Vocabulary Exercise #3: Synonyms of "Hot"

Communicative Objective: Describing Heat                   

Context: Boston Summers       

Part 1, Speaking: The words listed below are all synonyms of the adjective “hot.” Each varies slightly from the others in meaning and use. Review the definition and application of each word.

1.   blistering: (adjective) very hot, especially in the sun

      Example: I was out in the sun too long and now my skin is blistering.

2.   boiling: (adjective) extremely hot

      Example: The water in this jacuzzi is boiling.

3.   roasting: (adjective) very hot, dry

      Example: A romantic Christmas songs begins, “Chestnuts roasting over an open fire…..”

4.   stifling: (adjective) very hot, especially in an enclosed space

      Example: My relationship is stifling.

5.   sweltering: (adjective) incredibly hot

      Example: Performing manual labor in 100 degrees Fahrenheit is sweltering.

Part 2, Reading Exercise: Complete the reading passage with the most appropriate vocabulary.

     Boston summers are brief, usually only really beginning in late June and normally ending by the first week of September. There are, fortunately, few extremely hot days as it is located in the northeastern U.S. and, as such, is far from the _____ equator. It is also cooled by northern winds and, although a major city, lacks the density to generate an extreme urban heat island effect, unlike New York.

    Some late July days can be _____ as temperatures build up, leading to some _____ days in early August. This is rare, however, as summer temperatures rarely exceed 30 degrees Celsius.  

     Finally, although Boston’s public transportation system is more than adequate, its infrastructure has begun to suffer in recent years from lack of investment. This is most obvious if an air conditioning unit occasionally fails on a dry day when it is ______ outside, leaving us in a _____ subway car.

© James Doyle, 2013

www.mylanguagesolutions.com

Vocabulary Class: 
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Answers: 
The answers to this exercise are available at the following link: 

http://www.mylanguagesolutions.com/#!english-exercises-answers/c11f1