absolute:  100 percent, complete
No teacher has absolute control over her students.
He pushed his body to the absolute limit to win the race.

awesome: excellent, outstanding
That movie was awesome; I think I’ll go see it again.
The view from the top of the mountain was awesome.

desperate:  having an urgent need
She was desperate to find a summer job before school ended.
The fireman gave a desperate attempt to save the life of the child.

firm:  solid, unchanging
He had a firm belief that people would help when asked.
The seller was firm in his asking price.

illegal:  against the law
It’s illegal to smoke in any public building in Canada.
Gambling is illegal in that country.

nutritious:  having good food value, healthy
They always start their day with a nutritious breakfast.
Junk food is not very nutritious.

patriotic:  loyal to your country
The soldier feels a patriotic sense of duty.
They played patriotic music at his funeral.

romantic:  very loving, passionate
They had a romantic dinner by candlelight.
On a summer’s evening you can see many romantic couples walking hand in hand.

sore:  hurting a little
His legs were sore after a long hike in the mountains.
Lemon tea is a good cure for a sore throat.

thrifty:  not wasting money
Both she and her sister are thrifty shoppers.
Since he lost his job, they’ve had to be more thrifty.

tidy:  neat, clean, organized
Everything in her bedroom is tidy, including her closet.
I’m afraid my work space is not very tidy.

widespread:  happening in many places, over a wide area
There is widespread poverty in that part of the world.
Tsunamis can cause widespread destruction.

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