Unit 9

Words in Action
Exercise A > > > Match Column I with Column II (Synonyms) and Column III (Opposites).
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
1 alluring 5 harmful; noxious 6 cool; collected
2 deteriorate 9 digressive; deviating 8 tidy; neat
3 cheeky 3 despicable; loathsome 1 repellent; repugnant
4 fetid 1 attractive; tempting 4 aromatic; fragrant
5 detrimental 8 slipshod; slatternly 10 steadfast; stable
6 rattled 10 fickle; capricious 5 beneficial; salutary
7 abhorrent 4 stinking; offensive 3 affable; civil
8 slovenly 7 insolent; rude; blunt 7 lovable; amiable
9 discursive 2 impair; degenerate 9 coherent; connected
10 whimsical 6 confused; embarrassed 2 improve; ameliorate

Exercise B > > > Fill in the blanks with the correct word, A, B, C or D.
1 His behavior is horrible; even his family ___________ him.
A. adore B. abhor C. admire D. allure
2 I can't bear ___________ in a child. Her cheek will not go unpunished.
A. decency B. obedience C. respect D. audacity
3 Firemen must be ___________ in the face of danger.
A. alluring B. bald C. darling D. daring
4 A ___________ breath is often an indication of dental cavities.
A. fragrant B. aromatic C. defensive D. fetid
5 He studied ___________; hence he passed his test hands down.
A. relatively B. slovenly C. diligently D. lazily
6 It's not enough to swelter in this ___________ weather; we've got smog to boot.
A. chilly B. sultry C. discursive D. pensive
7 Never be ___________ and ask a woman how old she is.
A. affable B. false C. acute D. indiscreet
8 Her condition seems to be ___________. We'll have to take her to intensive care.
 A. ameliorating B. deteriorating C. amputating D. imitating
9 The girl playfully ran away, but before she disappeared round the corner, she turned and gave US a
___________ smile.
A. valuable B. musical C. despicable D. whimsical
10 The lawyer's aggressive questioning seemed to ___________ the witness on the stand.
A. rattle B. battle C. stable D. ladle 

Vocabulary Development
Task One>>> Rewrite the following sentences to express the same meaning by replacing the word in
bold with an ADJECTIVE derived from it. Make whatever other changes are
necessary.
Example: Peter behaves like a child.
Answer: Peter behaves in a childish way.
1 With eyes filled with tears, she begged him to forgive her.
.
2 In all likelihood, he will come.
He will likely come.
3 He shows no respect for his elders.
He is disrespectful with his elders.
4 He feels nothing but contempt for thieves and liars.
He is contemptuous with thieves and liars.
5 They melted the iron and poured it into special molds.
____________________________________________________________________________.
6 They couldn't explain his behaviour.
His behaviour is unexplainable.
7 There is no possibility of his passing the exam.
His passing the exam is not possible.
8 Both machines and people often fail.
____________________________________________________________________________.

Task Two>>> Fill in the blanks with appropriate PREPOSITIONS.

1 'Did the manager promise you a raise?'
'Yes, he committed himself to it some time ago.'
2 'Is he really as incompetent as they say?'
'Yes, it is his incompetence that has prevented him from being promoted.'
3 'Sweden is said to have plenty of raw materials.' 'It abounds with them.'
4 'John's car was badly damaged in the accident.' 'Exactly, he may as well write it down.'
5 'Did you protest about the assistant's rude behavior?'
'Of course, I couldn't pass the matter ___________ without protesting.'
6 'Why does he go for brunettes?' 'They appeal to him, I think.'
7 'Did Pete join the Navy as he said he would?'
'No, he decided ___________ a career in the Army, I think.'
8 'Did he say 'yes' to their demand?'
'To accede to such a demand would establish a dangerous precedent.'

Task Three>>> Underline the correct word in each parenthesis.

1 Missionaries usually try to (convert - pervert) pagans to Christianity.
2 It's my (convention – conviction) that he is a fraud.
3 Mr. Jones is our baseball (coach - couch).
4 Unfortunately, he (reverted - retorted) to drinking again.
5 I don't like people who are (cross - gross) with me.
6 Contagious diseases are not easy to (localise - locate).
7 When I broke the news to her, she began to (wipe - weep).
8 Eskimos used to travel on (ledges - sledges).
9 The bloodthirsty (mop - mob) wanted revenge.
10 The police have (inclusive – conclusive) evidence as to who committed the murder.

Task Four >>> Fill in the blanks with appropriate PREPOSITIONS.

1 'Do you like your new English teacher?' 'Yes, I think I have a crush on him.'
2 'Did you take on the new job, eventually?' 'I did, but it calls for a lot of work.'
3 'Do you think Gary is the sort of man to be entrusted with so much money?'
'Oh yes. He's a man with impeccable honesty.'
4 'He's in complete disagreement with you, isn't he?'
'Yes, it'll be some time before I bring him down to my point of view.'
5 'What about that clever scheme of yours? Did you pull it off?'
'No, it fell through like all the others.'
6 'What a vicious-looking dog the Browns have got!'
'Yes, it came across me all of a sudden when I passed their house the other day.'
7 'It's rumored that he is a billionaire!' 'He's not so rich as people make him ___________ to be.'
8 'Can I sleep on this sofa?' 'It is not meant for sleeping on, you know.'
9 'What time did you get home last night?'
'At three in the morning. The party didn't break out before two.'
10 'I have a complaint to make.'
'The manager is not available at the moment, madam, but I could look over the matter if you like.' 

Vocabulary Practice
A. Read the text below and choose the correct word A, B C or D to fit the gaps.
Slavery was not the only (11) ___________ of life in New Orleans that would have been unfamiliar to
men like Captain Amos Stoddard, a New Englander who became one of the (12) ___________ of the new
lands. Stoddard might have been (13) _________________ by the odd cultural mix that New Orleans
represented, and which it still (14) ________________ in some forms, to this day. After the Spanish ceded
Louisiana to the French, much of the Spanish population in New Orleans departed for Cuba. As they left and
French immigrants came in from Francophone (15) _________________ like San Domingue, New Orleans
took on a Gallic tinge. At the same time, traces of Spanish occupation remained strong, with luxurious
homes in the city built in Spanish style, around courtyards and with stucco walls. As a further (16)
________________ of the territory's past governments, the Louisiana State Legislature met in the former
palace of the Spanish governors, until it burned down in 1827. In what might (17) _________________
readers today as a particularly chilling reminder of the city's previous masters, two pillories stood on
Chartres street. The Spanish authorities had locked prisoners in those stocks and sometimes publicly
humiliated and abused them. Thomas Jefferson, the American President, in purchasing Louisiana and
bringing about the (18) _______________ of control that occurred on December 20, opened a new (19)
_______________ in American history and closed the old one, of which he had been a principal author.
Only a few years before, he had rejected Alexander Hamilton's proposal for a national bank by (20)
_______________ that the Constitution didn't empower the U.S. government to create such an institution.
By 1803 he seems to have changed his feelings about the problem of "implied powers" - or at least been
excited enough about the pos-sible uses of 828,000 square miles of property to set aside any legal qualms.
11 A. aspect B. position C. view D. look
12 A. slave traders B. numbers C. governors D. many
13 A. interested B. frightened C. perplexed D. humoured
14 A. refrains B. retains C. relinquishes D. replaces
15 A. continents B. industries C. colonies D. pasts
16 A. examination B. reference C. plunder D. reminder
17 A. present B. strike C. inspire D. instill
18 A. hand-over B. transaction C. ownership D. transfer
19 A. chapter B. book C. piece D. paragraph
20 A. registering B. arguing C. bickering D. demanding 
B. Fill the gaps in the following sentences with the correct answer A, B C or D.
21 It's my ___________ that he's a fraud.
A. conviction B. choice C. indignation D. mistrust
22 He ___________ hard to make a success of his life.
A. saved B. plunged C. strove D. throve
23 He took no ___________ of what I said.
A. advice B. revenge C. warning D. notice
24 Could you possibly ___________ me at the next committee meeting?
A. stand in for B. make up for C. go back on D. keep in with
25 Tax ___________ deprives the nation or several million dollars a year.
A. retention B. evasion C. invasion D. desertion
26 The minister let it be known that he would sue for ___________. .
A. praise B. diligence C. deface D. defamation
27 Her derisive remark ___________ the crowd.
A. engulfed B. engrossed C. enlivened D. enraged
28 She was so infuriated that she found it difficult to ___________ her temper.
A. contain B. abstain C. retain D. detain
29 The theory he put forward concerning the origin of species was highly ___________.
A. disgraced B. discredited C. debased D. dishonored
30 Hostile rivalry often involves defaming one's ___________.
A. friends B. relatives C. colleagues D. opponents