504 Essential Words slide 35, words to learn-excel, feminine, mount….

1. excel; be better than; do better than

a. Because he was so small, Larry could not excel in sports.
b. At least Hannah had the security* of knowing that she excelled in swimming.
c. Clarence Darrow wanted to become a prominent* lawyer, but he felt that he must first excel in the study of history.

2. feminine; of women or girls

a. When my sister wants to look feminine she changes from dungarees into a dress.
b. Aunt Sarah can always be counted on to give the feminine viewpoint.
c. My brother is ashamed to cry at a sad movie because people might think he is behaving in a feminine manner.

3. mount; get up on

a. Congressman Jones mounted the platform to make his speech.
b. The watchman mounted the tower to see if there were any people in the vicinity.*
c. My sister couldn’t mount the horse so they gave her a pony instead.

4. compete; try hard to get something wanted by others; be a rival

a. The former champion was challenged* to compete for the tennis title.
b. The runner was reluctant* to compete in front of his parents for the first time.
c. When the amateur* became a pro he had to compete against better men.

5. dread; look forward to with fear; fear greatly; causing great fear

a. The poor student dreaded going to school each morning.
b. He had a dread feeling about the challenge* he was about to face.
c. I dread going into that deserted house.

6. masculine; of man; male

a. The boy became more masculine as he got older.
b. It is undeniable* that his beard makes him look masculine.
c. The girls liked Jerry because of his masculine ways.

7. menace; threat

a. lrv’s lack* of respect made him a menace to his parents.
b. The torrents* of rain were a menace to the farmer’s crops.
c. Sergeant Foy’s raw language was an obvious* menace to the reputation of the entire police department.

8. tendency; leaning; movement in a certain direction

a. My algebra teacher has a tendency to forget the students’ names.
b. His tendency was to work hard in the morning and then to take it easy in the afternoon.
c. The tendency in all human beings is to try to survive*.

9. underestimate; set too low a value, amount, or rate

a. I admit that I underestimated the power in the bulky* fighter’s frame.
b. Undoubtedly* the boss underestimated his employee’s* ability to work hard.
c. The value of our house was underestimated by at least two thousand dollars.

10. victorious; having won a victory; conquering

a. Playing in New Jersey, the Jets were victorious two years in a row.
b. Terry faced the challenge* with the bad attitude that he could not be victorious.
c. Our girls’ volleyball squad was victorious over a taller team.

11. numerous; very many; several

a. Critics review numerous movies every week.
b. Dr. Fischer had resisted* accepting money from the poor woman on numerous house calls.
c. The debater* used numerous documents* to back up his statements.

12. flexible; easily bent; willing to yield

a. The toy was flexible, and the baby could bend it easily.
b. Remaining flexible, Nick listened to arguments from both sides.
c. A mouse’s flexible body allows it to squeeze through narrow openings.

slide 36, Fill in the Blanks, Creativity Exercise

Fill in the Blanks
Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below.

  1. The massive* tree on the corner was a menace to traffic.
  2. At parties, the shy girl would dread being asked to dance.
  3. My uncle has a tendency to repeat the same story over and over again.
  4. The modest man used to underestimate his own strength.
  5. No person can ever excel in all things he does.
  6. Being flexible is far better than being stubborn.
  7. We went to the beach on numerous occasions last summer.
  8. Playing with dolls is traditionally* a feminine pastime.
  9. Only the brightest students were invited to compete for the prize.
  10. Carole was ten years old before her parents finally let her mount a horse.
  11. The amateur* tennis player completed many matches without being victorious.
  12. When Stuart started growing a mustache, it was obvious* he was becoming more masculine.

Creativity Exercise
Now make up your own sentences, one for each of the new words you have just been taught.

  1. Azerbaijan’s actions are a menace to the security of the region.
  2. It is not good that flabby people overestimate themselves, but it is worse when masculine and victorious and flexible men underestimate themselves.
  3. As the exam day arrived, the students felt a sense of dread, knowing they would soon compete against each other for the top scores.
  4. Every human can excel in his sphere if he/she wants it and ignores obstacles.
  5. I remember that one day in the park my friends and I tried to mount a tree, but one of us fell to the ground.
  6. In the bustling city, her feminine grace stood out among the numerous faces in the crowd.
  7. Each of us has our natural tendencies, which sometimes hinder and sometimes help us.