astrological (adj.

) related to the study of the position of stars, the sun, and the planets in the
belief that they influence earthly events

Ex: Every day, Mona read her ~ forecast in the newspaper, and she was careful if the horoscope
predicted trouble.

atheist (n.) one who does not believe in the existence of a supreme being

Ex: He argued that his scientific training made it impossible for him to be anything but an ~.

augment (v.) to make bigger or better by adding to

Ex: In some types of popular cosmetic surgery people ~ parts of their bodies.

Ex: The college ~+ its course offerings because students complained that there were too few choices.

authority (n.) the power to make decisions, to tell others what to do.

Ex: The governor has the ~ to call the legislature together for emergency sessions.

Usage Tips: A to phrase often follows ~.

battle (v.) to fight against

Ex: The Viet Minh ~+ French forces at Dien Bien Phu for nearly two months in 1954.

be inclined to (v.) to favor an opinion or a course of action

Ex: He couldn't say which candidate he favored, but he had always ~+ vote Republican.

berate (v.) to say insulting and disrespectful things

Ex: The teacher lost his job because he cruelly ~+ students who made mistakes.

Usage Tips: You can only ~ someone directly, only when he or she can hear you.

biased (adj.) leaning unfairly in one direction

Ex: Her newspaper article was criticized for being heavily ~ toward the mayor's proposal.

bitterly (adv.) strongly and with a lot of bad feelings

Ex: Senator Thomas ~ opposed the movement to design a new state flag.

bond (n.) a close connection

Ex: Some researchers say that there is an especially strong emotional ~ between twins.

Usage Tips: A between phrase, indicating the things that are connected, often follows ~.

bribery (n.) giving money or other gifts to a government official or other person in authority in order
to get special privileges

Ex: ~ of police officers is common in countries where police salaries are very low.

bulk (n.) largeness and a heavy appearance

Ex: The ~ of Kevin's athletic body was too great for one small chair, so he sat on a bench.

burden (n.) something that is carried; a source of stress or worry

Ex: The donkey walked slowly under the ~ of its heavy load.

Ex: The failing company faced the ~ of bad debts and a poor reputation.

bureaucratic (adj.) related to a large organization with a lot of complicated procedures

Ex: Before I could speak with the chief, I had to go through a ~ run around of identity checks and written
requests.

Usage Tips: ~ implies that something is inefficient and unnecessarily complicated.