Characteristics — Pride / Indifference - 1, Snobbish (Adjective) M: Arrogant, stuck up. MN: A person who is snoBBISH thinks that others are ruBBISH. When you sce the word ‘snobbish’, think of a person who looks down on others because he thinks they are rubbish, Example: Although he came from a humble background, he was a snobbish boy. He thought he was smarter than everyone else and so did not treat his classmates well. 2. Pompous (Adjective) M: Self-important, pretentious, likes to engage in showy display of wealth or knowledge. MN: POMpous ~ looks like it has the word ‘POM’ in it. A cheerleader would wave her pom-poms to show how good the sports team she is supporting is. So, a pompous person would inwardly wave his pom-poms to show how good he is. Example: The pompous officials enjoyed giving orders to the people. 3, Aloof (Adjective) | M: Cold, unsympathetic, distant, MN: aLOOF — looks like the word ‘roof’. The roof is the highest part of the house. | So when you look at the word ‘aloof’, think of someone who is distant and cold, as, distant as the roof of a huge 3 storey house is ftom the floor. Example: She is often aloof with her friends. She does not share much with them and keeps a distance from everyone.4, Supercilious (Adjective) M: Disdainful, looks down on others (similar in meaning to ‘snobbish’. MN: Someone who is SUPERcilious thinks he is SUPER compared to everyone else. Example: He walks around with a supercilious attitude, He only mixes with the very rich and the rest of the people are nothing to him. 5, Reserved (Adjective) omeone who restrains his emotions. He is usually silent and cool MN: When you reserve a place for someone, you are setting aside the place for that person. When you are a reserved person, you are setting aside your emotions. You do not allow your emotions to come to the surface so you seem controlled and rather silent, It is not necessarily a bad character trait. Example: Jordan is a reserved boy. It is hard to get to know him until you spend more time with him, 6. Indifferent (Adjective) Lack of feeling towards a person or a matter, having no particular interest in a matter. MN: In - means ‘not’. So, indifferent means not different. So even if something or someone rather different comes along, you do not feel any differently, you have no particular interest in that person or matter Example: He was indifferent to the fact that I was going to join the basketball team. He showed neither excitement nor anger when I told him the news. 6|Page awn n ten eee eSf ‘ ’ ; ; 7. Temperamental (Adjective) ‘ ; Mz Easily upset, irritable : 5 MN: TEMPERAmental — looks like the word ‘TEMPER Ature’. The temperature of : : a place will change according to the weather. It does not remain stable. In the same : ‘ way, a temperamental person gets upset easily. He changes according to his ‘ ; circumstances. Thus, he is not very stable in his temperament. : ‘ Example: It is hard to be good friends with Tim. He is very temperamental and loses i i his temper too easily. 5 ‘ 8. Imperious (Adjective) 3 : M: Arrogant and domineering, wants to control people and things. ‘ ‘ MN: IMPERious ~ looks and sounds like the word “EMPIRE”. A person who has an ; : empire will be controlling. So when you see the word ‘Imperious’ think of someone i é high and mighty controlling an empire and you get the picture of an imperious person. 3 ‘ Example: Nobody likes to do project work with him as he is so imperious that he will : ‘ dictate to everyone what their roles are and he will not allow anyone to disagree with 5 a him, 5 ; * ; ; ‘ 9. Conceited (Aafjective) ; 4 M: Holding a high opinion of yourself, proud. : 4 MN: Concelted people are often only thinking of themselves. The ‘I’ in concelted § prevents them from being able to be concerned about other people -4 Example: The conceited man kept talking about himself and how highly paid his job é was, Nobody likes him. 4 7|Pagepee ane er rs aa ra tr tate eR tc tt at EE ett eee eeo te 10, Withdrawn (Adjective) M: Someone who pulls away from others and does not like to talk much. This usually happens when something bad has happened to the person. MN: When you withdraw from a competition, you pull away from it. When you are a withdrawn person, you pull away from people in general Example: He has become withdrawn after the death of his grandmother. He just stays home all day and does not interact with anyone. 8|Page4 Characteristics — Anger 1. Annoyed (Adjective) M: To be irritated and angry. MN; anNOyed ~ You will be annoyed when you ask your friend for something but they keep saying “NO!” Example: The teacher was annoyed by the constant interruptions of the mischievous boys during lesson time, 2. Exasperated (Adjective) M: To annoy greatly. Exasperation is quite close to annoyance except it is at @ greater level. MN: EXasperated ~ think of the word ‘EXhale’. Imagine someone getting so irritated and angry that he is inhaling and exhaling and trying to control his anger. Example: Jason was exasperated when his sister kept throwing his toys all over the | place. 3. Sullen (Adjective) ME: Unwilling to talk, moody, showing silent resentment. | MN: ‘Sullen’ ~ sounds like the word ‘silent’, When you are sullen, you are silent and resentful. (Think of a child who cannot get his way and he is sitting on the sofa, pouting and refusing to talk or do anything else tll he gets his way.) Example: My brother was sullen throughout the trip home because he was not allowed to bring his favourite toy. I1|Page4, Enraged (Verb) : To be full of rage MN: EnRAGEd - Think of the word ‘rage’. To be enraged means that you are full of rage/anger. Example: Peter was enraged when he learnt that his friends had made fun of him behind his back and spread rumours about him, | 5. Exacerbated (Verb) : To worsen, to make a person angry. MN: EXacerbated ~ think of the word “EXtra’, When you exacerbate a person, you add ‘extra’ salt to his wound. Example: They exacerbated my headache. i | 6. Incensed (Adjective) iM Feeling of great anger. MN; When you see the word ‘Incense’, you can also think of burning incense and | you can use burning anger as a figure of speech to describe anger. So, think of | burning anger when you see the word ‘Incensed’. Example: Johnny was incensed when he saw some children kicking a kitten, 7. Estranged (Adjective) | M: No longer on friendly terms. MN: eSTRANGES - You see the word ‘strange’ in ‘estranged’, When you are estranged with someone, you become a stranger to that person, Example: Mr Lim is estranged from his father. They are not even on talking terms. 12|Page8. Affionted (Adjective) M: To be insulted openly or be offended. MN: afFRONTed - You see the word ‘front’ in the word ‘affronted’. When you are affronted, someone comes right in front of you and insults you Example: | was affronted by his lack of manners when he just barged into my house and demanded for some food, 9, Detest (Verb) M: To dislike or hate something very much. MN: deTEST - You will hate it very much if your school gives you a TEST every day. Example: Pamela detests cockroaches. 10, Enmity (Nown) M: To have great hatred, MN: Enmity — comes from the word ‘enemies’. Enemies would have great hatred for ‘one another. Example: The enmity between the two nations is so great that all trade has ceased between them 13| Page ‘been sesinenesnertinrernin tere tancte aL ETA ETE ENR ar a NSE TEAR A CEE Tenn mmnmmmniellCharacteristics — Excitement / Friendliness i 1, Exuberant (Adjective) ' M: Full of energy and joy, extremely enthusiastic, | MN: ExubeRANT — ends with ‘RANT’. When a person rants and raves, he needs a 1 lot of energy to do so. When you are exuberant, you are overflowing with energy. Example: The exuberant child kept jumping up and down in glee. 2. Boisterous (Adjective) M: Noisy and lively. MN: BOIsterous ~ ‘Boi’ sounds like the word ‘BOYS. Boys are usually very lively, noisy and energetic. So, boys are BOISTEROUS. Example: The teacher could not control the boisterous children. They kept running all over the place. 16|PageM: Sho) 3. Enthusiastic (Adjective) ing great excitement and interest. MN: EnthuSEAstic — bas the word ‘STA’ (It means ‘prawns’ in Chinese). When you {get fo eat prawns, you get very excited and enthusiastic. Example: He is very enthusiastic about going to the zoo. He has been talking about it since last week amiable. 4, Amiable (Adjective) M: Friendly, MN: Am-Lable ~ ‘I-am-able’ to make friends easily and that is why people say I am Example: She is an amiable person and people like her. 5. Amicable (Adjective) M: Peaceful, exhibiting good will. (Difference between ‘amiable’ and ‘amicable’ is that ‘amiable’ is often used to describe people, while ‘amicable’ is used to deseribe human interactions. E.g. Amicable agreement.) MN: aMIC-tABLE ~ Puta ‘t before ‘able’ and you'll have ‘a-mic-table’. Imagine a microphone on a table. It is not in use and so the atmosphere is quiet and peaceful. To remember that the word is used more for human interactions and not people, you can also remember the word ‘mic’, A microphone is a non-living thing, Example: After much discussion, Ben and I came to an amicable agreement. well. 6. Hospitable (Adjective) M: Welcoming to guests and strangers. MN: HOSPITAble - A hospital welcomes all guests and strangers. Example: My brother is a very hospitable person. He knows how to treat guests very 17|Page7, Tumultuous (Adjective) M: Full of confusion and disorder. MN: TU-MUI-TU-oUS — looks like these words ‘Too Much-To-Us’. When a situation is tumultuous, it is too much for us to take, Example: The party was tumultuous, some people were screaming and some were climbing over the railings. It was chaotic. 8. Elated (Adjective) M: In high spirits, proud of having won, full of joy. MN: ELAte ~ looks like the word ‘Elevator’, When you are in an elevator, you are being moved up, In the same way, when you are promoted (‘moved up’), you will be elated. Example: She was elated when she heard that she had been chosen to be the head prefect. 9, Benevolent (Adjective) M: Kind and generous. MN: BENevolent ~ ‘BEN’ can stand for the word ‘BENefit’, When you are benevolent, you will want others to benefit. Example: A benevolent man paid for the child's music lessons anonymously. 10, Ardent (Adjective) M: To be enthusiastic or passionate MN: AR¢ent — contains the letters “AR". When you are enthusiastic about a match, you will cheer and go ‘ARRRRRRRR’. Example: She is an ardent fan of baseball. 18|PageOn nen ene na een ae Rae ae NI Rh ht nae ee mee mee ee em Characteristics — Evil/ Greedy s* 2:16 Behaviour 1, Malevolent (Adjective) M A malevolent person wants to harm other people. MN: MALEvolent — starts with ‘MALE’ which could be re-arranged to form “LAME”. So, a malevolent person is one who is evil and wants to make other people LAME. Example: The burglar cast a malevolent look at the victim as he advanced towards her. 2, Menacing (Adjective) M: Threatening. Making you expect something unpleasant. MN: MENAcingly ~ starts with “MENA’ which can be re-arranged to form the word ‘MEAN’. So, if you are MENAcing, you are MEAN and you are threatening towards people. Example: He glared at me menacingly and raised his hands to hit me. 3. Macabre (Adjective) M: Horrifying, linked to the horror of death and decay. MN: Macabre — looks like the word ‘Massaere’. Massacre means mass killings, Hence, when you see the word ‘macabre’, you can think of ‘massacre’, which brings to mind horrifying mass killings. Example: She has a macabre fascination with crime and murder scenes. 21|Page4. Vicious (Adjective) |: To intentionally want to hurt someone, to be spiteful. MN: Vicious ~ ‘VI’ can stand for the word ‘VIllian’. A villain is someone evil who delights in hurting others. Example: He made a vicious remark that reduced Amanda to tears. ; 5, Mercenary (Adjective/Noun) 5 M: To be motivated only by money, to work for monetary gain. : MN: MERCEnary ~ looks like the word ‘MERCEdes’, Mercedes cars are ‘ : expensive and hence, mercenary people will only work if the pay is high and then ‘ 4 they can afford something like a Mercedes car. 5 Example: Did she have a mercenary motive for marrying him? 5 6. Covetous (Adjective) : M: Wanting what does not belong to you (especially with regard to material i possessions). ‘ MN: cOVEtous ~ when you are COVEtous, you are always looking OVEr at what : someone else has f Example: Linda is a covetous person who is never satisfied with what she has. 7. Rapacious (Adjective) M: To be extremely greedy. A rapacious person may even resort to violence to get what he wants. MN: RApacious - when you are with someone RApacious, imagine someone with a RAzor sharp tongue, ready to devour you Example: He has a rapacious appetite for branded goods and he will stop at nothing to get them. 22|Page —8. Voracious (Adjective) M: To have a great appetite for something. MN: voRACious — when you have a vORACious appetite, you will RACe to get what you want. This trait is not necessarily a bad one. You ean have a voracious appetite for books, which means you love to read Example: I screamed when I saw a voracious army of ants advancing towards me. 9, Ravenous (Adjective) M: To be greatly desiring of food MN: RAVENous ~ think of ravens, they are always gathered where the remains of food are. Example: I was ravenous after my 2.4 kilometre run. 10. Insatiable (Adjective) Mz Incapable of being satisfied. MN: INSATiable ~ ‘IN’ is a prefix which means ‘not’, "SAT’ can stand for the word Satisfied’. So, when you look at the word ‘insatiable’, you can think of a person whose appetite is not satisfied, Example: She has an insatiable hunger for knowledge. 23|Pagea a a ra a cc am 11, Envious (Adjective) M: A feeling of discontent, an envious person is unhappy with what he has. (Similar to ‘covetous’, however usually ‘covetous’ is used in relation to material goods while ‘envious’ can be used to cover more things. A person can be envious of another person's looks, grades, materials goods ete.) MN: enviOUs ~ Ifa person is always envious, he would end up having @ lot of I OWE YOUs’. He would end up owing people a lot of money because he is always borrowing money so he can buy or have more things. Example: She was always envious of her sister's looks, 12. Jealous (Adjective) M: A jealous person is someone who feels that another person is given something (Exg. love, attention, material goods) that he feels he deserves. (An envious person is unhappy with what he has and wants what others have but a jealous person is different, he feels that the things that others have should have been his in the first place) MN: JeaLOUSY ~ A jealous person often feels lousy because he feels another person gets what he deserves. Example: He was jealous of the attention his younger brother has been receiving from his parents. 24|PageCharacteristics — Mixture 59° feb, 2016 | 1, Bewildered (Adjective) | MN: beWILDered ~ beWILDered’ hhas the word ‘WELD’ in it. When you are lost in | Example: The teacher was giving such confusing instructions that we were left | bewildered, M: Completely puzzled or confused. the wild forest, without a compass, everything around you looks the same, you are very confused, You do not know where to go. 2. Apprehensive (Adjective) | M: Uneasy or fearful about something that might happen. MN: APPRE+HENSIVE ~ ‘Appre’ looks like a combination of the words ‘apple expensive’, If'an old lady gives you an apple that looks expensive (big, red, fat apple) for no reason, you should feel uneasy or fearful about it, (Think “Snow white” she should have been apprehensive when the witch gave her an apple for free). | Example: I felt a little apprehensive for the safety of the mountain climbers 3. Appalled (Adjective) M: To be filled with horror or dismay, shocked. MN: ApPALLed ~ ‘PALL? looks like the word ‘PALE’. When you got a shock, you will look pale. Example: I am totally appalled by the lack of hygiene in this food court. 27|Page5 4. Intrigued (Adjective) M: Being interested or curious about something and you have to find out more about it, MN: InTRIGUED ~ ‘Trigued’ sounds like the word ‘trick’. You saw a magic trick and you were impressed by it hence you became interested and curious about the trick Example: The plan intrigues me, but I wonder if it will work. 5. Jaded (Adjective) M: Tired, worn out, having no more interest. MN: JADEd ~ there is the word ‘JADE in jaded. Usually older people wear jade. When you think of old people, you will think that they look tired, hence, you can link ‘jaded? to a tired and worn out feeling, a feeling where excitement has eroded. Example: After 10 years of working hard in this company, Mr Tan is jaded about his job. 6. Fatigued (Adjective) M: Feeling extremely tired. MN: FAtigued ~ ‘FA’ can stand for ‘Falling Asleep’, You are so tired that you are always falling asleep. Example: Jason was feeling fatigued after his hike with the Boy Scouts. 28|Page De a LL SS EE eC ee CELE See geet ete oustee COREE ERROR ERNTE CT mt Em eE mT Rem miE menenE a 7. Inexorable (Adjective) M: Someone/something who or which is incapable of being persuaded. No reason or pleas will be able to change anything. MN: inEXORable ~ ‘Exor’ looks like the word “EXhORP’. To exhort means to pressure or to persuade, ‘In’ means ‘not’. So, when you put them together (in-exhort), it means not able to pressure or persuade. Therefore, when you see the word ‘inexorable’, you think of ‘in-exhort’ and you will think of someone who is unbending, someone whom no one can persuade to change his mind. Example: Maria has been very different ever since her inexorable slide into depression. Nothing can shake her out of her depression now. 8. Adamant (Adjective) M: Determined not to change your opinion. MN: ADAmant ~ contains the letters ‘ADA’ which stands for ‘A Determined Attitude’, When you are adamant about something, you are determined not to change your mind Example: Even after we begged her to change her mind, she remained adamant, 9, Obstinate (Adjective) M: Someone who is stubborn. MN: obsTIN-ATE — Imagine a stubborn person who refuses to listen even when you tell him tin is inedible, this person still went ahead and ATE TIN, Only an obstinate person will eat tin, Example: He is very obstinate. He refuses to listen to his mother’s advice and will simply just do whatever he wants. 29|Pagea a eta ae eee etre erate etc ett Na ti fete eerie ett 10, Docile (Adjective) M: Quiet and easily controlled / easily taught. MN; DOCile ~ contains the word ‘DOC’ which sounds like ‘DOG’. have a DOG, w imagine you is quiet and easily controlled. (E.g. The dog is docile.) Example: His students were docile and eager to learn, 30|Page i ; ; : : ; t : ; ‘ i ; i ; t 5 ‘ ; 5 : ; : é t : ; 5 i ‘ ; : : i ; ‘ ; ; j : : ; ; i ; ' ‘ ; i 4 ‘ ; ; ; ; ; 4: ; 5 People (Part D) 24 6), 5 .j5 1. Suspect (Noun) Mz Someone who is thought to have committed a crime, MN; SuSPECT — looks like the word ‘inSPECT’. You will inspect someone if you suspect the person of committing a crime. Example: Dave is still the main suspect of this crime. Everyone thinks that he is the murderer 2. Witness (Noun) M: Someone who sees an event and reports what happened MN: WITness ~ ‘WIT? stands for ‘Watched It There’. The person who has “watched it there’ can describe everything to the police Example: The police are frantically searching for a witness to the murder in order to close the case. 3. Bystander (Noun) M: Someone who watches what happens without taking part. | | MN: BYSTANDer ~ ‘BY-STAND? looks like the words ‘STAND’ and ‘BY’. You | STAND BY the side to see what happened. You did not take part; you only stood by the side. Example: There are several bystanders at the scene of the accident who saw what had happened. 33|Pagea Ea et st ee ee eet ee ee 4. Spectator (Noun) M: Someone who is watching an event or a game. MN: SPECtator ~ ‘SPEC’ sounds like the word ‘SPECtacles’. You need spectacles to see clearly. So when you see the word ‘spectator’, think of “spectacles” and connect it to someone who wants to watch a game or event clearly and hence brings his spectacles, Example: The soccer match attracted over 40,000 spectators. 5. Congregation (Noun) M: A group of people gathered together, (E.g. A church gathering) MN: CONGREgation ~ “CONGRE? sounds like ‘COME GREET’. You go to church because there are so many people there, you need to come and greet all of them. Example: The congregation in that church sang very loudly. 6. Observer (Noun) M: Someone who regularly watches or pays attention to particular things, events, situations etc. MN: OBSERVEr ~‘OBSERVEr’ comes from the word ‘OBSERVE’. To observe means you pay close attention to some things. An observer is therefore @ person who watches or pays close attention to some things. Example: He is an observer of nature, he often finds out where the birds have hidden their eggs. 34|Page5 7. Patron (Noun) M: Someone who is a regular customer of a shop or a supporter of a certain cause (eg: he is a patron of the arts/he is a patron of Everything With Fries) MN: PATron ~ You receive a PAT on the back when you have done well. Similarly when someone becomes a patron of a shop, he is in a way giving his approval or “a pat on the back’ to that shop. | Example: This restaurant has facilities for patrons that are disabled, 8, Judge (Noun) 'M: The official in control of a court who decides how criminals should be punished. MN: jUDge contains the word ‘UD’ which can stand for ‘YOU DID’. The judge will decide if YOU DID it - if you committed the crime. Example: The judge will decide if this criminal is guilty or not 9, Specialist (Noun) M: Someone who knows a lot about a particular subject, or is very skilled at it me eR EAL RE RETR ERC ARR RR AE MN: SPECIALis has the word ‘SPECIAL! in it. A specialist is someone that has special skills in an area, Example: My uncle is a specialist in the area of design. 10, Barbarian (Nour) M: One who is from a less socially advanced place and behaves in a crude or tasteless manner. MN: BARBAR‘ian — it sounds like the word ‘Barber’. Imagine a person who never cuts his hair or visits a barber, he would look like a barbarian. Example: When she first met the tribesmen, she felt as though she was in the midst of barbarians. i 35|Page Leet eeN DRT Ee Tet REET ERE ERNE MEERA T Nh eee Tine RE nem CE ARESi People (Part ID) 25% Fey. 25, : 1. Intruder (Noun) ‘ M: A person who enters a building without permission : MN: INtRUDEr ~ A person who is an intruder comes INto a house without i permission and that is very RUDE. ; Example: Lost ight an inter broke nto the house, eusing the house alam to go 4 ° 4 : 2. Peddler (Noun) i M: A person who sells goods from door to door or in the street t MN: PEDDLEr~ ‘PEDDLE? sounds like the word ‘Pedals’. Imagine a person who : is pedaling on a bicycle and going from door to door to sell things. i Example: He used to be a peddler of all kinds of goods in his younger days. ; 3. Invader (Noun) : M: A person who enters foreefully to conquer. i: MN: InVADER ~ Looks like words ‘Darth VADER’ (from Star Wars) and as the ; villain, he would usually use force to enter a country. : Example: The invaders came into our land and took away all our children, i ; : 38|Page4, Outsider (Nown) M: A person not belonging to a particular group. MN: An QUTSIDEr always sits outside of a group. Example: He was always considered as an outsider because he did not grow up with us. 5. Novice (Noun) M: A person who is new to an activity or to a certain field. MN: NOvice ~ A novice has NO experience. Example: He has just learnt how to play chess. He is still « novice and it would be easy to defeat him, 6. Veteran (Noun) ME: A person who has had long service or experience in an occupation, MN: VEteran ~ V stands for ‘Very’ and E stands for ‘Experienced’ Example: Having been in the police force for more than 10 years, he is a veteran. 7. Mereenary (Adjective/Noun) (This word is also used in Exercise 4.) M: To be motivated only by money, to work for monetary gain, MN: MERCEnary ~ looks like the word ‘MERCEdes’. Mercedes cars are expensive and hence, mercenary people will only work if the pay is high and then they can afford something like a Mercedes car. Example: Did she have a mercenary motive for marrying him? 39|Page8, Professional (Adjective) M; A person who is engaged in a profession that requires higher learning (E.g. a doctor or lawyer) or someone who is an athlete who is paid to play. MN: PROfessional ~ In order to be an athlete who is paid to play, you need to be @ “PRO”. Or in order to be considered a professional, you need to be a ‘PRO’ in your studies. Example: He is a professional golfer; he takes parts in tournaments and competitions. 9, Braggart (Nou) jomeone who is always talking too proudly about what they own or have done, MN: BRAGgART ~ He BRAGS so much that bragging is an ART to him. Example: He is a braggart. Do not believe everything that he says. 10, Fugitive (Noun) M: Someone who is trying to avoid being caught by the police. MN: FugiTIVE ~ “TIVE” sounds like the word ‘THIEF’. A thief is someone who has broken the law and is usually trying to get away from the police. A fugitive is someone Who is on the run from the authorities because he has also broken the law. Example: Your brother is now a fugitive and he is on the run from the police. If you know where he is, you need to let the police know about it. 11, Truant (oun/Adjective) M: A student who stays away from schoo! without permission from the school. MN: tRUAnt~ ‘RUA’ stands for ‘Really Unhappy to Attend’. A truant is someone who is really unhappy to attend school and so he stays away from school. Example: Bill has been playing truant recently, he has not been in school for almost two weeks. 40|Page pee a oa aos ae a Sakae ra ae et en a eas st a rect eat eee rte ee eee12, Pilgrim (Noun) M: A religious person who travels a long way to a holy place. MN: piL.Grim ~ It is a person who Loves God and they are willing to travel great distances to a holy place so they can know God more. Example: The group of pilgrims is on their way to the holy shrine, 41|Pagepeech (Part I) 2s* Fe, 1. Ridicule (Verb) M: To treat a person with scorn or to mock and laugh at a person MN: RIDICULe ~ ‘Ridicule’ can stand for ‘RIDICULous’. When someone suggests something ridiculous, people often ridicule that person. Example: Mr Lim was ridiculed by his colleagues for suggesting that they wear their swimwear fo work. 2. Grunt (Verb/Noun) M: To make a low guttural (a harsh sound made at the back of the throat) sound. Pigs often make this sound. This sound is also made when people are often too lazy to answer a question, (E.g, He just grunted when asked if he would like to eat some steak.) It is also made when someone exerts energy in doing something. (E.g, He grunted as he hit a backhand volley in the tennis game), MN: Grunt ~ ‘GR’ can stand for ‘GRowling”. When someone growls, you cannot really make out what he is saying and it sounds like the sound comes from the back of the throat. Example: As J was walking, I heard a grunt from behind me and saw Tim trying to lift up a huge box of oranges. 3. Snarl (Verb) M: To speak or say something in a nasty, angry way. MN: snARI— When you are upset, you go, “ARghhh!” A person snarls when he is angry. Example: “Shut up,” he snarled. 44|Page A arse st ieee ic re i att SC att[Oren ewe ee Ream ee mae meal mi ea net NE Nine nie mene nt ee | 4, Stammer (Verb) M: To speak with a lot of pauses and repeated sounds. It happens because of speech problems or because of nervousness or excitement, MN: S(AMMER —‘AMMER? looks like the word ‘hAMMER’, When you hammer something, the sound produced will have pauses in between and the sounds are | repeated Example: “Sor. ..sor...somy”, Ben stammered out an apology. | 5 Reprimand (Verb) M: To scold, reprove someone in an official manner. MN: rePRIMAnd — Often during PRIMAry school days, you are more mischievous. Hence, you will get scolded more often Example: The principal reprimanded him for cheating in the test. 6, Holler (Verb) M: To shout or yell loudly. MN: Holler ~ Looks and sounds like the word ‘hollow’. When you shout in an empty place, the sound produced will be very loud. Example: [ heard someone hollering at me across the street. 45|Page7. Bellow (Verb) M: To shout loudly in a deep voice. MN: belLOW — A bellow is a shout made in a LOW voice. ‘ é Example: He bellowed a command across the room. 5 8. Wail (Verb) M: To make a loud, high-pitched cry of pain or grief. j MN: wAIL ~ when you are AILing (sick, in pain), you will wAIL. Example: She wailed when she saw her dead dog. 9. Bawl (Verb) M: To cry loudly. soccer ball and he starts to baw. Example: Ben kept bawling in the supermarket because his mother did not get him the sweets, é ; 5 MN: Bawl ~ ‘Baw!’ sounds like the word ‘Ball’. Imagine a young boy loses his ’ ' ; 10. Vouch (Verb) ‘ M: To support as being true, to give personal assurances, give a guarantee MN: VOUch ~ ‘VOU? can stand for ‘I VOte for yoU". 1 will only vote for a person if z I believe in that person. Similarly, I will only vouch for something if I believe it to be : good. Example: | will vouch for the quality of this restaurant as I have eaten here many times and the food has always been good.peech (Part IT) 24s 2.4, 1. Jabber (Verb) M: Talk in a noisy and excited manner MN: JABBER ~ ‘ABBER? sounds like the word ‘rAPPER’. When you hear a rapper, he is often loud and it may be difficult to understand what he is singing about just like it is hard to understand what a jabbering person is talking about. Example: The students in the schoo! bus were jabbering away. 2. Drone (Verb) M: To speak in a boring way, usually for a long time. MN: DRone ~ ‘DR’ can stand for ‘DRAG’, When you speak and have to drag your speech for a long time, it will be a very boring speech. Example: Jimmy was droning on about how much work he had to complete 3. Blurt (Verb) M: To say something suddenly and without thinking, usually because you are nervous or excited. MN: BLURT — ‘bIURT’ sounds like ‘SPURT’. The word ‘spurt’ means a sudden forceful gush. To blurt out something is to say something without thinking and to do so suddenly. So when you think of blurt, think of the word ‘spurt’ Example: Joy blurted out the truth about Henry’s disappearance before we could stop her. 49|Page4, Prattle (Verb) M: To talk continuously about silly and unimportant things. MN: pRATTLE ~ Contains the word ‘RATTLE’. Think of baby rattles. A baby would go on and on babbling about silly things. Example: Sarah was prattling about anything and everything to us. 5. Mutter (Verb) M: To speak in low, indistinct (unclear) tones or to grumble under your breath. MN: M-Utter ~*M? stands for ‘muffled’ (unclear) and Utter can stand for ‘Utter (total) nonsense’, Imagine a person going around muttering, “This is utter nonsense!” Example: “Why do I always have the do the housework?” Tom muttered to himself, 6. Murmur (Verb) M: Slightly louder than a whisper MN: MURmur ~ ‘mur’ sounds like the word ‘purr’. When a cat purrs, it is often rather soft. Example: I heard some murmuring in the room and went in to check to see if there was anyone in it. 7. Mumble (Verb) M: To speak in low, indistinct (unclear) tones but it may not be with an angry or grumbling attitude. MN: MUMble ~ ‘mum’ sounds like the word hum’, When you hum a song, it is often unclear to others what song itis. Example: He was always mumbling and people did not know what he was saying8, Whimper (Verb) M: To make a soft crying sound. MN: WhIMPer ~ You can see the word ‘wimp’ in the word ‘whimper’. A wimp (coward) would probably whimper often. Example: The kitten was whimpering when I found it in the alley, it looked half starved. 51|Page: 9. Clamour (Verb) M: To make loud and insistent demands, MN: ctAMOUR - ‘AMOUR’ looks like the word ‘ARMOUR’. When you think of the word ‘armour’, you think of soldiers clad in mental armour fighting and there is a lot of noise, A person clamouring would be making a lot of loud demands. Example: He was clamouring for his mother’s attention but she was too busy to tend to him. 10, Assert (Verb) M: To declare as true. MN: asSERtive — ‘SER’ sounds like the word ‘SIR’, Expect someone called a ‘SIR’ to be quite bold and to declare things to be true. Example: She asserts that what she did was right and she did not want to apologise. 11, Blabber (Verb) M: To speak about unimportant things rapidly and continuously (rather similar to “prattle’, however the main difference is that a person who blabbers often speaks without thinking of the consequences). MN: BLAbber contains the letters ‘BLA’ which sounds like the word ‘BLAH’, when you blabber, it sounds like a person going ‘BLAH BLAH BLAH? Example: I wish that she would stop blabbering nonsense. 12. Imply (Verb) M: To suggest without stating in an obvious manner. MN: Imply ~ The ‘I’ can stand for ‘invisible’, When you imply something, you try to make what you want to really say “invisible” Example: She tried to imply that Tim did not deserve to get top in school by referring to the fact that he was older than most of his classmates. 52|Page a EL RE RR RR EA Soe eeeAction — Animals \*" Mor, 20, 1, Slither (Verb) M: To slide down or along a surface. MN: SLIther ~ “SLI sounds like ‘SLIp’. So, when you slip on a banana skin, you will slide and nearly fall. Example: The snake slithered across the pathway. 2. Wriggle (Verb) M: To move along by twisting and turning the body. MN: Wriggle ~The 2 ‘gg’ looks like worms. When you think of worms, you will think of them twisting and turning around. Example: The worm wriggled out of the soil through a narrow opening. 3. Flatter (Verb) M: To flap the wings rapidly. MN: FLUTTER ~ Looks like it came from two words, ‘Fly’ and ‘bUTTERMy’. So with the word ‘flutter’, you can think ofa butterfly flying. Example: My youngest sister loves to observe the butterflies flutter around in the garden. 4, Molt (Verb) To cast or shed (feathers, skin, etc.) in the process of renewal. MN: MOIt ~-To shed its skin, the caterpillar has to MOve out of its old skin. Example: Before the caterpillar turned into a pupa, it had to molt several times.5. Scamper (Verb) M: To run or move hurriedly, usually in an undignified (foolish) way. MN; sCAMPer ~ There is the word ‘CAMPER’ in ‘sSCAMPER’, Campers usually run around a campfire, singing silly and funny songs. They may behave in what appears to be a foolish manner. So, when you see the word ‘scamper’, think of campers running around in an undignified manner around a campfire Example: If you live near a coffee shop, you would see rats scampering around, trying to look for food. 6, Waddle (Verb) M: To walk with short steps, swaying from side to side. MN: Waddle ~The “W’ looks like the shape of the feet of the duck. A duck waddles. Example: I see some dueks waddling in the pond. 7. Gallop (Verb) M: To move at a fast pace, race, or hurry - usually used to describe the movements of a horse. MN: GALLop - G stands for ‘Go’, ALL stands for ‘all out’, so when something or somebody gallops, they go all out to get to a place. Example: The horse galloped away from its master at full speed, 8. Leap (Verb) M: To move suddenly or swiftly, a jumping motion. MN: Leap ~ “LEAP” sounds like the word ‘LIFT’. When you lift yourself up from the ground, you are jumping, Example: The lion leapt forward and managed to catch the deer. 56|Pagei 9. Pounce (Verb) M: To suddenly move forward and attack someone or something. MN: POunce ~ has the letters *PO" which sounds like ‘BOO!’. When you want to scare a friend, you would move suddenly forward and go BOO! Example: The tiger pounced on the deer while it was taking a sip at the river. 10, Stamped (Verb) M: To put your foot down onto the ground loudly and with a lot of force MN: When you STAMP your feet on the ground, you will make a “TAM” sound. Example: When his mother refused to buy the toy for him, little Tom stamped his feet on the ground and cried non-stop, LPAction — Walk / Run !*' "52216 1. Sway (Verb) M: To swing or move from side to side or to and fro, MN: Sway ~ When you move from side to side, it is like you are moving in what looks like an ‘S"shape. Example: She swayed while walking on the tightrope and put out her hands to balance herself. 2. Saunter (Verb) M: To walk confidently but slowly. MN: sAUNTer ~ It has the word ‘aunt’ in the word. Think of a rich aunty you have, she would probably walk slowly but confidently. Example: Wearing her best dress, Sally sauntered down the street, confident that she looked better than all the other girls. 3. Scramble (Verb) M: To move quickly and urgently. MN: Seramble ~ ‘Seramble’ looks like the word ‘Serabble”. When you play scrabble, you must be quick to think of a word or you will lose. So, to scramble means to move quickly and urgently. Example: The pupils scrambled to their feet when their teacher walked in. 4, Strut (Verb) M: To walk in a proud manner, MN: stRUt — ‘RU’ can stand for the word ‘RUDE’, When people are proud, they are often uncaring or rude towards others. Example: He strutted around the school with his new Adidas shoes. 60|Page See rer en errr rr rer i ee ca tee a et a ta ae Pt at tr er5. Stroll (Verb/Noun) M: To walk in a leisurely manner. MN: stROLL ~ There is the word ‘ROLL’ in the word ‘stROLL’. Think of a child rolling around on a sandy beach or a grass patch in a park. The child is having fun and doing it for leisure so when you think of ‘stroll’, think of someone walking in a park or beach for leisure. Example: Grandma Liz loves to stroll in the park every evening after dinner. 6. Stagger (Verb) M: To move unsteadily. MN: StaGGer ~ A person staggers when he has consumed too much alcohol, the 2 GGs can stand for 2 glasses of wine. So, after someone has 2 glasses of wine, he might stagger. Example: After riding the roller coaster, he staggered out looking for the toilet. 7. Trudge (Verb) M: To walk slowly and with effort, a person usually trudges when he is tired. MN: Trudge ~ The *T” can stand for ‘tired’. A tired person trudges. Example: The old woman took an hour to trudge home from the nearby market, 8. Amble (Verb) M: To walk at a slow and easy pace. MN: Amble ~ the ‘AM’ can stand for ‘Ah Ma’, Your Ah Ma (grandmother) would usually amble everywhere. Example: She ambled along the cobbled streets of Paris, looking at the bags and shoes displayed by vendors along the streets. 61|Page ;[FALLOT ECEE CREE TEER OEE ETI EM RODE ee he Be 9. Meander (Verb) M: To follow a long and winding route or to move aimlessly about without any real fixed direction. MN: Meander ~ ‘Meander’ sounds like ‘Bender’. A winding road would have a lot of bends. To meander means to go on a long and winding road and when you are ona long winding road, you usually may not have any fixed direction because if you did, you would usually take the quickest way there, which would be a straight road. Example: Diana meandered along the stream, whistling to herself. 10, Stride (Verb) M: A long step. Someone who strides usually takes long and confident steps. MN: stRIDE ~ ‘Stride’ has the word ‘RIDE? in it. When you take a ride, covers a longer distance than what you would cover when you take a walk reminds you of taking a long step. usually 0, this Example: He took a stride across the puddle to prevent his shoes from getting wet. 11. Totter (Verb) M: To walk with wobbly steps. MN: Totter — ‘Totter’ looks like the word ‘toddler’, When toddlers just learn how to walk, they walk with wobbly steps as they could fall any moment, Example: As the toddler stood up, he began to walk with tottering steps. 12. Stumble (Verb) M © trip and nearly fall MN: There is the word ‘tumble’ in the word ‘STUMBLE’, When you stumble, you are sure to tumble (fall). Example: He stumbled over a stone and nearly fell. 62|Page13, Skulk (Verb) M: To move ina stealthy, quiet manner, MN: SKULK ~ ‘Skulk’ looks like the word ‘skull’, People who are connected to that, symbol are usually not people of good reputation (E.g. Pirates). Pirates would probably skulk around trying to steal and plunder. Example: Not wanting to be discovered, the thief skulked through the house quietly. 14. Troop (Verb) M: To walk in a large group. MN: TrOOp ~ “TrOOp’ has the letters *OO" which looks like 2 heads, which represents a group of people. So, when you see the word ‘troop’, think of a group of people walking. Example: The winning basketball team trooped off the court. 15, Plod (Verb) M: To walk with slow heavy steps. MN: When you PLOD dow the stairs, you will make a ‘PLOD" sound, Example: My sister would always plod down the stairs after waking up in the moming, 63|PageAction — Leave / Discharge }* 4)... 20\ 1. Evacuate (Verb) M; Clear/empty an area because of an emergency. MN: eVACUATE - ‘Vacuate’ sounds like the word ‘Vacuum’, When you vacuum the pla an area fast. Example: centre. jpon hearing the fire alarm, the shoppers quickly evacuated the shopping e, it will be emptied and cleared of rubbish fast. So, to evacuate means to clear M: To give up completely, to leave, forsake. MN: aBANDon ~ To form a ‘BAND’, it needs to be complete. AbandQn, imagine the ‘O” as the head ofa stick figure. If a band is without that stick figure which represents a singer or musician, it cannot be a band and the rest of the members will leave. So to abandon means to leave, to forsake, 2. Abandon (Verb) | Example: We saw an abandoned ship in the middle of the big sea. 3. Relocate (Verb) M: To move (a building, company) to a different location. MN: reLOCATE ~ There is the word ‘locate’ in the word ‘reLOCAT! relocate, it means to find another location. When we: | Example: Mr Tan has plans to relocate the firm to Newton Road. —_ 66|Page4, Depart (Verb) M: To go away, leave. MN: dePART ~ PART means to leave or go away, Example: The train departs from the train station at noon 5. Emit (Verb) M: To give off, discharge or transmit. MN: Emit — person. can stand for ‘Exit’, Imagine a gas/smell/sound exiting from a Example: He emitted a sharp ery when the chair dropped on his legs. 6, Emigrate (Verb) M: Leave your own country to go and live in another one. MN: Emigrate - °E’ stands for ‘Exiting’ your own country to settle down in another country. (E.g. He emigrated from Thailand hoping to have a better life elsewhere.) Extra information — Immigrate: “V’ stands for ‘In’, To immigrate is to come into the country you want to settle in. (E.g. | immigrated here when I was in my twenties.) Example: Many people want to emigrate to find better opportunities in other countries. 7. Elope (Verb) M: To leave without permission or notification with a lover. MN: eLOPE ~ ‘Lope’ looks like the word ‘LOVE’. So, when you elope, you leave with someone you love. Example: The couple eloped to France and got married secretly. 67|Page8. Excrete (Verb) M: To discharge from the body. MN: Exerete ~ ‘Exerete’ sounds like “Conerete’. Sometimes the waste from our body can look like cement blocks if we have not drunk enough water. Imagine a person excreting cement from his body and you get the idea of excrete Example: The food we eat will be excreted out as waste from our body. 9. Vacate (Verb) M: To empty a seat, position or a room. MN: VAcate ~The ‘VA’ can stand for essentially have vanished from a place. Anish’, When you vacate from a place, you Example: John has vacated his seat, you can take it now. 10. Decamp (¥erb) M: To leave a place suddenly or to depart from camp or leave a place in a big group. MN: To CAMP is to stay at a place, To Decamp is the opposite, It can either mean to leave a place suddenly or to depart from camp. Example: The travelers decamped to a place with more water supplies, 68|Pagetion — To Disappear ,* ,... 2.1, 1. Fade (Verb) M: To gradually grow faint and disappear. MN: Fade ~ ‘Fade’ sounds like ‘Late’, When you think of the word ‘late’, you think of time going past. In the same way, it takes time for something to fade away. Example: I lost my favourite soft toy years ago. The memory of it has now faded from my mind. 2. Wither (Verb) M: To become dry and shriveled (for plants). MN: Wither ~ The ‘W" stands for ‘Water’. The lack of water will make plants wither, Example: The grass has withered into an unappealing brown in the drought. T1|Page 4 : ; t : 33. Evanescent (Adjective) M: The act of slowly fading away (especially used for light, scents, memories). MN: eVANES + SCENT- ‘Vanes’ sounds like ‘Vanish’. So, imagine a scent | vanishing from the air and you get the idea of evanescent. Extra information: INCANDEscent ~ It means to shine brightly (inCANDEscent lights) or brilliant (inCANDEscent performance). InCANDEscent ~ ‘Cande’ looks like the word ‘eandle’. A candle does emit some bright light, Example: The evanescent light from the buildings was just barely enough for me to see where I was going, 4, Evaporate (Verb) M: To tum from liguid to gas. | MN: eVAPORate ~ ‘VAPOR? looks like ‘VAPOUR’. Vapour is a gas. So think of something turning into gas. Example: Most of the water in the flower vase has evaporated, 5. Recede (Verb) M: To move back or further away from a previous position (usually used for tides and hairline) MN: Recede ~ ‘RE’ stands for ‘REverse’. Imagine the tide or hairline reversing. Example: After a few weeks, the floodwaters had receded. 6, Disperse (Verb) M: To distribute or spread over a wide area, MN: DiSperse ~ ‘DIS? can stand for ‘DIStribute’. So, to disperse is to distribute. Example: The crowd dispersed after the police issued a warning. 72|Page7. Dissolve (Verb) M: To become incorporated into a liquid, thus forming a solution, MN: disSOLve — The ‘SOL! in ‘dissolve’ can stand for ‘SOLution’ Example: Sugar is easily dissolved in water. 8. Wane (Ferb) M: To gradually decrease in size or strength. MN: Wane ~ ‘Wane’ sounds like ‘gait to increase and to wane is to decrease. ‘Wane’ is the opposite of ‘gain’. To gain is Example: My confidence in her has waned due to her reluctance to change for the better. 9. Dwindle (Verb) M: To gradually become less until little remains (slight difference between ‘dwindle” and ‘wane’, *wane’ refers more to strength, confidence while ‘dwindle’ refers more to the actual number and it also means to becomes less until there is hardly any left) MN: D-windle ~ ‘D’ can stand for ‘dying’ — Imagine a dying population of geese. Example: The panda population is dwindling. 10. Atrophy (Adjective) M: Weakening (especially with regards to muscles). MN: Atrophy ~ When your muscles have atrophied, you cannot even lift up a trophy. Example: A critical illness that he had caused him to suffer from muscular atrophy. 73|PageAction — To Search / Check 1 Apr, acib 1, Rummage (Verb) M: To search thoroughly (often causing confusion or disorder). MN: RUMmage ~ If you drink RUM (an alcoholic drink), you will get disoriented and keep searching for the way back to your house. Example: He rummaged through his whole stack of clothes to find his favourite shirt. 2. Ransack (Verb) M: To search thoroughly especially for the purpose of stealing, MN: Ran-sack ~ Imagine a person running his hands through a sack to look for precious jewels. Example: They ransacked the house searching for the missing box. 3. Forage (Verb) M: To go around searching for food or other supplies. MN: FORage ~ ‘For’ can stand for ‘Forest’, When you are lost in a forest, you need to go around searching for food Example: Due to the flood, people are forced to forage for food and water. 4, Scour (Verb) M: To search very carefully and thoroughly through an area or to cleanse thoroughly MN: scOUR ~ ‘Our’ sounds like ‘over’. When you scour a place, you comb through it over and over again, When you scour a pot, you rub soap over it repeatedly, Example: My family has begun to scour through this neighbourhood to find a suitable house. 16|Page AS access tit nar stares ciate ti ce rR ere ar5. Scrutinize (Verb) M: To examine critically or check something very carefully to check if it’s genuine or that itis accurate, MN: scruTINIze ~ When you scrutinize something, you will check through every TINY detail to check to see if it is genuine. Example: After submitting my report, the professor scrutinized my work for inaccuracies before grading it, 6. Peruse (Verb) M: To read something, especially in a careful way. (The main difference between ‘peruse’ and ‘scrutinize’ is that scrutiny is done more for the purpose to check the accuracy of a matter while peruse is careful reading). MN: PERuse ~ ‘PER’ can stand for ‘Perfect’, When you want to understand something perfectly, you need to peruse it. Example: She came over to peruse the document more closely. 7. Frisk (Verb) M: To search someone for hidden weapons or drugs. MN: Frisk ~ ‘Frisk’ sounds like the word ‘freeze’. If you are frisked and found with dangerous objects, the police would shout, “FREEZE” and you will be detained. Example: At the checkpoint, the police would often frisk the people who look suspicious, 8. Detect (Fer) M: To discover or find the presence of. MN; The word ‘detective’ comes from the word ‘detect’, A detective will probably be the first one to find or discover the criminal, Example: I can detect a strange smell coming from the living room.7 9. Ascertain (Verb) M: To determine with certainty. MN: asCERTAIN — There is the word ‘certain’ in ascertain, so to ascertain is to determine a matter with certainty Example: | would like to ascertain that the person responsible for this disaster is Gerald, 10. Attest (Verb) M: To affirm that a matter is true, to give proof of, to witness as true. MN: at TEST ~ ‘TEST” sounds like ‘TESTify*. When you testify about something, you are affirming it to be true. In the same way, when you attest io something, you are saying it to be true. Example: | can attest that this painting is done by her. 78|PageAction — Taking Over / Defence ,,-* ,,..\.21 1, Overran (Verb) M: To be present in large numbers/to be present in numbers that are unpleasant or to defeat an enemy and take over their land. MN: OVER+RAN — Imagine cockroaches ‘running’ all ‘over’ a house and you get an idea of the meaning of overran, Example: The whole place was overrun with tourists. There were in fact more tourist, than locals at the place. 2. Overruled (Verb) M: To officially change a decision a person has made. MN: OverRULEd ~ In order to change the rules, you have to get official approval. Example: The decision to build a highway was overruled and in the end it was never built 3. Overcame (Verb) M: To get the better of in a struggle or conflict (used more commonly to describe feelings , difficulties , sickness ). MN: OVER + CAME - The only reason why I can COME OVER to your hous: because I have overcome my fear of dogs and I am no longer aftaid of your dog. Example: He was overcome with emotion at his son's wedding. He could not hold back his tears. 81|Page4, Overpowered (Verb) M: To subdue by superior force or to affect something or someone so strongly that they cannot behave normally. It can also be used to describe a taste or smell that is much stronger than other smells or tastes, thus spoiling them. MN: OVER-POWERed ~ To be OVER-POWERed, it means that someone’s power is far greater than our own and we have to submit to him. Example: The robbers were soon overpowered by the police and had to surrender. 5. Fortified (Verb) To protect or strengthen against attack. MN: FORTified - A FORT is a defensive structure occupied and protected by troops. Example: The castle was fortified before battle. 6, Supported (Verb) M: To bear or hold up. MN: SupPORTed ~ A PORT is where @ lot of ships are kept. Therefore, when | remembering the word ‘supPORTed’, we can think of a port that needs to be very big to support (hold up) all the ships. Example: The bridge was supported by tons of steel. 7. Strengthened (Verd) M: To make stronger. MN: STRENGTHENeD — When you want to STRENGTHEN something, you will have to STRENGTHEN it until the END. Example: He decided to strengthen himself before going to the army. 82|Page8, Undeterred (Adjective) M: To be firm, determined, refusing to be discouraged. determined to complete a task, you are undeterred even when faced with obstacles. Example: He was undeterred by his friend's insults and studied even harder for the | MN: unDETERred - ‘DETER’ can stand for ‘DETERmined’. When you are | | nent 9, Discouraged (Verb/Adjective) M: To deprive of courage, hope, or confidence MN: DIS-COURAGES ~ ‘Dis’ means ‘NOT’, When a person is discouraged, COURAGE is NOT put into him and is instead taken out, leaving him feeling hopeless instead, Example: I was discouraged when | found out I had failed my test. 10, Extermination (Noun) M: To get rid of by destroying. | MN: EXtermiNATION ~ ‘Ex’ sounds like ‘Axe’, Imagine someone using an axe to | destroy a nation and you get a picture of what extermination means. | Example: They exterminated all the pests in the premises. 11, Pervades (Verb) | M: To spread throughout. MN: The word ‘PerVADES* looks like the word ‘inVADES’, When an army invades another country, the attacking army will fill the conquered nation with their troops. In the same way, to pervade is to fill and spread throughout, However, the difference is pervade is often used to describe things like smells, feelings etc. Invade is used to describe an attacking force. Example: The smell of rotten meat pervaded the air. 83|Page’ : 4 ' j { ; i : : : i i ; 12. Falter (Verb) } $ : : M: Start to lose strength or momentum, 5 5 ; t MN: FALter ~ ‘PAL. looks like the word ‘FALL’. When we fall, we lose strength ; ; and momentum, 5 ; : s i 4 Example: At the last moment, just before she was about to take the dive, she faltered 7 , and did not do it after all. 4 4 : ; ; § ' 4 ; i ’ ‘ : 4 i ; 4 ; ; ; ; 4 $ 4 ; 2 i ‘ : § i ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ 5 t ‘ ; 5 ; ‘ 4 ‘ 4 ‘ ‘ ; ‘ { : ! i: i ‘ ' : ‘ 4 j j : 7 4 : 4 ; ' : i : j : j ; ; ; 4 ; ; ' ‘ 5 ; 84|Page 5 ‘ ;1. Singed (Verb) M: To bum superficially or slightly so that only the edge or surface is affected. MN: SINged ~ ‘SEN’ can stand for ‘SENgle’. If you touch a burning pan with a SINGLE touch, chances are you will be bumt only slightly. Example: Her fingers were singed when she touched the hot pan. 2. Seared (Verb) M: To burn the surface of something with extreme heat, (Especially used to describe heating of meat - to heat the meat for a very short time at extreme heat so that the juices are still kept in the meat.) MN: SeaRED ~ Imagine someone whose face has been exposed to intense heat for a short time, it will look red. Link that to searing a piece of meat for a short time at intense heat. Example: She scared the steak to seal in the juices. 3. Charred (Verb) M: To burn till something is black or to reduce to charcoal MN: CHARred — ‘CHAR’ can stand for ‘CHARcoal’ Example: The furniture was charred after the fire, 4, Scald (Verb) M: To burn your skin with hot liquid or steam, MN: SCAld ~*SCA’ can stand for ‘SCAR’, When you scald your hand, it will leave a scar. Example: While pouring hot water into the cup, I accidentally scalded my hand. 87|Page“ 5. Incinerate (Verb) M: To burn something completely in order to destroy it. MN: IncinerATE.— Contains the word ‘ATE”. The fire was so big that it “ATE? everything up. Example: All the contaminated food products were incinerated to prevent any further contamination, 6. Sizzle (Verb) M: To make the sound of food cooking in hot oil MIN: SIZzle ~ ‘SIZ’ sounds like the sound made when you put food into hot oil. Example: The piece of meat sizzled in the hot pan. 7. Crackle (Verb/Noun) M: To make continuous short sounds like the sound of wood burning or to be full of nervous excitement, (E.g. the atmosphere crackled with excitement) MN: CRACKle - ‘CRACK’ can stand for ‘cracking sounds”. A cracking sound is a short sharp sound, when wood crackles in a fire, it makes short sharp sounds. Example: | heard the crackle of flames all around me and I knew that I was trapped in the burning building. 8, Kindle (Verb/Noun) M: To start a fire by lighting small pieces of wood or paper or to start a strong interest in someone/something. (E.g. The movie kindled his interest in dinosaurs) MN: Kindle ~ ‘Kindle’ sounds like the word ‘Candle’. When a candle is lighted, it can cause something to catch fire. Example: The dry grass kindled, spreading the fire for miles. 88|Page : i ; : ; ‘ ; t ; : : t ; ; : i ; ; t ; 5 i ; ; : :9. Smoulder (Verb) M: To bum slowly, producing smoke but no flames. MN: SMOulder ~ ‘SMO’ can stand for ‘SMoke Only’. Example: You should not leave a cigarette smouldering in an ashtray. 10, Flare (Verb) M: To suddenly burn or shine brightly or to suddenly become angry or violent. (E.g, He flared up when I asked him about his results) MN: FLare - ‘FL’ can stand for “FLy’. Imagine a flame ‘flying’, it will shoot up and suddenly look very bright. Example: The candle flared and then went out. 89|Page ete St tt mt at ute ee ty teat te ye eyTypes of Books and Films 1. Biography (Noun) M: A book that someone writes about another person’s life. MN: BIOgraphy ~ BIO" can stand for ‘BIOlogy’ things. Similarly, a biography is the life story of ali logy is the study of living ng thing (a person) Example: Lee Kwan Yew’s biography is a bestseller, ea 2. Autobiography (Noun) M: A book about your life that you write yourself MN: AUTObiography ~ ‘AUTO’ can stand for ‘AUTOmatic’. When something is automatic, you do not have to think before doing it because you have been doing it so often, it becomes automatic. In the same way, to write an autobiography may not take much thought because it is about your life and so you know exactly what to write, Example: He wrote his autobiography before his death. 3. Encyclopedia (Noun) M: Books that give information on facts, knowledge. MN: Encyclopedia ~ ‘E’ can stand for the word ‘Education’. You can read an encyclopedia to get educated. Example: My mother bought a full set of encyclopedia for me to read so that I can increase my knowledge. 92|Pagepaeeaatae bias ae ‘ 4, Documentary (Nown) M: Movies or television programmes dealing with real people and events. | MN: Documentary — A documentary is ‘documenting’ down (through a movie/tv | programme) what is happening in real li | Example: My family usually watches documentaries of animals together after our dinner, 5. Catalog (Noun) M: A list of items offered in a shop for sale, MN: CATAlog ~ ‘CATA’ can stand for “CATEgory’. In a catalog, to make | searching for items casier, most items are categorized, Example: Jasmine browsed through the IKEA catalog, wondering which dining table would best fit her house. | 6. Comedy (Nouri) M: A story, play, drama or movie that makes you laugh, | MN: COMEdy ~ There is the word ‘COME? in COMEdy and the word ‘ME in | comedy. You can think of someone saying, “COME and make ME laugh.” | Example: After watching the comedy, I went to bed still smiling as I remembered the | hilarious jokes. 93|Page7. Manual (Noun) M: book to guide the user or a book that gives instructions, MN: MANUal ~ There is the word ‘MAN? and ‘U? in MANUal. A manual teaches a ‘man’(human being) how to make a U-turn in driving. Example: We can find all the instructions to fix the television in the manual they gave. 8. Thriller (Noun) M: A book or film that tells an exciting story about murder or crime. MN: THRILLer— A show that makes you very THRILLed (excited) and when you | are THRILLed, your eyes will be glued to the television, therefore the double L in the middle can also stand for “Look Look!” Example: We watched a thriller yesterday. It was so intense that we sat at the edge of our seats, wondering what would bappen next! | 9, Brochure (Noun) M: A booklet containing summarized information or adverti ing. MN: broCHURE ~ *Chure’ sounds like the word ‘sure’, After reading a brochure about Disneyland, we are very sure we want to go there. Example: To know more about the historical tour, you can download the brochure from the website. | 10. Novel (Noun) | Mz A long written story in which the characters and events are usually imaginary. MN: NOvel ~ Has the word “NO” in it, thus characters and events in the novel are usually NOt true, Example: It took Sean John three years to write his 1,349-page novel, 'A Handsome Boy’ Sl4 11. Anecdotes (Noun) M: A short and funny or interesting story about a real incident or person. MN: anecDOTES: When you DOTE on someone, you are fond of that person and would probably have plenty of stories to tell about that person. Example: He always has an anecdote to tell about his family members. 12, Mythology (Noun) M: A collection of myths (ancient traditional stories that may not be true) MN: MYTH — ‘Myth’ sounds like the word ‘IF’. “If is usually used when you are unsure about something and myths are often unproven and some people may be unsure about them. Example: I love to read books on Greek mythology. 95|Page 4Efforts / Results \- 1, Atrocious (Adjective) M: Extremely bad and awful. MN: aTROcious ~ Has the word “TRO’ inside. ‘TRO’ sounds like the word ‘THROW’. When you received atrocious results for your Math test, you feel like THROWing the paper away so your parents will not see it. Example: Her singing was so atrocious that everyone left the room by the end of the song. 2. Gingerly (Adverd) Slowly and carefully. MN: GINGERIy ~ ‘Gingerly’ has with the word “GINGER? in it. Usually when you have a piece of ginger in your food, you would be very careful not to eat it. Example: He gingerly felt his way along the dark tunnel. 3. Meticulous (Adjective) M: Very careful about small detail correctly. and always making sure everything is done MN: MetCUlous ~ ‘ICU’ can stand for ‘Intensive Care Unit (ICUY’. People working in the ICU need to be meticulous as the patients they are caring for are in life-threatening conditions. Example: The planning and the preparation of the camp were meticulous. Every detail had been thoroughly thought through, 98|Page[OORT ROLE EE ERE R ORE ERE REEL EE EEE E DEORE ELDER ODE OE DY 4, Futile (Adjective) M: Having no useful results, unsuccessful. MN: Futile — ‘Futile’ sounds like ‘Few Tall’, Imagine a ground with a few tall trees, no matter how hard the farmer tries to plant more tall trees, his efforts are futile. Example: Efforts to convince him to quit smoking were futile, 5. Laudable (Adjective) | M: Deserving of praise. MN: LAUDable ~ ‘LAUD” sounds like the word ‘LOUD’, When someone made a laudable attempt at something, everyone will applaud loudly. Example: The police praised Jonathan for his laudable attempt to stop the thief. 6. Meritorious (Adjective) M: Worthy of praise or reward. (Similar to ‘laudable’ but ‘meritorious’ can also mean deserving of awards or rewards, ‘laudable’ is used more often to mean deserving of praise) MN: MERITorious ~ When you get an award of merit, it means you have done well, So, ‘meritorious’ means doing something worthy of praise or rewards. Example: He rewards employees for particularly meritorious work, 7. Ludicrous (Adjective) M: Extremely silly. MN: Ludicrous ~ ‘Ludicrous’ sounds like ‘Ridiculous’. When an idea is ludicrous, it seems ridiculous to the people who hear it. Example: David suggested to Mr Tan the ludicrous idea of demolishing all the schools in Singapore so that children will not feel stressed about their examinat 99|Page; 8, Evident (Adjective) M: Obvious and clear. MN: The word ‘evidence’ comes from the word ‘evident’. When you have evidence of a matter, it is obvious that it is true. Example: It was evident that she was unhappy throughout the party. 9. Plausible (Adjective) M: Likely to be true. MN: Plausible ~‘Plausible’ sounds like the word ‘POSSIBLE*. When something is plausible, it is possible that it can happen Example: The only plausible explanation to his disappearance is that he had run away. 10. Credible (Adjective) M: Able to be believed, likely to happen MN: ‘Credible’ is the opposite of ‘ineredible’, When something is incredible, itis impossible to be believed in. So, when something is credible, itis likely to happen and possible to be believed in. Example: He was not a credible witness as he kept changing his testimony 100|Pagesea Words associated with Crime / Law and Judgment i 4,.) 20 1. Decipher (Verb) M: To understand something confusing or mysterious or to read with difficulty, (E.g, I cannot decipher his handwriting.) MN: DECIpher~ When something is confusing, it is difficult to DECIde what to make out of it. To decipher something is to finally be able to DECIde that you have understood what you have read. | | Example: He took a day to decipher a scribbled note, | SSSSSSSSSSEISSSS=IS | 2. Dissociate (Verb) M: To separate. MN: DIS-ASSOCIATE — ‘Associate’ means to link together, ‘dis’ means not, So ‘when you put the two together, it means not to link together. Example: He tried to dissociate himself from his past. 3. Determine (Verb) M: To settle or decide by an authoritative or conclusive decision. MN: DETERMINE - When you want to determine something, you need to be determined to work on it till you can be sure of the decision. Example: I would like to determine which parts of the building are safe. 103 | Page ; ; ‘ 4 4 a + ‘ 4 é ‘ 4 i ; 2 4 4ella etd etre eat ete act et eee ter 4, Prejudiced (Adjective) M: Having an unreasonable dislike of someone or something, especially a dislike of a particular group of people due to their race, religion MN; PREjudiced ~ ‘PRE’ can stand for ‘PREfer’, When you are prejudiced, you prefer someone and put that person above another group of people unfairly. Example: Some of the police officers were racially prejudiced and would beat up | certain convicts if they belong to a particular race. 5. Impartial (Adjective) | Mi Not involved in a particular situation, and therefore able to give a fair opinion or a | piece of advice. | | MN: ImPARTial ~ Contains the word ‘PART’. You can be impartial for a situation | when you are NOT PART of it. Example: We will provide you with impartial advice on this matter. 6. Interrogate (Verb) M: The process of asking of a lot of questions in an angry manner. | MN: InTERROgate ~ ‘TERRO” looks like the word ‘TERROR. To be interrogated can be a very TERRIFYING thing. | Example: The suspect was interrogated by the police officers for 5 hours, 7, Prohibit (Verb) M: To offi ly stop something from being done thus making it illegal. | MN: ProH{IBit - ‘HIB’ looks like the word ‘HID’. If you are doing something illegal and know you are prohibited from doing it, you will want to HIDE and not let people see what you are doing, Example: The sale of chewing gum is prohibited in Singapore. 104|Page