English Vocabulary Exercises: July 2013

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Vocabulary Exercise #21: Synonyms of "Honest"

Communicative Objective: Describing Honesty

Context: The Edward Snowden Whistleblowing Case

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

1. forthright: (adjective) a general, positive synonym of “honest” in the sense of “admirable”

Example: Thank you for being forthright with me.

2. frank: (count noun) a negative synonym of “honest” in the sense of “direct”

Example: Let me be frank. Your work is simply unacceptable and is grounds for your termination.

3. legit: (adjective) a positive synonym of “honest” in the sense of “no longer dishonest”

Example: I swear, officer! I’ve gone legit!

4. on the level: (adjective) a positive synonym of “honest” in the sense of “trustworthy”

Example: Are you sure he is on the level?

5. unreserved: (adjective) a positive synonym of “honest” in the sense of “shares all information”

Example: I would appreciate your unreserved remarks on this paper.

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

American computer scientist Edward Snowden astounded the world in 2013 by revealing that the U.S. government had been engaging in massive telecommunications surveillance worldwide.

Snowden had worked as an analyst for Booz Allen Hamilton, a subcontractor of the National Security Agency (NSA). Over the course of his employment, he came to the conclusion that such widespread and indiscriminate surveillance was wrong. Hoping to spark an international debate on the topic that would eventually force the U.S. government to abandon this practice and become __________, he reached out to the British newspaper The Guardian.

Following a series of conversations, Guardian columnist Glenn Greenwald found Snowden to be __________ and decided to pursue the story and later publish it on June 5^th, 2013.

In announcements and interviews since the story first broke, Snowden has continued to be __________ with his comments, sparing no details on the technology and policies the U.S. employs to intercept and analyze our communications.

Supporters credit him with defending civil liberties and a respect for privacy, applauding him for being so __________.

Not surprisingly, his detractors have been quite __________ in their criticism of him, labeling him a traitor. Indeed, the U.S. government has filed criminal charges against Snowden and is attempting to apprehend him.

© 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

Vocabulary Exercise #20: Synonyms of "Thin" (Negative)

Communicative Objective: Describing Thinness (Negative)

Context: World Hunger

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

1. emaciated: (adjective) negative, formal synonym of “extremely thin”

Example: Facebook posts of emaciated children are very difficult to swallow.

2. gaunt: (adjective) negative, formal synonym of “very thin”

Example: Cancer has left her looking gaunt.

3. scrawny: (adjective) negative, informal synonym of thin

Example: He is scrawny, but he is tough!

4. shriveled: (adjective) negative synonym of “thin,” usually related to dehydration

Example: My cucumber plants are shriveled because they were in the scorching sun all day!

5. underweight: (adjective) negative, formal, medical synonym of “thin”

Example: Her pediatrician said that she is underweight for her age.

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

Hunger remains a major problem confronting the world, for both developing and developed countries.

Famine is the most saddening example of this in the developing world. Although sometimes related to displaced agricultural populations due to war, it is most often caused by adverse growing conditions. Too little rain or irrigation, for example, results in _____ crops and, in turn, _____ livestock. Human starvation and death follows, as documented by the tragic and shocking images of _____ children which have spread across the world.

The developed world normally experiences hunger differently, and less severely, as a consequence of poverty. As unemployment has grown and incomes have fallen, especially since the economic crises beginning in 2007, pediatricians have observed more _____ children in their offices and the general public has noted that there are more _____ kids in their neighborhoods.

© James Doyle, 2013

www.mylanguagesolutions.com

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

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Vocabulary Exercise #19: Synonyms of "Thin" (Positive)

Communicative Objective: Describing Thinness (Positive)

Context: Thinness in Contemporary Media

1. lanky: (adjective) positive synonym of thin, usually used only for males

Example: Many professional basketball players are quite lanky.

2. slender: (adjective) positive synonym of thin, usually used only for females

Example: Her waist is very slender.

3. slight: (adjective) positive synonym of thin, used only for females

Example: She is short, slight woman.

4. slim: (adjective) positive, general synonym of thin

Example: We all want to look slim for summer!

5. twiggy: (adjective) generally positive, possibly critical, synonym of very thin, used only for females

Example: She is so twiggy! She should gain some weight.

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

Beginning in the 20^th century, popular Western ideals of beauty developed to include the very thin for the first time. Promoted by the rise of advertising agencies and the explosive growth of the media in the 1960s, images of _____ models filled catwalks and magazines. The most celebrated of these was undoubtedly the _____ Lesley Lawson, who came to be known by this nickname.

In the 21^st century, attractive celebrities, like the _____ Ashton Kutcher and the _____ Calista Flockhart further the association of extreme thinness with beauty and style.

This trend has unfortunately contributed to the rise of anorexia and bulimia in many adolescents, particularly females, obsessed with obtaining a more _____ look.

© James Doyle, 2013

www.mylanguagesolutions.com

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

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Vocabulary Exercise #18: Synonyms of "Thief" (Part 2)

Communicative Objective: Describing Thieves

Context: Categories of Thieves

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

1. bandit: (noun) a travelling robber

Example: Bandits plague deserted highways in the developing world.

2. embezzler: (noun) someone who steals money secretly from his or her company

Example: Embezzlers can go undetected for years as they are often respected members of the community.

3. hoodlum: (noun) a young, tough male who engages in petty crime / mafia activities

Example: “Hood” is a more dismissive form of “hoodlum.”

4. plunderer: (noun) someone who steals great wealth

Example: Many corrupt heads of state are infamous plunderers.

5. swindler: (noun) someone who robs by tricking people

Example: I am always surprised at how easily swindlers can trick some people over the internet.

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

Some thieves eventually become so well-known that they are immortalized in our folklore and enter our daily conversations.

Robin Hood, the subject of many popular stories and films, was a beloved _____ who famously “stole from the rich and gave to the poor” throughout the forests and highways of medieval England.

William Teach, or “Blackbeard,” was a notorious pirate active in the Caribbean and along the east coast of what would become the United States, in the early 18^th century. Although not the most financially successful pirate in history, he was greatly feared by colonies and merchants as a _____.

Joseph Weil, better known as “the Yellow Kid,” operated as a _____ in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, selling snake oil, among other cons.

Al Capone, of course, is the most celebrated _____, advancing in his career from gangbanging to running the largest bootlegging and alcohol smuggling operation in the United States in the early 20^th century. Depicted in numerous films and other forms of media, he is an icon of organized crime.

Finally, Bernie Madoff is the greatest _____ to date, having operated the largest known Ponzi scheme. Over the years, he deceived investors into parting with hundreds of billions of dollars. He was arrested in 2008 and sentenced in 2009 to 150 years in prison and $170 billion in restitution.

© James Doyle, 2013

www.mylanguagesolutions.com

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

Monday, July 8, 2013

Vocabulary Exercise #17: Synonyms of "Thief" (Part 1)

Communicative Objective: Describing Thieves

Context: Categories of Thieves

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

1. burglar: (noun) someone who robs a home

Example: Shhh! I think I hear a burglar!

2. conman: (noun) someone who robs by tricking people

Example: Nicholas Cage portrayed a conman in the 2003 film Matchstick Men.

3. looter: (noun) someone who robs during an emergency

Example: Looters were common following Hurricane Katrina.

4. mugger: (noun) someone who robs someone else in public

Example: Muggers were a major problem in New York in the 1980s.

5. pickpocket: (noun) someone who robs someone else deftly and secretly

Example: Many pickpockets worldwide are children.

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

A major drawback to urban living is crime, the most common example of which is thieves, who come in all shapes and sizes and plague cities around the world.

As any police department will advise, _____ most often strike when one is away from home. As this is most likely to occur during the summer and during the day, one should most be on guard at this time.

Although the most innocuous of thieves, _____ are responsible for millions of dollars in losses each year. Commuters, especially, must be wary as they commonly work public transportation systems.

A modern development for _____, whose base of operations is often in Nigeria, is to prey upon the gullible through the internet. More local matchstick men, however, often hustle on busy street corners.

The most frightening example, of course, is that of _____. These thugs usually injure their victims, sometimes leaving them dead or half-dead. Pedestrians are advised to avoid alleys, especially at night, as these criminals usually lurk in their shadows.

Finally, in rare cases, otherwise law-abiding citizens may be tempted to become _____ during natural disasters, outbreaks of rioting and, especially, widespread blackouts.

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Friday, July 5, 2013

Vocabulary Exercise #16: Synonyms of "To Fly"

Communicative Objective: Describing Flying

Context: Human Flight

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

1. to dart: (verb) to fly quickly between two points

Example: We darted to New York in just an hour.

2. to flit: (verb) to fly quickly between and around other objects

Example: I can’t get that mosquito because it is flitting everywhere.

3. to glide: (verb) to fly supported by air currents

Example: Flying squirrels actually glide. They do not have wings to flap, after all.

4. to hover: (verb) to pause in flight and remain suspended in the air

Example: Helicopters allow us to hover over areas.

5. to soar: (verb) to fly very high in the sky

Example: From my apartment in Lima, I can observe condors soaring high above the city.

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

Humans have longed to fly since at least the dawn of recorded history, inspired in part by the animals with which they have shared their environment, from the tiniest insects that _____ all around us to the _____ hummingbirds.

The late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, especially, saw numerous attempts at developing controlled, powered and sustained flight; culminating in the first successful attempt by the Wright brothers on December 17^th, 1903. From these humble beginnings of little more than _____, humans have developed the ability _____ between cities served by airports and _____ on the edge of space and beyond.

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Vocabulary Exercise #15: Synonyms of "To Run"

Communicative Objective: Describing Running

Context: The Boston Marathon

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

1. to bolt: (verb) to run very quickly

Example: We bolted out of the burning house.

2. to bound: (verb) to run quickly, with long strides

Example: Cheetahs can easily bound due to their long legs.

3. to jog: (verb) to run at a slow pace

Example: Americans are obsessed with jogging.

4. to sprint: (verb) to run at a medium pace

Example: Professional runners often sprint so that they do not burn themselves out.

5. to take off: (verb) to begin to run

Example: The marketing campaign took off on Monday.

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

The Boston Marathon, begun in 1897, is the world’s oldest annually-held marathon. The approximately 42-kilometer long course begins in the town of Hopkinton and finishes in Copley Square, in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston.

Competitors in the 2012 marathon _____ at the 10:00 A.M. start time, which had been moved up by 2 hours due to unusually high temperatures.

The strongest runners, usually with a height advantage, soon _____ into the lead. The heat took a toll, however, with weaker runners _____ and some even _____ towards the end of the marathon.

The 2012 running was won by Wesley Korir of Kenya, who outstripped the other leading runners by _____ to victory in 2 hours, 12 minutes and 40 seconds –a time slowed by the excessive heat.

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