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IMPROVING VOCABULARY SKILLS

Fourth Edition

Sherrie L. Nist

© 2010 Townsend Press

Unit Two: Chapter 8

• attest • enigma• attribute • exemplify• discern • mobile• dispatch • nocturnal• enhance • orient

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

1 attest

Attest meansA. to declare to be true.B. to wish for.C. to forget easily.

• Anyone who has seen the Golden Gate Bridge in the rose-gold light of sunset can attest to its beauty.

• Witnesses attest to the fact that rainfall makes the ground of Death Valley so slippery that boulders slide across it.

– verb


Attest meansA. to declare to be true.B. to wish for.C. to forget easily.

• Anyone who has seen the Golden Gate Bridge in the rose-gold light of sunset can attest to its beauty.

• Witnesses attest to the fact that rainfall makes the ground of Death Valley so slippery that boulders slide across it.

Seeing such a sight would enable one to declare the truth of the beauty. People who are witnesses would be able to declare the event to be true.

1 attest – verb


2 attribute – noun

Attribute meansA. a tendency.B. a defect.C. a characteristic.

• A three-hundred-page novel written in 1939 has the odd attribute of containing no e, the most common letter in English.

• Some cars have computerized attributes such as windshield wipers that automatically turn on when it rains.


Attribute meansA. a tendency.B. a defect.C. a characteristic.

• A three-hundred-page novel written in 1939 has the odd attribute of containing no e, the most common letter in English.

• Some cars have computerized attributes such as windshield wipers that automatically turn on when it rains.

Not containing a single e is a characteristic of the novel. The second item gives an example of a computerized characteristic of some cars.

2 attribute – noun


3 discern• An experienced jeweler can easily discern whether a diamond is

genuine or fake.• People who are red-green colorblind can discern the colors of

traffic lights by recognizing shades of gray.

– verb

Discern meansA. to see clearly.B. to disregard.C. to change.


• An experienced jeweler can easily discern whether a diamond is genuine or fake.

• People who are red-green colorblind can discern the colors of traffic lights by recognizing shades of gray.

Discern meansA. to see clearly.B. to disregard.C. to change.

If a jeweler is experienced, he or she would be able to see clearly whether a diamond is genuine or fake. If red-green colorblind people can recognize shades of gray, they would be able to see clearly the colors of a traffic light.

3 discern – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

• I wanted to dispatch the letter as quickly as possible, so I took it to the post office instead of dropping it into a mailbox.

• At work Harold is treated like an errand boy. His boss often dispatches him to the deli for sandwiches or donuts.

4 dispatchChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Dispatch meansA. to represent.

B. to send. C. to drive.

– verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

• I wanted to dispatch the letter as quickly as possible, so I took it to the post office instead of dropping it into a mailbox.

• At work Harold is treated like an errand boy. His boss often dispatches him to the deli for sandwiches or donuts.

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Dispatch meansA. to represent.

B. to send. C. to drive. A person would take the letter to the post office in order

to send it as quickly as possible. The boss would send Harold to the deli for sandwiches or donuts.

4 dispatch – verb


Enhance meansA. to make better.B. to recognize. C. to reduce.

5 enhance – verb

• Our gym teacher enhanced her appearance with a more attractive hairstyle.

• The college catalogue stated that the writing course would “enhance all students’ writing skills” by improving their grammar and style.


Enhance meansA. to make better.B. to recognize. C. to reduce.

• Our gym teacher enhanced her appearance with a more attractive hairstyle.

• The college catalogue stated that the writing course would “enhance all students’ writing skills” by improving their grammar and style.

A more attractive hairstyle would make the teacher’s appearance better. In the second item, the word improving suggests that enhance means “to make better.”

5 enhance – verb


Enigma meansA. a comfort.B. a puzzle. C. an error.

• How the thief entered our house was an enigma until we remembered that the cellar door had been left unlocked.

• The “singing sands” of Scotland remained an enigma until scientists learned that footsteps caused the round grains of sand and the surrounding air pockets to make musical vibrations.

6 enigma – noun


Enigma meansA. a comfort.B. a puzzle. C. an error.

• How the thief entered our house was an enigma until we remembered that the cellar door had been left unlocked.

• The “singing sands” of Scotland remained an enigma until scientists learned that footsteps caused the round grains of sand and the surrounding air pockets to make musical vibrations.

How the thief entered the house would be a puzzle—until they remembered the unlocked cellar door. Until scientists came up with an explanation for the “singing sands,” the sands would have been a puzzle.

6 enigma – noun


Exemplify meansA. to illustrate.B. to save. C. to oppose.

• The many IRS employees who give citizens inaccurate information exemplify governmental incompetence.

• Mr. Ramirez, who emphasizes original thinking and freedom of expression, exemplifies the best in teaching.

7 exemplify – verb


Exemplify meansA. to illustrate.B. to save. C. to oppose.

• The many IRS employees who give citizens inaccurate information exemplify governmental incompetence.

• Mr. Ramirez, who emphasizes original thinking and freedom of expression, exemplifies the best in teaching.

Specific government employees who give inaccurate information would illustrate general governmental incompetence. A teacher who emphasizes original thinking and freedom of expression would illustrate the best in teaching.

7 exemplify – verb


Mobile meansA. active.B. expensive. C. moveable.

• My parents own a mobile home, which can be moved from place to place.

• Every morning when I was in the hospital, a volunteer wheeled a mobile library into my room.

8 mobile – adjective

Photo: Amanda Bicknell/FEMA

A mobile home


Mobile meansA. active.B. expensive. C. moveable.

• My parents own a mobile home, which can be moved from place to place.

• Every morning when I was in the hospital, a volunteer wheeled a mobile library into my room.

If the home can be moved from place to place, it must be moveable. If the library was wheeled into the patient’s hospital room, it must have been a moveable library.

8 mobile – adjective

A mobile home being towed to its destination

Photo: Amanda Bicknell/FEMA


Nocturnal meansA. noisy.B. busy. C. of the night.

• I know when my brother has enjoyed one of his nocturnal feasts because I find a stack of dishes in the sink in the morning.

• Since owls are nocturnal, they are rarely seen during the day.

9 nocturnal – adjective

A nocturnal street scene


Nocturnal meansA. noisy.B. busy. C. of the night.

• I know when my brother has enjoyed one of his nocturnal feasts because I find a stack of dishes in the sink in the morning.

• Since owls are nocturnal, they are rarely seen during the day.

If the dishes are in the sink the next morning, the brother must have snacked during the night. If owls are rarely seen during the day, they must be creatures of the night.

9 nocturnal – adjective

A nocturnal street scene


Orient meansA. to locate.B. to welcome. C. to question.

10 orient • When coming up from the subway, I often need to look at a

street sign to orient myself.• Certain cars let drivers orient themselves in unfamiliar places

with the help of an electronic map that shows the car’s location.

– verb


Orient meansA. to locate.B. to welcome. C. to question.

• When coming up from the subway, I often need to look at a street sign to orient myself.

• Certain cars let drivers orient themselves in unfamiliar places with the help of an electronic map that shows the car’s location.

One would look at a street sign in order to locate oneself. In the second item, the word location suggests that orient means “to locate.”

10 orient – verb

SENTENCE CHECK 1

1. Fresh garlic may not __________ the breath, but it certainly improves spaghetti sauce.

2. A witness _______(e)d to the truth of the defendant’s claim that she had loved the murdered man.

Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. attest B. attribute C. discern D. dispatch E.

enhance F. enigma G. exemplify H. mobile I. nocturnal J. orient

SENTENCE CHECK 1

1. Fresh garlic may not __________ the breath, but it certainly improves spaghetti sauce.

2. A witness __________ to the truth of the defendant’s claim that she had loved the murdered man.



The word improves tells you the meaning of enhance.

A witness would testify to the truth of the defendant’s statement.

enhance

attested

3. When I was younger, my mother used to __________ me to the store for milk or some missing cooking ingredient as often as twice a day.

SENTENCE CHECK 1

4. The lives of such reformers as Susan B. Anthony, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King __________ greatness.



5. Science does not have enough evidence to solve the __________ of whether or not there is other intelligent life in the universe.

3. When I was younger, my mother used to __________ me to the store for milk or some missing cooking ingredient as often as twice a day.

SENTENCE CHECK 1

4. The lives of such reformers as Susan B. Anthony, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King __________ greatness.

5. Science does not have enough evidence to solve the __________ of whether or not there is other intelligent life in the universe.



dispatch

exemplify

enigma

The mother would send the child to the store.

The lives of such reformers are examples of greatness.

The question of other intelligent life is a mystery. The word solve is a clue.

6. The convicts decided on a(n) ________ escape. The darkness would hide them as they fled through the forest.

SENTENCE CHECK 1

7. Sue’s hairpiece is so natural-looking that it’s impossible to __________ where the hairpiece ends and her own hair begins.



6. The convicts decided on a __________ escape. The darkness would hide them as they fled through the forest.

SENTENCE CHECK 1

7. Sue’s hairpiece is so natural-looking that it’s impossible to __________ where the hairpiece ends and her own hair begins.



If the darkness would hide them, the escape must have been at night.

If Sue’s hairpiece is natural-looking, it would be impossible to detect where it ends and her own hair begins.

nocturnal

discern

9. My mother is unable to walk, but with her wheelchair she is __________ enough to get around her apartment, move along a sidewalk, and even shop at a mall.

8. The positions of the stars help sailors __________ themselves on the open seas.

SENTENCE CHECK 1Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

A. attest B. attribute C. discern D. dispatch E.enhance F. enigma G. exemplify H. mobile I. nocturnal J. orient

10.Giant kelp, a form of seaweed, has some amazing __________s. Not only is it the world’s fastest-growing vegetable, but the more it is cut, the faster it grows.

9. My mother is unable to walk, but with her wheelchair she is __________ enough to get around her apartment, move along a sidewalk, and even shop at a mall.

10.Giant kelp, a form of seaweed, has some amazing ___________. Not only is it the world’s fastest-growing vegetable, but the more it is cut, the faster it grows.

8. The positions of the stars help sailors __________ themselves on the open seas.

SENTENCE CHECK 1Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

A. attest B. attribute C. discern D. dispatch E.enhance F. enigma G. exemplify H. mobile I. nocturnal J. orient

orient

mobile

attributes

The stars help sailors determine their location on the open seas.

If the mother moves along the sidewalk and shops at a mall, she must be able to move about.

The second sentence lists two amazing qualities of giant kelp.

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