UNIT 2

LECTURE 3

VOCABULARY
INTRODUCTION TO VOCABULARY

The vocabulary of a language is a stock of all the

words and phrases that exist in that language. The
English language has a very rich vocabulary of over
a million words. Words are basic units of a
language used to communicate meaning.
TYPES OF QUESTIONS ASKED IN
VOCABULARY

Type I: Pick the word from the alternatives that are most
inappropriate in the given context.
Specious– A specious argument is not simply false, but
an argument that has a ring of truth.
1. Deceitful 2. Fallacious 3. Credible 4.Deceptive
Sol: Option 3

Type II: Find a word which is similar in meaning to

the given word
Tyranny
1. Tolerance 2. Supra-national government 3.
Predominance 4. Oppressive government
Sol: Option 4
Type III: Find a word which is opposite in
meaning to the given word
Escapade
1. Gimmick 2. Stunt 3.fling 4. Humorlessness
Sol: Option 4

Type IV: A description is followed by four words.

Pick the option that best fits the description.
One who plays a game for pleasure, and not as a
profession.
1. Spotter 2. Playful 3. Amateur 4. Professional
Sol: Option 3.
POLL QUESTION
Based on Type I: Pick the word from the
alternatives that are most inappropriate in the
given context.

Obviate: The new mass transit system may

obviate the need for the use of personal cars.
1) Prevent
2) Forestall
3) Preclude
4) Bolster
ANSWER
Bolster
POLL QUESTION
Based on Type II:
Find a word which is similar in meaning to the
given word:
VORACIOUS
A. Addict

B. Lament

C. Hungry

D. Obtrusive
Hungry
POLL QUESTION
Based on type III: Select the word which is
OPPOSITE in the meaning of the given word:

Impediments
A. Handicaps
B. Obstacles
C. Obstructions
D. Hindrances
E. Promoters
Promoters
WAYS TO LEARN VOCABULARY:

1. Learning from Context

In learning a new language, try to go back and
remember how you picked up your mother tongue. Most
of the learning was from the experience that you had of
others speaking and an imitation of using those words
in some contexts.
1. Definition clues: Where the writer defines the word
in the sentence. In the sentences that follow identify
the definition clue and see how the definition helps you
to understand the meaning of the given underlined
word.
E.g. He was an aficionado, a devoted fan, of
professional boxing.
2. Contrast clues: In which the words are
presented as the opposite of the meanings conveyed
by the surrounding text.
E.g. though her appearance was sophisticated, her manner
showed her real naiveté.
3. Example clues: In which the author offers an illustration
of the meaning of the word. In the following sentences, the
writer uses an example to illustrate word meaning.
E.g. The manager disliked obsequious behavior, such as
fawning and kowtowing.
4. Restatement clues: In which the author clarifies the
meaning with a further sentence. In the following sentences,
identify the words that help you figure out what the words
mean.
e.g. He was considered a real maverick in the Congress. He
refused to follow his party’s platform on nearly every issue.
POLL QUESTION
Which word best describes the picture?
A. Naivete

B. Aficionado

C. Obsequious

D. maverick
ANSWER
Obsequious
2. Root words

The English language has its roots in several languages,

including Greek, Latin, and older forms of English, German,
and French. Learning to recognize common roots will help you
build your vocabulary and improve your ability to make
educated guesses about unknown words you encounter in
reading and test-taking situations.

 Anthrop (mankind)–philanthropy, misanthropy, anthropology

 Rog (ask) – interrogation, abrogation, prerogative
 Migra (move)–migrate, immigrate, emigrate
 Matri (mother) –matrimony, maternity, matricide
 Greg (herd)–gregarious, aggregate, congregation
 Nounce (declare)–pronounce, denounce, enunciate
 Loqui (voice) –loquacious, elocution, ventriloquism
POLL QUESTION
What does the root word ‘greg’ means?
A. Large

B. Type

C. Group
POLL QUESTION
What does the root word ‘nounce’ means?
A. Declare

B. Fight

C. Admit
 Veri (true)–verify, veracity, verdict
 Scope (watch)–microscope, periscope,
endoscope
 Ambi (two)–ambiguous, ambition, ambivalent
 Lucid(light)–elucidate, lustre, pellucid
 Viv (life)–vivacious, vitalise, survival
 .Habit (have)– habiliments, habituate, inhabit
 Hydro (connected to water)–dehydrate,
hydrant, hydrophobia
 Acer (bitter, sharp)–acerate, acerbate, acrid
POLL QUESTION
What does the root word ‘Veri means?
A. True

B. Speak

C. Variety
 Arch (rule) – monarchy, anarchy, hierarchy
 Tempo (time)–contemporary, extempore,
 tempest

 Jur (law)–jury, conjure, adjure

 Theo (god)–theocracy, theology, atheist
 Sophy (wisdom)–sophism, sophisticated, philosophy
 Phil (like )– philanderer, philatelist, philharmonic
 Scribe (write) –ascribe, circumscribe, inscription
 Cept (take, receive)–captious, captive, deception
 Voc (voice ) –vocal, vocational, viva voce
 Ridi(laugh)–ridicule, derision, risible
POLL QUESTION
What does the root word ‘Theo’ means?

A. God
B. Angel
C. Universe
ANSWER
God
 Ambi (around)–ambidextrous, ambient,
 ambiguity

 Tract (pull)–tractable, intractable, attract

 Chrono (time)–chronology, chronometer,
synchronous
 Capit (head)–captain, capital, decapitate
 Lic (permit)–license, licentious, licit
 Apo (away from)– apocalypse, apocryphal, apology
 Congnosc (know)–agnostic, cognise, cognizant
 Feder, Fide, Feal (trust)–fealty, federacy, confide
 Cred (belief)–credit, discreditable, incredulous
 Man, Manu (hand)–manual, manacles, manicure
POLL QUESTION
What does the root word ‘feder’ means?
A. Livelihood

B. Trust

C. Truth
ANSWER
Trust
3. Visual Method
 Visual vocabulary will help you
to better understand
vocabulary by explaining the
meaning of the term in own
words and creating visual
images that represent the
word. This method also
increases your retention level.
E.g. Parsimonious
 Meaning: an excessive
unwilling to spend.
Synonyms: penurious, stingy,
ungenerous
 THEME BASED LEARNING
There are a lot of techniques to learn vocabulary.
One another technique is to segregate the words you wish
to practice based on different categories, themes or contexts they belong.

Personality and attitude

complaisant (ko˘m·!play·sa˘nt) adj. tending to comply; obliging, willing to do what
pleases others.

To preserve family peace and harmony, Lenny became very complaisant when his in-laws
came to visit.

ebullient (i·!bul·ye˘nt) adj. bubbling over with enthusiasm, exuberant.

The ebullient children were waiting to stick their hands into the grab bag and pull out a toy.

facetious (fa˘·!see·shu˘s) adj. humorous and witty, cleverly amusing; jocular, sportive.

Mr. Weston’s facetious remarks always made people laugh.

POLL QUESTION
 Which word best describes the picture?
A. Impetuous

B. Facetious

C. Ebullient
ANSWER

Ebullient
 flippant (!flip·a˘nt) adj. not showing proper
seriousness; disrespectful, saucy.
Ursula’s flippant remarks in front of her fiancé’s parents
were an embarrassment to us all.

imperious (im·!peer·i·u˘s) adj. overbearing, bossy, domineering.

Stella was relieved with her new job transfer because she would
no longer be under the control of such an imperious boss.

impetuous (im·!pech·oo·u˘s) adj. 1. characterized by sudden,

forceful energy or emotion; impulsive, unduly hasty and without
thought. 2. marked by violent force.
It was an impetuous decision to run off to Las Vegas and get
married after a one-week courtship.

insouciant (in·!soo·si·a˘nt) adj. unconcerned, carefree,

indifferent.
Wendy’s insouciant attitude toward her future concerned her
father, who expected her to go to college.
POLL QUESTION
 Which word best describes the picture?
A. impetuous

B. facetious

C. imperious

D. insouciant
ANSWER
imperious
mettlesome (!met·e˘l·so˘m) adj. courageous,
high-spirited.
Alice’s mettlesome attitude was infectious and inspired us
all to press on. Note: Do not confuse with meddlesome,
meaning inclined to interfere.

nonchalant (non·sha˘·!lant) adj. indifferent or cool, not

showing anxiety or excitement.
Franco tried to be nonchalant, but I could tell he was
nervous.

sanctimonious (san"k·t!˘·!moh·nee·u˘s) adj.

hypocritically pious or devout; excessively self-righteous.
The thief’s sanctimonious remark that “a fool and his
money are soon parted” only made the jury more eager to
convict him.
Action verbs
delineate (di·!lin·i·ayt) v. to draw or outline,
sketch; to portray, depict, or describe.
The survey will clearly delineate where their property ends.

extenuate (iks·!ten·yoo·ayt) v. to reduce the strength or

lessen the seriousness of something, an incident maybe, by
making partial excuses.
Fred claimed that extenuating circumstances forced him to
commit forgery.

obfuscate (ob·!fus·kayt) v. 1. to make obscure or unclear; to

muddle or make difficult to understand. 2. to dim or darken.
Instead of clarifying the matter, Walter only obfuscated it further.

ameliorate (a˘·!meel·yo˘·rayt) v. to make or become better; to

improve.

The diplomat was able to ameliorate the tense situation between

the two nations.
Describing things or situations

ineluctable (in·i·!luk·ta˘·be˘l) adj. certain, inevitable;

not to be avoided or overcome.
The ineluctable outcome of the two-person race was that there would be one
winner and one loser.

inveterate (in·!vet·e˘·rit) adj. habitual; deep rooted, firmly established.

I am an inveterate pacifist and unlikely to change my mind.

trenchant (!tren·cha˘nt) adj. 1. penetrating, forceful; effective. 2. Extremely

perceptive, incisive. 3. clear-cut, sharply defined.
It was a trenchant argument, and it forced me to change my mind about the
issue.

tumultuous (too·!mul·choo·u˘s) adj. 1. creating an uproar; disorderly,

noisy.

The tumultuous storm was beginning to lose some of its fury.

POLL QUESTION
Which word best describes the picture?
a. Ineluctable

b. Inveterate

c. tumultuous
ANSWER
tumultuous
Love, hate, war and peace

• bellicose (!bel·!˘·kohs) adj. belligerent,

quarrelsome, eager to wage war.
There was little hope for peace following the election of a candidate
known for his bellicose nature.

• contentious (ko˘n·!ten·shu˘s) adj.

1.quarrelsome, competitive, quick to fight.
2. controversial, causing contention.
With two contentious candidates on hand, it was sure to be a
lively debate.

• abhor (ab·!hohr) v.
to regard with horror, detest, to hate
I abhor such hypocrisy!

• altercation (awl·te˘r·!kay·sho˘n) n.
a heated dispute or quarrel.
To prevent an altercation at social functions, one should avoid
discussing politics and religion.
POLL QUESTION
 Which word best describes the picture?

A. Ardour
B. Abhor
C. Contentious
ASNWER
Contentious
UNIT 2

LECTURE 3

VOCABULARY
INTRODUCTION TO VOCABULARY

The vocabulary of a language is a stock of all the

words and phrases that exist in that language. The
English language has a very rich vocabulary of over
a million words. Words are basic units of a
language used to communicate meaning.
TYPES OF QUESTIONS ASKED IN
VOCABULARY

Type I: Pick the word from the alternatives that are most
inappropriate in the given context.
Specious– A specious argument is not simply false, but
an argument that has a ring of truth.
1. Deceitful 2. Fallacious 3. Credible 4.Deceptive
Sol: Option 3
http://easiestvocab.blogspot.com/2017/05/adj_76.html

Type II: Find a word which is similar in meaning to

the given word
Tyranny --- a state under cruel and oppressive government.
1. Tolerance 2. Supra-national government 3.
Predominance 4. Oppressive government
Sol: Option 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU5CF7RXjC8
Type III: Find a word which is opposite in meaning to
the given word
Escapade
1. Gimmick 2. Stunt 3.fling 4. Humorlessness
Sol: Option 4
https://m.facebook.com/2388870528058498/photos/a
.2541669172778632/2796005857344961/?type=3&sou
rce=57&__tn__=EH-R

Type IV: A description is followed by four words. Pick

the option that best fits the description.
One who plays a game for pleasure, and not as a
profession.
1. Spotter 2. Playful 3. Amateur 4. Professional
Sol: Option 3.
POLL QUESTION
Based on Type I: Pick the word from the
alternatives that are most inappropriate in the
given context.

Obviate: The new mass transit system may

obviate the need for the use of personal cars.
1) Prevent
2) Forestall
3) Preclude
4) Bolster
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/granddaughter-takes-
care-her-grandfather-puts-1686949723
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCNxIjr7kEk
ANSWER
Bolster
POLL QUESTION
Based on Type II:
Find a word which is
similar in meaning to the
given word:
VORACIOUS (root VOR
means eat)
A. Addict

B. Lament

C. Hungry

D. Obtrusive
Hungry
 POLL QUESTION
Based on type III: Select the
word which is OPPOSITE in the
meaning of the given word:

Impediments
A. Handicaps
B. Obstacles
C. Obstructions
D. Hindrances
E. Promoters
Students should try to overcome
all the impediments
Promoters
WAYS TO LEARN VOCABULARY:

1. Learning from Context

In learning a new language, try to go back and
remember how you picked up your mother tongue. Most
of the learning was from the experience that you had of
others speaking and an imitation of using those words
in some contexts.
1. Definition clues: Where the writer defines the word
in the sentence. In the sentences that follow identify
the definition clue and see how the definition helps you
to understand the meaning of the given underlined
word.
E.g. He was an aficionado, a devoted fan, of
professional boxing.
2. Contrast clues: In which the words are
presented as the opposite of the meanings conveyed
by the surrounding text.
E.g. though her appearance was sophisticated, her
manner showed her real naiveté. (nai·ee·vuh·tay)

3. Example clues: In which the author offers an

illustration of the meaning of the word. In the following
sentences, the writer uses an example to illustrate word
meaning.
E.g. The manager disliked obsequious behavior, such
as fawning.
https://dailyvocab.com/Synonyms/fawning/
4. Restatement clues: In which the author
clarifies the meaning with a further sentence. In
the following sentences, identify the words that
help you figure out what the words mean.
e.g. He was considered a real maverick(someone
who exhibits great independence in thought and
action) in the Congress. He refused to follow his
party’s platform on all the corrupt issues.

* Students who played counterstrike, must know a

guy called Maverick, who never obeys your
commans and will go wherever he wants.
POLL QUESTION
Which word best describes the picture?
A. Naivete

B. Aficionado

C. Obsequious

D. maverick
ANSWER
Obsequious
2. Root words
The English language has its roots in several languages,
including Greek, Latin, and older forms of English, German,
and French. Learning to recognize common roots will help you
build your vocabulary and improve your ability to make
educated guesses about unknown words you encounter in
reading and test-taking situations.

 Anthrop (mankind)–philanthropy, misanthropy, anthropology

 Rog (ask) – interrogation, abrogation, prerogative
 Migra (move)–migrate, immigrate, emigrate
 Matri (mother) –matrimony, maternity, matricide
 Greg (herd)–gregarious, aggregate, congregation
 Nounce (declare)–pronounce, denounce, enunciate(rhymes with
communicate..which is nothing put to speak or utter)
 Loqui (voice) –loquacious, elocution, ventriloquism (the art of
speaking without moving your lips and making it seem as if your voice is coming from another
person or thing; especially done by an entertainer)
 Abrogation
CONGREGATION
LOQACIOUS- TALKATIVE
ELOCUTION
POLL QUESTION
What does the root word ‘greg’ means?
A. Large

B. Type

C. Group
POLL QUESTION
What does the root word ‘nounce’ means?
A. Declare

B. Fight

C. Admit
 Veri (true)–verify, veracity,
verdict
 Scope (watch)–microscope,
periscope, endoscope
 Ambi (two)–ambiguous, ambition,
ambivalent
 Lucid(light)–elucidate(clarifying
explanation) lustre, pellucid (translucently clear)

 Viv (life)–vivacious(lively in temper,

conduct, or spirit), vitalise, survival

 .Habit (have)– habiliments(clothing),

habituate, inhabit
 Hydro (connected to water)–
dehydrate, hydrant, hydrophobia
 Acer (bitter, sharp)–acerate,
acerbate, acrid (unpleasantly bitter or
pungent)
POLL QUESTION
What does the root word ‘Veri means?
A. True

B. Speak

C. Variety
 Arch (rule) – monarchy, anarchy(a state of disorder due to absence
or non-recognition of authority or other controlling systems) , hierarchy

 Tempo (time)–contemporary, extempore, tempest

 Jur (law)–jury, conjure, adjure
 Theo (god)–theocracy, theology, atheist
 Sophy (wisdom)–sophism, sophisticated, philosophy
 Phil (like )– philanderer(flirt), philanthropist,
philharmonic
 Scribe (write) –ascribe(assign,accredit), circumscribe,
inscription
 Cept (take, receive)–captious, captive, deception(act of
lying/misleading)

 Voc (voice ) –vocal, vocational, viva voce

 Ridi(laugh)–ridicule

 https://dailyvocab.com/photos/adjure/
PHILANTHROPIST- A PERSON WHO SEEKS
TO PROMOTE THE WELFARE OF OTHERS,
ESPECIALLY BY THE GENEROUS DONATION OF
MONEY TO GOOD CAUSES.
WHERE A SECT MALIGNS A RIVAL GROUP
THROUGH RHETORIC AND PROPAGANDA. EVEN
TODAY, MANY RELIGIOUS GROUPS GAIN POWER
AND EVEN CULTURAL APPROVAL THROUGH
FALSE PROPAGANDA TO KILL OR TORTURE
SOMEONE WHO OFFENDS THEIR RELIGIOUS
SENSIBILITIES. SOPHISM
POLL QUESTION
What does the root word ‘Theo’ means?

A. God
B. Angel
C. Universe
ANSWER
God
 Ambi (around)–ambidextrous(able to use the right and left hands equally
well), ambient, ambiguity

 Tract (pull)–tractable(easy to control or influence), intractable,

attract
 Chrono (time)–chronology, chronometer, synchronous
 Capit (head)–captain, capital,
 Lic (permit)–license, licentious(immoral), licit (legal)
 Apo (away from)– apocalypse, apocryphal, apology
 Congnos (know)–agnostic, cognise(know or become
aware of....), cognizant
 Feder, Fide, Feal (trust)–fealty, federacy(union or
association), confide
 Cred (belief)–credit, discreditable(disgraceful/shameful),
incredulous
 Man, Manu (hand)–manual, manacles(handcuffs),
manicure

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYaRjkWOX6g
CONFIDE- tell someone about a
secret or private matter while
trusting them not to repeat it to
others
POLL QUESTION
What does the root word ‘feder’ means?
A. Livelihood

B. Trust

C. Truth
ANSWER
Trust
3. Visual Method
 Visual vocabulary will
help you to better
understand vocabulary by
explaining the meaning of
the term in own words
and creating visual
images that represent the
word. This method also
increases your retention
level.
E.g. Parsimonious
 Meaning: an excessive
unwilling to spend.
Synonyms: penurious,
stingy, ungenerous
 THEME BASED LEARNING
There are a lot of techniques to learn vocabulary.
One another technique is to segregate the words you wish
to practice based on different categories, themes or contexts they belong.

Personality and attitude

complaisant (ko˘m·!play·sa˘nt) adj. tending to comply; obliging, willing to do what
pleases others.
https://systemagicmotives.com/extraordinary-words/Complaisant.htm
To preserve family peace and harmony, Lenny became very complaisant when his in-laws
came to visit.

ebullient (i·!bul·ye˘nt) adj. bubbling over with enthusiasm, exuberant.

The ebullient children were waiting to stick their hands into the grab bag and pull out a toy.

facetious (fa˘·!see·shu˘s) adj. humorous and witty, cleverly amusing; jocular, sportive.

Mr. Weston’s facetious remarks always made people laugh.

https://blog.inkforall.com/facetious
POLL QUESTION
 Which word best describes the picture?
A. Impetuous

B. Facetious

C. Ebullient
ANSWER

Ebullient
 flippant (!flip·a˘nt) adj. not showing proper
seriousness; disrespectful, saucy.
Ursula’s flippant remarks in front of her fiancé’s parents
were an embarrassment to us all.
https://mnemonicdictionary.com/word/flippant#:~:text=Mnemonics%20(Memory%20Aids)%20for%20flippant&text=flippant%20%3D%20lip%20%2B%20aunty
%3B%20lip,is%20going%20to%20tell%20anything .------ LINK TO MNEMONIC DICTIONARY

imperious (im·!peer·i·u˘s) adj. overbearing, bossy, domineering.

Stella was relieved with her new job transfer because she would no
longer be under the control of such an imperious boss.

impetuous (im·!pech·oo·u˘s) adj. 1. characterized by sudden,

forceful energy or emotion; impulsive, unduly hasty and without
thought. 2. marked by violent force.
It was an impetuous decision to run off to Las Vegas and get married
after a one-week courtship.

insouciant (in·!soo·si·a˘nt) adj. unconcerned, carefree, indifferent.

Wendy’s insouciant attitude toward her future concerned her father,
who expected her to go to college.
POLL QUESTION
 Which word best describes the picture?
A. impetuous

B. facetious

C. imperious

D. insouciant
ANSWER
imperious
GUESS THE WORD THAT DESCRIBE THE
PICTURE BELOW:
ANS : insouciant
mettlesome (!met·e˘l·so˘m) adj. courageous,
high-spirited.
Alice’s mettlesome attitude was infectious and inspired us all to
press on. Note: Do not confuse with meddlesome, meaning
inclined to interfere.

nonchalant (non·sha˘·!lant) adj. indifferent or cool, not

showing anxiety or excitement.
Franco tried to be nonchalant, but I could tell he was nervous.
Nonchalant seems similar like non challange. If there is no challange, life
is calm and relaxed/carefree

sanctimonious (san"k·t!˘·!moh·nee·u˘s) adj. hypocritically

pious or devout; excessively self-righteous.
The thief’s sanctimonious remark that “a fool and his money
are soon parted” only made the jury more eager to convict him.
GUESS THE WORD THAT IS ASSOCIATED
WITH THE PICTURE BELOW:
 ANS: SANCTIMONIOUS
Action verbs
delineate (di·!lin·i·ayt) v. to draw or outline,
sketch; to portray, depict, or describe.
The survey will clearly delineate where their property ends.

obfuscate (ob·!fus·kayt) v. 1. to make obscure or

unclear; to muddle or make difficult to understand. 2. to
dim or darken.
Instead of clarifying the matter, Walter only obfuscated it
further.

ameliorate (a˘·!meel·yo˘·rayt) v. to make or become

better; to improve.

The diplomat was able to ameliorate the tense situation

between the two nations.
QUESTION:

Students should
continously focus on
______ their skills to lead
themseleves to a better
place in near future
ANS: ameliorating
Describing things or situations

ineluctable (in·i·!luk·ta˘·be˘l) adj. certain, inevitable;

not to be avoided or overcome.
1.The ineluctable outcome of the two-person race was that there would be one
winner and one loser.
2. e.g. An INELUCATBLE DESTINY (you cannot escape your destiny)

inveterate (in·!vet·e˘·rit) adj. habitual; deep rooted, firmly established.

I am an inveterate pacifist and unlikely to change my mind.

trenchant (!tren·cha˘nt) adj. 1. penetrating, forceful; effective. 2. Extremely

perceptive, incisive. 3. clear-cut, sharply defined.
It was a trenchant argument, and it forced me to change my mind about the
issue
Mnemonic- 'ant' always walk in straight 'trench' i.e they know which way is right or wrong for
them.. they never deviate...
tumultuous (too·!mul·choo·u˘s) adj. 1. creating an uproar; disorderly,
noisy.
POLL QUESTION
Which word best describes the picture?
a. Ineluctable

b. Inveterate

c. tumultuous
ANSWER
tumultuous
Love, hate, war and peace

• bellicose (!bel·!˘·kohs) adj. belligerent,

quarrelsome, eager to wage war.
There was little hope for peace following the election of a candidate
known for his bellicose nature.

• contentious (ko˘n·!ten·shu˘s) adj.

1.quarrelsome, competitive, quick to fight.
2. controversial, causing contention.
With two contentious candidates on hand, it was sure to be a
lively debate.

• abhor (ab·!hohr) v.
to regard with horror, detest, to hate
I abhor such hypocrisy!

• altercation (awl·te˘r·!kay·sho˘n) n.
a heated dispute or quarrel.
To prevent an altercation at social functions, one should avoid
discussing politics and religion.
POLL QUESTION
 Which word best describes the picture?

A. Ardour
B. Abhor
C. Contentious
ANSWER
Contentious
GUESS THE WORD THAT IS ASSOCIATED
WITH THE PICTURE BELOW:
ANSWER
 BELIGERENT/BELICOSE
UNIT 2
LECTURE 4

VOCABULARY
LIST OF SOME COMMONLY USED AND
ASKED WORDS IN COMPETITIVE
EXAMINATIONS:

1. QUIXOTIC
Pronunciation: kwik-sot-ik
Meaning: Not sensible about practical matters;
idealistic and unrealistic
Synonyms: dreamy, foolish, impractical,
impulsive, unrealistic
Antonyms: hardheaded, hard-nosed, tough-
minded, unsentimental; practical, pragmatic
Usage: Our quixotic prime minister may need
Labour to save him in Europe
 2. TRANSGRESS
Pronunciation: trans-gres
Meaning: To break a law.
Synonyms: infringe, violate, trespass, disobey,
contravene
Antonyms: comply, acquiesce, comply, acquire, obey
Usage: The officers should be careful not to
transgress human rights

 3. SOMNIFEROUS
Pronunciation: som-nif-er-uh s
Meaning: Tending to produce sleep.
Synonyms: soporific, somnific, somnolent, drowsy,
slumberous
Antonyms: simulative, awakening, invigorating,
refreshing, reviving
Usage: Ms. Schwend's play “The Other Thing,” at
Second Stage uptown last year, turned thrilling after
a somniferous first half (source: New York Times)
POLL QUESTION:
Which of the below is the possible synonym for
SOMNIFEROUS

a. Awakening
b. Reviving
c. Refreshing
d. drowsy
ANSWER
 drowsy
 4. GROTESQUE
Pronunciation: groh-tesk
Meaning: Incongruously composed or ill-proportioned
Synonyms: bizarre, outlandish, queer, freakish,
ludicrous
Antonyms: aesthetic, classy, bonny, comely, elegant
Usage: During the pro-life event, a local Satanist
group arrived and conducted a disturbingly grotesque
counter-protest.

 5. CAMARADERIE
Pronunciation: ka-muh-raa-duh-ree
Meaning: a feeling of friendship and trust among a
group of people who work together or share an
experience
Synonyms: companionship, intimacy, comradeship,
jollity
Antonyms: gloom, dislike, hate
Usage: There is a spirit of camaraderie between
officers and men in Frjus that one never sees in native
regiments of the British army.
POLL QUESTION
Choose the word which is most opposite in
meaning to the word GROTESQUE
a. Queer

b. Bizarre

c. Elegant
ANSWER
Elegant
6. UNPRECEDENTED
Pronunciation: uhn·preh·suh·duhn·tuhd
Meaning: without previous instance; never before
known or experienced; unexampled or unparalleled
Synonyms: unusual, unrivalled, uncommon, unmatched
Antonyms: regular, usual, unexceptional Usage: Put
before the people of America the leading facts relating to
this unprecedented and enormous visitation of calamity.

7. SUCCOR
Pronunciation: suhk-er
Meaning: help; relief, assistance.
Synonyms: sustenance, aid Antonyms: obstruction,
hurt, hindrance Usage: For the moment, therefore, he
could do nothing more but look for succor.
8. EGREGIOUS
Pronunciation: ih-gree-juhs, -jee-uhs
Meaning: outstandingly bad; shocking.
Synonyms: extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant:
Antonyms: tolerable, moderate, minor, unnoticeable.
Usage: The egregious mistake these couples made was not
spending enough time seriously planning for a lifetime together
in marriage.

9. TACITURN
Pronunciation: ˈta-sə-ˌtərn
Meaning: reserved; saying little; A taciturn person does not
say very much and can seem unfriendly.
Synonyms: Close, Silent, Uncommunicative
Antonyms: blabby, chatty, communicative, conversational
Usage: A taciturn man, he replied to my questions in
monosyllables.
10. DISCERNING
Pronunciation: di-ˈsər-niŋ
Meaning: showing insight and understanding
Synonyms: Perceive, recognize
Antonyms: unperceptive, unwise
Usage: portions of these discerning travel guides are
available to the everyman for free on Apple Maps.

11. ANACHRONISTIC
Pronunciation: uh-nak-ruh-nis-tik
Meaning: Out of the context of time, out of date
Synonyms: antiquated, archaic, out-of-date, outmoded,
ancient, fossil
Antonyms: current, in vogue, contemporary
Usage: The New York Sun printed a letter, not long ago, in
which the drawings were declared to be anachronistic.
 POLL QUESTION

How would you best

describe the things in this picture?

A. GROTESQUE
B. TREACHEROUS
C. ANACHRONISTIC
ANSWER
ANACHRONISTIC
12. COALESCE
Pronunciation: kow-uh-les
Meaning: to blend or come together
Synonyms: incorporate, join, merge, cleave
Antonyms: remove, loosen, disjoin, disconnect
Usage: The two nuclei come into contact and coalesce, and we
have thus a new cell with its sixteen chromosomes complete.

13. INADVERTENTLY
Pronunciation: "IN"- "uhd" -"VUR" -"tuhnt- "lee"
Meaning: 1. unintentionally; without meaning to 2. Through
lack of attention; without anyone noticing:
Synonyms: negligently, recklessly, heedlessly, and rashly
Antonyms: careful, observant, accurate
Usage: I'm worried that we might be inadvertently watering
down the quality of the data.
14. LACKLUSTRE
Pronunciation: lak-ˌlə-stər
Meaning: lacking force, brilliance, or vitality
Synonyms: obscure, unimaginative, somber, lusterless
Antonyms: lively, shining, and enthusiastic
Usage: He has already been blamed for his party's lackluster
performance during the election campaign

15. SUCCINCT
Pronunciation: suhk·singkt
Meaning: marked by compact precise expression without wasted words
Synonyms: brief, concise, telegraphic
Antonyms: wordy, diffuse, and verbose
Usage: Together, the equations formed a succinct theory now known as
the Standard Model of particle physics.

16. SURREPTITIOUS
Pronunciation: suh-ruhp-ti-shuhs
Meaning: done secretly,
Synonyms: clandestine, behind the scenes, sneaky, undercover
Antonyms: open, overt, public
Usage: She seemed to be listening to what I was saying, but I couldn't
help noticing her surreptitious glances at the clock.
17. BELLIGERENCE
Pronunciation: buh·li·juh·ruhns
Meaning: the wish to fight or argue
Synonyms: aggression, defiance, quarrelsomeness
Antonyms: nonaggression, pacifism, friendliness, geniality
Usage: Terrorism is a new and unprecedented form of belligerence, a new form of war.

18. VICISSITUDE
pronunciation: vi-sis-i-tood, -tyood
Meaning: a change or variation occurring in the course of something; interchange or
alternation
Synonyms: variation, fluctuation, permutation, alteration, diversity
Antonyms: uniformity, stability, similarity, stagnation, conformity
Usage: However, our ancestors concluded that the vicissitude could be corrected by better
government.

19. ELOQUENCE
Pronunciation: eh-luh-kvns
Meaning: the art or power of speaking or writing in a forceful and convincing way
Synonyms: articulacy, rhetoric, fluency
Antonyms: incompetence, weakness, inability
Usage: millions have been inspired by the eloquence of Martin Luther King's "I Have a
Dream" speech
Which word best describe
this picture?

A. ELOQUENCE
B. EGREGIOUS
20. TREACHEROUS
Pronunciation: treh·chuh·ruhs
Meaning: Treacherous means not trusted or
dangerous; likely to betray trust
Synonyms: unfaithful, deceptive, perilous, misleading
Antonyms: harmless, true, reliable, honest
Usage: His stabs are delivered like those of a bravo, who
hides his face as he deals his treacherous blow

21. JUXTAPOSE
Pronunciation: juhk·stuh·powz
Meaning: to place (different things) side by side (as to
compare them or contrast them or to create an interesting
effect)
Synonyms: colligate, appose, bring together
Antonyms: discrete, apart, detached, isolate, disconnected
Usage: It is interesting to juxtapose the lifestyle of today's
teenage generation with their grandparents' generation.
22. ELUCIDATE
Pronunciation: uh·loo·suhd·eit
Meaning: to give a clarifying explanation.
Synonyms: explain, illuminate, explicate
Antonyms: confuse, obscure, conceal, be vague
Usage: He gave himself out as an angel sent from God to
elucidate the prophecies.

23. ADUMBRATE
Pronunciation: a·duhm·breit
Meaning: to give only the main facts and not the details about
something, especially something that will happen in the future
Synonyms: outline, suggest, obfuscate, portend, foretell
Antonyms: illuminate, brighten, Lighten,
Usage: The recent development adumbrates a world - wide
revolution in computer technology.
 24. SUBSERVIENCE
Pronunciation: suh b-sur-vee-uh nt
Meaning: The quality, character, or condition of being
servilely following another's behests Synonyms: servility,
obedience, subjection, docility, humility Antonyms:
domination, obstinacy, sovereignty , arrogance, balkiness
Usage: Ordinary people can defeat the Right, but doing so
will require ending our subservience to the Democratic
Party

 25. REPERCUSSION
Pronunciation: ree·puh·kuh·shn
Meaning: an unintended consequence of an event or action,
especially an unwelcome one. Synonyms: consequence,
outcome, Antonyms: helplessness, impotence, impotency,
powerlessness, weakness Usage: The repercussions of world
events were seen on the stock market price.
Which of the word best
describe the picture?

A. ELUCIDATION
B. BELLIGERENCE
C. SUBSERVIENCE
ANSWER
SUBSERVIENCE
 IMPORTANT WORDS USED IN EDITORIALS
OF REPUTED NEWSPAPERS

1. Unscrupulous Without principles, Unethical

Usage: His internal policy was blind, reckless and
unscrupulous, and inevitably led to disaster.

2. Incumbent Necessary as a duty

Usage: The incumbent president faces problems which began

many years before he took office.
3. Teetering Moving unsteadily

Usage: Their economy is teetering on the brink of collapse

4. Colloquially Informal language

Usage: The people who write parking tickets in New York are
known colloquially as "brownies".
5. Intransigent Refusing to change one’s views
Usage: They put pressure on the Government
to change its intransigent stance.
6. Milieu Surroundings
Usage: The manager develops an understanding of his
milieu by piecing together all the scraps of data he can
find.
7. Envisaged Visualized
Usage: It is hard to envisage us having political
arrangements that do not include nation-states.
8. Saddled Burdened
Usage: Companies saddled with high debt have become
inviting targets for cash-rich competitors.
9. Scragged Strangled
Usage: These scragged posts show that freedom of
speech is still a contentious issue, but freedom of
speech means nothing unless we grant it to people
we dislike.

10. Remunerative A benefit in monetary terms

Usage: Poverty arises because of the lack of
remunerative and secure forms of employment.
COMMON PHRASES AND TERMS USED IN
BUSINESSES AND CORPORATES
1. Blue sky thinking
The archetypal piece of office jargon, the term
“blue sky thinking” is another way of expressing the
idea of “thinking outside the box”.

2. Bleeding Edge
This is one I've been hearing more and more lately.
When being "cutting edge" isn't quite enough, we get
this term for being ahead of trends.

3. Move the Needle

This term is often used in sales or marketing, when a
certain amount of effort is required to make a
noticeable difference.
4. Ballpark
People use ballpark to mean “estimate of an amount.”
They may want to know a ballpark number based on
your best guess with the data you have at the time. You may
even hear it as a verb: “Let’s ballpark the quarterly figures.”
5. Incentivize
Employees don’t always love their work. That’s why
employers often incentivize productivity – using incentives
to make employees more productive. These incentives often
include public recognition, job promotions, or pay raises.
Companies also incentivize customers to return with
customer loyalty programs and discounts.
6. Low-Hanging Fruit
When picking fruit from a tree, the low-hanging fruit are the
easiest to reach. That’s what corporations mean when they
direct you to go after the low-hanging fruit: reach the easiest
customer base or project objective possible before going after
a more challenging goal.
7. Make it disruptive
It better be BIG, and make us money, fast.

8. We're sticking to our core competency

We poked around and have proven ourselves incompetent in
other areas.

9. Customer-centric
A popular term because it makes people sound smart and
caring. Plus, there’s alliteration in there.

10. Cut corners

The new filing system won’t work if we cut corners.
“To cut corners” is to complete a task in a fast and careless
way. To do something without paying attention to details,
thereby making mistakes or causing new problems.
11. Call it a day
Right team, we’ve made plenty of progress, I think it’s
time to call it a day!
The trial hasn’t worked, I’m afraid we’re going to have
to call it a day.
To “call it a day” means that you are giving up on something. This can
refer to taking a break on a project because you have reached a good
point to stop, or to stopping something completely. It can be negative or
positive, depending on the context.
Taken literally, it is a phrase stating that the working day is officially
over: that was a whole day, I declare that day finished!

12. Keep me in the loop

Keep Stuart in the loop when discussing the merger, please.
Keep me in the loop on decisions about the targets for the next
quarter.
To “keep me/her/him/them in the loop” means to keep someone involved
and updated about developments in a project. It comes from “looping”
someone into an email chain — that is, cc’ing them into the digital
conversation. Check out our guide to writing emails in English for
more on this.
You can “keep someone in the loop” by informing them of what happens
in meetings, and alerting them when decisions are made.
13. Get the ball rolling
Hopefully we can get the ball rolling on the new
pitch next week.
To “get the ball rolling” means to get started on
something; to begin making meaningful progress

14. Due diligence

We’ve done our due diligence and none of the other
contractors seem more qualified.
Until very recently, “due diligence” was a term only
used in a legal context. It used to describe the action
that is considered reasonable for people to take in order
to stay safe, and on the correct side of the law.
In business jargon, “due diligence” refers to the
necessary research behind a good decision. If you have
done your “due diligence,” then you have given an issue
the attention it deserves and weighed alternatives to
the solution you intend to take.
POLL QUESTION
Let's both gather some information, and we can
___________ tomorrow afternoon.

A. Keep in touch
B. Touch and go
C. Touch base
ANSWER
Touch base
POLL QUESTION
In a meeting, you hear someone say ‘let’s
wrap this up.’ What do they mean?

A. It’s time to finish the meeting.

B. They want to sum up what people have already
spoken about.
C. They want to gift wrap a present for the boss.
D. It’s time to order taco wraps (a type of Mexican
food).
ANSWER
It’s time to finish the meeting.
POLL QUESTION
What does 'pull your weight' mean?

A. To work as hard as other people.

B. To make your briefcase heavier.
C. To make sure you diet at work.
THANK YOU FOR LEARNING!