only wore black clothes.
Poll	A record of opinions or votes.	The polls show that my candidate is going to win the election.
Potent	Powerful.	Only take one sleeping pill since they’re very potent.
Pragmatic	Practical, sensible.	Your boyfriend is too dramatic. I think you need a more pragmatic man.
Praise	To give approval or admiration.	The book is the best I’ve ever read; I can’t praise it enough.
Precede	To come before.	The flower girls preceded the bride when they walked down the aisle.
Precise	Exact.	When collecting data, it’s important that your measurements are very precise.
Prestigious	Having a high reputation.	Harvard is one of the most prestigious colleges in the United States.
Prevalent	Widespread.	If more people don’t start washing their hands, disease will become more prevalent.
Primary	First; most important.	Maeve’s primary goal in life is to become a doctor.
Prior	Previous or earlier.	Prior to becoming a teacher, Elena worked as a book editor.
Proceed	To continue doing something.	I’m sorry for interrupting; please proceed with your speech.
Progeny	Offspring.	The dog’s progeny all have yellow fur.
Promote	To further to progress of something.	I’m promoting this new indie movie so that more people will buy tickets to it.
Prosper	To do well.	Dave hopes his new business will prosper and make him a millionaire.
Proximity	Nearness in time or space.	The twins hated to be apart, so they bought houses in close proximity to each other.
Quarrel	Disagreement or fight; to have an argument.	Nina and her boyfriend always quarrel over money.
Range	The distance between two things, often the maximum and the minimum.	The range of ages at the concert spanned from 12 to 65.
Rank	An official position or station.	Archibald was promoted to the rank of first captain.
Rebuke	To sternly disapprove or reprimand.	After staying out too late, Grace received a rebuke from her parents.
Recapitulate	To give a brief summary.	At the end of his speech, the politician made sure to recapitulate his main points.
Recede	To retreat.	Two days after the flood, the seawater finally began to recede from our house.
Recommend	To present someone with confidence and approval.	I need to ask Mr. Smith if he’ll recommend me for this leadership position.
Reform	To make changes that improve something.	Melanie’s father is in charge of reforming to school system.
Regulate	To supervise or control a process so that it functions correctly.	Ben needs to regulate how much he eats in order to stay at a healthy weight.
Reinforce	To strengthen with added support.	The builders reinforced the house’s wooden frame with steel beams.
Reject	To say no to something that is offered.	Lydia rejected my invitation to the homecoming dance.
Release	To free; to allow to be known.	The CEO decided to release the company’s profits from last year.
Rely	To depend on.	I rely on coffee to get my through my mornings.
Reproach	To express disapproval or disappointment.	The coach reproached the players for failing to play their best.
Require	To need for a specific purpose.	The camping trip requires that every participant bring their own food and sleeping bag.
Resent	To feel bitterness or anger towards someone or something.	I’ve always resented my sister because she is my mother’s favorite child.
Resign	To give up an office or position.	Due to his declining health, the mayor decided to resign from office.
Resist	To withstand the effect of.	Resist the impulse to have ice cream for breakfast.
Resolve	To come to a firm decision.	Matt resolved to get better grades next semester by studying every night.
Restrict	To confine or keep within limits.	My doctor told me to restrict myself to one glass of wine a day.
Retain	To continue to do something or keep something.	I’ve decided to retain my normal hairstyle.
Retract	1. To draw back in.2. To withdraw something after it’s found to be untrue.	1. I felt calmer after the lion retracted its claws. 2. After numerous errors were found, the newspaper retracted the story.
Retrieve	To bring back.	Alexis got out of the car to retrieve the ball her little brother had thrown.
Rhetorical	Used just for style or impact.	You aren’t expected to actually answer rhetorical questions.
Rigid	Stiff; unyielding.	The boys’ father was happy to see the base of the treehouse was rigid and sturdy.
Rotate	To turn.	Rotate the sculpture so I can see the other side.
Safeguard	Something that serves as protection or ensures safety.	A retirement fund is one way to safeguard your finances for the future.
Scrutinize	To very carefully examine.	The judges were looking for perfection, so they scrutinized every entry.
Section	A part of the whole.	This section of the stadium dressed completely in red.
Select	To choose.	Jane selected a blue dress to wear to the wedding.
Sequence	Things that follow each other in a certain order.	Librarians need to know how order books in the correct sequence.
Severe	1. Harsh or strict.2. Grave, critical.	1. The robbers suffered severe consequences for stealing.2. My uncle is currently battling a severe illness in the hospital.
Shallow	Not deep.	You don’t need to worry about getting your dress wet. The water is very shallow here.
Shelter	To protect from something harmful.	The empty barn gave the men shelter during the storm.
Shrink	To become smaller.	Hopefully this cream will cause my scar to shrink.
Significant	Important, noteworthy.	The Gettysburg Address was a significant event during the Civil War.
Source	A person, place, or thing where something was obtained.	You shouldn’t use Wikipedia as a source when writing school papers.
Sparse	Thinly scattered.	The farm was almost empty; there were just a few sparse trees here and there.
Specify	To clearly indicate which one.	You need to specify which size shirt you want before I can order it.
Speculate	To form a theory without strong evidence.	My sister loves to speculate on the private lives of celebrities.
Solitary	Alone; without others.	The hermit lives a solitary existence deep in the mountains.
Somber	Gloomy; depressing.	After losing the competition, the chess players were very somber.
Soothe	To calm or comfort.	The mother sang a lullaby to soothe her crying baby.
Squalid	Filthy and unpleasant.	The shelter was squalid and overcrowded.
Stable	Unlikely to change or fail.	We’re lucky to live in a country with such a stable government.
Stagnant	Sluggish, showing little movement.	With few new jobs created, the economy has remained stagnant for the past five years.
Strategy	A plan to reach a desired outcome.	The football team will need a good strategy to win the game tomorrow.
Subsequent	Coming after something in time.	The first king was a good ruler, but subsequent kings have all been corrupt.
Substitute	A person or thing acting in place of another.	If you don’t have sugar, honey makes a good substitute for this recipe.
Subtle	Difficult to notice right away.	Maya’s perfume was very subtle; you had to get close to her to smell it.
Sufficient	Enough to serve a particular purpose.	Make sure you have sufficient food for the camping trip.
Summarize	To briefly give the main points.	The class didn’t have time to read the book, so the professor summarized it for them.
Supervise	To oversee work or a process.	My dad didn’t think we were old enough to build the fort on our own, so he supervised us.
Supplant	To take the place of something else.	The king was supplanted by his treacherous younger brother who locked him in the dungeon.
Suspend	1. To temporarily stop.2. To hang something from somewhere.	1. The power outage suspended the school concert.2. The lamp is suspended from the high ceiling.
Suspicious	Having the belief that someone is doing something dishonest or illegal.	The couple became suspicious when they saw strange men removing their neighbor’s expensive electronics during the night.
Sustain	To keep going.	I stopped trying to sustain the friendship after he made fun of how I looked.
Symbolic	Serving as a symbol.	A cross is symbolic of Christianity.
Technical	Relating to a specific subject or craft.	The laptop manual is full of technical terms only a computer expert can understand.
Terminal	Situated at the end.	Everyone on the train must get off at the terminal stop.
Tolerate	To put up with.	I tolerate the rude man since he is my husband’s best friend.
Transfer	To move from one place to another.	Ben’s work is going to transfer him from Chicago to Detroit.
Transition	Changing from one state or condition to another.	The transition from student to employee can often take awhile to get used to.
Transparent	1. See-through material.2. Easy to detect.	1. The glass vase is completely transparent.2. Her attempt to flatter the movie star was very transparent.
Tuition	The fee for instruction at a school.	College tuition prices have gone up in recent decades.
Unobtrusive	Not attracting attention.	The prince’s bodyguards had mastered the art of being unobtrusive.
Unscathed	Unharmed.	Ian was lucky to walk away from the car crash unscathed.
Upbeat	Happy; optimistic.	Even when she’s having a bad day, my mom always has an upbeat attitude.
Unjust	Unfair.	Since I tried my hardest on the exam, I felt my teacher’s criticism of me was unjust.
Vacillate	To waver or be indecisive.	She vacillated between the two dresses before finally deciding to wear a skirt.
Valid	Just; well-founded.	The soldiers had valid concerns about the battles they’d be facing.
Vanish	To disappear quickly.	The plane vanished behind the clouds.
Vary	To be different from something else in a group.
Verdict	A judgement or decision.	The jury delivered a guilty verdict.
Vestige	A small trace of something that is disappearing or has already disappeared.	The empty castle still had a few vestiges of its former wealth.
Vial	A small container used to hold liquids.	The chemist carefully filled the vial with the bubbling solution.
Vilify	To speak poorly of; to slander.	Mark was vilified by his angry ex-girlfriend.
Voluminous	Taking up a lot of space.	The puffy wedding dress had voluminous sleeves.
Whereas	On the contrary.	I always save my money whereas my brother is constantly in debt.
Wholly	Completely.	The monk is wholly devoted to his faith.
Widespread	Occurring over a large region.	There is widespread poverty across that country.
Wilt	To droop and become limp.	Plants will wilt if you don’t water them regularly.

How to Use This TOEFL Vocabulary List

First, you should read through the list and identify any words you don’t know or are unsure of. If you’re even slightly unsure of a TOEFL vocabulary word, you’ll want to study it. Be sure to read the definition and sample sentence of words you feel confident on to be sure you understand them fully.

Once you have your TOEFL word list that you need to study, you’ll want to work on memorizing their definitions. You don’t need to memorize the sample sentences, but you should review them to ensure you understand how the word is used. You can also search for individual TOEFL words in Google news to find articles that include the word and give you an even better idea of how the word is actually used.

Flashcards are a great way to study TOEFL vocab words because they allow you to easily flip between the word itself on one side and its definition and sample sentence on the other side. You can make your own TOEFL flashcards or use a site such as Quizlet which lets you make online flashcards for free from your TOEFL vocabulary list.

The Best Way to Use Your TOEFL Flashcards

We recommend using the waterfall method to learn TOEFL words. If you’re not sure what the waterfall method is, we break it down for you below.

Once you have your TOEFL vocabulary flashcards, you’ll go through those cards one by one. For each card whose definition you know easily, you’ll put it in a “Know It” pile. If you don’t know the definition of a particular TOEFL word, put it in a “Struggled” pile.

After you’ve gone through each of the cards once, pick up your “Struggled” pile. You’ll now go through this pile again. For words where you know the definition, place them in a second “Know It” pile next to (but not combined with) the first “Know It” pile. For words you don’t know, make a new “Struggled” pile. Repeat this process, placing new “Know It” piles in a row from left to right. This creates your waterfall. Repeat this process until the “Struggled” pile has only a few words left.

Now, you’ll move back up the waterfall. Starting with the most recent “Struggled” pile, go through the flashcards until you know all the words in the pile. Then, add the most recent (the rightmost) “Know It” pile. Go through those words. If you miss any, go through the entire pile again until you get all of them right. It may take awhile to get through the entire pile, but this method will guarantee that you learn those TOEFL words! Continue this process until you get all the way back up the waterfall.

This is the best method to study vocab flashcards because you’ll spend the majority of your time reviewing the words you struggle the most with, as opposed to just studying the entire stack over and over.

Conclusion: Studying TOEFL Vocabulary

Vocabulary is an important part of the TOEFL, and many questions on the exam require you to have a strong vocabulary. Use our list of the 327 best TOEFL vocabulary words in order to guide your studying.

Flashcards are one of the best ways to learn your TOEFL vocabulary list, and the waterfall method is a great method to use with TOEFL flashcards. Don’t stop studying a word until you’ve memorized its definition and understand how it’s used in sentences!

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Cooking Verbs – Visual Expression

By Wiki Study in Vocab & Grammar April 29, 2018 0 Comment

Useful Cooking Verbs in English

Cooking is a great activity to enjoy as a family, and it helps kids learn new words as they practice cooking verbs and kitchen vocabulary. Here you’ll find games and activities to learn all about cooking. Let’s start!

Picture dictionary of cooking verbs

Cooking Verb	Definition	Example
roll out	to move along a surface by revolving or turning over and over as a ball or a wheel	Roll out the dough according to the dimensions of the baking tray
knead	to work (dough, clay, etc.) into a uniform mixture by pressing, folding, and stretching	I want to knead the dough by myself because it is very funny
layer	to separate into or form layers	There are two pieces of cake which should be layered
add	to include	Don’t forget to add salt to the soup
spread	to distribute over a greater or a relatively great area of space or time	Can you spread the butter on my bread?
measure	to estimate the relative amount, value, etc.	How much water did you add to the meal? I didn’t measure it
break	to separate into pieces as a result of a violence or an impact	Firstly break the eggs
bake	to cook by dry heat in an oven or on heated metal or stones	My mother taught me how to bake bread
chop	to cut in pieces; mince	What’s the best way to chop an onion without crying?
dice	to cut into small cubes	Let’s dice the potatoes
slice	to cut into slices; divide into parts	Could you slice the cake, please
whip	to move quickly	If you continue to whip the whisk like that, probably the cake dough will leap around
peel	to strip (something) of its skin, rind, bark, etc.	My mother would rather peel potatoes with an ordinary knife than with a potato peeler
pour	to send (a liquid, fluid, or anything in loose particles) flowing or falling, as from one container to another, or into, over, or something	Don’t pour hot water into the glass suddenly or quickly because the glass can crack
carve	to cut into slices or pieces, as a roast of meat	We always serve meats by carving to our customers?
taste	to try or test the flavor or quality of (something) by taking some into the mouth	The host taste the meal before the quests come to there
boil	to reach or be brought to the boiling point	When the water boils, add macaroni
grate	to reduce to small particles by rubbing against a rough surface or a surface with many sharp-edged openings	For this recipes, firstly you should grate the apples
cook	to prepare (food) by the use of heat, as by boiling, baking, or roasting	A cook is a person who cooks.
squeeze	to apply pressure to in order to extract juice, sap, or the like	My little daughter tried to squeeze the orange
stir	to mix food or liquid by moving a spoon round and round in it	Add the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture becomes a dough
fry	to cook something in hot oil or fat or to be cooked in hot oil or fat	you must fry the potatoes in a little oil for your health
sprinkle	to gently drop small pieces of something over a surface	Before you roll out the dough, you sprinkle flour on the rolling pin so the dough will not stick to it
grill	to cook food over a fire	Where did you grill these fish

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5 more Secrets to Language Learning Success

By Wiki Study in Exam tips, Vocab & Grammar March 25, 2018 0 Comment

As you’ve just seen, you don’t need to be in a classroom to keep improving your English language skills – there are lots of other ways.

Here are some easy techniques that you can use just about anywhere and anytime. And if you use them regularly you will be well on the way to becoming a great communicator in English.

1. Two heads are better than one

There are many different ways that you can practice speaking and you should get into a habit where you employ at least one or two of these methods for practice each day or week.

Practice with a friend; find a partner who is also learning English and set aside a time where you both communicate in English each day or week. By phone, online, or in person, conduct your everyday conversation through English over a coffee or tea and don’t worry if you need to fill in some gaps with your native language, just use as much English as you can and keep these chats regular.

Put learning into usage; look for an opportunity to use the recent language you have learned in conversation as soon as you have learned it to ensure that it becomes an active part of your range. As you learn a new phrase, make sure that you keep it top of mind so that you can use it at the next opportunity.

Two heads are better than one

2. Keep a dictionary handy

Always keep a dictionary at hand. If you have a pocket dictionary, keep it with you or if you have a smartphone, then find a dictionary website that provides access that you can keep in your bookmarks. When you come across a new word, check it in your dictionary and make a quick note of the word so you can come back to it later.

When you have some spare time, familiarise yourself with the different styles and symbols that your dictionary will use as this will help you later when you need to quickly access definitions and meaning from the dictionary. For example, many dictionaries will use abbreviations or shortened words to explain the word or phrase in focus. Examples include:

Vb – verb

Adj – adjective

Syn – synonym

When you do look up a word in the dictionary, ensure you expand your knowledge by reading through the list of synonyms. A synonym is a word that has the same or nearly the same meaning such as ‘happy’, ‘joyful’ and ‘elated’. It is a good idea to look at the list of synonyms as this can help you to attach other words that you may know to the new word that you have just learned.

An English dictionary is always handy

3. Turn the subtitles on

English movies are a great and fun way to build up your language skills and can be very useful to practice listening, pronunciation and build up your vocabulary. As well, viewing movies in English will expose you to some very natural and authentic exchanges in everyday situations.

Where you can, turn on the English subtitles for movies and listen and follow along. Use the pause and rewind functions to pick up on any vocabulary or phrases you are not sure about or that you are interested in. If there are close-ups of the actors then use the close-ups as an opportunity to study how they are making different words through the mouth and facial movements, then pause and practice those sounds yourself. You might even find it helpful to use a mirror and imitate the sounds and movements yourself.

Active listening is a very useful way to improve your skills, listen to what you hear and apply it. If you have the captions on, turn them off and listen to what you hear and write down what you hear. Listen, pause and then write what you hear and then rewind and come back and check your understanding. This type of dictation will help you focus on the individual sounds in and around words, as well as how words link and the different stress points in those linkages.

Watching English movies with sub-titles is a good way to learn the language

4. Listen to the radio

It is important to listen to different voices and the more the better. Listening to the radio is one way that you can keep your awareness of the sounds of English active and at the same time, work on your pronunciation. There are many different options for free radio both online and through shortwave. Find out what radio stations operate in your area in English and familiarise yourself with some of the programmings and if you can, arrange your schedule so you can listen to a broadcast or part of a broadcast each day or week.

Pronunciation is a key part of learning a language and can be done in many different ways. Just focusing on a word and listening to syllabus stress and practicing the right form yourself can be very productive. To do this you need to find the correct version of the word. and this can often be found as an audio file in most free online dictionaries. Look for the icon that indicates ‘to listen’.

Listen to the word and then imitate the sounds you hear. Again, this might be aided by using a mirror where you can watch as you make the sounds of English.

Listen to the radio

5. Use it don’t lose it

Look to attach the English language to everyday situations, as you are working or as you are in your house think about the situations you are in and use English to describe it. If you talk to someone on the phone for example, after the phone call thinks about how you would conduct that conversation in English. Pick a few phrases and key vocabulary and think about how you would use that in the phone conversation.

Use it don’t lose it

If you want to practice speaking you could even say the phrase aloud and pretend that you are still talking on the phone, only, you are speaking in English, although you might need to be home by yourself to do this!

Identify at least two or three sources of English content to use regularly, these might be websites, newspapers, social media sites or books. Once you have found them, get into the habit of activating some key learning techniques. One way is to keep a notebook list of new words, write the new word down and then write an example sentence using the word or phrase. Note the form of the word – is it an adjective, a noun, an adverb or a verb? If it is a verb then write down the different forms of the verb. If you want, even translate the word into your own language.

Keep your list handy and when you have a few spare minutes open it and review your new vocabulary and make sure you use those new words whenever and as soon as you can. After all, the only way to successfully learn a foreign language is hard work and, practice, practice, and practice.

For daily English language lessons and tips like our Learn English Facebook page.

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7 tips to help you remember new words

By Wiki Study in Exam tips, Vocab & Grammar March 24, 2018 0 Comment

One of the most common questions from our Learn English community is ‘How can I remember new words?‘ Here are some of our top tips to help you!

1. Look it up

If you come across a word you don’t know, try to find out what it means.

Look up the meaning in a dictionary or ask someone for help to understand it.

Write down the meaning in English and in your own language.

Look it up

2. Use it

It’s easy to remember a new word for a few minutes – but how can you remember it after a day or a week?

The trick is to use it. Use it in a sentence. Try to make a creative, memorable sentence, something you can picture and that will stay in your mind.

Write down three creative sentences using the new word, then read them out loud. If it helps, you can even draw a picture to help remember the meaning of your sentence.

Can you tell a story using different forms of the word? It’s very hard to remember a list of words – but it’s easy to remember a story.

Write it Down

3. Try out phrases and different forms

Sometimes it can be easier to learn a phrase than learn each word individually.

So if you’re learning the word ‘focus’ you could write down the meanings of ‘focus on’ and ‘out of focus’. What does it mean to ‘focus your mind on something’ or ‘focus your attention on something’. What does it mean if you ‘lose your focus’?

Now that you have the bigger picture, it’s easier to understand the full meaning of the word.

Don’t forget to try using it in different tenses as well.

Trying different English phrases is important

4. Talk about it

We often remember things better when we learn ‘actively’. That means instead of just listening, or just reading, you should be active in trying to speak, read, write and listen.

Now that you know what the word means and you’ve tried writing it down in different ways, tell a friend about the new word. Sometimes teaching someone else can help you remember, too.

If you’re nervous about trying out a new word, practice at home first. You can even record yourself explaining the new word on your phone before you try telling someone else.

Talk about it

5. Use games and technology

Many people find playing games is a good way to help build their understanding. You could write words on flashcards and test yourself or a friend to make a sentence with each word.

Or you can try describing the meaning of the word to your friend without showing them the card.

Or maybe try a role play? That’s when you act out a scene, for example, if you’re trying to learn words related to shopping, you and a friend can take turns pretending to be the shop owner and a customer – how much is this?

Remember you can play these games with friends anywhere in the world: Use your phone to record your voice or make a video and send it to a friend.

Or record a conversation with a native speaker so you can listen to it later.

Use games and technology

6. Don’t give up

Don’t try to do too much too quickly. It’s very hard to remember a long list of words. Maybe it’s better to learn one word a day, or a list of eight words a week. It all depends how much time you have to practice.

Be realistic about what you can do each day. You don’t have to be perfect; remember that even native English speakers make mistakes.

Successful learners have clear goals, are motivated, and stick to their plan – to keep trying!

Don’t give up learning a new language.

7. Sleep!

Did you know that if you sleep within a few hours of learning something new you’ll be better at remembering what you’ve learned?

So that’s a great reason to practice new words before bedtime. Let your brain do the work while you sleep!

But don’t forget to review your new words and phrases in the morning too.

Getting enough sleep is important.

For daily English language lessons and tips like our Learn English Facebook page.

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How to Effectively Learn TOEFL Vocabulary in 5 Simple Steps

By Wiki Study in Exam tips, Vocab & Grammar January 9, 2018 0 Comment

“Slow and steady wins the race.”

This classic saying means that it is best to move toward your goals at a comfortable but persistent (regular or even) pace.

If you try to move too fast, or to do too much at once, you may actually make things harder for yourself.

This simple idea can help you score high on the TOEFL and master the English language.

But how?

Well, in order to do either of those things, you need to build your English vocabulary.

Sure, just a few simple words—along with hand and facial expressions—can get you understood in an English-speaking country.

You can find the bus to where you want to go or buy a loaf of bread.

But knowing only a few words and pointing with your index finger will not allow you to communicate complex ideas, and it most certainly won’t be enough to get a great score on the TOEFL.

The more words you know, the better—and the best way to learn more words is at a slow and steady pace.

Improving your vocabulary will help you to express yourself, to share your ideas and to understand others. It will also help you to reach your academic and professional dreams using English.

Learning new words in a foreign language can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be boring or frustrating.

By taking things slowly and using the proven techniques and steps below, memorizing essential words for the TOEFL will be easy and fun for you.

Let’s get started!

How to Effectively Learn TOEFL Vocabulary in 5 Simple Steps

It is easy to get lost among all the English words. Your thick dictionary has thousands of words, and even the TOEFL essential word lists have several hundreds of them. Are you supposed to learn all of them at once? Of course not!

How to Effectively Learn TOEFL Vocabulary in 5 Simple Steps

It is important to progress slowly but steadily, at your own pace.

Aiming to learn five new words a day, five days a week, is a proven strategy I recommend to my friends.

5 words a day, or 25 words a week, may not seem like much. But if you think about it, that is about 100 new words a month, or 1200 words a year.

Since most essential TOEFL words lists and books include 4-500 words, this means that you can master all of them in 4-5 months.

In fact, it is highly likely that you already know many of them, and you will need less time to remember the rest.

Also, learning five words a day is only active learning, or making an actual effort to intentionally remember new words.

Simply using English for fun (through reading, writing, listening and speaking) will allow you to gain even more knowledge passively, or without any effort.

By reading magazines and books, watching movies or YouTube videos and chatting with others online, you will soak up new words just like a sponge.

But how can you effectively learn five new essential TOEFL words a day?

Here are five proven steps.

1. Create categories

Creating categories is important because it allows you to imagine your words in context.

This is how your brain already works: Words don’t appear by themselves in real life. You always organize your thoughts around different categories. You discuss ideas around various topics, for example. So it is useful to relate your vocabulary to categories as well.

This approach is generally helpful for studying for the TOEFL, as the reading, writing and listening sections are all related to specific categories.

Establish some basic categories

Make a list of specific categories that are relevant to your life and the TOEFL test. You may want to check with a TOEFL study guide for categories appearing on the test.

Your categories may include (but are not limited to):

Education
Career
Business
Relationships
Family
Sports
Religion
Politics
Environment
Health
Food
Culture
Travel
Leisure

Remember, these are only examples. You may use any other categories that you can think of, and you do not have to focus on all of the examples above. It is up to you which categories you start with, but it is a good idea to focus on those that you are the least familiar with.

Break down your categories into sections

After you have your categories, create sections under each category.

These sections may include:

People
Groups
Places
Actions
Things
Feelings
Experiences
Personality
Descriptive Words
Relationships

Again, these are only examples. You do not have to use all of these sections, and feel free to add any other ones you find relevant. Which sections you end up using will depend on your categories and the specific vocabulary you are learning.

Fill your categories with existing vocabulary

Once you create a table for a category with relevant sections, fill out each section of each category with words (and phrases) you already know.

For example, let’s say you have the category “Education.”

Under the “People” section of the “Education” category, you may add these words:

teacher
professor
student

Under “Groups” in the same “Education” category, you may write:

class
choir
chess club

Let’s look at other words you might write under a few more sections in “Education.”

“Places”:

school
university
classroom

“Actions”:

to teach
to learn
to take an exam

“Things”:

notebook
laptop
pen

“Feelings”:

excitement
anticipation
anxiety

“Experiences”:

class trip
graduation
school dance

“Personality”:

lazy
studious
quiet

“Descriptive Words”:

smart
creative
challenging

“Relationships”:

friendships
classmates
boyfriend

Filling out your categories with your existing vocabulary is a true confidence booster. You know so much already!

Now it is time to add new words and to learn them.

2. Select your words

Choose a category for the week. For example, pick “Relationships” for this week.

Rotate your categories. Pick a new category every week or every two weeks. This will help to avoid boredom and to establish a diverse vocabulary.

Choose five words a day

For every day, choose five words related to your category that you don’t know. You may pick out all 25 words for the week ahead of time, scheduling five for each day. You may also pick your words daily.

It is your choice, but don’t try to memorize more than five words per day.

Also, do not add new words to your list over the weekend. Reserve weekend days for review and rest.

How to select your new words

There are a variety of ways you can select your words.

You can find words from a TOEFL essential word list or book.

This is a great approach, because you will increase your chances that these words will appear on your TOEFL test. It is helpful to use a list that breaks down words into categories. Open your book or scroll down on the webpage to your relevant category. If you don’t find your exact category, you may find something that is related to it. For example, if you are focusing on “Relationships” this week but this category is not on your list, you may want to look at “Family,” “Friendships” or “People.”

Once you have your category, cross out the words you already know. From the remaining ones, select five. You can do this alphabetically, or randomly.

You can select words from reading and listening practice material.

Find listening or reading practice material relevant to your category. If you have picked “Relationships” as your category, look for a reading that focuses on relationships. It can be about family, friendships, romantic relationships, relationships with coworkers or anything else that is relevant.

If you can’t find anything in a TOEFL practice book, you may look for a news article on Breaking News English. For example, this one called “Facebook ‘selfies’ can harm relationships.”

You may also read a chapter in a book in English related to relationships. For example, “Anne of Green Gables” is an adorable story of an orphan girl’s life that talks about her relationships with her adoptive parents, friends and love interest.

When reading your article or chapter, underline unknown words. Select five that are related to your topic.

To choose your words from listening materials, you can follow the same idea. You can use CDs from TOEFL practice books, or any other relevant material. For the “Relationships” category, you could watch an episode of the show “Friends” to find words relevant to friendships and love.

What your vocabulary for the week should look like

If you have selected “Relationships” as your category, your week may look like this:

Day 1: sibling, bond, complex, paternal, inheritance
Day 2: affection, passion, devotion, reciprocity, commitment
Day 3: clique, associate, coworker, acquaintance, exclusive
Day 4: solidarity, in common, loyal, vow, reception
Day 5: willing, obnoxious, humiliation, gentle, engaged

Organizing your vocabulary into sections may look like this:

Category: “Relationships”

Sections:

People: sibling
Group: clique
Relationship: sibling, bond, paternal, associate, coworker, acquaintance, exclusive, in common, engaged
Feeling: affection, passion, devotion, reciprocity, humiliation
Personality: loyal, gentle, obnoxious
Experience: solidarity
Descriptive Words: complex, exclusive, loyal, gentle, obnoxious, willing
Things: inheritance, vow, reception, commitment

3. Define your words

Once you have selected your words for the day, your next step is to define them.

Begin by trying to guess the meaning of each word. Then turn to your dictionary. Use a monolingual English (English-only) dictionary to get used to thinking in English. Only use a bilingual dictionary (to check the meaning in your native language) if it is absolutely necessary.

Create your own definition

Once you have found the dictionary definition, create your own definition.You may write an entire sentence as your definition, or if it helps, draw it.

In the context of relationships, a dictionary definition for engaged may be: “pledged to be married; betrothed.”

On your own, you may want to define engaged like this:

“When a person is engaged, he/she has promised his/her significant other to marry him/her, and is planning to be married in the foreseeable future.”

You may even draw a picture of an engaged couple.

Use your thesaurus

After you have defined your word, turn to your thesaurus to check for synonyms and antonyms. Synonyms are words with similar meaning to your original word while antonyms mean the opposite.

Synonyms of gentle include:

soft
calm
serene
tame

Antonyms include:

rough
hard
violent

Note that not all words have synonyms and/or antonyms.

Day 1 examples
Let’s look at Day 1 of your “Relationship” word list:

Day 1: sibling, bond, complex, paternal, inheritance

Sibling:

Definition: a brother or sister
Synonyms: brother, sister
Antonyms: none

Bond:

Definition: something that binds, holds together; firm assurance; agreement of friendship or relationship
Synonyms: relationship, alliance, tie, connection
Antonyms: none

Complex:

Definition: characterized by very complicated arrangements; composed of many interconnected parts; difficult to understand
Synonyms: complicated, difficult, knotty, tangled
Antonyms: easy, clear, simple

Paternal:

Definition: related on the father’s side; relating to a father; characteristic of a father; fatherly
Synonyms: fatherly, father-like, patriarchal
Antonyms: maternal

Inheritance:

Definition: something inherited; something passing at the owner’s death; legacy
Synonyms: legacy, estate, endowment, gift, heirloom, birthright
Antonyms: none

4. Review your words over the week

To remember your words, it is important to review as frequently as possible. During your week, it is best to schedule quick review sessions lasting 3-10 minutes each. Here are a few different ways you may choose to review your words.

How to review your words

Use flashcards

Write your word on one side of a card, and the definition on the other side. Read them on public transportation or when waiting in line. Run through them during your lunch break or any break you have. Run through your flashcards a minimum of three times a day.

Use sticky notes around the house

Post sticky notes in areas that you frequently pass by—the bathroom mirror, your dresser, your fridge, the door and so on. When you see a word, define it, repeat it three times and use it in a sentence. Of course, if you pass a certain sticky note 50 times a day, you don’t have to do the exercise every time. Just make sure to practice each word at least three times a day.

Set reminders on your phone several times a day

When the alarm goes off, run through your flashcards or write sentences with your words. You can even rotate your words, setting a reminder for a new word every hour. Aim for two or three alarms per word per day.

Use your words throughout the day

Use your words when interacting on social media, speaking with English speakers or attending an English class. There is no minimum or maximum for how many times you should do this. Use every opportunity and challenge yourself.

Use your words in your writing and speaking practice

When you are doing TOEFL specific writing and speaking exercises, make sure to include some of your new words in your essays or spoken answers. Don’t force it: You don’t have to use all of them, only when it makes sense to do so.

Ask someone to quiz you

It is best if they are English speakers or English learners, but non-English speakers can test your knowledge, too. If you can ask someone to quiz you daily, that is great. If not, try to do this 2-3 times per week or use your weekend for this.

If you feel confident that you know a word and your quiz results prove it, you may “retire” the word—remove it from your flashcards and sticky notes.

This way you can check your progress, and increase your confidence. But don’t worry if you still have all 25 words on sticky notes by the end of the week. It is not actually a race. Just take your time with memorizing, and go at your own pace.

How to use your words in sentences

Using your words in a sentence is possibly the best way to review them. Remember, words don’t stand alone. They are used in the context of sentences, texts, audio, videos and conversations.

The purpose of the TOEFL test is to measure your ability to use English in a real-life setting: Real life is about sentences, not just words. So let’s look at some examples of how you might put your TOEFL words into sentences.

Some examples to use bond with would be:

I have a special bond with my brother, because we grew up together, have many memories and share many secrets.
Lydia is a new mom. She is bonding with her child through taking care of her, holding her in her arms and speaking to her softly.
Becky felt an immediate bond with James. She knew he was the one the day they met.

When writing sentences, use your imagination. How would your favorite movie character, the president, your grandmother, Mickey Mouse or anyone else you can think of use this word? How would you use the word in different situations?

Thinking about the word sibling, I came up with the following answers:

My favorite cartoon character, Snoopy, would jump around after receiving a postcard from Spike. He would tell Charlie Brown, “Spike is coming to visit me from Arizona. He is my sibling. Actually, he is my brother because he is a boy.”
A teacher may share the definition of sibling with a class by saying, “Jane is a girl. David is a boy. Jane is David’s sister. David is Jane’s brother. They are siblings.”
If someone asked me if I had a sibling, I would tell them that I do. I have a sibling. I have a younger brother.

You may use this exercise after you categorize and define your words. You can also use it as you are running through your flashcards or noticing words on sticky notes around the house.

Another wonderful idea to try is to put aside 5 or 10 minutes of your day to come up with answers for questions like the ones above. This exercise will force you to use your new words in a variety of sentences.

5. Review your words over the weekend

The weekend is a great time to let your knowledge sink in. It is also the perfect time to schedule some practical and fun ways to practice. Here are a few methods you can use for weekend practice.

Use your words in real-life context

If you have a teacher, a study-buddy, an English-speaking friend or people to chat online with in English, challenge yourself to use your new words frequently with them.

You may want to suggest chatting about your weekly topic with them, allowing you to practice your new vocabulary. Schedule a minimum of half an hour with a friend or a teacher for English practice, and try to spend 10-15 minutes talking about your weekly topic.

Give yourself a creative writing challenge

Write a short story or a poem including all of your 25 words from the week. You may also want to challenge yourself by writing a poem or story that uses each word several times.

Organize “Jeopardy” games with your friends

“Jeopardy” is a long-time popular game show in the United States that has gained popularity internationally over the years. It is often used in a classroom setting by language teachers, but you can easily organize your own game with your friends.

If you don’t have friends or classmates to play with, you may organize an event by posting it on Meetup or putting flyers up in your community.

How to play “Jeopardy”

In “Jeopardy,” there are six categories and five questions under each category. However, I suggest you play with 5 categories with five questions for each, making it easy to use all 25 words in the game.

The questions get more difficult as they go down. You also get more points for them. For example, the top question for each category is the easiest, and contestants earn 100 points for a correct answer. As the questions get more difficult, the possible points increase by 100. The fifth question is the most difficult, with 500 points.

If you answer a question correctly, you earn points. If you answer incorrectly, you don’t earn anything. In the end, when no questions remain, the player with the most points wins.

You need a minimum of three people to play: two players and one “game show host.” The “host” creates and asks questions. An ideal number of players to have is three. If you are playing in a big group, you can divide yourselves into teams (with 2-5 members for each team).

Rotate between who is creating the questions and who is playing the game. If one week you are creating the questions and asking them, the next week you should be a player and one of your friends should be in charge of the game.

How to write Jeopardy questions

Take a look at some TOEFL practice exams. Notice the kinds of questions asked in the reading section and listening section. Try to ask a variety of questions similar to the ones you can expect on the TOEFL.

Make sure to create a variety of questions and categories:

Finish the sentence.
Complete the sentence.
True or false.
Define a word.
Give synonyms or antonyms for a word.
Use a word in a sentence.

Note: You may know that in the original version of “Jeopardy,” the players are given the answers first. They then have to provide the matching questions (for example, “What is a sibling?”). However, the examples below don’t follow this format. You don’t need to follow it when creating your own “Jeopardy” game, either, unless you want to.

Example “Jeopardy” questions using words from Day 1:
What is a word that is used to define brothers and sisters? (answer: sibling)
Another word for the strong relationship between lovers is ___? (answer: bond)
Give me three synonyms for complex. (answer: complicated, difficult, tangled)
If it is not maternal, then it must be ___? (answer: paternal)
If my father dies, and I get all his money, what is this money? My ___. (answer: inheritance)

As you can see, learning your essential TOEFL words is not so difficult.

Just select a category for each week, pick five new words each day and define your words. Then review and use them as often as possible.

Using this technique will increase your vocabulary rapidly.

When the time comes, you will pass the TOEFL like a king or a queen!

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455 Important Vocabulary for TOEFL IBT

By Wiki Study in Vocab & Grammar November 26, 2017 0 Comment

* Tips: User Command: (Control + F) with Window and (Command + F) with Mac OS to find the word which you want to know.

You can also download PDF file below here:

Download PDF 455 TOEFL Vocabulary

Here is the list 455 Important Vocabulary for TOEFL iBT

455 Important Vocabulary for TOEFL IBT

1 )Prev on(v): to hunt

2) astounding( adi) :amazing/incredible/unbelievable

3) resolute(adi):Determined

4) attain(v): reach 5 leschewtv): avoid

6)Coherent(adi):clear/understandable/intelligible 71Holistic(adi): refers to the whole

8) selective task(phr): multiple-choice task

9) Constructive task(phr):development task

10) thesis(n):opinion/position/claim

11) integral part of(phr):important/essential part of

12) agrarian(adj) related to fields and land and farmers

13) fertile(adj):good for growing/rich in nutrients/productive

14) Enervating(adj): exhausting

15) reliable(adj); can rely on

16) prosper(v):succeed/grow economically

17) assiduous(adj):hard working

18) undergo(v):experience/go or pass through

19) emancipated(adj) :free

20) envisage(v): visualize 21 )innovate(v):develop

22) trailblazer(n):leader/pioneer/pathfinder

23) wary(adj): watchful/cautious

24) versatile(adj): can be used in many ways

25) inasmuch as(conj.):because/since/owing to the fact that

26) fundemental(adj): basic/essential/central part of

27) germinate(v):grow

28) a myriad of(phr): lots /abundant /great number (e.g: a myriad of courses )

29) a plethora of(phr):excessive/far too much or many/more than is practical or useful (e.g: a plethora of money problems)

30) allude to(v): to refer to casually (e.g:in a presidential speech, obama alludes to his wife as his biggest influence in his life)

31) analogous(adj):related to/connected to/comparable to ( e.g: TOEFL IELTS are analogous)

32) connote(v): to give meaning beyond literal definition (e.g: breaking mirror connotes to bad luck)

33) indeed(adv): without a doubt/in fact/certainly.

34) quite(adv): very/exactly/really (e.g: that’s quite fascinating!/ that’s really fascinating!)

35) Distractor(n): something that deviates attention/ an answer that looks right but actually wrong.

36) harbinger(n):sign (e.g: snow is a harbinger of winter)

37) perch(v);to rest or settle in a high place ( e.g:eagles perch on top of mountains)

38) precarious(adj): dangerous/doubtfull/not secure(e.g:the rope seems precarious,but it’s strong)

39) quest(n): seek/looking for/search ( e.g: King arthur went on a quest to find the Holly grail)

40) infer(v): to conclude from facts.

41) thaw(v): to melt/change from ice to water/warm up

42) keen(adj): very sensitive

43) brood(n): young children of one family ( e.g: the mother bear moved her brood across the river)

44) impecunious(adj):always poor

45) bene volent(adj): generous/kind/ good

46) inveterate(adj):established habit

47) reimburse(v):pay back

48) subsit on(v):live on

49) quite the contrary(phr):the exact opposite

50) all in all(phr):when everything is considered/in the final analysis/when all is said and done

51) j udicious(adj): demeonstrating good j udgment

52) insinuate(v): suggest (The professor insinuated that Joe have to study harder)

53) suffice it to say(phr):in short/it is enough to say/no more is needed to add

54) posthumously(adv)rafter death (e.g: micheal jackson is as famous posthumously as he was alive)

55) hue(n):color(e.g: van gogh used a myriad of hue)

56) masterpiece(n):great work(e.g: Opera Carmen by george Bizet is a masterpiece)

57) saturated(adj):dreanched/soaked/full of( That cup of tea is saturated with sugar)

58) towering(adj):best of the best(James Joyce is a towering literary figure in the west)

59) snub(v):ignore/avoid/shun( The actress snubbed her fan who wanted an autograph)

60) mercurial(adj):changing unpredictably (A mercurial temper is a harbinger of trouble)

61) palette(n): artist’s paint mixing box

62) shimmer(v): flicker/shine/move like sunlight(I like to watch the sun shimmer on the lake)

63) unerring(adj):never making a mistake (stever jobs is an unerring genius for innovation and marketing)

64) discombobulated(adj):confused/uncertain/not clear /preplexedt The esay prompt really discombobulated Heather)

65) Dwellig(n):home/place to live/abode

66) Inhabit(v):to live in

67) Opulent(adj): demostrating great wealth ( some opulent houses are really quite astounding)

68) Spartan(adj):simple/basic/frugal(Historians belive that the early humans lived a spartan life)

69) Renounce(v):to give up ( he has renounced somking recently)

70) Per Capita(phr):per person (what is the per capita income of your country?)

71) Void of (phr):empty of (the desert is void of water sources)

72) Contrivances(n):mechanial/electrical/fundemental domestic things

73) Novel(adj):new (noun:story) (The ipad was a novel idea)

74) Environs(n):environment/place/area ( at night i would avoid certain streets and environs)

75) Precipitation(n):rain/snow/hail

76) Drought(n): long period of no precipitation/dryness

77) Famine(n): extreme lack of food ( Somalia has been suffering from famine for 20 years)

78) Omen(n): Sign ( Crows represent a bad omen)

79) Render(v): change/transform/alter

80) Arable(adj):good for farming( Some believe that an arable land is better than gold)

81) Arid(adj):Dry/lacking moisture/no water( Arizona is an arid state)

82) Abandon(v):to give up and leave (The enemy forces has abandoned their posts)

83) Downfall(n): sudden loss of wealth and power (The king’s position was always precarious.His downfall could happen at anytime)

84) Destitute(adj) Jacking everything (the people abandoned their land after drought asinmuch as they were left distitute)

85) Notorious(adj):famous for bad behavior.

86) Nefarious(adj):evil/very bad/wicked( El Capone was a notorious mobster who had many nefarious associates)

87) Pervade(v): to enter all parts ( corruption has pervaded Chicago’s police department)

88) Ruthless(adj):no mercy

89) Reign(v):to rule like a queen or king/control for a period of time/to excercise authority( Elizabeth the First of England reigned from 1558 to 1603)

90) Unquenchable(adj):always thirsty/unable to satisfy/always desiring more

91) Repeal(v):seek justice ( Many US citizens want the government to repeal Marijuana laws)

92) Turbulent(adj): chaotic (The arab world is living a turbulent time)

93) Corruption(n):process of decay/immoral behavior/gain by breaking the law

94) Placid(adj):calm and gentle (I love the scene of the placid lake during sunrise)

95) shatter(v):to break in many pieces (The ball shattered the glass )

96) Conglomerate(n):company with many large sub divisions of different industries( e.g:General Electric)

97) Quadruped(n):movement using 4 limbs (cats and dogs are quadruped animals)

98) Primate(n): mammals int he order of primates including humans and apes

99) Cosmos(n):the universe <Galaxy :massive groups of stars>

100) Black Hole(n): massive invisible hole in the space

101) Comet(n): celestial body with a tail

102) Asteroid(n): small planet sized rock

103) Cataclysimic(adj):sudden and violent change/transformation/earth changing event

104) Whereby(conj):in which (Marriage is an official process whereby a man and a woman agree to spend the rest of their lives together.)

105) Precipitate(v):to cause to happen/to bring about/to change from one state to another(

106) Abolitionist(n):one who wants to end something

107) Cease(v):to stop

108) Anathema(n): idea or object of great loathing

109) Proposition(n):idea to be debated/proposed plan/focus on an argument

110) Enflame(v):to make angry

111) Antipathy(n): dislike for

112) Secession(n):the process of leaving

113) Indigenous(adj) :native

114) Heretofore(adv):previously

115) Monumental(adj):astounding/large and impressive/extremely significant

116) Devastating(adj):to destroy/to shock and stun/to ruin completely

117) Era(n) :famous time period

118) Catch-22(id,n) trapped by opposing conditions/situation preventing a solution to a problem/ a no-win situation

119) it goes without saying(phr):it is obvious/the facts are clear/as you can see

120) persist with(v):to continue

121) counter(v): to argue the opposite

122) pull the plug(id,v):to end something/to cut off/to empty a sink or bath by pulling the drain plug

123) Quandary(n):unable to decide

124) Kill 2 birds with one stone(id,v): to do 2 things at the same time

125) the icing on the cake(id,n):the best part,the amazing part,the good part

126) pull through with flying colors(id,v):to succeed beyond expectations

127) significant other(id): lover

128) walk on air (id,v): to be extremely happy

129) blow away(id,v): to be amazed/to be astounded/to feel shocked

130) gratis(adj):free

131) Painstaking(adj) :difficult process

132) overwhelemed(adj):feeling buried/feeling too much pressure/feeling out of control

133) feel like a fish out of water(id,v):to be in the wrong place/to feel out of context/to know you don’t fit in

134) overcome(v):to defeat

135) take the bull by the horns(id,v):to take control/to take responsibility/to face a challenge directly

136) misgivings(n):feelings of doubt

137) pack it in(id):to surrender/to quit/to pack one’s bag and leave

138) truly(adv):really/indeed/yes

139) cherish(v):to value always (I cherish our friendship very much)

140) there and then (adv): at the moment

141) esteemed(adj):respected

142) regard(n): consideration for/attention to/respect for

143) Disintegration(n):to disintegrate/to fall apart/to dissolve completely

144) the 64,000$ question(id,n):the big question/the only question/the obvious question

145) recincarnation(n):rebirth after death

146) figment(n): something imagined

147) expiration(n):end/death/termination

148) contemplation(n):act of thinking

149) transfiguration(n): change in shape or figure/change in appearance or look/process of transfiguring

150) manifestation(n):act of revealing

151) address(v):to deal with/to answer an issue/to speak directly to

152) breach(v) :break

153) remedy(n0: solution

154) apoplectic(adj):very angry

155) get wind of the fact that (id,v):to receive information

156) jurisdiction(n):territory where a law applies( NYPD has no jurisdiction over New Jersey)

157) Negligent(adj):careless/failing to perfom/lacking attention to duty

158) Recourse(n):choice/plan of action/direction to follow

159) Sue(v): to see money for damages

160) Stipulated(adj):item required by a contract/object in question/the agreed to point

161) Seminal(adj) :the very first

162) Assembly line(phr):moving or conveyor belt in a factory/chain moving in a circle

163) essentially(adv):basically

164) substantially(adv):greatly

165) behemoth(n/adj) :huge/massive/mosntrous

166) symbol(n);sign with meaning

167) indomitable(adj): cannot be conquered

168) doomed(adj):destined to disappear

169) susceptible(adj) :open to/vulnerable to/defenseless

170) coalesce(v): to come together as one

171) firgid(adj) :very cold

172) perish(v): to die/vanish/disappear

173) owing to the fact that(phr) rbecause/since/inasmuch as

174) tragic(adj): great misfortune/disaster/cataclysmic

175) iconic(adj): symbol of /representation of/sign of

176) genesis(n);the beginning

177) arguably(adv) :that which can be argued

178) incorporate(v) :to become a public company

179) take root(v):to begin to grow

180) crucible(n):place where forces meet/place of great heat/bowl used for melting objects

181) inventiveness(n):good at creating/ability to invent/talent for making new things

182) frontier(n): where civilization ends/border/point of transition

183) savage(adj)destructive

184) jack-of-all-trades(id,adj):can do many things well

185) quintessential(adj):the best or perfect example/the most illustrative example

186) herd(v):to group together

187) none more so than(phr):there is no better example

188) self-reliant(adj): independant

189) archetype(n):original model or type

190) sublime(adj):God-Like Beauty

191) pod(n);small group of whales/dolphins/seals

192) matrilineal(adj): following the mother

193) transient(adj):temporary/one who always moves about

194) Contrary to the Popular Belief(phr):against what is true/what most think/agree with what is true

195) appellation(n):name

196) stocky(adj): short and heavy

197) life span(phr):the length of a life

198) ratify(v):to approve/to confirm/to put your stamp on

199) absolute(adj):pure/not limited/total control of

200) apace(advO:rapidly with no purpose

201) confound(v): to frustrate

202) venerate(v):to worship

203) Bum the candle at both ends(id,v):to work late and long

204) Come with the territory(id,v):to be part of the job

205) Put one’s nose to the grindstone(id,v):to focus on what is important

206) Ace(v):to do extremely well

207) Keep one’s eye on the prize(id,v):to focus always on what you are working for

208) Push the envelope(id,v):to go to the extreme

209) Give it one’s best shot(id,v):to try one’s best

210) Conviction(n): strong belief

211) Kick back(id,v) :to take it easy

212) R and R(id,n) :rest and relaxation

213) Pragmantic(adj) :prefers logic to emotions/practical/black and white

214) Engmatic(adj):mysterious

215) Have both feet on the grounded,v):to be pragmatic

216) Cynic(adj):one who does not trust selfless acts

217) have one’s head in the clouds(id,v):to feel romantic

218) very much the(adv):definitely/really/totally

219) what one would call(phr):an example or illustration or definition of

220) diehard(adj): resolute/determined

221) advent of(phr): introduction of /development of/invention of

222) concurrent with(phr):conditionally

223) wayward(adj):difficult/unpredicatble /capricious

224) specious(adj): sounds convincing but lacks logic/misleading

225) emblematic(adj):symbolic of/sign of/indication of

226) malefaction(n):crime/violation/lawlessness

227) brazen(adj):shameless

228) boom(n):explosion/rapid expansion/fast growth

229) wholesale(adj):complete/total/utter

230) parasitic(adj):benefiting from another’s hard work

231) double-edged sword(id,n/adj):when the outcome can be both positive and negative

232) cost and arm and a leg(id,v):to be very expensive/extremely costly/unaffordable

233) take one’s place in the spotlighted,v):to stand at the center of attention

234) purport(v):to claim

235) unadulterated(adj):untouched

236) produce(n): fresh fruits and vegetables

237) nevertheless(adv) :yet/nontheless/still

238) bite the bullet(id,v): to do something unwillingly

239) rampant(adj):out of control

240) persnickety(adj):fussy/strict/fastidious

241) bent out of shape(adj) :really angry

242) cross the rubicon(id,v):crossing the point of no retum/to go too far/to cross a very big line

243) Neanderthal(n/adj):early cave man/lacking culture/brain-dead guy

244) ascertain(v):to discover with certainty

245) transgression(n): violation

246) multitude(n):many

247) accumulate(v):to collect

248) infringement(n): too close without permission

249) sort(n): label

250) feral(adj):wild

251) prodigious(adj):extraordinary

252) deem(v):judge

253) cross(v): to pass/to breed-interbreed/cross feritlization

254) harbor(v):have/possess/hold

255) litter(n):group of new born animals/ trash/ pile of objects

256) propensity(n):tendancy/need/ability

257) sustenance(n):food/nourishment/comestibles

258) Bioshpcrc(n) :area of world where life exists Pedospherefnf :area of world with soil/dirt/earth Geosphere(n):solid/rock based part of the earth studied by geologists Hvdrospherefn) :all water found on earth

259) gourmand(n):food lover

260) ground breaking (adj): seminal/original/revolutionary

261) case in point(phr): for example/namely/specifically

262) obtuse(adj): stupid

263) conundrum(n):challenging problem/problem with no answer/puzzlement

264) diffidence(n):no confidence

265) albeit(adv) :but/although/though

266) inscrutable(adj): impenetrable

267) insurmountable(adj):impossible/cannot be conquered/unresolvable

268) countencance(n) expression on one’s face

269) ebullient(adj):always enthusiastic

270) disconcerted(adj) :preplexed/embarrassed/ discombobulated

271) nail(id,v): to answer correctly/to attain a goal/to target and hit

272) take no prisoners(id,v): show no pitty or compassion or weakness

273) all manner of (adj):all kinds of/myriad of/great variety of

274) widget(n):name of a non specific product or contravince

275) peddle(v):to sell

276) budding(adj):young and learning

277) expand one’s horizons(id,v):to explore new territory

278) rake in (id,v): to make a lot of money

279) resurrect(v): to bring back from the dead/ to give new life/ to make new again

280) stigmata(n) marks

281) peruse(v): examine carefully

282) salient(adj):one that rises above the rest

283) mince words(v):to be uncertain/to render incomplete/to soften one’s words

284) epiphany(n):innate moment of realization/sudden revelaton/personal discovery

285) boon(n):benefit

286) disingenious(adj):insincere

287) expediency(n): convenience

288) bevy of (phr):a myriad of/many/a lot of

289) expunge(v): to delete totally

290) ersatz(adj):fake(german)/knock of/forgery

291) vemacular(n):mainstream/native/indigenous language

292) jargon(n):code for special applications

293) aficionado(n):fan

294) voracious(adj):always hungry

295) murky(adj):not clear

296) territorial(adj):protective of one’s land

297) attribute to(v):to give credit to/to acknowledge/to give benefit to

298) zenith(n):highest point/opposite of nadir/the absolute top

299) laissez-faire(phr):free market buisness model

300) impugn(v):to attack

301) epitome(n):quintessence

302) equanimity(n) realm

303) placate(v):to assuage/mollify/pacify

304) resplendent(adj):brilliant and amazing

305) impervious(adj):invulnerable to attack

306) harangue(n/v):long,angry lecture

307) rancor(n):anger

308) Persevere(v):to keep going despite obstacles or discouragement/to maintain a purpose ( Perseverance is noun/Persistent is adj.) (e.g:Researchers in meteorology persevere in studying and predicting tsunami behavior.)

309) Plunge(v):to go down suddenly/to decrease by great amount in short time.(e.g:He jumped of the diving board and plunged into the pool./The value of the company’s stocks plunged after its CEO’s resignation./He plunged the box of candy during his visit to his aun’t house./Many believe that it’s cruel to plunge live lobsters into boiling water.)

310) Cultivation(n):preparing the land to grow crops/improvement for agricultural purposes.(e.g: With the development of land cultivation,hunters and gatherers were able to settle in one place. Cultivate(v) – e.g: The farmers use various methods to cultivate the crops.)

311) Intensify(v):to increase in power/to act with increased strength.(e.g: Several human rights agencies has intensified their efforts to fight child abuse worldwide.)

312) Irrigation(n):to supply water to dry land.(e.g:In dry areas of the country, you can see ditches all over the farmland for irrigation.)

313) Adversely(adv):in a harmful way/negatively (e.g:Excessive rainfall can adversely affect the planting of crops.) ( adverse adj ./adversity n.)

314) Feature(n):part/characteristic. ( e.g: The best feature of this computer is its processor’s speed.)

315) Inherent(adj):naturally characterisitc/always found within something/basic part of something.(e.g: No job can be interesting all the time.Boredom is inherent in any kind of work.)

316) Constraint(n):something that restricts thought or action.(e.g: The constraints of military life kept Eileen from seeing Private Morrison more than once a month.)

317) Deplete(v):to greatly decrease the supply of a resource or material.(e.g: Stemous excercise depletes the muscle from its glycogen stores.)

318) Dispose of(v):to throw away/to get rid of/to kill.(e.g:The mobster cruelly disposed of all his enemies./I’m going to dispose of my unwanted posessions before moving to my new apartment.)

319) Emission(n): sending out a small space into the general environment/a substance discharged into the air. (The Environmental Protection Agency regulates the emission of pollutants into the air.)

320) Reservoir(n):A place where a liquid is collected and stored.(e.g: The town’s water

reservoir was built 2 years ago.)

321) Shrink(v):to become reduced in size,amount,or value.(e.g:If you dry your clothing on the “high heat” setting,they may shrink.)

322) Stable(adj.): firm and dependable/showing little change, (e.g: He fell because the ladder wasn’t stable./He is in a stable condition.)

323) Adjust(v):to change/get accustomed to something.(e.g:It took him time to adjust to his new house./ Travelers are advised to adjust their watches before arriving in the new time zone.)

324) Arbitrary(adj):chosen simply by whim or chance/not for any specific reason.(e.g:The decision to build a school in Blackberry Township was arbitrary,without any thought to future housing patterns. Arbitrate v./arbitrator n./arbitrarily adv.)

325) Denominator(n):the number written below the line in a fraction/ the most basic and unsophisticated things that most people share.

326) Exponentially(adv): at very fast rate.(e.g:The value of the Egyptian Pound has decreased exponentially in the last five years.)

327) Infinitesimal(adj):Immeasurably small.(e.g:The number of contaminants in the water infinitesimal,so the water was safe to drink.)

328) Parallel(adj):being an equal distance apart everywhere.(e.g:The street where i live runs parallel to the main road though town.)

329) Proportion(n): a part in relation to the whole.(e.g:The average employee spends a large proportion of each workday answering e-mails.)

330) Rate(n):the cost per unit of a good or service/the motion or change that happens in a certain time.( Telecommunication rates in Lebanon are among the highest in the world./Some grasses grow at the rate of one inch per day.)

331) Sequence(v):to organize or arrange in succession.(e.g; Volunteers has been asked to sequence the files and organize the boxes.) ( sequence n. : the order of something/sequentially adv.)

332) Adjacent(adj):next to. (e.g:Even though the villages are adjacent to each other, their residents speak different languages.)

333) Compress(v): to press together.(e.g: Winrar is a computer software used to compress files.)

334) Feasibly(adv)practically/in a way that can work.(e.g: Scientists can’t feasibly bring energy from deep ocean currents to where it is needed-on land)

335) Gut(v):to empty or hollow out.(e.g:In order to remodel the house,we must first gut it and throw away all the old fixtures.)

336) Integrally(adv):In a whole or complete manner(e.g: Writing and spelling are taught intergrally as a part of the reading program.)

337) Overlap(v): to lie over part of something/to have elements in common.(e.g: One of the 2 assistants will likely get fired, since most of their duties in the office overlap.)

338) Retain(v): to keep or hold (e.g: The rain fell so heavily that the banks of the river could not retain all the water.)

339) seep(v):to pass slowly for a long time,as a liquid or gas.(e.g: As th containers rusted, the toxic waste seeped into the ground.)

340) Structure(n): Something constructed, such as a building.(e.g:Most companies have a social structure that can’t be understood by outsiders.)

341) Corrode(v):to be slowly weakened by chemical reactions.(e.g: Sitting in salt water,the old coins corroded and became very easy to break.)

342) Derive(v): to come from,usually through a long,slow process.(e.g: The Cyrillic alphapet was dervied from the Greek alphabet.)

343) Detection(n):Discovering something that cannot easily be found.(e.g: With new medical technology, the detection of cancer is much easier nowadays.)

344) Expeditiously(adv):Quickly ad efficiently(e.g: Using carrier pigeons, the militay

commaders exchanged messages expeditiously.)

345) Implementv):to make use of/to carry out.(e.g: Not until after the new software was installed could we implement the new filing system.)

346) Installation(n): Setting something into position for use.(e.g:Installation of the ew software takes only four minutes.)

347) Simulation(n):An imitation or representation.(e.g: To test car safety,automobile makers study crash simulations.)

348) Convey(v):to transport from one place to another/to transmit or make known(e.g: A messenger conveyed the prince’s letter to the commander of the army.)

349) Discretely(adv):separately/distinctly(e.g:in order to understand how the engine worked, each component needed to be studied discretely.)

350) Permeate(v):to spread or flow throughout/to pass through or penetrate(e.g:The smell of cooking permeated the entire apartment building.)

351) Rotate(v):to turn around/to take turns in sequence.(e.g:The planet rotates on its acis once every 14 earth days.The children rotate classroom responsibilites on a weekly basis.)

352) Trigger(v):to set off or initiate.(e.g:I was certain any mention of politics would trigger a big argument.)

353) Acquisition(n):the act of taking possession of something.(e.g: Our recent acquisition of over 2000 books makes our biggest library in the region.)

354) Consciously(adv):with awareness of one’s actions.(e.g: He may have hurt her feelings,but henver would have done so consciously.)

355) Degrade(v):to reduce in value or strength.(e.g:The roads in cold or wet areas of the united states degrade faster than those in warm,sunny regions.)

356) Indisputable(adj):beyond doubt/unquestionable(e.g: The members of the jury found her guilty because they found the facts of the case indisputable.)

357) Intervene(v);to come between.(e.g:A good mediator intervenes only as much as necessary to settle a dispute between other parties.)

358) Intuitively(adv):By means of a natural sense about things that are hard to observe(e.g:Many mothers know intuitively when something is wrong with their children.)

359) Recede(v):to move back or away from.(e.g:After the age of 30,his hairline began to recede further back from his forehead.)

360) Retrieve(v);to bring or get back(e.g:Most dogs can be trained to retrieve objects that their owners have thrown.)

361) Agnostic(adj):Believeing that humans cannot know whether there is a God.(e.g:His devoutly Christian parents had problems with his agnostic beliefs.)

362) Animism(n):the belief that natural objects,such as trees,have souls.(e.g:Desert cultures that practice animism often believe that winds contain spirits.)

363) Athiest(n):one who does not believe int he existence of a supreme being.(e.g: he argued that his scientific training made it impossibe for him to be anything but an athiest.O

364) Be inclined to (v):to favor an opinion or a course of action.(e.g: He couldn’t say which candidate he favored,but he had always been inclined to vote Republican.)

365) Deify(v0:to worship as a God.(e.g: When peiple deify the leader of their country,the leader is able to abuse power more easily.)

366) Ecclesiastical(adj)relating to a church(e.g:He was looking specifically for a university where he could study ecclesiastical history.)

367) Exalt(v):to praise or honor(e.g:He would often exalt the virtues of his new wife.)

368) Pious(adj):having or exhibiting religious reverence.(e.g:Sometimes she was so pious that the rest of us felt like heathens)

369) Heathen(n): A follower of a polytheistic religion; a pagan .derogatory. A person who does not belong to a widely held religion (esp. one who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim) as regarded…: “bringing Christianity to the heathens”

370) Decrepit(adj):weakened or worn out because of age,illness,or excessive use.(e.g:The

once-beautiul building was now dirty,decrepit,and roofless.)

371) Aggravate^):to make worse/to angeror intensify.(e.g:Running will aggravate your sore knees.)

372) Augment(v):to make bigger or better by adding to.(e.g: In some types of popular cosmetic surgery people augment parts of their bodies/The college augmented its course offerinsgs because students complained tht there were too few choices.)

373) Certifiably(adv):In a manner that is officially recognized.(e.g:He couldn’t be institutionalizeduntil was declared certifiably insane.)

374) Divination(n):Fortelling the future by finding the patterns in physical objects.(e.g: In Turkey, women offer divinations by reading the dregs from a coffee cup.)

375) Haunt(v):To continually appear( in the form of a ghost)in the same place or to the same person.(e.g: Some say that ghost of Princess Hilda haunts this castle,appearing as a headless form while she plays the piano.)

376) Intemmediary(n):Acting as an agent between people or things.(e.g: The plantiffs lawyer suggested that they hire an intermediary to help them discuss their case.)

377) Invoke(v):to call for support.(e.g: In many religions,believers invoke their God by holding out their hands.)

378) Self-perpertuating(adj):Having the power to renew oneself for indefinite period of time.

379) Assimilate(v):to consume and incorporate/to become similar.(e.g:Not all of the overseas students could assimilate into the rigidly controlled school.)

380) Cremation(n):The act of burning the dead.(e.g: Cremation is particularly common in Japan,where land for burial is very limited.)

381) Domesticate(v):to make something suitable for being in a home.(e.g:The Barnes family hoped to domesticate the tiger,but their neighbors were skeptical.)

382) Folklore(n):traditional myths of a people transmitted orally.(e.g:Through folklore,archaeologists have learned about the migration of Native Americans in Noth America.)

383) Fossilize(v):to become preserved in clay or stone or ash after death,sp that a natural record is left of the original organism/to become rigid and stuck in old ways.(e.g: The dinosaur eggs had fossilized over thousands of years.)

384) Relic(n):something left from a long ago culture,time period or person.(e.g:Relics of the war can still be found in the sand dunes along this shore.)

385) Rite(n):a ceremony meant to achieve a certain purpose.(e.g:Many cultures have fertility rites that supposedly makes it more likely for women to bear children.)

386) Saga(n):a long story about important events long ago.(e.g:Many American families tell sagas about their ancestors’ arrival in the United States.)

387) Vestige(n):A visible trace that something once existed.(e.g: The wilted flowers were the only vestige of their romantic weekend.)

388) Amend(v):to change for the better.(e.g: The residents voted to amend their neighborhood policy on fences.)

389) de facto(adj):truly doing a job,even if not officially.(e.g:Popular support established the Citizens Party as the de facto government.)

390) Notion(n):a belief.a fanciful impulse.(e.g:The notion that older office equipment is unreliable is the inaccurate./One morning,she suddenly took the notion to paint her kitchen red.)

391) Prej udiced(adj): causing to j udge prematurely and unfairly, (e. g: Manu consumers are prejudiced against commercial goods made in third-world countries.)

392) Distinctly(adv):clearly(e.g: I distinctly remeber saying that we would meet at noon.)

393) Erudite(adj):highly educated.(e.g: Even though Stella was only a freshman,she was considered erudite by both her classmates and her professors.)

394) Fortify(v):to strengthen.(e.g: The high priced drink had extra vitamins and minerals

to fortify the body.)

395) Implicity(adv): without being tated/unquestioningly(e.g:By joining the competition,she agreed implicity to the rules.)

396) Parochial(adj): restricted in outlook/relating to the local parish.(e.g:Marla moved from her rual community to get away from its parochial thinking. Sending your children to a parochial school can cost as much as sending them to college.)

397) Rigor(n):Strictness/difficult situations that come from following rules strictly.(e.g:The wrestler followed his diet with rigor./The rigors of military life toughned the young men quickly.)

398) Roster(n):a list especially of names(e.g:2 names on the roster were misspelled.)

399) Eloquently(adv):Characterized by persuasive, powerful discourse: an eloquent speaker; an eloquent sermon./ Vividly or movingly expressive: a look eloquent with compassion.

400) Allegiance(n):loyalty.(e.g: My allegiance to my country is based on respect for its principles.)

401) Hierarchy(n):a system of levels that places people high or low according to their importance.(e.g: Starting as a lowly private,Burt Jones gradually rose through the hierarchy of the army.)

402) Annex(v):to make something(usually land) part of another unit.(e.g:Bardstown grew by annexing several farms at the north edge of town.)

403) Conquest(n):a takeover by force or continued effort.(e.g:The first recorded conquest of Mt.Everest was by Tensing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hilary.) (conquer v.)

404) Devise(v):to find an original way to make an object or a plan.(e.g: The soldiers devised a way ti cross the river into enemy territory.) (device n.)

405) Prevailing(adj.) Strongest or most common (Prevail v./prevalence n.) (e.g:The prevailing attitude among our neighbors is to be friendly but not too friendly.)

406) Milieu(n): General Environment or surroundings.(e.g: Many Vietnam veterans did not feel comfortable in the antiwar social milieu of the 1970s)

407) Orwellian(adj):frightening and overcontrolled by a government that interfers in nearly every aspect of personal life.(e.g: Biometric devices like eye-scanners allow an Orwellian level of government knowledge about everyone’s location.)

408) Reconciliation(n):coming back together peacefully after having been enemies.(e.g:South Africs avoided a bloodbath after apartheid by setting up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.)

409) Apartheid(n): A policy or practice of separating or segregating groups.

410) Allocate(v):to give out different amounts for different purposes(e.g:The budget allocates $58billion to the military and only about $2billion to education.)

411) Commodity(n): A thing that can be bought and sold,such as grain,oil,or wood.(e.g:Tulip Bulbs were one of the most Valuable commoditis in seventeenth-century Holland)

412) Subsidy(n):Money Given by a government or other organization to support an activity.(e.g: Federal subsidies to grain farmers have helped them stay in buisness despite three years of bad weather.)

413) Tangible(adj): obviously real because it can be seen,touched,or otherwise observed.(e.g: One tangible benefit of putting electrical cables underground is a clearer view of the sky.)

414) Impoverish(v); to make a person or group poor.(e.g: The collapse of the steel industry impoverished several countries in eastern Ohio.)

415) Proprietor(n):Owner, usually of a buisness or a building, (e.g; The proprietor of Hekman’s Windows is Nels Hekman,grandson of the people who established the factory.)

416) Exploit(v):to take advantage of/to treat inconsiderately in order to profit(e.g:The company tried to exploit the low interest rates to expand operations.)

417) Incentive(n): A possible benefit that motivates a person to do a certain thing.(e.g:

This city’s willingness to support its public schools gave us an incentive to move here with out two young children.)

418) Marginal(adj):Not very significant or effective.(e.g:Our new advertising campaign had only marginal success,raising sales by a mere 3 percent.)

419) Merit(n):value/success based on one’s work,not on luck.(e.g: Pay raises at our company are based on merit,as determined by a committee of managers.)

420) Distill(v): to remove one liquid froma mixture of liquids by boiling;to get something valuable from a confusing mix of ideas.(e.g: The forest people of Southeast Asia distill an alcoholic drink called arak from a paste of palm berries./Most studetns are confused by her lectures,but Joe can always distill ger main idea.)

421) Intrepid(adj):fearless(e.g: for nearly 200 years,only the most intrepid colonists would cross the Appalachian Mountains.)

422) Haggle(v):to argue back and forth about a price.(e.g:The customer and the shopkeeper haggled over the silver plate for more than an hour.)

423) Shuttle(v):to move back and forth between 2 places.(e.g:The small jet shuttles between Kuala Lampur and Singapore nearly every 2 hours.)

424) Bitterly(adv): Strongly and wih a lot of bad feelings.(e.g: Senator Thomas bitterly opposed the movement to design a new state flag.)

425) Inaugurate(v):to bring into public office/to start formally.(e.g: The US president is elected in November,but is not inaugurated until the following January.)

426) Allegedly(adv):according to what people say.(e.g: The chief financial officer of the company allegedly took company’s money for his personal use.)

427) Verdict(n): A judgement in a court case.(e.g: It took the jury only 30 minutes to reach a verdict of “guilty”.)

428) Condemn(v):to speak out against something in very strong terms.(e.g: Religious radicals condemned the government for allowing alcohol to be sold in restaurants.)

429) Bureaucratic(adj): related to a large organisation with a lot of complicated procedures.( implies that something is inefficient and unnecessarily complicated.)(e.g:Before I could speak with the chief, I had to go through a bureaucratic runaround of identity checks and written requests.)

430) Assail(v):to criticize or attack forcefully.(e.g:With DNA evidence from the crime scene, the defense lawyer assailed the police for falsely arresting his client.)(assailant n./assault n.)

431) Implicate(v):to suggest that someone was involved in a crime or other wrong behavior.(e.g:No group claimed responsibility for the bombing,but the type of explosive used implicates the Heartland Freedom Militia.)

432) Inquiry(n):investigation.(e.g: The FBI launched an inquiry into the relationship between organised crime and the trucking company.)

433) Intrusively(adv):In a way that brings unwanted person or thing into someone else’s affairs.(e.g: The new consultant from company headquarters appeared intrusively at meetings,staff parties,and other functions where he was not wanted.) (intrude v./intruder or intrusion n./intrusive adj.)

434) Evade(v): to get away from something that tries to catch you.(e.g: The robbery suspects tried to evade the police by fleeing to Canada.)

435) Grotesque(adj):extremely unattractive,in a way that catches a lot of attention.(e.g: Spending $3.5million to redecorate the governor’s house is a grotesque misuse of public money.)

436) Coerce(v):to force/to put pressure on someone to do something.( e.g: A criminal’s confession is not usable in court if the police coerce him or her into giving it.)(coercion n./coercive adj.)

437) Predicament(n): a difficult situation,one that is hard to get out of. (e.g: College

basketball player of wanting to graduate but being tempted by high professional salaries.)

438) Distort(v): to twist or misinterpret/to make something seem different from what it really is.(e.g: If you hold a pencil in a glass of water, the water distorts the appearance of the pencil.)

439) interdict(v);to keep something from reaching a certain place.(e.g: With faster patrol boats,the Coast Guard can more easily interdict drugs being smuggled by sea.)

440) Juxtapose(v):Place next to one another.(e.g: If you juxtapose these two similar flowers,you can see clear differences between them.)

441) Subtly(adv):in a quiet,hard to notice way(e.g:By subtly changing the soft drink’s formula,we improved its taste and made production cheaper.)

442) Sentiment(n):feelings/opinion based on feelings.(e.g:I share your sentiments about air travefbut i disagree that cars are safer.)

443) Clique(n):A small group of friends who are unfriendly to people outside the group.(e.g:High-schoolers form cliques to security and acceptance.)

444) Confide(v): to tell personal things.(e.g:Teenagers are more willing to confide in a friend than in a parent.)(confidant n./confiedence n./ confidential adj.)

445) Despondent(adj):Extremely sad and without hope for the future.(e.g: After his girlfriend left him,Johnson was despondent and wouldn’t talk to anyone.)

446) Devotion(n):willingness to keep supporting someone you admire.(e.g: Grant showed great devotion to his wife,supporting her long illness.)

447) Engender(v):to bring into being/to cause to exist.(e.g:The government’s warnings about terrorism engendered fear throughout the nation.)

448) Berate(v): to say insulting and disrespectful things.(e.g:The teacher lost his job because he cruelly berated students who made mistakes.)

449) Contemptuous(n):having no respect(e.g:most scientists are contemptuous of reports that aliens from outer space have landed on the Earth.)

450) Vitriolic(adj):showing and extreme,hateful anger.(e.g: The mayor’s vitriolic attacks against the city council only made him sound unreasonable.)

451) Deliquency(n);serious misbehavior/not ding what one should do(e.g: because of his laziness and deliquency,Lefty was unreliable friend.)

452) Fringe(n):edge/in social contexts,parts of society that look or act very different from most people.(e.g:Punk music fot its start at the fringe of London’s rock music culture.)

453) Hedonistic(adj)excessively seeking pleasure.(e.g:Suddenly wealthy,Allen fell into a hedonistic life of parties,expensive dinners,and heavy drinking.)

454) Abstract(adj):not concrete and realistic/not obviously related to everyday experience.(e.g:Abstract painting became popular partly because early photography was very realistic.)

455) Depict(v):to show in pictures.(e.g: Micheal Angelo’s painting on the eiling of the Sistine Chapel depicts nine scenes from the Bible.)

You can also download PDF file below here:

Download PDF 455 TOEFL Vocabulary

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6 Bright Tips to Practice Grammar Effectively for the TOEFL Exam

By Wiki Study in Exam tips, Vocab & Grammar November 6, 2017 0 Comment

You want to get a high score on the TOEFL exam, right?

You can practice by doing exam-like tests, improving your vocabulary and working on your grammar.

Wait a minute, grammar? Really?

Yes! Grammar is an important part of your preparation for the TOEFL exam—more important than you might realize.

And that’s because it will help you in all four parts of the exam: speaking, writing, listening and reading.

Even more, practicing grammar makes you better at connecting words, which in turn helps you become more fluent.

Let me show you what I mean:

The first two exam sections–speaking and writing–are called productive skills because you actually produce your own sentences. Knowing grammar will help you build correct sentences so that you can accurately express your own ideas.

The last two sections–listening and reading–are called receptive skills because you need to understand the ideas other people are trying to express. If your knowledge of grammar is good, then you can understand these ideas faster and with less effort in the exam. This means you will make better use of your exam time, and achieve a higher score!

So even if grammar is not tested directly in any part of the TOEFL exam, understanding grammar rules will help you a lot in all of the four parts.

Now you may be wondering: Where do I start? Read on for some awesome tips for how to improve your grammar.

6 Bright Tips to Practice Grammar Effectively for the TOEFL Exam

1. Begin by Learning the Rules

Grammar rules are so important because they categorize (group) a lot of language situations and give you information you can then apply to many contexts (situations).

To know which rules to study, take a grammar diagnostic test to learn which topics are your weakest. This one offered by Oxford University Press is in British English, and has three versions: basic, intermediate and advanced. I recommend you start with the basic test and see how you do. The test could take up to 30 minutes to complete, as there are 100 questions.

It is worth the time, though, because at the end of the test it tells you the percentage of correct answers for each grammar category. This way, you can look for the lowest percent (i.e. 40% — modal verbs) and begin with those rules. You can also see all of the original questions, which ones you got wrong and the correct answers.

When you have picked a rule to start with, study the rule carefully and then read as many examples as you can.

Here is where you can study the rules:

GrammarBook.com —This site gives a detailed presentation of each grammar rule and it also has a section on punctuation rules. The examples given are simple sentences which are easy to understand, even for beginners and lower intermediate students.

British Council’s English Grammar site — This website is also very handy, as it gives you exercises right after the presentation of each rule. The explanations are quite thorough (complete), with multiple example sentences for each concept so you really understand them.

Edufind.com’s English Grammar Guide — This site is another very well structured and detailed resource you can use. It has eight categories: nouns, adjectives, adverbs, determiners, verbs & verb tenses, speech, punctuation and relative clauses. Additionally, it has a free grammar test which tests the rules in context.

“The Oxford Guide to English Grammar” — If you prefer working with books, you can use this guide, which is extremely detailed and free to download in PDF format. It is better for upper intermediate to advanced learners because it is more complex than the online resources.
All of these resources can be used by learners starting at the lower intermediate level, as the rules are clearly explained in simple language. It is a good idea to use different grammar websites when you want to review the rules.

After you have read a rule and its examples, the next step (and most important part) is to come up with your own examples, which we’ll show you how to do next.

2. Practice Each Rule One at a Time

To practice each grammar rule well, you will want to (a) create your own examples and (b) complete grammar exercises.

(a) Creating your own example sentences with each rule helps you really understand the rules before moving on to exercises. Look at the examples provided after the rules and then try to come up with your own sentences. Just to be sure you used the rules correctly in your own sentences, ask a teacher or native speaker to check them for you.

Then, include the grammar structure in your own writing tasks. When you write, you have time to think and plan, so this will be easier to do. The final part of creating your own examples is to use the grammar rule while speaking. This is a little bit more difficult, because you have almost no thinking time at all.

This half of your grammar practice will also help you in the speaking and writing portions of the exam, where you need to prove you can use complex grammar structures to accurately express your ideas.

(b) You should also do exercises with each rule after working with your own examples. You can use one or all of the resources below to do this:

British Council’s English Grammar site —This website tests your understanding of each rule right after you finish reading about it. It is convenient because you can always return to the rule if you are not sure about your answers.

English Grammar — This site has a separate practice section, so the exercises are not right next to the rules. However, it is very useful when you want to recap by practicing several rules at a time once you have finished reading about them. The more you practice, the faster you will be able to make best use of the rules on your own.

“Practice Makes Perfect English Grammar for ESL Learners” — They say that practice makes perfect, and that’s true when it comes to grammar. This book offers theory and practice in one place. It is very easy to use because each rule is introduced step by step. At the end of each section there is a review where all the rules are tested. You may feel that it is easier to return to the rules when using books, especially if you have your own highlighting system.

When you are done practicing a rule, don’t move on to a new rule until you feel you have really mastered the one you are working on. Remember the safest route: (1) understand the rule, (2) read examples, (3) create your own examples and (4) practice the rule by doing exercises. Then you can start over with a new rule.

3. When in Doubt, Always Return to the Rules

Practicing grammar is not always a smooth process. Expect to make mistakes, and to feel like you are right when an exercise says your answer is wrong. In this case, you need to go back to the rule and relearn it. You may want to read your own examples again and create some more examples.

If the rule or the exercise still doesn’t make sense, ask a teacher to explain it to you. If you don’t have access to a teacher, you can try contacting one online. If you have friends who are native English speakers, you may try asking them to help. However, if your friend didn’t study English grammar formally, they may not be able to help you.

Many native English speakers can’t explain grammatical concepts. Even more, some native English speakers use incorrect grammar in casual speech without realizing it is improper grammar. So just make sure your resources are reliable when returning to the grammar rules.

4. Learn from Your Favorite Mistakes

Do you feel disappointed when you make mistakes? Mistakes are actually a very important part of learning. Every time you make a mistake, you can see it as an opportunity to learn or relearn something.

So when you practice grammar rules, be sure to check your results on your own using the answer key. If you mark a question wrong, make sure you understand why it is wrong, and then practice that concept a bit more.

When you speak or write in English, on the other hand, you are usually not aware of your own mistakes. So you need to have someone listen to you speak and proofread your writing. You can ask a teacher or tutor to help with this.

After you have discovered your mistakes, don’t forget to record them so you can learn from them. Keep all of your mistakes together in one spot and read them regularly. This will prevent you from making the same mistakes over and over again. Every mistake gives you the opportunity to improve your grammar knowledge.

Many students have a mistake which they keep making again and again because at one point they learned a rule incorrectly or incompletely. So when you identify a mistake, that’s why you need to go back to step one and study the rules again.

5. Give Yourself Time

Learning grammar is a long-term objective, and generally the more rules you learn and practice, the better you get. The trick is to decide how much time you can spend each day on grammar. Be consistent and persistent.

If you only have a short time to prepare for your TOEFL exam, cover the basic areas first: the verbal tenses, nouns, articles, adjectives and adverbs. A good resource to start is this quick grammar section. You can then continue with more complex issues like relative clauses, conditional clauses, the subjunctive and the passive voice.

The most effective way to use your time until the exam is to make sure you follow up each rule by practice. Trying to cover a lot of theory without understanding how the rules work won’t help, because the TOEFL exam is very practical. It assesses your ability to use correct grammar in speaking and in writing—not your knowledge of the rules themselves.

I recommend studying rules in groups of five. You still learn just one rule at a time (learn rule, read examples, create sentences, do exercises), but after you have done this process for five rules, review by doing exercises with all the five rules. If you notice mistakes in a certain area, return to the rule and study it again from different sources.

The amount of time you spend on grammar every day depends on your initial level, the amount you plan to cover and, of course, your schedule. The best way to make sure you are on the right track is to check if you are making progress. Ask yourself these questions:

Am I making fewer mistakes?
Do I feel more confident when I speak and write?
Am I hesitating less when I speak?
Do I write faster?
Does my writing include more complex grammar structures?

6. Make Grammar Practice Fun

Finally, studying grammar can be more fun than books and exercises. You can use videos to help you understand the rules, and then practice in groups of friends. If you are part of an exam preparation class, you can ask people to study with you in pairs or in groups after classes. If you don’t know anyone else who’s studying for the TOEFL exam, you can look for other students online.

Whenever you study in groups, decide on some rules to follow. For example, you must only use English to communicate, nobody gets offended if they make mistakes or feel free to correct people if you notice a mistake.

One fun activity to do as a group is for everyone to suggest a grammar rule they want to practice. Then everyone has to create a grammar exercise to practice the rule they suggested, writing it on a piece of paper. Put all the sheets of paper into a box and let each person choose one (hopefully not their own). After doing the exercise, each student asks the person who created it to help check their answer.

Another fun grammar game you can play with more than one person involves adjectives and adverbs. Each person has to present another person in the group by using adjectives and adverbs. The others have to guess who they are talking about. For example: “She is self-contained (adjective) and reticent (adjective), but she can speak confidently (adverb) about politics.”

If you want to have fun on your own as you study grammar, you can also take a look at this English Interactive Grammar website that can help you test your knowledge of grammar in a fun and creative way.

The best part of studying grammar is that everything you learn stays with you—even after you take the TOEFL exam. Yes, grammar will help you a lot in the exam. But the exam is really just a way to evaluate your knowledge of English, and that knowledge is the most valuable thing. The trick is to practice, practice again and then practice some more.

Good luck!

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