, • , ) • Murray Bromberg. Juliue Liebb. and Arthur Traiger ...e ll••• the vocabulary you need for academic success • Middle school and high school students • Students preparing to take ESL exams • 42 word-building exercises-12 new words in each lesson • Definitions, sample sentences, short articles demonstrating new words BARRON'S and how they're used in given contexts A B S O L U T E L Y E S S E N T I A L Sixth Edition Murray Bromberg Former Professor, Touro College Julius Liebb Former Assistant Principal, Andrew Jackson H.S. Arthur Traiger Former Assistant Principal, Martin Van Buren H.S. Instructor, Japan University ©Copyright 2012, 2005, 1996, 1988, 1984, 1975 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means without the written permission of the copyright owner. All inquiries should be addressed to: Barron's Educational Series, Inc. 250 Wireless Boulevard Hauppauge, New York 11788 www.barronseduc.com Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 201103312 7 ISBN: 978-0-7641-4781-4 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bromberg, Murray. 504 absolutely essential words j Murray Bromberg, Julius Liebb, Arthur Traiger. -6th ed. p. em. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7641-4781-4 (alk. paper) 1. Vocabulary-Problems, exercises, etc. I. Liebb, Julius. II. Traiger, Arthur. Ill. Title. IV. Title: Five hundred four absolutely essential words. PE1449.B68 2012 428.1-dc23 2011033127 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 987654321 CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................... 1v How to Use This Book ......................................................... iv Lessons 1-6 ...................................................................... 1 Word Review #1 ................................................................. 19 Lessons 7-12 .................................................................... 21 Word Review #2 ................................................................. 39 Lessons 13-18 ................................................................... 41 Word Review #3 .................................................................. 59 Lessons 19-24 ................................................................... 61 Word Review #4 ................................................................. 79 Lessons 25-30 ................................................................... 81 Word Review #5 ................................................................. 99 Lessons 31-36 .................................................................. 101 Word Review #6 ................................................................ 119 Lessons 37-42 .................................................................. 121 Word Review #7 ................................................................ 139 100 Frequently Misspelled Words ............................................. 141 Bonus Lesson-125 More Difficult (But Essential) Words ...................... 142 Panorama of Words .......................................................... 155 Bonus Review ................................................................ 185 Answers ...................................................................... 196 Index ........................................................................ 200 Index of 125 More Difficult (But Essential) Words ............................ 202 PRONUNCIATION GUIDE The pronunciation of the 504 absolutely essential words included in this book are those used by edu cated, cultured speakers in everyday, relaxed informal conversation. Below are a list of symbols; the sound that each symbol represents can be easily understood from the key word in which it is shown. a back 0 horn f fall s sit a hay 00 look g get t tin a. car 00 too h hotel v VOICe a: care oi toy j joy w Win e then u up k kill ch church e easy u toot I let hw white e bird u you m man zh leisure it ou out n not y yes kite b· bed p put z zebra 0 home d done r rose IJ drink The unstressed vowel sound is symbolized as follows: for a as in around fori as in sanity for u as in focus ~ fore as in glitter foro as in complete INTRODUCTION This is a self-help book. If you use it intelligently, you will help yourself to strengthen and expand your word knowledge. The words you will learn, moreover, are essential in that they are known and used reg ularly by educated people. You will find that such words as squander, rehabilitate, blunder, obesity, and five hundred more will turn up in your newspapers, in the magazines you read, in books, on television, in the movies, and in the conversation of the people you meet daily. 504 Absolutely Essential Words is divided into 42 lessons, each containing 12 new words. Those words are first presented to you in three sample sentences; next, the new words appear in a brief passage; the last part of each lesson is a set of exercises that give you practice using the new words. One of the most important features of 504 ... Words is that each of the new words is repeated over and over again throughout this book so that you will have a greater chance to become familiar with it. · Included are seven Word Review sections, each containing challenging exercises that will help you to test your mastery of the new words. Newly added are interesting exercises in letter writing and parts of speech that will familiarize you with our ·basic 504 essential words. Finally, this 6th edition features frequently misspelled words, a Bonus Review, a Bonus Lesson with 125 More Difficult (But Essential) Words, and a new section called Panorama ofWords. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK 504 Absolutely Essential Words can be used in a number of ways, depending upon the needs and the status of the reader. A student in a high school English class, for example, could work with the book over a period of one school year, learning a dozen words each week for 42 weeks. Pupils who are studying vocabulary in an individualized program can move through the text at their own speed, mastering the new words as rapidly as they are able. Adults, out of school, can dip into the book on a selective basis, paying attention to the new words and skipping over those with which they are already familiar. The High School English Class Some teachers prefer to set aside one day a week for intensive vocabulary study. At such time the sentences containing the new words are often read aloud so that the students hear them used in context. The definitions may be copied into a vocabulary notebook to reinforce the learning. Next, the accompanying paragraph(s) containing the 12 new words should be read aloud, fol lowed by the exercise in which the blanks are to be filled in. Some discussion of the "Spotlight On" word is appropriate, preceding a homework assignment in which the students compose original sentences for each of the new words. Independent Study An interesting way to approach 504 Absolutely Essential Words on one's own is to take an informal pretest on each week's words, comparing the definitions with the ones provided in the text. After studying the three sample sentences, the reader should compose several original ones, using the model paragraph( s) for resource material. The "Spotlight On" word introduces students to the fascinating history of the English language. They are advised to look up other words in each lesson in order to find out about their origin and to expand their vocabulary in the process. Finally, students who are working on their own should complete the exercises at the end of each section, filling in the blanks and striving for a perfect score. Repetition The words with asterisks ( *) are those that have been taught in previous lessons. They are planted everywhere in the book since the repetition of newly learned material is a recognized road to mastery. If you come across such a word but cannot remember its meaning, turn back to the lesson in which that word first appeared. (See the index on pages 200-202 for such information.) iv LESSON "All words are pegs to hang ideas on." -Henry Ward Beecher, Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit 1. abandon ( d ban 1 ddn) desert; leave without planning to come back; quit a. When Roy abandoned his family, the police went looking for him. b. The soldier could not abandon his friends who were hurt in battle. c. Because Rose was poor, she had to abandon her idea of going to college. Words to learn 2. keen (ken) sharp; eager; intense; sensitive This Week a. The butcher's keen knife cut through the meat. b. My dog has a keen sense of smell. abandon c. Bill's keen mind pleased all his teachers. keen jealous 3. jealous Uel1 dS) afraid that the one you love might prefer someone else; tact wanting what someone else has a. A detective was hired by the jealous widow to find the boyfriend oath who had abandoned* her. vacant b. Although my neighbor just bought a new car, I am not jealous of hardship him. c. Beingjealous, Mona would not let her boyfriend dance with any of gallant the cheerleaders. data unaccustomed 4. tact ( takt) ability to say the right thing bachelor a. My aunt never hurts anyone's feelings because she always uses tact. b. By the use of tact, Janet was able to calm her jealous* husband. qualify c. Your friends will admire you if you use tact and thoughtfulness. 5. oath (6th) a promise that something is true; a curse a. The president will take the oath of office tomorrow. b. In court, the witness took an oath that he would tell the whole truth. c. When Terry discovered that he had been abandoned,* he let out an angry oath. 6. vacant (va1 kdnt) empty; not filled a. Someone is planning to build a house on that vacant lot. b. I put my coat on that vacant seat. c. When the landlord broke in, he found that apartment vacant. 7. hardship (hard 1 ship) something that is hard to bear; difficulty a. The fighter had to face many hardships before he became champion. b. Abe Lincoln was able to overcome one hardship after another. c. On account of hardship, Bert was let out of the army to take care of his sick mother. 8. [;al:.,•,nt (gal 1 dnt) brave; showing respect for women a. The pilot swore a gallant oath* to save his buddy. b. Many gallant knights entered the contest to win the princess. c. Ed is so gallant that he always gives up his subway seat to a woman. 9. data ( dat1 d or dat1 d) facts; information a. The data about the bank robbery were given to the F.B.I. b. After studying the data, we were able to finish our report. c. Unless you are given all the data, you cannot do the math problem. 2 504 ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS 1 0. unaccustomed ( dn d kds 1 tdmd) not used to something a. Coming from Alaska, Claude was unaccustomed to Florida's heat. b. The king was unaccustomed to having people disobey him. c. Unaccustomed as he was to exercise, Vic quickly became tired. 11. bachelor (batch 1 d ldr) a man who has not married a. My brother took an oath* to remain a bachelor. b. In the movie, the married man was mistaken for a bachelor. c. Before the wedding, all his bachelor friends had a party. 12. qualify (kwal1 d-fi) become fit; show that you are able a. I am trying to qualify for the job that is now vacant.* b. Since Pauline can't carry a tune, she is sure that she will never qualify for the Girls' Chorus. c. You have to be taller than 515" to qualify as a policeman in our town. Words in Use Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it. My Brother, the Gentleman The story of Sir Walter Raleigh, who spread his Although unaccustomed to such generous cloak on the ground to keep Queen Elizabeth from treatment, the young woman was pleased to the hardship of crossing a muddy puddle, can accept Kenny's kind offer. However, her jealous qualify that nobleman for an award as a man of boyfriend swore an oath under his breath because tact and good breeding. My brother Kenny, a he thought my brother was flirting with his girl bachelor with a keen interest in history, was friend. I don't have any data on the number of impressed by that anecdote and thought he might young men who get into similar trouble as a result demonstrate his excellent upbringing in a parallel of a gallant gesture, but it's probably one in a situation. Accordingly he decided to abandon his thousand. Poor Kenny! He pointed to the now subway seat in favor of a woman standing nearby. vacant seat. Picture It Which oft he words studied in this lesson is suggested by the picture? LESSON 1 3 F~ll in the Blanks Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below. 1. As I looked at all the ____ the salesman showed me, I knew that I was getting more and more mixed up. 2. I used when I told my fat uncle that his extra weight made him look better. 3. When the guard saw that the cot was , he realized that the prisoner had left the jail. 4. Although he took an on the Bible, Sal lied to the jury. 5. My aunt was so of our new couch that she bought one just like it. 6. I enjoyed reading the story of the man who put his cloak over a mud puddle so that the queen would not dirty her feet. 7. The loss of Claudia's eyesight was a which she learned to live with. 8. The driver was forced to his car when two of the tires became flat. 9. Betty could not for the Miss Teenage America Contest because she was twenty years old. 10. The blade was so that I cut myself in four places while shaving. 11. to being kept waiting, the angry woman marched out of the store. 12. Because he was a , the movie actor was invited to many parties. Answer key, p. 196 Word Detective From the list of 12 new words that follows, choose the one that corresponds to each definition below. abandon keen jealous tact oath vacant hardship gallant data unaccustomed bachelor qualify 1. a promise that something is true 2. sharp; eager; intense 3. to desert; to leave without planning to come back 4. something that is hard to bear 5. to become fit 6. wanting what someone else has 7. brave; showing respect for women 8. a man who has not married 9. facts; information 1 0. the ability to say the right thing 11. empty; not filled 12. not used to something Answer key, p. 196 Spotlight On abandon-This is an interesting word with a French background; in that language it meant "to put under another's control," hence, "to give up." In Lesson 19 you will find the new word ban, and may discover how it is related to abandon. A good dictionary will also show you the connection with other words such as bandit and contraband. LESSON "Alice had not the slightest idea what Latitude was, or longitude either, but she thought they were nice grand words to say." -Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland 1. corpse (k6rps) a dead body, usually of a person a. When given all the data* on the corpse, the professor was able to solve the murder. b. The corpse was laid to rest in the vacant* coffin. Words to Learn c. An oath* of revenge was sworn over the corpse by his relatives. This Week corpse 2. conceal (kan se 11 hide ) conceal a. Tris could not conceal his love for Gloria. b. Count Dracula concealed the corpse* in his castle. dismal c. The money was so cleverly concealed that we were forced to frigid abandon* our search for it. inhabit numb 3. dismal (diz1 mal) dark and depressing a. When the weather is so dismal, I sometimes stay in bed all day. peril b. I am unaccustomed* to this dismal climate. recline c. As the dismal reports of the election came in, the senator's friends shriek tactfully* made no mention of them. sinister tempt 4. f;··~g; : (frij' id) very cold a. It was a great hardship* for the men to live through the frigid wager winter at Valley Forge. b. The jealous* bachelor* was treated in a frigid manner by his girlfriend. c. Inside the butcher's freezer the temperature was frigid. 5. inhat'f~ (in hab1 it) live in a. Eskimos inhabit the frigid* part of Alaska. b. Because Sidney qualified,* he was allowed to inhabit the vacant* apartment. c. Many crimes are committed each year against those who inhabit the slum area of our city. 6. numb ( num) without the power of feeling; deadened a. My fingers quickly became numb in the frigid* room. b. A numb feeling came over Mr. Massey as he read the telegram. c. When the nurse stuck a pin in my numb leg, I felt nothing. 7. peril (per1 al) danger a. The hunter was abandoned* by the natives when he described the peril that lay ahead of them. b. There is great peril in trying to climb the mountain. c. Our library is filled with stories of perilous adventures. 8. recline ( ri kiln 1 lie down; stretch out; lean back ) a. Richard likes to recline in front of the television set. b. After reclining on her right arm for an hour, Maxine found that it had become numb.* c. My dog's greatest pleasure is to recline by the warm fireplace. 9. shnek (shrek) scream a. The maid shrieked when she discovered the corpse.* b. With a loud shriek, Ronald fled from the room. c. Facing the peril* of the waterfall, the boatman let out a terrible shriek. LESSON 2 5 10. sinister (sin 1 is tdr) evil; wicked; dishonest; frightening a. The sinister plot to cheat the widow was uncovered by the police. b. When the bank guard spied the sinister-looking customer, he drew his gun. c. I was frightened by the sinister shadow at the bottom of the stairs. 11. tempt (tempt) try to get someone to do something; test; invite a. A banana split can tempt me to break my diet. b. The sight of beautiful Louise tempted the bachelor* to change his mind about marriage. c. Your offer of a job tempts me greatly. 12. wager (wa 1 jdr) bet a. I lost a small wager on the Super Bowl. b. After winning the wager, Tex treated everyone to free drinks. c. It is legal to make a wager in the state of Nevada. Words in lJse Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it. Terror in the Cemetery I like to bet on anything that is exciting, so when midnight, I heard a wild shriek. I thought I saw my friends tried to tempt me with an offer, I took the grave open and a corpse rise out of it! it. The idea was for me to spend a frigid December Although I was somewhat numb with fear, I tried night in a cemetery, all alone, in order to win twen to keep my senses. Using good judgment, I knew ty dollars. Little did I realize that they would use that no peril could come to me from that sinister dirty tricks to try to frighten me into abandoning figure. When I did not run in terror, my friends, the cemetery, therefore losing my wager. who had decided to conceal themselves behind My plan was to recline in front of a large grave, the nearby tombstones, came out and we all had covered by a warm blanket, with a flashlight to a good laugh. Those spirits that may inhabit a help me cut through the dismal darkness. After cemetery must have had a good laugh, too. Fill in the Blanks Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below. -1. The chances of my winning the election were so ____ that I decided to quit before the votes were counted. 2. I won the that my bachelor* friend would be married by June. 3. Kit Carson's keen* eyesight protected him from the in the forest. 4. While escaping from the bank, the robbers forced the teller to on the floor of their car. 5. Since the shack was vacant,* we did not expect to hear the terrible ____ which came from it. 6. With a smile, the gangster invited Martha into his Cadillac. 7. You cannot the truth when you are questioned by the keen* lawyer. 8. It is said that many ghosts the old Butler house. 9. In weather I always wear three or four sweaters. 10. After standing guard duty for four hours, I became completely ____ 11. As the closet was opened, the fell out, frightening the janitor out of one year's growth. 12. With the promise of a raise in pay, my boss tried to ____ me to stay on in the job. Answer key, p. 196