Vocabulary Enrichment Lesson 1
A. Definitions
Read the word, the part of speech, definition(s),
synonyms, antonyms, and complete the sentence, spelling the word
correctly according to agreement in number and tense.
1. churlish
[chur-lish]
adj. lacking politeness or good manners; lacking sensitivity; difficult
to work with, deal with; or rude
The store manager instructed all of the salesclerks to avoid
___________________ replies to customers’ questions.
SYNONYMS: surly; ill-tempered
ANTONYMS: courteous, civil, well-mannered
2. collaborate
v. to work with; work together
[kuh-lab-uh-reyt]
Several students plan to ___________________ on a geology project
for the annual science fair.
3. discordant
[dis-kawr-dnt]
SYNONYMS: team up, join forces
ANTONYMS: work alone
adj. disagreeable in sound, jarring; lacking in harmony
Their little spat struck a _____________________ note in our
otherwise happy family get-together.
SYNONYMS: grating, shrill, different, divergent, conflicting
ANTONYMS: harmonious, in agreement
4. excerpt
[ ek-surpt]
n. a passage taken from a book; article, etc.
v. to take such a passage; to quote
My essay includes a long __________________ from a speech by
Sojourner Truth.
If you ______________________ some material from a reference
book, be sure to enclose it in quotation marks and provide citation.
SYNONYMS: n. portion, section, extract
5. grope
[grohp]
v. to feel about hesitantly with the hands; to search blindly and
uncertainly.
When the power failed, we had to ______________ in the dark to
find a working flashlight.
SYNONYMS: fumble for
6. jostle
[jos-uhl]
v. to make or force one’s way by pushing or elbowing; to bump,
brush against; compete for
I tried not to ______________ the other riders as I exited the
crowded bus.
SYNONYMS: push, bump
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Vocabulary Enrichment Lesson 1
7. laggard
1.2
n. a person who moves slowly or falls behind;
adj. falling behind; slow to move, act or respond
[lag-erd]
Tour guides often have to urge _______________ to keep up with
the rest of the group.
Tenants who are _____________ in paying rent run the risk of being
forced to move.
SYNONYMS: n. slow-poke, straggler; adj. sluggish
ANTONYMS: n. early-bird; adj. sift, speedy, prompt
8. preclude
v. to make impossible, prevent, shut-out
[pri-klood]
Three wrong answers will ___________________ any contestant
from moving on to the quiz show’s final round.
SYNONYMS: hinder, check, stop
ANTONYMS: help, promote, facilitate
9. servile
[sur-vil, -vahyl]
adj. of or relating to a slave; behaving like or suitable for a slave or a
servant, menial; lacking spirit or independence, abjectly submissive
Most serious performers prefer constructive criticism to
__________________ flattery.
SYNONYMS: slavish, groveling
ANTONYMS: masterly, overbearing
10. vigil
[vij-uhl]
n. a watch, especially at night; any period of watchful attention
Thousands attended the solemn ________________ at the Vietnam
Veterans Memorial.
B. Choosing the Right Word
Choose the word from the pair in boldface that best completes the sentence.
1. All those who (collaborated, precluded) with the enemy in the hope of gaining
special favors will be punished severely.
2. She raised so many objections to attending the dance that it was obvious that she was
(jostling, groping) for an excuse not to go.
3. I chose to read a(n) (excerpt, vigil) from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman for my
poetry recitation.
Vocabulary Enrichment Lesson 1
1.3
4. The assembly speaker may have been boring, but that was no excuse for the students’
(laggard, churlish) behavior toward him.
5. The committee found it impossible to reach any agreement on the matter because the
views of its members were so (churlish, discordant).
6. The President needs advisors who will frankly explain what they really think, rather
than just offer (discordant, servile) agreement and constant approval.
7. The principal was quick to approve new programs for our club but (servile, laggard) in
approving financial support for them.
8. There are times when we all need to be (jostled, laggard) away from old, familiar
ideas that may no longer be as true as they once seemed.
9. The fact that he was found guilty of a felony many years ago doesn’t (excerpt,
preclude) his running for mayor.
10. After the operation, we sat in the hospital lounge, keeping a night-long (vigil,
churlish) until we heard from the doctor.
C. Synonyms
Choose the word from this unit that has the same or nearly the same
meaning as the word in boldface. Write the word on the line using the correct
spelling in accordance to agreement in number and tense.
1. tried to prohibit further objections to the bill
______________________
2. shoved the table so hard that it tipped over
______________________
3. scramble for an answer to the question
______________________
4. copied just one section for her essay
______________________
5. annoyed by all that fawning attention
______________________
6. kept a lookout while the soldiers slept
______________________
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D. Antonyms
Choose the word from this unit that has the opposite or nearly the opposite
meaning as the word in boldface. Write the word on the line using the correct spelling in
accordance to agreement in number and tense.
7. surprised by the melodious ending of the band performance
_____________________
8. the brisk walker
_____________________
9. always courteous when a substitute teacher
_____________________
10. they worked independently on the diorama
_____________________
E. Completing the Sentence
From the words found in this unit, choose the one that best completes the
sentence using correct spelling according to agreement in number and tense.
1. The cafeteria line was so crowded that I was ___________________ past the desserts before I
could take one.
2. The swiftest members of the herd escaped the trappers’ nets, but the
______________________ were caught.
3. Our teacher gave the two of us permission to _______________________ on our reports
because we were investigating related issues.
4. Your silly pride about doing everything on your own ____________________ your getting the
help you so badly need.
5. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 was the first step in releasing African Americans from
their _______________________ bonds.
6. With tireless devotion, the ailing child’s parents kept a _______________ at her bedside.
7. Suddenly, the ____________________ voices of the two quarreling people burst upon my ears
and jarred me out of my daydream.
8. When the lights suddenly went out, I _____________________ my way into the kitchen to find
a candle and matches.
9. You hurt her feelings when you reacted to her comments in such a(n) ___________________
way, especially since you asked for her advice.
10. Let me read aloud a few ________________ from the newspaper review of the new movie.