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forbidden:    not allowed, against the rules or law
Smoking anywhere in this building is forbidden.
In some religions pork is a forbidden food.

fragrant:    having a nice smell
I only buy fragrant flowers that make my apartment smell nice.
This is one of the most fragrant wines I have drunk in a long time.

furious:     extremely angry
She was furious with him for lying to her.
They were furious that their table had been given to someone else.

greedy:    wanting all of it and not willing to share
Eating the whole pie is a greedy thing to do.
Don’t be greedy.  Leave me some of those potato chips.

hearty:    healthy or strong
We had a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, and pancakes.
They gave the soldier a hearty welcome when he arrived back home.

inferior:    not as good, poor in quality
Don’t buy that smart phone.  It’s inferior to the one I have.
Last year they put inferior tires on my car, and now I need new ones.

isolated:    separated from others, alone
The girl felt isolated in her new school.
There was one isolated tree in the middle of the field.

monotonous:    always the same, repeating and boring
His job in the box factory is monotonous.
She doesn’t enjoy the music because she feels it’s monotonous.

noticeable:    easily seen
The scar on his face is more noticeable in the morning.
The stain wasn’t very noticeable, so she didn’t have to change her dress.

outstanding:    better than all the others, excellent
Everyone agrees he’s an outstanding athlete.
The job you did on your last project was outstanding.

peculiar:    unusual and strange
She has a peculiar habit of twisting her hair with her fingers.
I think it’s peculiar that Susan missed our 4:00 meeting.

similar:     generally the same
The boys have a similar attitude toward their studies.
They both had similar experiences when they were young.

superior:    better in quality
That company builds cars that are superior in quality to other cars.
His writing is superior to his classmate’s.

unfamiliar:    not knowing about
We are unfamiliar with the customs of this country.
They found themselves in unfamiliar surroundings.

visual:    about seeing or sight
He will always carry a visual image of her in his mind.
It’s been a long time, and I have no visual memory of her face.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercises.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

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anxious:    greatly worried / wanting very much
Many students are anxious about the final exams.
We’re anxious to know the results of the election.

ambitious:    wanting very much to be successful
Olympic athletes have to be ambitious to win
I know he’ll do well in life because he’s ambitious

awkward:  not able to move very well
He’s not fun to dance with because he’s too awkward.
These golf clubs are awkward to use.  They’re for left-handed people.

capable:    having the ability
My brother is a capable carpenter who can build almost anything.
I swear I didn’t kill her.  I’m not capable of murder.

delicate:    easily damaged, fragile
She can never be a dancer.  She has delicate feet.
He noticed a spider’s delicate web in the corner of the room.

drowsy:    sleepy
This medicine makes me drowsy.
I studied all night and felt drowsy all during the test.

essential:    absolutely necessary
It is essential that you tell him to call me as soon as he arrives.
Banks are essential to the economy.

eternal:    unending, lasting forever
Their love for each other is eternal
The origin of life is an eternal question among scientists.

flexible:    bending or changing easily
Dancers have flexible bodies.
He has a job where he works flexible hours.

leisure:    free from work or other duties
They enjoy many leisure activities together, such as playing poker.
She spends her leisure time reading novels.

punctual:    on time, at the correct time
Your son has been punctual to class everyday this term.
I didn’t have to wait for our meeting.  He was punctual.

solid:    hard, strong, not hollow
This beautiful table is solid oak.
They built the house on solid rock.

violent:    with uncontrolled rough force
The violent storm is expected to hit the coast of Florida on Friday.
Stay away from him when he drinks because he gets violent.

visible:    able to be seen
He has a visible scar on his cheek.
On a clear night many stars are visible.

weird:    strange, very unusual
She has a weird habit of pulling on her left earlobe.
She felt weird when she saw her ex-husband kiss her sister.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

The file you specified does not exist.

adequate:   as much or good as necessary but no more.
His $12 tip was adequate, but certainly not generous.
Her knowledge of cooking is adequate.  She’ll learn more as she gets older.

confident:  feeling sure of yourself, feeling able to do something.
I’m confident that you’ll be able to learn 15 new words every 3 days.
She married a confident man who knew how to take care of her.

evident:   easy to see or understand
It is evident that you know a lot about cars.
They cleaned the house well, so last night’s party wasn’t evident.

hectic:   very busy but a little disorganized
I’ve had a hectic day and I’m really tired.
Shopping on Saturday afternoon was a hectic experience.

indifferent:   not interested, not caring
I’m indifferent about where we go for our next holiday.  You decide.
I’m worried about her.  She seemed indifferent about losing her job.

mediocre:   neither good nor bad, of ordinary quality
I won’t go back to that restaurant.  The food is mediocre and the service is terrible.
Unfortunately, he’s just a mediocre student.

numb:   unable to physically or mentally feel anything
After I took off those tight shoes, my toes were numb.
She felt numb after the death of her husband.

ordinary:   common, average, not special
It’s just an ordinary movie.  Don’t waste your money.
His house looked very ordinary from the outside.

permanent:   lasting forever
He has a permanent scar on his forehead from the skiing accident.
If you burn those photos, it’s permanent, you know.

personal:   private, belonging only to you
He was absent from work for personal reasons.
In my personal opinion, they should never have gotten married.

scented:   nice smelling
Those scented candles fill the room with a wonderful smell.
Most air fresheners are scented.

shallow:   not at all deep
The water here is shallow enough for the children to swim in.
The Arctic ocean is the most shallow of all oceans.

traditional:   the same for many generations
It’s traditional in our family to get married in June.
We’re having a traditional Thanksgiving this year.

unmoved:   not feeling emotion
The policeman seemed unmoved by her sad story.
He tried to hide his emotions because he wanted her to think he was unmoved.

wholesome:   healthy to eat
Many people know that bananas are a wholesome food.
I only eat wholesome cereal for breakfast.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercises.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

The file you specified does not exist.

ancient:      very very old
The pyramids of Egypt are ancient.
There is an ancient city in Peru called Machu Picchu.

athletic:   physically active and strong, good at sports
His son has  strong athletic abilities.
Juanita is more athletic than her brother Carlos.

attractive:   good-looking, beautiful, handsome
She is an attractive woman.
I don’t think he’s attractive at all.

available: easy to get, ready to use
There are no rooms available at this hotel.
How many chairs are available to us tonight?

Your diamond ring is brilliant.
That was a brilliant idea you had.

defective:   badly made, faulty
This smart phone is defective.  I’ll take it back to the store tomorrow.
The coffee maker doesn’t work.  I think it’s defective.

dim:      with very little light
It’s too dim in this room to read.
Dim lights are much more romantic that bright lights.

enraged:    very angry
Paul was enraged when he found out that his girlfriend cheated on him.
The citizens were enraged at their government’s inaction.

fragile:    easily broken
Be careful.  Those crystal glasses are very fragile.
Spider webs are strong and fragile at the same time.

manageable:   able to be done, doable
That problem is a manageable one.
The work I have to do is manageable.

rigid:    unbending, stiff
My father’s rules are very rigid.
As a  doctor, he has a very rigid schedule.

urban:    of the city
I prefer an urban lifestyle rather than a rural one.
Vancouver has good urban transportation.

valuable:    costing a lot of money, very important
This ring that I got from my grandmother is very valuable.
They learned a valuable lesson when they got arrested.

vast:      very large, of very great size
The Pacific Ocean is vast.
He has a vast knowledge of geography.

weary:    physically or mentally tired
After her 14-hour flight, she was weary.
He stayed up all night studying, so he was weary after the test.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

The file you specified does not exist.

brief:     for a short time, quick
They spent a brief time in Greece last summer.
I hope this meeting is brief.  I have things to do.

common:    general, ordinary, widespread
Black hair is more common that blond hair.
Soccer is a common sport all over the world.

current:    present, happening now
Their current address is 2235 Main Street.
This newspaper is not current.  It’s from last week.

endless:    continuous, without an end
At the beginning of July the summer seems endless to students.
The possibilities are endless.

filthy:    very very dirty
Go wash those filthy hands before dinner.
Don’t use that filthy language in my home.

magnificent:    unusually beautiful or big
We can see magnificent mountains from our living room.
His house on the ocean is magnificent.

moist:     a little wet, damp
I am so nervous that my hands are moist.
Wipe up that spill with this moist sponge.

numerous:    many, a lot, a large number
I’ve seen him at the coffee shop numerous times.
In the courtroom, the spectators were numerous.

rapid:    fast, quick
The skytrain is the most rapid transportation in the city.
The patient has a rapid heartbeat, so he’s taking medication.

rural:    of the countryside
They live in a rural area of British Columbia.
Rural life is much slower than life in a city.

slender:    thin, slim
Miranda is a model, so she has to stay slender.
Her feet are very slender.

stingy:    not wanting to share
Don’t be so stingy.  Share that box of candy.
He’s a stingy old man.

sturdy:        well-built, strong, solid
Don’t stand on that chair.  It’s not very sturdy.
This porch is really sturdy.  The builders did a good job.

uneasy:    feeling that something is wrong
I had an uneasy feeling when I saw the envelope.
She felt uneasy when her friend didn’t come.

wounded:    hurt, bleeding
He picked up the wounded bird and took it home.
His father was wounded in the revolution.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercises.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

The file you specified does not exist.

artificial:    made by humans, not natural
This candy has artificial colors and flavors.
After the accident, he got an artificial leg.

circular:    in the shape of a circle
Be careful with that circular saw.  You can lose a finger.
He cleaned the windows using a circular motion.

daily:    happening every day
Do you read the daily newspaper?
I always take my daily vitamins .

enormous:    very large
His feet are enormous.
The Rocky Mountains are an enormous range.

entire:    all, whole
I can’t believe I ate the entire cake.
The entire school welcomed the returning war hero.

fancy:    much better than ordinary
She made a fancy dinner for her in-laws.
I think I’ll wear something fancy on my date.

forgetful:    not able to remember
She’s becoming more and more forgetful.
When I’m very busy, I sometimes become forgetful.

hilarious:    very funny
That was a hilarious speech you gave to the students.
It’s hilarious that you can’t remember your own phone number.

miserable:    very uncomfortable or uneasy
It’s been raining for 3 days.  I don’t like this miserable weather.
Everyone feels miserable when they have a cold.

narrow:    thin, not wide
His truck is too wide for these narrow streets.
Her hair is brown and her nose is narrow.

obedient:    doing what you are told to do
I trained my dog well, and now he’s very obedient.
What an obedient child you have!

plentiful:    lots, much, many
The apples on my tree are plentiful this year.
The fish are plentiful in this lake.

reckless:    careless, unconcerned about results
My friend is a reckless driver, and it scares me.
He is reckless with his money.

stubborn:    not wanting to change your mind
When she gets stubborn, she won’t listen to you.
He wants to have dinner at 6:00, and he’s stubborn about it.

wealthy:    rich, having a lot
There are many wealthy people living in Vancouver.
He has a wealthy knowledge of history.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot