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Міністерство освіти і науки України
Сумський державний університет
ЛЕКСИЧНІ ТЕСТИ
З АНГЛІЙСЬКОЇ МОВИ
ДЛЯ СТУДЕНТІВ ТА АСПІРАНТІВ
УСІХ СПЕЦІАЛЬНОСТЕЙ
ДЕННОЇ ФОРМИ НАВЧАННЯ
Суми
Вид-во СумДУ
2008
Тести з англійської мови для студентів та аспірантів / Укладач
І.А.Башлак. – Суми: Вид-во СумДУ, 2008. – 87c.
Кафедра іноземних мов
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PREFACE
A strong command of the English language is directly linked
to career advancement and our social success. Every day people
judge us by the words we use. Right or wrong, but they make
assumptions about our intelligence, our education or our capabilities.
Nothing makes a better impression than a solid mastery of the
English language. A person, who can‟t express ideas eloquently, who
hesitates of the uncertainty about the right word may appear less than
fully competent and qualified. It‟s time to be equipped to speak with
confidence at all times. These tests are likely to help you amass and
possess a powerful vocabulary, avoid embarrassing mistakes and
remove obstacles in your path.
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I You must understand the idea of putting similar things
together into groups. So you need to learn CATEGORIES.
1 Which does not belong with the others?
a) September b) March c) Wednesday d) October e) April
2 Which does not belong with the others?
a) apple b) cherry c) peach d) lettuce e) lemon
3 Which does not belong with the others?
a) car b) radio c) train d) airplane e) bus
4 Which does not belong with the others?
a) woman b) mother c) daughter d) aunt e) cousin
5 Which does not belong with the others?
a) adjective b) article c) category d) pronoun e) adverb
6 Which is not a part of speech?
a) conjunction b) noun c) preposition d) verb e) classification
7 Which philosopher is known for classifying animals and words?
a) Socrates b) Pythagoras c) Aristotle d) Diogenes e) Heraclitus
8 Which word means to put into categories?
a) belong b) explain c) classify d) name
9 Which of the following is the name of the category that the other
words belong to?
a) philosophy b) history c) geography d) math e) subject
10 Which is a part of speech?
a) subject b) preposition c) object d) imperative e) clause
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II It is very useful to put close attention to ADVERBS
1 Adverbs are most often used to give more information about
a) subjects b) verbs c) questions d) nouns e) prepositions
2 Which kind of word can an adverb describe?
a) pronoun b) preposition c) adjective d) conjunction e) article
3 Which contains an adverb?
a) full house b) three women c) was dirty d) very funny e
4 Which contains an adverb?
a) rich man b) study hard c) one time d) easy job e) hard life
5 Which contains an adverb?
a) went quickly b) friendly people c) good question
d) fast food e) free time
6 Which does not contain an adverb?
a) very late dinner b) came too early c) early bird
d) woke up early e) came late
7 Which does not contain an adverb?
a) sincerely yours b) drive safely c) ate fast d) too easy
8 Which part of speech is used to describe an adverb?
a) b) pronoun c) adverb d) adjective e) verb
conjunction
9 What is the most common ending for adverbs?
a) -ive b) -ate c) -ly d) -tion
10 How many adverbs are in “I really woke up too early this
morning?”
a) 0 b) 1 c) 2 d) 3 e) 4
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III You must learn to use ADJECTIVES and ADVERBS
correctly
1 He is a very __________ driver.
a) quick b) quicker c) quickly d) quickness
2 She is a __________ worker.
a) hard b) hardly c) hardness d) harden
3 That is a ___________ horse.
a) beauty b) beautiful c) beautician d) beautify
4 He speaks ____________.
a) slow b) slowly c) slowness d) slowed
5 The students are __________ because the material is too easy for
them.
a) bore b) boring c) boredom d) bored
6 Joe is a fast runner, but Tom is ___________ than Joe.
a) fast b) faster c) fastly d) more faster
7 I hope I can find an ___________ banker to deal with.
a) honest b) honestly c) honestness d) honested
8 The ___________ children ran toward the clown.
a) laugh b) laughing c) laughed d) laughter
9 The soccer game was very __________.
a) excite b) exciting c) excited d) excitable
10 Mary is smart, but Susan is ___________ student in the school.
a) the most intelligent b) the intelligentest c) most intelligent
d) more intelligent
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11 The police opened the door ___________.
a) careful b) carefully c) carefulled d) carefulness
12 She is this company‟s most ___________ worker.
a) capable b) capacity c) capability d) capsizing
13 What is your ___________ job here?
a) exactly b) exact c) exactness d) exactitude
14 She sings ____________.
a) angelically b) angel c) angelic d) angelical
15 This weather has been absolutely ____________.
a) wonder b) wonderfully c) wonderful d) wondered
16 Think ____________ before you answer.
a) careful b) care c) carefulness d) carefully
17 He answered the teacher very ____________.
a) polite b) politely c) politeness d) politics
18 He guessed my ___________ weight.
a) exact b) exactly c) exacting d) exacted
19 He answered the question ____________.
a) correctly b) correct c) correctedly d) correctionally
IV PARTICIPLES AS ADJECTIVES
Very often, when there is no regular adjective form for a verb,
the present or past participle of the verb can be used as an adjective.
It is sometimes difficult for foreign students to decide whether to use
the present [verb + ing] or past [verb + ed] or [verb + en] participle
as an adjective.
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The present participle [verb + ing] is used as an adjective
when the noun it modifies performs or is responsible for an action.
The verb is usually intransitive (it doesn‟t take an object) and the
verb form of the sentence is the progressive (continuous) aspect.
The crying baby woke Mr. Binion.
(The baby was crying).
The purring kitten snuggled close to the fireplace.
(The kitten was purring).
The blooming flowers in the meadow created a rainbow of
colors.
(The flowers were blooming).
The past participle is used as an adjective when the noun it
modifies is the receiver of the action. The sentence from which this
adjective comes is generally in the passive aspect.
The sorted mail was delivered to the offices before noon.
(The mail had been sorted).
Frozen food is often easier to prepare than fresh food.
(The food had been frozen).
The imprisoned men were unhappy with their living
conditions.
(The men had been imprisoned).
Other verbs such as interest, bore, excite, and frighten are
even more difficult. The rule is basically the same as that given
above. The [verb + ing] form is used when the noun causes the action
and the [verb + ed] form is used when it receives the action.
Compare the following groups of sentences.
The boring professor put the students to sleep.
The boring lecture put the students to sleep.
The bored students went to sleep during the boring lecture.
The child saw a frightening movie.
The frightened child began to cry.
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Exercise 1 Participles as Adjectives
Choose the correct form of the participles used as adjectives in
the following sentences
1 The (breaking/broken) dishes lay on the floor.
2 The (trembling/trembled) children were given a blanket for
warmth.
3 Compassionate friends tried to console the (crying/cried) children.
4 The (interesting/interested) tennis match caused a great deal of
excitement.
5 When James noticed the (burning/burnt) building, he notified the
fire department immediately.
6 The (exciting/excited) passengers jumped into the lifeboats when
notified that the ship was sinking.
7 The (smiling/smiled) Mona Lisa is on display in the Louvre in
Paris.
8 The wind made such (frightening/frightened) noises that the
children ran to their parents‟ room.
9 The (frightening/frightened) hostages only wanted to be left alone.
10 We saw the (advancing/advanced) army from across town.
11 Mrs. Harris‟s (approving/approved) smile let us know that our
speeches were well done.
12 Our representative presented the (approving/approved) plan to the
public.
13 The (blowing/blown) wind of the hurricane damaged the
waterfront property.
14 We were going to see the movie at the Center Theater, but our
friends told us it was a (boring/bored) movie.
15 Mary‟s (cleaning/cleaned) service comes every Wednesday.
16 The (cleaning/cleaned) shoes were placed in the sun to dry.
17 We could not open the (locking/locked) door without a key.
18 As we entered the (crowding/crowded) room, I noticed my
cousins.
19 Dr. Jameson told my brother to elevate his (aching/ached) foot.
20 The police towed away the (parking/parked) cars because they
were blocking the entrance.
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Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks below with the correct participles
amazed amused
beguiled bewitched
captivated charmed
enchanted
Example: The book critic was enthralled by the novel‟s plot.
1 They were ____________ by the evening light.
2 We were ____________ by the three tenors.
3 The pioneers were _____________ by the fertility of the soil.
4 The children were _____________ by the clown‟s expressions.
5 You were _____________ by the beautiful flowers in the garden.
6 I was _____________ by your glance.
7 He was _____________ by her grace and beauty.
Exercise 3 Fill in the blanks with the correct adjectives
Example: They‟re pleased with their son‟s success.
1 Are you _____________ with the service?
2 The staff is ____________ about the new comfortable
regulations. disappointed
3 We‟re ____________ in your slow progress. discontented
4 They aren‟t ___________ with the new satisfied
director‟s manner. uneasy
5 The shoppers are __________ with these new
high prices.
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Exercise 4 Fill in the blanks with the correct adjectives
Example: Which documents are necessary for the meeting?
1 I want to be ___________ for the board meeting.
2 Was anyone ___________ from the meeting? absent
3 We need someone who is __________ in Russian competent
and Chinese. dedicated
4 Her assistant was ___________ to the project. impressed
5 We are ___________ with your credentials. prepared
Exercise 5 Fill in the blanks with the correct adjectives
Example: I am related to a professional tennis player.
1. The economy is ___________ on oil. connected
2. The information is not ___________ to our study. dependent
3. Are you ____________ to the Internet? independent
4. Those decisions were ___________ of each other. relevant
5. He is ____________ to his work. tied
Exercise 6 Fill in the blanks with the correct adjectives
Example: The shoppers were sick of the long check-out lines.
1 Why is he ___________ of your good luck? angry
2 He is ___________ about the new regulations. disgusted
3 They‟re ___________ of your complaints. envious
4 She‟s ___________ with the traffic delays. mad
5 Shirley is ____________ at her sister. tired
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Exercise 7 Fill in the blanks with the correct adjectives
Example: The twin sisters were close to each other, even as adults.
1 Chris is __________ to his music.
2 The whole staff was ___________ of jelly doughnuts. devoted
3 He is _________ to a sports star; their wedding will engaged
be in May.
fond
4 I was _________ with my brother‟s friend for a long
time. infatuated
5 He is _________ to his childhood sweetheart and has married
three kids.
Exercise 8 Fill in the blanks with the correct adjectives
Example: We were tolerant of other people‟s opinions.
1 My son is __________ with school. bored
2 She was so _________ in her work that she engaged
didn‟t hear us. proud
3 Alice was _________ to living in a dorm. responsible
4 The boy was __________ of his achievement. unaccustomed
5 Each student is __________ for doing part of
the project.
Exercise 9 Fill in the blanks with the correct adjectives
Example: Both girls were endowed with talent.
1 He became quite ___________ at learning languages.
2 The athlete was ___________ with speed. blessed
3 Jacob is ___________ of his abilities. confident
4 Grandpa was ___________ at predicting storms. expert
5 The soccer team was ___________ in young talent talented
until this year. unrivaled
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Exercise 10 Fill in the blanks with the correct adjectives
Example: We were appreciative of the donor‟s generosity.
1 I am __________ to them for their valuable
suggestions. grateful
2 He was ___________ for his rude behavior. sensitive
3 It was ___________ of you to plan his retirement sorry
party.
thankful
4 The counselor was ___________ to her patient‟s
thoughtful
distress.
5 Our family is ____________ for your kindness.
Exercise 11 Fill in the blanks with the correct adjectives
Example: Tomorrow I‟m bound for home.
1 The bus depot is ___________ to the tram station. adjacent
2 Norway is ____________ for its fiords. excited
3 Are we ___________ from our destination? famous
4 Bobby is ___________ about going to Disneyland. far
5 Your clothes are ___________ for that climate. unsuitable
Exercise 12 Fill in the blanks with the correct adjectives
Example: She was not ashamed of her actions.
1 The students were ___________ about the
assignment. They didn‟t know what to do. afraid
2 He is very __________ of Roberta because of her confused
deviousness.
nervous
3 The fan was so ___________ about the game‟s final
suspicious
inning that he was biting his nails.
upset
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4 Scott was ___________ about his parents‟ divorce.
5 She was ___________ of losing her friends.
V You need to learn the different parts of speech
(noun, verb, adjective, adverb), so that you can select
CORRECT WORD FORMS to fill in the blanks.
1 I value your ____________.
a) friendness b) friendly c) friendhood d) friendship
2 A lot of these numbers are ____________.
a) inaccuracy b) inaccurated c) inaccurate d) inaccuracies
3 I think Dr. Garfield is ___________ professional.
a) un- b) im- c) in- d) mis-
4 This part of the country has a high level of ____________.
a) unemploy b) unemploying c) unemploys d) unemployment
5 This magazine is about ____________.
a) entertainer b) entertain c) entertainment d) entertained
6 That was a(n) ___________ act which he committed.
a) legal b) legality c) legalness d) illegal
7 The safe ___________ of troops is that unit‟s priority.
a) deployed b) deployment c) deploy d) deploition
8 I need to buy some additional car_____________.
a) insure b) insuring c) insurance d) insured
9 She has been a 911 radio____________ for over 10 years.
a) dispatcher b) dispatch c) dispatching d) dispatchment
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10 You need to ____________ before you begin an important
mission.
a) planify b) plan c) planet d) planning
11 This movie is for adults only. It is not for ____________.
a) young b) youngsters c) youngs d) youngers
12 I hear you had a car accident. How much are the __________
going to cost?
a) repairs b) repairment c) reparation d) repairing
13 There is a lot of ___________ in New York City.
a) criminality b) crimes c) crime d) criminal
14 He‟s not in the military. He‟s a ____________.
a) civilian b) civil c) civilized d) civilization
15 You are not supposed to make ___________ calls from this
telephone.
a) person b) personality c) personalize d) personal
16 That was the __________ story I have ever heard.
a) saddest b) sadder c) sadness d) sad
17 I can‟t concentrate today. I am ___________ with work.
a) preoccupated b) preoccupation c) preoccupy d) preoccupied
18 During the first week of school, we have to __________ the
students.
a) orient b) orientater c) oriental d) orationalize
19 I think Joe is wrong. I __________ with him.
a) am no agree b) am disagree c) disagree d) no agree
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VI PROBLEM VERBS
The verbs lie/lay, rise/raise, and sit/set cause problems even for
native English speakers. The solution to the problem is to remember
which verbs are transitive (verbs that take a complement) and which
are intransitive (verbs that do not take a complement).
INTRANSITIVE
rise rose risen rising
lie lay lain lying
sit sat sat sitting
TRANSITIVE
raise raised raised raising
lay laid laid laying
set set set setting
RISE
This verb means to get up, move up under one’s own power
(without the help of someone else), increase. Notice that there is no
complement.
The sun rises early in the summer.
When the bell rings, the students rise from their seats.
When oil and water mix, oil rises to the top.
Jim rose early so that he could play golf before the others.
It must be late; the moon has risen.
Prices have risen more than ten percent in a very short time.
RAISE
The verb means to lift or elevate an object; or to increase
something. It must have a complement.
The students raise their hands in class.
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complement
The weightlifter raises the barbells over his head.
complement
The crane raised the car out of the lake.
complement
After studying very hard, John raised his grades
substantially.
complement
Mr. Daniels has raised his tenants’ rent another fifteen
dollars.
complement
The OPEC countries have raised the price of oil.
complement
LIE
This verb means to rest, repose, or to be situated in a place. It
is often used with the preposition down. NOTE: This verb should not
be confused with the verb lie, lied, lied, which means to say
something that is not true.
The university lies in the western section of town.
If the children are tired, they should lie down for a nap.
Maria Elena lay on the beach for three hours yesterday
sunbathing.
The old dog just lay on the grass watching the children at
play.
Don't disturb Mary; she has lain down for a rest.
That old rug had lain in the corner for many years before it
was put in the garage.
LAY
This verb means to put somebody or something on a surface.
Don't lay your clothes on the bed.
complement
The boy lays his books on the table every day.
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complement
The enemy soldiers laid down their weapons and surrendered.
complement
The children laid their toys on the floor when they had
finished using them.
complement
The students had laid their compositions on the teacher‟s
desk before the
complement
bell rang.
The nurse laid the baby in the crib.
complement
SIT
This verb means to take a seat. It is also often used with the
preposition down.
We are going to sit in the fifth row at the opera.
Bullfight fans sit in the shade because it is cool.
Because the weather was nice, we sat on the patio.
After swimming, Bob sat on the beach to dry off.
Nobody has sat through as many boring lectures as Pete has.
They have sat in the same position for two hours.
SET
This verb means to put somebody or something on a surface
or in a place. It is often interchangeable with lay or put except in
certain idiomatic expressions like set the table.
The little girl helps her father set the table every night.
complement
The carpenters set their tools in the box at noon and go to
lunch.
complement
The botanist set her plants in the sun so that they would grow.
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complement
After carrying her son from the car, the mother set him in his
crib.
complement
Don‟t set the chocolate near the oven or it will melt.
complement
No sooner had they set the roast in the oven, than the
electricity went out.
complement
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS WITH SET, LAY AND RAISE
The company had to lay off twenty-five employees because of
a production slowdown.
Dr. Jacobs has set many broken bones in plaster casts.
John set his alarm for six o‟clock.
The chef is hoping that the Jell-O will set quickly.
While playing with matches, the children set fire to the sofa.
That fanner raises chickens for a living.
Exercise 1 Problem Verbs
Circle the correct form of the verb in parentheses and underline
the complement if there is one. Remember that complements do
not begin with prepositions
1 You will see on the map that the Public Auditorium (lies/lays)
north of the lake. 2. My dog loves to (sit/set) in the sun.
3 The delivery boy (lay/laid) the groceries on the table.
4 After the heavy rain, the water in the lake (raised/rose) another two
feet.
5 The paperhangers decided to (raise/rise) the picture a few more
inches.
6 He was exhausted so he decided to (lie/lay) down for a little while.
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7 The workers were (lying/laying) cement for the patio when it began
to rain.
8 The soldier (rose/raised) the flag when he heard the bugle blow.
9 In chemistry class, we learned that hot air (rises/raises).
10 They tried to (set/sit) the explosives carefully on the floor.
VII A big problem will be VOCABULARY
1 I feel depressed today because the weather is bad.
a) sad b) joyous c) healthy d) rich
2 I want you to choose whichever dessert you want.
a) pick off b) pick up c) pick away d) pick out
3 The top of the mountain is covered with snow.
a) base b) foothills c) peak d) side
4 When you are thirsty, you should drink ____________.
a) gasoline b) water c) paint d) ink
5 I live in a very safe ____________.
a) neigh b) neighbour c) neighbourly d) neighbourhood
6 The test will be hard.
a) difficult b) easy c) short d) simple
7 They inspected the engine completely.
a) partially b) sporadically c) thoroughly d) superficially
8 It is risky to drive at night in an ice storm.
a) entertaining b) hazardous c) safe d) fun
9 He was murdered when he was 23 years old.
a) born b) graduated c) married d) killed
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10 The doctors say he will recover and survive the operation.
a) pull over b) pull out c) pull off d) pull through
If you have three answers that all mean the same thing, they
cancel each other out and you are left with what is the correct
answer, even if you don’t know the meaning of it
11 I ate a gargantuan piece of cake at lunch.
a) gigantic b) little c) small d) tiny
12 Steve is stupid.
a) smart b) intelligent c) dumb d) brainy
13 He comes from a poor family.
a) wealthy b) moneyless c) affluent d) rich
14 The test was horrible.
a) awful b) terrible c) hideous d) all of the
above
15 The transformer is inoperative today.
a) good b) malfunctioning c) expensive d) working
16 I need new glasses. I can‟t see the ___________ of that clock.
a) fingers b) arms c) legs d) hands
17 I feel weary today.
a) happy b) exhausted c) angry d) silly
18 Choose the word that means the same as: leader, main
a) match b) fever c) chief d) settle
19 Choose the word that means the same as: want
a) advance b) produce c) honor d) desire
20 Choose the word that means the same as: student
a) pupil b) industry c) determine d) advantage
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21 Choose the word that means the same as: bother, annoy
a) disturb b) qualify c) influence d) afford
22 Choose the word that means the same as: immediate
a) angle b) instant c) earn d) recent
23 Choose the word that means the same as: choose, designate
a) efficiency b) insult c) refer d) appoint
24 Choose the word that means the same as: turn down, reject
a) refuse b) interference c) audience d) event
25 Choose the word that means the same as: stretch
a) balance b) extend c) jealous d) relate
26 Choose the word that means the same as: ask for
a) basic b) extent c) request d) jewel
27 Choose the word that means the same as: trip
a) behavior b) extreme c) resist d) journey
28 Choose the word that means the same as: need, want
a) bribe b) lack c) responsible d) faint
29 Choose the word that means the same as: stop, avoid
a) prevent b) hire c) deserve d) accuse
30 Choose the word that means the same as: payment, wages
a) manufacture b) fault c) salary d) ceremony
31 Choose the word that means the same as: wait
a) descend b) practical c) hesitate d) witness
32 Choose the word that means the same as: friend
a) companion b) figure c) sort d) mild
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33 Choose the word that means the same as: fight
a) confess b) struggle c) model d) forbid
34 Choose the word that means the same as: think about
a) suspect b) modest c) former d) consider
35 Choose the word that means the same as: scare
a) frighten b) system c) motion d) crop
36 Choose the word that means the same as: robber
a) gain b) curious c) thief d) narrow
37 Choose the word that means the same as: unselfish
a) curse b) generous c) occasion d) threaten
38 Choose the word that means the same as: rule
a) govern b) dare c) operation d) trial
39 Choose the word that means the same as: little by little
a) value b) patient c) declare d) gradual
40 Choose the word that means the same as: stop
a) violent b) pause c) guilt d) decrease
41 Choose the word that means the same as: hurry
a) depend b) haste c) perform d) weapon
42 Choose the word that means the same as: style
a) fashion b) bury c) manage d) reward
43 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: jealousy, wanting
what someone else has
a) misery b) regret c) envy d) neglect e) poverty
44 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: big meal
a) ruin b) temper c) reserve d) basis e) feast
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45 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: strange, different
a) peculiar b) solid c) punctual d) loyal e) cruel
46 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: respect, think
highly of
a) encourage b) praise c) wound d) admire e) damage
47 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: leave out, not
include
a) various b) adopt c) harm d) omit e) reflect
48 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: rarely, not often
a) extensive b) seldom c) fond d) steady e) bitter
49 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: specific, certain
a) efficient b) tough c) sore d) particular e) neat
50 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: bother, disturb
a) approve b) tempt c) profit d) compose e) annoy
51 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: smart, intelligent
a) clever b) proud c) imaginary d) broad e) rude
52 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: ask, question
a) arrest b) strike c) twist d) inquire e) observe
53 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: pail, basket
a) citizen b) greed c) wage d) spirit e) bucket
54 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: hard, solid
a) calm b) firm c) standard d) public e) delicate
55 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: care,
watchfulness
a) justice b) pattern c) stain d) unit e) caution
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56 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: aware, awake
a) dependent b) gentle c) conscious d) signal e) local
57 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: comment,
statement
a) remark b) scene c) treasury d) reputation e) ambition
58 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: allow, enable
a) surround b) rescue c) permit d) evil e) avoid
59 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: fake, copy
a) victory b) curve c) duty d) association e) imitation
60 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: correct, suitable
a) rough b) chimney c) due d) proper e) wicked
61 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: shopkeeper,
businessman
a) account b) soil c) committee d) merchant e) agent
62 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: say, speak
a) express b) fade c) pretend d) tell e) utter
63 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: valuable, worth a
lot
a) vain b) solemn c) moral d) precious e) absolute
64 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: keep, save
a) claim b) scold c) resign d) intend e) preserve
65 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: private, secret
a) confidential b) regard c) humble d) awkward e) shallow
66 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: smell, odor
a) grace b) delight c) nuisance d) scent e) limb
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67 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: big, large, huge
a) slight b) lame c) bare d) immense e) severe
68 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: garbage, trash
a) accord b) rubbish c) critic d) modesty e) weed
69 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: fear, nervousness
a) anxiety b) universe c) mercy d) decay e) shelter
70 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: decoration
a) detail b) ornament c) virtue d) substance e) grease
71 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: unusual, special,
unique
a) hollow b) tender c) extraordinary d) fancy
72 Choose the word similar in meaning to: competitor, enemy
a) commerce b) rival c) worship d) union e) despair
73 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: freedom
a) liberty b) spite c) wreck d) discipline e) faith
74 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: fight,
argue
a) dismiss b) distinguish c) pinch d) quarrel e) burst
75 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: edge,
border
a) widow b) surface c) organ d) joint e) boundary
76 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: important,
necessary
a) artificial b) essential c) spare d) idle e) prompt
26
77 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: fast, quick
a) fierce b) pity c) rapid d) permanent e) pleasant
78 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: prevent, deter
a) retire b) urge c) yield d) boast e) hinder
79 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: small package
a) charm b) remedy c) parcel d) deceit e) pardon
80 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: shake, shiver,
vibrate
a) wander b) tremble c) scatter d) tend e) amuse
81 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: status, position
a) bunch b) conscience c) origin d) rank e) obedience
82 Choose the word most similar in meaning to: question, request
for information
a) debt b) inquiry c) excess d) prejudice e) confidence
Exercise 1 Fill in the blanks below with the correct noun
Example: Children should take care of their pets.
1 One‟s ___________ on parents lasts a long time.
2 What was the ___________ with your brother help
about? influence
3 Please have ___________ with me. dependence
4 Who had the most ____________ on you when patience
you were young?
quarrel
5 Dad wanted ___________ with chores.
Exercise 2 Fill in the blanks below with the correct noun
Example: I have several videos about the Beatles.
27
1 He is giving a ___________ of early romantic
music. show
2 The __________ of the fair disappointed the books
children.
concert
3 We were sad about the __________ of our
cancellation
vacation plans; we had to wait another month.
postponement
4 He collects ___________ about grammar.
5 The ___________ about planets was very
interesting.
Exercise 3 Fill in the blanks below with the correct noun
Example: How is her proficiency in English?
1 The ___________ of the th sound was easy for
him. translation
2 For homework, she recommended ___________ errors
with idioms.
fluency
3 Did she make any ____________ in
pronunciation
pronunciation?
practice
4 We are striving for ____________ in English.
5 The __________ from English into Hebrew was
difficult.
Exercise 4 Fill in the blanks below with the correct noun
Example: The layoff of thirty employees was announced yesterday.
1 They mailed their ____________ for a license.
2 His ___________ for the position came in the
mail today. consideration
3 The ___________ of three more workers is connection
expected.
layoff
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4 We need a __________ with someone in the application
auditor‟s office so we can get our permit. contract
5 After ___________ of our financial status, we
must withdraw our offer.
Exercise 5 Fill in the blanks below with the correct noun
Example: He asked for protection from a bully.
1 Don‟t worry, there is no ___________ of famine in
the area. defense
2 They search for ____________ from gang activity. awareness
3 The __________ of unsafe driving practices comes destruction
through education.
danger
4 The __________ of private property is illegal.
freedom
5 Their __________ against flood damage included
sandbags.
Exercise 6 Fill in the blanks below with the correct noun
Example: They prayed for victory over their enemies.
1 He has not been in ___________ with his former
wife. alliances
2 Her __________ with her classmate resulted in an confidence
argument
contact
3 We have total __________ in them.
betrayal
4 Nations form ___________ with other nations for
disagreement
protection
5 We hated him for his ____________ of our
secret.
Exercise 7 Fill in the blanks below with the correct noun
Example: He began his research on the topic a year ago.
29
1 She wrote a ____________ on Latin American art.
2 We are having an ___________ in math.
instruction
3 Their ____________ of ancient tools was study
remarkable. paper
4 He received _____________ in computer analysis
programming. exam
5 Her ___________ of the infant‟s behavior was
thorough.
Exercise 8 Fill in the blanks below with the correct noun
Example: The cost of electricity is high.
1 Is there a ____________ on cigarettes?
2 The ____________ of success is hard work. production
3 Your _____________ for pencils will be filled tax
immediately. bill
4 When does _____________ of the new software order
begin?
price
5 Who paid the _____________ for the delivery?
Exercise 9 Fill in the blanks below with the correct noun
Example: Who is the head of the department?
1 He noticed a ___________ in the size of the
patient‟s tumor. prescription
2 Has there been any ____________ in her injection
condition? improvement
growth
3 The ___________ of the illness was wrong. diagnosis
4 She used a needle to give me an ___________ of
Novocain.
5 The doctor called in a ____________ for pain
medication.
30
Exercise 10 Fill in the blanks below with the correct noun
Example: They were involved in a competition for best design.
1 His ___________ against the new construction was
unconvincing. difference
2 Who provided the ___________ for expansion? deviation
3 The __________ in chemical engineering will give argument
a lecture today. expert
4 Some __________ from the first measurement was rationale
expected.
5 There was a huge ___________ between the two
conclusions.
Exercise 11 Fill in the blanks below with the correct noun
Example: He has proposed a cut in taxes.
1 No one expected a _________ in interest rates. cause
2 The ________ to the politician‟s credibility could not fall
be undone. rise
3 The ________ of the economic upswing was not advantage
clear.
damage
4 He predicts a sharp _________ in the value of the
dollar.
5 Do you see the __________ of that country's
economic policy?
VIII PROBLEM VOCABULARY AND PREPOSITIONS
This section contains information and exercises on commonly
misused words, confusingly related words, use of prepositions, and
two-word verbs. With each section are example sentences and
31
exercises. The answers to the exercises will be found at the end of
this section.
It should be noted that the material presented here may appear
not only in the reading comprehension section of TOEFL but also in
the grammar section and even in the listening comprehension
section. Prior to July 1995, TOEFL contained a separate vocabulary
section, but that has been eliminated. Vocabulary is tested in the
reading comprehension section in order to provide contextual clues
about the definitions. Therefore, you should take advantage of the
fact that the words appear in context by using the clues contained in
the reading passage to assist in choosing the correct synonym.
Memorizing long lists of words may result in frustration and
is actually not very useful. There is no way to know which of the
words you memorize will appear on TOEFL. Therefore, you should
try to improve your vocabulary as you improve your English in
general. The following suggestions will be useful in helping you
improve your vocabulary.
1 Read well-written books, magazines, and newspapers.
Magazines such as Time and Newsweek, for example, and major
newspapers contain sophisticated vocabulary and grammatical
constructions. Reading such materials is very useful.
2 Look up every word that is unfamiliar to you in the practice
tests in this book and in other reading material. Keep a notebook of
unfamiliar words. After looking up the word, write the word, the
definition, and an original sentence in your notebook and study it
often.
3 Study the problem vocabulary items and two-word verbs
(verbal idioms) in this book.
4 Review your vocabulary word notebook often. Repetition
will help you to remember the meaning of difficult words.
1 COMMONLY MISUSED WORDS
The following words are often misused by native English
speakers as well as nonnative speakers. Sometimes the spellings are
32
so similar that people fail to distinguish between them. Others are
pronounced exactly the same, but they are spelled differently and
have different meanings. Words in the latter category are called
homonyms. Study the words, parts of speech (noun, verb, etc.),
definitions, and sample sentences in this list.
ANGEL (noun) - a spiritual or heavenly being. The
Christmas card portrayed a choir of angels hovering over the
shepherds.
ANGLE (noun) - a figure formed by two lines meeting at a
common point. The carpenters placed the planks at right angles.
CITE (verb) - quote as an example. In her term paper, Janis
had to cite many references.
SITE (noun) - location. The corner of North Main and
Mimosa Streets will be the site of the new shopping center.
SIGHT (a) (noun) - a device used to assist aim (of a gun or
telescope). Through the sight of the rifle, the soldier spotted the
enemy, (b) (noun) - view. Watching the landing of the space capsule
was a pleasant sight, (c) (verb) - see. We sighted a ship in the bay.
COSTUME (noun) - clothing, typical style of dress. We all
decided to wear colonial costumes to the Fourth of July celebration.
CUSTOM (noun) - a practice that is traditionally followed by
a particular group of people. It is a custom in Western Europe for
little boys to wear short pants to school.
DECENT (adjective) - respectable or suitable. When one
appears in court, one must wear decent clothing.
DESCENT (noun) (a) - downward motion. The mountain
climbers found their descent more hazardous than their ascent, (b) -
lineage. Vladimir is of Russian descent.
DESSERT (noun) (desert) - the final course of a meal,
usually something sweet. We had apple pie for dessert last night.
DESERT (noun) (desert) - a hot, dry place. It is difficult to
survive in the desert without water.
DESERT (verb) (desert) - abandon. After deserting his post,
the soldier ran away from the camp.
33
LATER (adverb) - a time in the future or following a
previous action. We went to the movies and later had ice cream at
Dairy Isle.
LATTER (adjective) - last of two things mentioned.
Germany and England both developed dirigibles for use during
World War II, the latter primarily for coastal reconnaissance, (latter
= England).
LOOSE (adjective) - opposite of tight. After dieting, Marcy
found that her clothes had become so loose that she had to buy a new
wardrobe.
LOSE (verb) (a) - to be unable to find something. Mary lost
her glasses last week. (b) - opposite of win. If Harry doesn‟t practice
his tennis more, he may lose the match.
PASSED (verb - past tense of pass) (a) - elapse. Five hours
passed before the jury reached its verdict, (b) - go by or beyond.
While we were sitting in the park, several of our friends passed us.
(c) - succeed. The students are happy that they passed their exams.
PAST (a) (adjective) - a time or event before the present.
This past week has been very hectic for the students returning to the
university, (b) (noun) - time before the present. In the past, he had
been a cook, a teacher, and a historian.
PEACE (noun) - harmony or freedom from war. Peace was
restored to the community after a week of rioting.
PIECE (noun) - part of a whole. Heidi ate a piece of
chocolate cake for dessert.
PRINCIPAL (a) (noun) - director of an elementary or
secondary school. The principal called a faculty meeting, (b)
(adjective) - main or most important. An anthropologist, who had
worked with the indigenous tribes in Australia, was the principal
speaker at Friday‟s luncheon.
PRINCIPLE (noun) - fundamental rule or adherence to such
a rule. Mr. Connors is a man who believes that truthfulness is the
best principle.
QUIET (adjective) - serene, without noise. The night was so
quiet that you could hear the breeze blowing.
34
QUITE (adverb) (a) - completely. Louise is quite capable of
taking over the household chores while her mother is away. (b) -
somewhat or rather. He was quite tired after his first day of classes.
QUIT (verb) - stop. Herman quit smoking on his doctor‟s
advice.
STATIONARY (adjective) - nonmovable, having a fixed
location. The weatherman said that the warm front would be
stationary for several days.
STATIONERY (noun) - special writing paper. Lucille used
only monogrammed stationery for correspondence.
THAN (conjunction) - used in unequal comparisons. Today‟s
weather is better than yesterday‟s.
THEN (adverb) - a time following a previously mentioned
time. First, Julie filled out her schedule; then, she paid her fees.
THEIR (adjective) - plural possessive adjective. Their team
scored the most points during the game.
THERE (adverb) (a) - location away from here. Look over
there between the trees, (b) - used with the verb be to indicate
existence. There is a book on the teacher‟s desk.
THEY’RE (pronoun + verb) - contraction of they + are.
They’re leaving on the noon flight to Zurich.
TO (preposition) - toward, until, as far as. Go to the
blackboard and write out the equation.
TWO (noun or adjective) - number following one. Two
theories have been proposed to explain that incident.
TOO (adverb) (a) - excessively. This morning was too cold
for the children to go swimming, (b) - also. Jane went to the movie,
and we did too.
WEATHER (noun) - atmospheric conditions. Our flight was
delayed because of bad weather.
WHETHER (conjunction) - if, indicates a choice. Because of
the gas shortage, we do not know whether we will go away for our
vacation or stay home.
WHOSE (pronoun) - possessive relative pronoun or
adjective. The person whose name is drawn first will win the grand
prize.
35
WHO’S (relative pronoun + verb) - contraction of who + is
or who + has. Who’s your new biology professor? Scott is the
attorney who’s been reviewing this case.
YOUR (adjective) - possessive of you. We are all happy
about your accepting the position with the company in Baltimore.
YOU’RE (pronoun + verb) - contraction of you + are. You’re
going to enjoy the panorama from the top of the hill.
Exercise 1 Commonly Misused Words
Select the correct word in parentheses to complete the meaning
of the sentence
1 A beautiful (angle/angel) adorned their Christmas tree.
2 I have (your/you‟re) notes here, but I cannot find mine.
3 The rescuers were a welcome (cite/sight/site) for those trapped on
the snow-covered mountain.
4 (Who‟s/Whose) supposed to supply the refreshments for tonight‟s
meeting?
5 It is a (costume/custom) in the United States to eat turkey on
Thanksgiving.
6 (Weather/Whether) we drive or fly depends on the length of our
vacation.
7 Pasquale is of French (decent/descent), but his cousin is English.
8 Dr. Hippie will not be coming (to/two/too) the meeting because he
has (to/two/too) many papers to grade.
9 Although my mother never eats (desert/dessert), I prefer something
sweet.
10 I guess (their/there/they‟re) not interested because we have not
heard from them.
11 Doris and Marge teach kindergarten; the (latter/later) works in
Putnam.
12 Isaac Asimov‟s science books are more easily understood
(than/then) most scientists‟.
13 The fender on Sean‟s bike came (loose/lose) and had to be
tightened.
36
14 Nobody had any (stationary/stationery), so we had to use
notebook paper to write the letter.
15 The hikers had (passed/past) many hours waiting to be rescued.
16 Lisa had to (quiet/quit/quite) eating apples after the orthodontist
put braces on her teeth.
17 After any war, the world desires a lasting (peace/piece).
18 Albert Einstein expressed his (principal/principle) of relativity.
19 Marcia was (quit/quiet/quite) tired after the long walk to class.
20 You must remember to (cite/site/sight) your references when you
write a paper.
2 CONFUSINGLY RELATED WORDS
These are words that cause problems when the speaker is not
able to distinguish between them. They are similar in meaning or
pronunciation but CANNOT be used interchangeably. Learn the
definition of each and its use before employing it in conversation.
ACCEPT (verb) - to take what is given. Professor Perez will
accept the chairmanship of the humanities department.
EXCEPT (preposition) - excluding or omitting a thing or
person. Everyone is going to the convention except Bob, who has to
work.
ACCESS (noun) - availability, way of gaining entrance. The
teachers had no access to the students‟ files, which were locked in
the principal‟s office.
EXCESS (a) (adjective) - abundant, superfluous. We paid a
surcharge on our excess baggage, (b) (noun) - extra amount. The
demand for funds was in excess of the actual need.
ADVICE (noun) - opinion given to someone, counseling. If
you heed the teacher‟s advice, you will do well in your studies.
ADVISE (verb) - act of giving an opinion or counsel. The
Congress advised the president against signing the treaty at that time.
AFFECT (verb) - to produce a change in. The doctors
wanted to see how the medication would affect the patient.
37
EFFECT (a) (noun) - end result or consequence. The
children suffered no ill effects from their long plane ride. (b) (verb) -
to produce as a result. To effect a change in city government we must
all vote on Tuesday.
AGAIN (adverb) - repetition of an action, one more time.
Mike wrote to the publishers again, inquiring about his manuscript.
AGAINST (preposition) (a) - in opposition to someone or
something. The athletic director was against our dancing in the new
gym. (b) - next to, adjacent. The boy standing against the piano is
my cousin Bill.
ALREADY (adverb) - an action that happened at an
indefinite time before the present. Jan‟s plane had already landed
before we got to the airport.
ALL READY (noun + adjective) - prepared to do something.
We are all ready to go boating.
AMONG (preposition) - shows a relationship or selection
involving three or more entities. It was difficult to select a winner
from among so many contestants.
BETWEEN (preposition) - shows a relationship or selection
involving only two entities. Between writing her book and teaching,
Mary Ellen had little time for anything else. NOTE: When between is
followed by two nouns or noun phrases, the two nouns or noun
phrases must be separated by and and never by or.
BESIDE (preposition) - next to. There is a small table beside
the bed.
BESIDES (preposition or adverb) - in addition to, also,
moreover. I have five history books here besides the four that I left at
home.
ASIDE (adverb) - to one side. Harry sets money aside every
payday for his daughter‟s education.
COMPARE (verb) - show similarities. Sue compared her
new school with the last one she had attended.
CONTRAST (verb) - show differences. In her composition,
Marta chose to contrast life in a big city with that of a small town.
38
CONSECUTIVE (adjective) - indicates an uninterrupted
sequence. Today is the tenth consecutive day of this unbearable heat
wave.
SUCCESSIVE (adjective) - indicates a series of separate
events. The United States won gold medals in two successive
Olympic Games.
CONSIDERABLE (adjective) - rather large amount or
degree. Even though Marge had considerable experience in the field,
she was not hired for the job.
CONSIDERATE (adjective) - thoughtful, polite. It was very
considerate of Harry to send his hostess a bouquet of flowers.
CREDIBLE (adjective) - believable. His explanation of the
rescue at sea seemed credible.
CREDITABLE (adjective) - worthy of praise. The fireman‟s
daring rescue of those trapped in the burning building was a
creditable deed.
CREDULOUS (adjective) - gullible. Rita is so credulous that
she will accept any excuse you offer.
DETRACT (verb) - take away or lessen the value of a person
or thing. Molly‟s nervousness detracted from her singing.
DISTRACT (verb) - cause a lack of mental concentration on
what one is doing or the goals one has set. Please don‟t distract your
father while he is balancing the checkbook.
DEVICE (noun) - an invention or plan. This is a clever
device for cleaning fish without getting pinched by the scales.
DEVISE (verb) - invent, create, contrive. The general devised
a plan for attacking the enemy camp at night while the soldiers were
celebrating.
ELICIT (verb) - draw out, evoke. The prosecutor‟s barrage
of questions finally elicited the truth from the witness.
ILLICIT (adjective) - unlawful. The politician‟s illicit
dealings with organized crime caused him to lose his government
position.
EMIGRANT (noun) - one who leaves one‟s own country to
live in another. After World War II, many emigrants left Europe to
go to the United States.
39
IMMIGRANT (noun) - one who comes to a new country to
settle. The United States is a country composed of immigrants.
NOTE: The verbs are emigrate and immigrate. It is possible to be
both an emigrant and an immigrant at the same time as one leaves
one‟s own country (emigrant) and arrives in another country (immi-
grant) to settle.
EXAMPLE (noun) - anything used to prove a point.
Picasso‟s Guernica is an excellent example of expressionism in art.
SAMPLE (noun) - a representative part of a whole. My niece
loves to go to the supermarket because the dairy lady always gives
her a sample of cheese.
FORMERLY (adverb) - previously. He formerly worked as a
professor, but now he is a physicist.
FORMALLY (adverb) (a) - an elegant way of dressing,
usually a tuxedo for men and a long gown for women. At the resort
we were required to dress formally for dinner every night, (b) -
properly, officially. She has formally requested a name change.
HARD (adjective) (a) - difficult. The test was so hard that
nobody passed, (b) - opposite of soft. The stadium seats were hard,
so we rented a cushion, (adverb) (c) - with great effort. They worked
hard on the project.
HARDLY (adverb) - barely, scarcely. He had so much work
to do after the vacation that he hardly knew where to begin.
HELPLESS (adjective) - unable to remedy (an animate thing
is helpless). Because I could not speak their language, I felt helpless
trying to understand the tourists‟ plight.
USELESS (adjective) - worthless, unserviceable. An
umbrella is useless in a hurricane.
HOUSE (noun) and HOME (noun) are many times used
interchangeably, but there exists a difference in meaning, (a) House
refers to the building or structure. The Chapmans are building a new
house in Buckingham Estates, (b) Home refers to the atmosphere or
feeling of domestic tranquility found in a house. Home is where the
heart is.
40
IMAGINARY (adjective) - something not real that exists in
one‟s imagination. Since Ralph has no brothers or sisters, he has
created an imaginary playmate.
IMAGINATIVE (adjective) - showing signs of great
imagination. Star Wars was created by a highly imaginative writer.
IMMORTAL (adjective) - incapable of dying. The immortal
works of Shakespeare are still being read and enjoyed three centuries
after their writing.
IMMORAL (adjective) - against the moral law, bad, evil.
Their immoral behavior in front of the students cost the teachers their
jobs.
IMPLICIT (adjective) - understood, but not specifically
stated. Our supervisor has implicit faith in our ability to finish this
project on time.
EXPLICIT (adjective) - expressed in a clear and precise
manner. The professor gave explicit instructions for carrying out the
research project.
INDUSTRIAL (adjective) - pertaining to industry. Paul had
an industrial accident and was in the hospital for three months.
INDUSTRIOUS (adjective) - diligent, hardworking. Mark
was such an industrious student that he received a four-year
scholarship to the university.
INFLICT (verb) - impose something unwelcome. Because
the prisoners had created a riot and had assaulted several guards, the
warden inflicted severe punishments on all the participants.
AFFLICT (verb) - cause physical or mental pain. During the
Middle Ages, millions of people were afflicted by the plague.
INSPIRATION (noun) - stimulation to learn or discover.
Thomas A. Edison, inventor of the phonograph, said that an idea was
ninety-nine percent perspiration and one percent inspiration.
ASPIRATION (noun) (a) - ambition, desire, goal. Gail‟s
lifelong aspiration has been that of becoming a doctor, (b) -
expulsion of breath. To pronounce certain words, proper aspiration is
necessary.
41
INTELLIGENT (adjective) - possessing a great deal of
mental ability. Dan was so intelligent that he received good grades
without ever having to study.
INTELLIGIBLE (adjective) - clear, easily understood. The
science teacher‟s explanations were so intelligible that students had
no problems doing their assignments.
INTELLECTUAL (a) (noun) - any person who possesses a
great deal of knowledge. Because Fabian is an intellectual, he finds it
difficult to associate with his classmates who are less intelligent. (b)
(adjective) - wise. John was involved in an intellectual conversation
with his old professor.
INTENSE (adjective) - extreme. Last winter‟s intense cold
almost depleted the natural gas supply.
INTENSIVE (adjective) - concentrated. Before going to
Mexico, Phil took an intensive course in Spanish.
LATE (a) (adjective or adverb) - not punctual. Professor
Carmi-chael hates to see his students arrive late. (b) (adjective) - no
longer living. Her late husband was the author of that book.
LATELY (adverb) - recently. I haven‟t seen Burt lately. He
must be extremely busy with his research.
LEARN (verb) - obtain knowledge. The new cashier had to
learn how to operate the computerized cash register.
TEACH (verb) - impart knowledge. The instructor is
teaching us how to program computers.
LEND (verb) and LOAN (verb) - give something for
temporary use with the promise of returning it. (Lend and loan as
verbs may be used interchangeably.) Jill loaned (lent) me her red
dress to wear to the dance.
BORROW (verb) - receive something for temporary use with
the promise of returning it. I borrowed Jill‟s red dress to wear to the
dance.
LIQUEFY (verb) - change to a watery or liquid state. The ice
cream began to liquefy in the intense heat.
LIQUIDATE (verb) - eliminate, get rid of, change to cash.
The foreign agents tried to liquidate the traitor before he passed the
information to his contacts.
42
LONELY (adjective) - depressed feeling as a result of
abandonment or being alone. After her husband‟s death, Debbie was
very lonely and withdrawn.
ALONE (adjective) - physical state of solitude,
unaccompanied. After losing in the Olympic tryouts, Phil asked to be
left alone.
NEAR (preposition or adverb) - used to indicate a place not
too far distant. My biology class meets near the Student Union.
NEARLY (adverb) - almost. We were nearly hit by the
speeding car on the turnpike.
OBSERVATION (noun) - act of paying attention to or being
paid attention. The ancient Egyptians‟ observation of the heavenly
bodies helped them know when to plant and harvest.
OBSERVANCE (noun) - act of following custom or
ceremony. There will be numerous parades and displays of fireworks
in observance of Independence Day.
PERSECUTE (verb) - torture, harass. Throughout history
many people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs.
PROSECUTE (verb) - in legal terms, to bring suit against or
enforce a law through a legal process. Shoplifters will be prosecuted
to the fullest extent of the law.
PRECEDE (verb) - to come before. Weather Service
warnings preceded the hurricane.
PROCEED (verb) - continue an action after a rest period or
interruption. After the fire drill, the teacher proceeded to explain the
experiment to the physics class.
QUANTITY (noun) - used with non-count nouns to indicate
amount, bulk. A large quantity of sand was removed before the
archeologists found the prehistoric animal bones.
NUMBER (noun) - used with count nouns to designate
individual amount. A number of artifacts were found at the
excavation site.
REMEMBER (verb) - to recall or think of again. I do not
remember what time he asked me to call. You don‟t remember me,
do you?
43
REMIND (verb) - to cause (someone) to remember, to bring
into (someone‟s) mind. Please remind me to call Henry at 7 o‟clock
tonight. Henry reminds me of my uncle.
SENSIBLE (adjective) - having good judgment. When it is
raining hard, sensible people stay indoors.
SENSITIVE (adjective) - excitable, touchy, easily affected
by outside influences. Stephen cannot be out in the sun very long
because he has very sensitive skin and bums easily.
SPECIAL (adjective) - that which receives a lot of attention
because of a distinct characteristic. Meyer‟s Department Store will
have a special sale for their charge customers.
ESPECIALLY (adverb) - particularly. Rita is especially
talented in the fine arts. She has a special talent for playing music by
ear.
USE (noun) - act of putting into practice or service,
application. The salesman said that regular use of fertilizer would
ensure a greener, healthier lawn.
USAGE (noun) - way in which something is used. Norm
Crosby‟s usage of English vocabulary in his comedy routine is
hilarious.
Exercise 2 Confusingly Related Words
Select the word in parentheses that completes the meaning in
each sentence
1 Betty‟s insulting remark greatly (effected/affected) Kurt, who is a
very sensitive person.
2 Detroit manufacturers hope to develop an easily attachable
(device/devise) for the carburetor to improve gas mileage.
3.While doing the experiment, we asked the lab technician‟s
(advice/advise).
4. After declaring bankruptcy, the company was forced to (liquefy/
liquidate) its assets.
5 Keith‟s company‟s headquarters were (formerly/formally) located
in Philadelphia.
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6 (Especially/Special) attention must be given to the questions at the
end of each chapter.
7 George was (among/between) those students selected to participate
in the debate.
8 They were (already/all ready) to leave when a telegram arrived.
9 By asking many questions, the instructor tried to (elicit/illicit)
information from the students.
10 You should not say things that might make a highly (sensitive/
sensible) person upset.
11 The United States is a “melting pot,” a land of (emigrants/
immigrants).
12 A large (number/quantity) of whales beached and died last year
because of ear problems.
13 When Louise set the table, she placed the silverware (besides/
beside) the plates.
14 Mark is (sensible/sensitive) enough to swim close to shore.
15 In 1969 the astronauts who landed on the moon collected
(examples/samples) of rocks and soil.
16 Maria has been working very (hardly/hard) on her thesis.
17 The government will (persecute/prosecute) the guilty parties for
polluting the waters.
18 Every time Mariela travels with her children, she carries
(access/excess) baggage.
19 Dante‟s (immoral/immortal) literary masterpieces are read in
universities across the country.
20 An explanation will (precede/proceed) each section of the test.
21 Eric‟s courageous rescue of the drowning child was a (credulous/
creditable) deed.
22 Perry‟s spare flashlight was (helpless/useless) the night of the
storm because the batteries were corroded.
23 The gaudy decorations in the hall (detracted/distracted) from the
beauty of the celebration.
24 Everything (accept/except) our swimwear is packed and ready to
go.
25 “Your essay is very (imaginary/imaginative) and worthy of an „A‟
grade,” said Mrs. Jameson to her student.
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IX PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES!!!
Exercise 1 Choose a word from the box to complete each
prepositional phrase below
Example: Many mail-order companies have put their catalogs on
line.
1 He didn‟t have any cash, so he paid by ___________.
2 I can‟t afford this television at this price. Will it ever
go on __________? cash
3 That store has Christmas ornaments in __________
even during the summer. check
4 My credit card wasn‟t accepted, so I paid for my new credit
shoes in __________.
card
5 Our landlord has asked us to move. Do you know of
any apartments for ___________? free
6 Their house has been for __________ for a long time.
line
They can‟t find any buyers.
7 The company fixed my computer for __________ nothing
because it was under warranty.
rent
8 She has a big debt because she pays for everything by
_________. sale
9 We were able to buy some new software on ________.
stock
10 I did the work for ___________ because I owed him
a favor.
Exercise 2 Choose a word from the box to complete each
prepositional phrase below
Example: His beliefs and his behavior are at odds.
1 Most students in the United States learn foreign
languages when they are in high school. In ________,
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citizens of North Carolina begin their language
training in elementary school.
2 We fell in love because we had a lot in __________. common
3 The two Internet browsers are similar in
many_________. comparison
4 Her first novel was a bestseller; by ___________, contrary
her later books have been disappointing.
5 We have to believe the report: No one has found contrast
data to the __________.
6 Some of you might think these ideas are original. hand
On the ___________, if you look at the writings of odds
Aristotle, you will find the same claims.
7 It‟s a hard decision to make. On the one _________, way
we like convenience. On the other ____________,
ways
we don‟t want to pollute the air.
8 You might want to apply for that job. On the other
___________, you might not want to if you don‟t
like commuting long distances.
9 Children often imitate bad language they hear on the
playground. In the same __________, they often
mimic bad language they hear on television.
10 Democrats and Republicans are usually at ______.
Exercise 3 Circle the preposition that correctly completes the
sentence.
Example: I spoke ___________ them yesterday.
about over to
1 We should unite ___________ the other department.
about for with
2 Our friends rely ___________ us.
about on to
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3 We disagreed ___________ our work benefits.
about for to
4 I have worked ___________ Chen for six years.
about to with
5 She spoke ___________ me yesterday.
about to over
Exercise 4 Fill in the blanks below with the correct verbs
Example: Point at the one you want.
1 I usually ___________ for clothes at the mall.
2 Did you ___________ at any new cars? ask
3 We didn‟t have much time, so I could only ________ glance
at the watches on sale. look
4 If you don‟t know where the store is, why don‟t you search
___________ for directions? shop
5 You can ___________ for your lost mittens in the
lost-and-found box.
Exercise 5 Circle the prepositional phrase that correctly
completes the sentence
Example: The clerk asked ___________.
at my credit card for my credit card
1 She pointed ___________.
at the price for the price
2 We were laughing ___________.
at the funny T-shirt for the funny T-shirt
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3 I practically begged __________, but still no one would assist me.
at help for help
4 The number of books amazed him. He could only stare _________.
at them for them
Exercise 6 Fill in the blanks below with the correct verbs
Example: Should I ask out your friend?
1 Did you ___________ out last night? ask
2 Let‟s ____________ her over. break
3 Do you _____________ like playing tennis? feel
4 When will you ____________ me up? go
5 If you don‟t like him, why don‟t you _________ up? pick
Exercise 7 Choose a word from the box to complete each
prepositional phrase below
Example: They have been in low spirits since their grandfather
became ill.
1 I‟m feeling under the ___________, so I won‟t be in breath
the office today. diet
2 Louise is very thin because she‟s always on a
health
___________.
3 He hasn‟t been in good ____________ for a long medication
time. the mend
4 Why are you in such low____________? pain
5 I was in so much ____________that I couldn‟t sleep. shape
6 In order to get in ____________, he started to
spirits
exercise.
7 I‟m on __________ for a sore throat, but it makes therapy
me dizzy. weather
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8 She had just run three miles, so she was out
of___________.
9 Her daughter has been in ___________ for two
years.
10 I wasn‟t sure I would recover, but I‟m on the
__________ now.
Exercise 8 Fill in the blanks below with the correct verbs
Example: We agree with you.
1 Did you ___________ about the work assignments. argue
2 I‟ll ____________ to you tomorrow. depend
3 He can ___________on the machine at 10:00. side
4 My coworkers ____________on me. talk
5 They‟ll ___________ against management. work
Exercise 9 Circle the particle that correctly completes the
sentence
Example: How long have you been going ________ her?
for with up
1 I‟ll call you ________ on the weekend.
out for up
2 My brother really fell ________ her.
for up like
3 Have they made _________ yet?
with over up
4 Do you feel _________ having ice cream?
like up out
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5 My good friend asked my old roommate ________.
out with up
Exercise 10 Fill in the blanks below with the correct verbs
Example: Did your car break down on the freeway?
1 We don‟t have a lot of money, but we‟ll _________ by.
2 It‟s getting late. We should ____________ in. check
3 I forgot my alarm clock. How will I ___________up? get
4 ___________ up your suitcase. pack
5 I‟ll ___________ back late, so don‟t wait for me. wake
Exercise 11 Circle the particle that correctly completes the
sentence
Example: What time did you wake __________?
down up on
1 The plane is taking _________ right now.
off up on
2 We need to gas __________ the car.
out in up
3 What time did you check __________?
out up on
4 Did the tour tire you __________?
into out on
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5 How long does it take to fuel the bus __________?
into on up
Exercise 12 Fill in the blanks below with the correct verbs
Example: Children grow up fast.
1 When do you think you‟ll ____________ from your son?
2 You __________ after your uncle. get
3 I‟ll ___________ after the children today. hear
4 Do your sons ___________ along? look
5 What profession did your daughter ___________up? take
Exercise 13 Circle the particle that correctly completes the
sentence
Example: My grandparents brought me ________.
from with up
1 Her little boy grew ________ a man.
into for up
2 She handed ________ her stamp collection to her niece.
away up down
3 His great aunt passed ________ last month.
from away up
4 I grew ________ in South Dakota.
like up out
5 We haven‟t heard ________ our aunt for a long time.
from down up
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Exercise 14 Fill in the blanks below with the correct verbs
Example: Did they call off the soccer match?
1 It‟s hot now, but it should ___________ off tonight. cool
2 The rain __________ up, and the sun came out. let
3 It‟s very sunny out, so you should _________ on a sun hat. put
4 Good weather ___________ in. I hope it stays. set
5 It‟s cold out. Go inside and ____________up. warm
Exercise 15 Circle the particle that correctly completes the
sentence
Example: The sky should clear _______ today.
in up on
1 I dried _______ by sitting in the sun.
in off on
2 The sky clouded _______ this afternoon.
on off up
3 I took _______ my gloves, so I could write a note.
off on up
4 They called school _______ because of the snow.
in on off
5 Let‟s cool _______ with a cold glass of lemonade.
off on in
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Exercise 16 Complete the complaints below using the form
“When is it going to ... ?” Choose a verb from the list. Supply the
correct particles.
Example: My flowers need rain.
When is it going to cloud up?
1 It‟s too muddy to go for a walk. clear
______________________________________________ cloud
2 It‟s been raining hard for hours. cool
______________________________________________
dry
3 It has been a cold spring.
let
______________________________________________
warm
4 I‟ll die in this heat.
______________________________________________
5 It has been cloudy since Monday.
____________________________________________
Exercise 17 Fill in the blanks below with the correct verbs
Example: He‟ll cook up something from his country.
1 Are you leaving? I‟ll ____________ you off. get
2 ____________ out your favorite flavor of ice cream for go
dessert. look
3 You should ___________ up his address in the company pick
directory. see
4 I didn‟t __________ to my homework, because I went to
the party.
5 How did the dinner ____________ over?
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Exercise 18 Circle the particle that correctly completes the
sentence
Example: Should I mix _______ some drinks?
away out up
1 Clear that _______. I need some room.
on away in
2 The children ate _______ all the rolls.
over up out
3 Let‟s have guests ________.
to over off
4 Dinner‟s ready, so we should dish it ________.
off up away
5 Have you picked ________ something to wear?
off out up
Exercise 19 Fill in the blanks below with the correct verbs
Example: Someone should open up a bakery in this town.
1 He‟s dependable, so your agreement shouldn‟t ________ buy
through. fall
2 I _________ off my bills. pay
3 The business wasn‟t making money, so they _________ it sell
down.
shut
4 Let‟s _________ up all the stock before the price goes up.
5 They must _________ off the entire inventory.
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Exercise 20 Circle the particle that correctly completes the
sentence
Example: Did you add ________ our profits for the year?
in through up
1 I didn‟t figure _________ a raise for next year‟s budget.
in off down
2 They will lay _________ fifteen employees next week.
off up down
3 My older brother bailed me _________.
through out up
4 I opened _________ the office early yesterday.
down up in
5 Our offer fell _________.
off through down
Exercise 21 Choose a compound noun from the list; then change
it to a verb phrase to complete the sentences below
bailout layoff
payoff selloff
shutdown
Example: The company needed to lay off a thousand workers.
1 Do you think the government should ___________ corporations
that run out of money?
2 GWM Industries wanted to ___________ seventy employees.
3 We are going to ____________ those loans by the end of the year.
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4 The government ordered the plant to ____________ because it was
not safe.
5 They will ___________ the inventory and use the profit to buy new
machinery.
Exercise 22 Fill in the blanks below with the correct verbs
Example: Did you brush up on your algebra?
1 Who should __________ in for the teacher when she is come
absent? fill
2 I ___________ forward to my new job. get
3 You can‟t ___________ out of that commitment. keep
4 She must ___________ up with current thought. look
5 Did you ___________ up with a plan?
Exercise 23 Circle the particle that correctly completes the
sentence
Example: Her work didn‟t come _______ to our standard of
excellence.
up along to
1 I should study _______ on verb conjugation before I take the
language test.
in up with
2 They get _______ with everyone.
about along for
3 The medical student brushed _______ on anatomy before taking
his exam.
in for up
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4 He gets _______ of doing his work by lying.
out for along
5 Can you fill _______ for me tomorrow?
in to over
X One aspect of vocabulary is your knowledge of PREFIXES
1 How many wheels does a tricycle have?
a) one b) two c) three d) four
2 This is unimportant.
a) It is very important b) It is not important
c) It is extremely important d) It is really important
3 The mayor of my hometown is __________ because of some bad
decisions he made last year.
a) impopular b) nonpopular c) inpopular d) unpopular
4 I want you to write your paragraph again. I want you to ______ it.
a) unwrite b) biwrite c) rewrite d) antiwrite
5 Draw half of a circle on your paper. Draw a __________.
a) circle b) hemicircle c) semicircle d) demicircle
6 I‟m allergic to cigarette smoke, so I have to sit in the __________
section of the restaurant.
a) nonsmoking b) unsmoking c) antismoking d) imsmoking
7 This is not a little store. It is a huge ___________.
a) supermarket b) intermarket c) contramarket d) minimarket
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8 A navy vessel designed to function under the water is a ________.
a) boat b) submarine c) aircraft carrier d) ferry
9 A piece of equipment designed to help you see things that are far
away is a ___________.
a) microscope b) stethoscope c) telescope d) horoscope
10 A fast boat that can move quickly across the surface of water is a
__________.
a) monoboat b) hydroplane c) submarine d) maximum
11 I cannot memorize all of the ___________ verbs.
a) unregular b) imregular c) irregular d) ilregular
12 His answers were ____________.
a) incorrect b) uncorrect c) noncorrect d) imcorrect
13 He speaks many languages. He is ___________.
a) monolingual b) bilingual c) nonlingual d) multilingual
14 He is a ___________ person.
a) dishonest b) unhonest c) nonhonest d) mishonest
15 An octagon has ___________ sides.
a) six b) seven c) eight d) nine
16 That scale model is very small. It is a ____________.
a) miniature b) microture c) mesature d) sinecure
17 He wrote his own biography. It is ___________.
a) an autobiography b) a self-biography
c) a unibiography d) an owner-biography
18 All of these questions are closely related to each other. They are
__________.
a) extrarelated b) more related c) interrelated d) quasirelated
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XI We learn hundreds of PHRASAL VERBS
You have to learn as many of them as you can
1 We will have to cancel the picnic.
a) call up b) call in c) call in d) call off
2 We will not put off the soccer game.
a) cancel b) postpone c) publicize d) attend
3 Can you lift that chair by yourself?
a) pick up b) pick out c) pick on d) pick off
4 The meeting will wind up at 09.30.
a) start b) begin c) commence d) end
5 He has trouble explaining his ideas to his students.
a) getting out b) getting c) getting up d) getting in
across
6 Can you make up a good question about German history?
a) create b) answer c) remember d) read
7 I‟m saving a little money each month to buy a new color TV.
a) putting out b) putting off c) putting up d) putting aside
8 He was raised by his grandmother in Florida.
a) done over b) taken out c) brought up d) come to
9 He vomited after drinking too much warm Pepsi.
a) threw out b) threw up c) threw away d)threw in
10 Be careful!
a) Watch over! b) Watch out! c) Watch in! d) Watch through!
11 We had to summon an expert to solve our problem.
a) call in b) call out c) call down d) call back
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12 The bomb exploded in the rear of the bus.
a) blew out b) blew up c) blew off d) blew away
13 Despite the heavy rain, the plane took off after only a short delay.
a) landed b) crashed c) arrived d) departed
14 I want you to hand in your papers now.
a) submit b) correct c) give out d) redo
15 Can you create a good sentence in the passive voice?
a) make out b) make over c) make up d) make through
16 It‟s time to submit your papers to the teacher.
a) hand in b) hand out c) hand over d) hand around
17 The alarm bell sounded during the middle of the ECL.
a) came to b) went off c) did over d) took apart
18 The total bill __________ $323.43.
a) came to b) took over c) picked through d) went out
19 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: wear
(clothing)
a) try on b) fill out c) hand in d) have on e) turn on
20 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: choose,
select
a) pick out b) hand out c) look for d) put on e) pick up
21 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: be quiet
a) get off b) shut off c) shut up d) turn off e) call on
22. Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: telephone
a) hang up b) put away c) clean up d) call up e) grow up
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23 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: awake, rise
a) go over b) find out c) tear up d) throw out e) get up
24 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: review,
check for mistakes
a) take back b) give up c) leave out
d) look over e) run out of
25 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: vomit,
become sick
a) drop by b) put back c) figure out d) turn in e) throw up
26 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: stop doing
something
a) take off b) throw away c) use up d) cut out e) call back
27 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: return
a) bring up b) do over c) give back d) turn in e) run into
28 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: meet (by
accident or chance)
a) run into b) look up c) take back d) blow up e) do over
29 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: mention,
start to talk about
a) bring up b) get back c) look over d) call off e) pass out
30 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: cancel,
decide not to do something
a) throw up b) pass out c) call off
d) get over e) give back
31 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: pay an
informal visit
a) drop in on b) call in c) keep up
d) take out e) keep up with
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32 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: to result, to
become
a) turn out b) drop in on c) put out d) turn up e) keep out
33 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: create,
invent
a) look after b) try out c) make up
d) look out for e) take up
34 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: disappoint
a) blow out b) keep-out c) kick out
d) let down e) turn down
35 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: make
(someone) happy
a) call in b) think over c) put off
d) come across e) cheer up
36 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: escape
a) kick out b) cheer up c) look like
d) get out of e) take up
37 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: resemble,
seem
a) check out b) get out of c) keep up with
d) look like e) take out
38 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: refuse,
reject
a) put out b) turn up c) turn down
d) check out e) look out for
39 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: delay,
postpone
a) blow out b) keep out c) let down d) put off e) turn out
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40 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: consider,
decide
a) come across b) make up c) look after
d) try out e) think over
41 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: to find by
chance or accident
a) run across b) come to c) get in
d) name after e) talk back to
42 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: invite
a) ask out b) get along with c) take over
d) bring about e) take after
43 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: examine,
investigate
a) talk over b) put up with c) check into
d) wait on e) show up
44 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: die
a) drop off b) get through c) drop out
d) pass away e) get on
45 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: discuss
a) look into b) point out c) catch up with
d) get in e) talk over
46 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: resemble, be
like someone else
a) catch up b) get along c) name d) take e) come to
with with after after
47. Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: quit
a) talk back to b) tear down c) drop out
d) get through e) ask out
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48 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: cause, make
happen
a) bring about b) take over c) look into
d) get by e) put up with
49 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: appear,
arrive
a) show up b) check into c) wait on
d) point out e) run across
50 Choose the phrasal verb most similar in meaning to: destroy
a) ask out b) drop off c) tear down
d) pass away e) get on
XII We have thousands of common IDIOMS. You must learn as
many as possible, so you can figure out what they mean in
context
1 Computer #5 is on the blink.
a) It‟s on the desk. b) It‟s on sale. c) It‟s not working.
d) It has been cleaned.
2 A million bucks is just chickenfeed to him.
a) That‟s a lot of money to him. b) That is more money than he
will ever see or earn.
c) That is too much money to d) That amount of money is
pay for anything. insignificant to him.
3 He‟s still a little wet behind the ears.
a) He is still sleepy. b) He just got married.
c) He is starving. d) He doesn‟t have much experience.
4 I‟m broke.
a) I don‟t have any money. b) My body really hurts.
c) I am very happy. d) I am very tired.
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5 Don‟t count your chickens before they hatch.
a Don‟t try to order chicken in the restaurant.
b Don‟t assume you will have something until you actually have it.
c Don‟t tell people you did something if you didn‟t do it.
d Don‟t tell lies to your friends and relatives.
6 Don‟t cry over spilled milk.
a Don‟t worry about things from the past.
b Don‟t argue with the teacher about grammar.
c Don‟t punish your children when they do bad things.
d Don‟t purchase milk from the store if it is bad.
7 That‟s all just water under the bridge.
a) Forget about it. b) You need to revive an old argument.
c) Don‟t go swimming. d) You must finish all previous jobs.
8 The next ECL will be a piece of cake.
a) It will be very difficult. b) It will be very easy.
c) Dessert is more important than d) The ECL is not important to
meat. us.
9 He‟s gotten too big for his britches.
a) He needs some new clothes. b) He should take them to the
tailor.
c) Someone should cut him down to d) We should congratulate him.
size.
10 Mr. Williams has a short fuse today.
a) He doesn‟t have much money. b) He feels very sick.
c) He‟s extremely happy. d) He has a quick temper.
VERBAL IDIOMS
A verbal idiom is a group of words, containing a verb that has
66
a meaning different from the meaning of any individual word within
it. The following list of two- and three-word verbal idioms should be
teamed.
BREAK OFF - end. As a result of the recent, unprovoked
attack, the two countries broke off their diplomatic relations.
BRING UP - raise, initiate. The county commissioner
brought up the heated issue of restricting on-street parking.
CALL ON (a) - ask. The teacher called on James to write the
equation on the blackboard, (b) - visit. The new minister called on
each of the families of his church in order to become better
acquainted with them.
CARE FOR (a) - like. Because Marita doesn‟t care for dark
colors, she buys only brightly colored clothes, (b) - look after. My
neighbors asked me to care for their children after school.
CHECK OUT (a) - borrow books, etc., from a library. I went
to the library and checked out thirty books last night for my research
paper, (b) - investigate. This photocopy machine is not working
properly. Could you check out the problem?
CHECK OUT OF - leave. We were told that we had to
check out of the hotel before one o‟clock, or else we would have to
pay for another day.
CHECK (UP) ON - investigate. The insurance company
decided to check up on his driving record before insuring him.
CLOSE IN ON - draw nearer, approach. In his hallucinatory
state, the addict felt that the walls were closing in on him.
COME ALONG WITH - accompany. June came along with
her supervisor to the budget meeting.
COME DOWN WITH - become ill with. During the
summer, many people come down with intestinal disorders.
COUNT ON - depend on, rely on. Maria was counting on the
grant money to pay her way through graduate school.
DO AWAY WITH - eliminate, get rid of. Because of the
increasing number of problems created after the football games, the
director has decided to do away with all sports activities.
DRAW UP - write, draft (such as plans or contracts). A new
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advertising contract was drawn up after the terms had been decided.
DROP OUT OF - quit, withdraw from. This organization has
done a great deal to prevent young people from dropping out of
school.
FIGURE OUT - solve, decipher, interpret, understand. After
failing to figure out his income tax return, Hal decided to see an
accountant.
FIND OUT - discover. Erin just found out that her ancestors
had come from Scotland, not Ireland.
GET BY - manage to survive. Despite the high cost of living,
we will get by on my salary.
GET THROUGH (a) - finish. Jerry called for an earlier
appointment because he got through with his project sooner than he
had expected, (b) - manage to communicate. It is difficult to get
through to someone who doesn't understand your language.
GET UP (a) - arise. Pete usually gets up early in the morning,
but this morning he overslept, (b) - organize. Paul is trying to get up
a group of square dancers to go to Switzerland.
GIVE UP - stop, cease. Helen gave up working for the
company because she felt that the employees were not treated fairly.
GO ALONG WITH - agree. Mr Robbins always goes along
with anything his employer wants to do.
HOLD ON TO - grasp, maintain. Despite moving to the
Western world, Mariko held on to her Oriental ways.
HOLD UP (a) - rob at gunpoint. The convenience store was
held up last night, (b) - endure or withstand pressure or use. Mrs.
Jones held up very well after her husband‟s death, (c) - stop. Last
night‟s accident held up rush hour traffic for two hours.
KEEP ON - continue. I keep on urging Rita to practice the
violin, but she doesn‟t heed my advice.
LOOK AFTER - care for. After my aunt had died, her
lawyer looked after my uncle‟s financial affairs.
LOOK INTO - investigate. Lynnette is looking into the
possibility of opening a drugstore in Dallas as well as in Fort Worth.
PASS OUT/HAND OUT - distribute. The political candidate
passed out campaign literature to her coworkers.
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PASS OUT - faint. The intense heat in the garden caused
Maria to pass out.
PICK OUT - select, choose. The judges were asked to pick
out the essays that showed the most originality.
POINT OUT - indicate. Being a professional writer, Janos
helped us by pointing out problems in style.
PUT OFF - postpone. Because Brian was a poor
correspondent, he put off answering his letters.
RUN ACROSS - discover. While rummaging through some
old boxes in the attic, I ran across my grandmother‟s wedding dress.
RUN INTO - meet by accident. When Jack was in New
York, he ran into an old friend at the theater.
SEE ABOUT - consider, attend to. My neighbor is going to
see about getting tickets for next Saturday‟s football game.
TAKE OFF - leave the ground to fly. Our flight to Toronto
took off on schedule.
TAKE OVER FOR - substitute for. Marie had a class this
afternoon, so Janet took over for her.
TALK OVER - discuss. The committee is talking over the
plans for the homecoming dance and banquet.
TRY OUT (a) - test. General Mills asked us to try out their
new product, (b) - audition for a play. Marguerite plans to try out for
the lead in the new musical.
TURN IN (a) - submit. The students turned in their term
papers on Monday, (b) - go to bed. After a long hard day, we decided
to turn in early.
WATCH OUT FOR - be cautious or alert. While driving
through that development, we had to watch out for the little children
playing in the street.
Exercise 1 Verbal Idioms. Change the underlined words to
incorporate two- and three-word verbs. Make all necessary tense
changes
Example: The senator raised the question of the treaty negotiations.
The senator brought up the question of the treaty
negotiations.
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1 Louis doesn‟t like peas unless they're mixed in with something
else.
2 Because of the shortage of funds, we will have to eliminate all
extracurricular activities.
3 Many teenagers quit school before graduation and regret it later.
4 Mike and Mary Ellen will be very happy when they finish writing
their book.
5 Marsha was so upset by her fiance‟s disloyalty that she ended their
engagement.
6 The local convenience store was robbed last night and $225 was
taken.
7 Thomas Jefferson was one of the men responsible for writing the
Declaration of Independence.
8 I am trying to interpret this writing, but it is not easy.
9 Continue driving at 55 miles per hour if you want to save gasoline
and prevent accidents.
10 Mrs. Davis asked me to serve as chairman of the entertainment
committee.
11 Pete promised to stop smoking immediately.
12 The police are approaching the robbers‟ hideout.
13 Maria Elena will take care of the neighbors‟ children while they
attend the school meeting.
14 Joey became ill with the measles just before his scout troop went
to camp.
15 Mrs. Lastinger will substitute for the history teacher who is out
of town. 16. The mountain climbers grasped the rope tightly to avoid
falling.
17 We plan to investigate the possibility of spending a week at the
seashore.
18 My mother distributed candy to the children last Halloween.
19 The manager said we had to leave the motel no later than noon.
20 Mike just discovered that his passport had expired three months
previously.
21 When buying apples, remember to select only the firm, red ones.
22 We were counting on a raise in pay, but we‟ll have to manage
without it.
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23 Rita will accompany her sister to the Skating Palace on Saturday
night.
24 The tour guide indicated the historical monuments of the city.
25 I knew I could rely on them to get the job done.
26 The dance had to be postponed because of the bad weather.
27 I accidentally met an old friend in the shopping center last week.
28 The manager said he would consider hiring another secretary to
take care of the backlog of work.
29 Last night Mr. Robbins raised the issue of student parking on city
streets.
30 Henry was so upset at the sight of his injured daughter that he
fainted.
31 Before making a decision on the project, the board of directors
decided to discuss the matter.
32 Procter and Gamble is testing a new product and has sent
everyone a sample.
33 All budget proposals had to be submitted by last Friday.
34 What time did you awaken this morning?
35 Be careful of speeding cars when you cross the street.
MINI-TEST: PROBLEM VOCABULARY AND
PREPOSITIONS
DIRECTIONS
Select the correct word to complete each sentence
1 Scientists are trying to (device/devise) an inexpensive substitute for
gasoline.
2 On Halloween night, most children dress in (costumes/ customs)
and go from house to house asking for treats.
3 Mr. Miller‟s prejudice (of/toward) his neighbors caused him to be
ostracized.
4 (Besides/Beside) geology, Herman is studying math, French, and
literature.
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5 Melanie said that she would arrive (later/latter) than the rest of us.
6 Despite his sore muscle, Paul planned on participating (with/ in)
the Olympic skating.
7 A fear (at/of) closed-in areas is called claustrophobia.
8 After being apprehended, all hijackers are (persecuted/ prosecuted).
9 Mitzi didn‟t (loose/lose) any time in applying for the teaching
position in math.
10 The letters were (already/all ready) for mailing when we realized
that we had written the wrong addresses on the envelopes.
11 This report is (quite/quiet) complete and needs no revision.
12 Professor Baker teaches the same number of hours per week as
Professor Jones, but the (later/latter) always looks more tired.
13 Ms. Davis asked us to help pass (out/up) some free (samples/
examples).
14 Julie‟s skirt will be (to/too) (lose/loose) for her sister to wear.
15 Even though Marion Brando had won an Oscar, he refused to
(except/accept) it at the presentation ceremonies.
DIRECTIONS
In the following sentences, choose the form in parentheses
that means the same as the underlined word or words
16 Louis was depending on the Pittsburgh Steelers to win the
championship, (picking out/counting on).
17 Dr. Clements distributed the materials at the deans‟ conference,
(passed out/brought up).
18 Archeologists continue searching for buried Egyptian treasures,
(keep on/do away with).
19 Four armed men robbed the bank last week and escaped with an
undetermined amount of cash, (held up/pointed out).
20 We had to postpone the meeting because too many people had
the flu, (drop out of/put off).
21 When Karen became ill, her colleagues had to manage without
her, (get along/take off).
22 The department chairman asked his staff to help with the
registration, (called on/counted on).
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23 If we terminate our relations with that country, we‟ll have to find
another supplier of raw materials, (break off/draw up).
24 After arriving at the check-in counter, Dennis discovered that he
was in the wrong airport, (found out/pointed out).
25 Kevin quit the engineering program because he found it too
difficult, (checked out of/dropped out of).
26 The gasoline fumes caused Mike to faint, (pass out/break off).
27 The baseball game had to be postponed because of the inclement
weather, (put off/put on).
28 All bids for the project had to be submitted by November 1,
(turned in/drawn up).
29 Because she is so tall, Sandy doesn‟t like high-heeled shoe, (care
for/pick out).
30 My adviser indicated numerous errors in my proposal and told
me to rewrite it, (figured out/pointed out).
Vocabulary Quiz-Historical Events Vocabulary
1 The murder of someone, usually an important politician, president
or ruler for political reasons is called ___________.
2 The event, which causes a huge loss of life especially due to
burning, is called a __________.
3 If lots of people fight against a government or refuse to follow the
existing authority, it‟s called a ___________.
4 If the above was successful and the government was caused to fall,
it would have been __________.
5 If something or place is found for the first time it is called a
___________.
6 If something is thought-up or created for the first time it is an
__________.
7 The event whereby the heir or heiress to the throne is crowned is
called a ___________.
8 To lose in a battle is to suffer a ___________.
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9 The merciless mass killing of defenseless people is an event known
as a ___________.
10 What two-part word describes events such as typhoons, floods,
droughts and earthquakes?
At an Airport
1 A trip on an airplane is called a ___________.
2 A flight within one country is called a ___________.
3 A flight between different countries is called an __________ flight.
4 The letters and numbers which identify an airplane making a
specific flight are called a ___________.
5 Ordering a seat to be held for you on the day you want to travel is
called making a ___________.
6 A printed piece of paper, which allows you to travel on an airplane,
is a ___________.
7 The first thing to do at the airport is ___________, which means to
register as a passenger for a flight.
8 A document which identifies you as a citizen of a certain country
and which allows you to travel to other countries is called a
___________.
9 A stamp in your passport, which allows you to travel to another
country, is called a ___________.
10 The selection of a specific seat for a trip on an airplane is called
___________.
11 A seat next to the window in an airplane is called a
____________.
12 A seat next to the passage between the rows of seats in an airplane
is called an ____________.
13 The suitcases and bags, which contain your belongings, are called
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__________.
14 A bag, which you carry with you on the airplane, is called a
___________ bag.
15 A small ticket with printed numbers that identify your baggage is
called a baggage ___________.
16 A printed card, which allows you to get on an airplane, is called a
__________.
17 A door, which leads from the airport building into an airplane, is
called a ___________.
18 The area where you pick up your baggage after a flight is called
___________.
Disaster Vocabulary
1 A violent and heavy snowstorm is called a ___________.
2 When crops fail and livestock die through lack of water because of
no rain there is a ___________.
3 The above situation could cause massive starvation through lack of
food. This situation is called a ___________.
4 When the land violently moves or shakes especially around fault
lines it‟s called an ___________.
5 When the above situation causes a huge body of seawater to move
in towards the shore it is known as a ____________.
6 When there is a violent outbreak of lawlessness by people it‟s
called a ___________.
7 A loud noise and sometimes huge force created by something like a
bomb is known as an ___________.
8 A violent wind that twist round and round and causes massive
destruction is called a ___________.
9 A disease that spreads rapidly amongst a lot of people in the same
area is called an ___________.
10 Something that makes the air, rivers, or seas dirty is known as
___________.
75
Money in the United States
1 A piece of round, metal money is called a ____________.
2 A piece of paper money is called a ____________.
3 The one-cent coin is called a _____________.
4 The symbol for “cent” is ____________.
5 There are 100 ___________ in one dollar.
6 The symbol for “dollar” is ___________.
7 “Buck” is a slang word, which means ___________.
8 “Grand” is a slang word, which means ___________.
9 The five-cent coin is called a ___________.
10 The ten-cent coin is called a ___________.
11 The twenty-five cent coin is called a ___________.
12 The fifty-cent coin is called __________ or a __________.
13 The one-dollar coin is called ___________.
14 Whose picture is on the $1 bill?
15 Whose picture is on the $5 bill?
16 Whose picture is on the $10 bill?
17 Whose picture is on the $20 bill?
18 Whose picture is on the $50 bill?
19 Whose picture is on the $100 bill?
76
ANSWERS
I Categories III Adjectives and 3 crying
These are suggested Adverbs 4 interesting
answers. In some 1 a. quick 5 burning
cases, other answers 2 a. hard 6 excited
are possible. 3 b. beautiful 7 smiling
1 Wednesday 4 b. slowly 8 frightening
2 lettuce 5 d. bored 9 frightened
3 radio 6 b. faster 10 advancing
4 woman 7 a. honest 11 approving
5 category 8 b. laughing 12 approved
6 classification 9 b. exciting 13 blowing
7 Aristotle 10 a. the most 14 boring
8 classify intelligent 15 cleaning
9 subject 11 b. carefully 16 cleaned
10 preposition 12 a. capable 17 locked
13 b. exact 18 crowded
II Adverbs 14 a. angelically 19 aching
1 verbs 15 c. wonderful 20 parked
2 adjective 16 d. carefully
Ex. 2
3 very funny 17 b. politely 1 enchanted
4 study hard 18 a. exact 2 captivated
5 went quickly 19 a. correctly
3 amazed
6 early bird
4 amused
7 my supply IV Participles as 5 beguiled
8 adverb Adjectives
6 bewitched
9 –ly Ex. 1
7 charmed
10 3 1 broken
2 trembling
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Ex. 3 Ex. 7 2. famous
1 satisfied 1 devoted 3. far
2 uneasy 2 fond 4. excited
3 disappointed 3 engaged 5. unsuitable
4 comfortable 4 infatuated
5 discontented 5 married Ex. 12
1. confused
Ex. 4 Ex. 8 2. suspicious
1 prepared 1 bored 3. nervous
2 absent 2 engaged 4. upset
3 competent 3 unaccustomed 5. afraid
4 dedicated 4 proud
5 impressed 5 responsible V. Parts of Speech
1 d. friendship
Ex. 5 Ex. 9 2 c. inaccurate
1 dependent 1 talented 3 a. un
2 relevant 2 blessed 4 d. unemployment
3 connected 3 confident 5 c. entertainment
4 independent 4 expert 6 d. illegal
5 tied 5 unrivaled 7 b. deployment
8 c. insurance
Ex. 6 Ex. 10 9 a. dispatcher
1 envious 1 grateful 10 b. plan
2 angry 2 sorry 11 b. youngsters
3 tired 3 thoughtful 12 a. repairs
4 disgusted 4 sensitive 13 c. crime
5 mad 5 thankful 14 a. civilian
Ex. 11 15 d. personal
1 adjacent 16 a. saddest
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17 d. preoccupied 12 c. dumb 41. haste
18 a. orient 13 b. moneyless 42. fashion
19 c. disagree 14 d. all of the above 43 envy
15 b. malfunctioning 44 feast
VI. Problem Verbs 16 d. hands 45 peculiar
Ex. 1 17 b. exhausted 46 praise
1 lies 18 chief 47 omit
2 sit 19 desire 48 seldom
3 laid 20 pupil 49 particular
4 rose 21 disturb 50 annoy
5 raise 22 instant 51 clever
6 lie 23 appoint 52 inquire
7 laying 24 refuse 53 bucket
8. raised 25 extend 54 firm
9. rises 26 request 55 caution
10. set 27 journey 56 conscious
28 lack 57 remark
VII. Vocabulary 29 prevent 58 permit
1. a. sad 30 salary 59 imitation
2. d. pick out 31 hesitate 60 proper
3. c. peak 32 companion 61 merchant
4. b. water 33 struggle 62 express
5 d. neighborhood 34 consider 63 precious
6 a. difficult 35. frighten 64 preserve
7 c. thoroughly 36. thief 65 confidential
8 b. hazardous 37. generous 66 scent
9 d. killed 38. govern 67 immense
10 d. pull through 39. gradual 68 rubbish
11 a. gigantic 40. pause 69 anxiety
79
70 ornament Ex. 3 Ex. 7
71 extraordinary 1 pronunciation 1 paper
72 rival 2 practice 2 exam
73 liberty 3 errors 3 study
74 quarrel 4 fluency 4 instruction
75 boundary 5 translation 5 analysis
76 essential
77 rapid Ex. 4 Ex. 8
78 yield 1 application 1 tax
79 parcel 2 contract 2 price
80 tremble 3 layoff 3 order
81 rank 4 connection 4 production
82 inquiry 5 consideration 5 bill
Ex. 1 Ex. 5 Ex. 9
1 dependence 1 danger 1 growth
2 quarrel 2 freedom 2 improvement
3 patience 3 awareness 3 diagnosis
4 influence 4 destruction 4 injection
5 help 5 defense 5 prescription
Ex. 2 Ex. 6 Ex. 10
1 concert 1 contract 1 argument
2 cancellation 2 disagreement 2 rationale
3 postponement 3 confidence 3 expert
4 books 4 alliances 4 deviation
5 show 5 betrayal 5 difference
80
Ex. 11 18 principle 25 imaginative
1 rise 19 quite
2 damage 20 cite IX Prepositional
3 cause Phrase
4 fall Ex. 2 (Confusingly Ex. 1
5 advantage Related Words) 1 check
1 affected 2 sale
VIII Problem 2 device 3 stock
Vocabulary and 3 advice 4 cash
Prepositions 4 liquidate 5 rent
5 formerly 6 sale
Ex. 1 (Commonly 6 special 7 free
Misused Words) 7 among 8 credit card
1 angel 8 all ready 9 line
2 your 9 elicit 10 nothing
3 sight 10 sensitive
4 who‟s 11 immigrants Ex. 2
5 custom 12 number 1 contrast
6 whether 13 beside 2 common
7 descent 14 sensible 3 ways
8 to, too 15 samples 4 comparison
9 dessert 16 hard 5 contrary
10 they‟re 17 prosecute 6 contrary
11. latter 18 excess 7 hand, hand
12. than 19 immortal 8 hand
13 loose 20 precede 9 way
14 stationery 21 creditable 10 odds
15 passed 22 useless
16 quit 23 detracted
17 peace 24 except
81
Ex. 3 Ex. 7 3 wake
1 with 1 weather 4 Pack
2 on 2 diet 5 get
3 about 3 health
4 with 4 spirits Ex. 11
5 to 5 pain 1 off
6 shape 2 up
Ex. 4 7 medicate 3 out
1 shop 8 breath 4 out
2 look 9 therapy 5 up
3 glance 10 mend
4 ask Ex. 12
5 search Ex. 8 1 hear
1 argue 2 take
Ex. 5 2 talk 3 look
1 at the price 3 work 4 get
2 at the funny T-shirt 4 depend 5 take
3 for help 5 side Ex. 13
4 at them 1 into
Ex. 9 2 down
Ex. 6 1 up 3 away
1 go 2 for 4 up
2 ask 3 up 5 from
3 feel 4 like Ex. 14
4 pick 5 out 1 cool
5 break 2 let
Ex. 10 3 put
1 get 4 set
2 check 5 warm
82
Ex. 15 4 up Ex. 23
1 off 5 out 1 up
2 up 2 along
3 off Ex. 19 3 up
4 off 1 fall 4 out
5 off 2 pay 5 in
3 shut
Ex. 16 4 buy X Prefixes
1 When is it going to 5 sell 1 c. three
dry off? 2 b. It is not
2 When is it going to Ex. 20 important.
let up? 1 in 3 d. unpopular
3 When is it going to 2 off 4 c. rewrite
warm up? 3 out 5 c. semicircle
4 When is it going to 4 up 6 a. nonsmoking
cool off? 5 through 7 a. supermarket
5 When is it going to 8 b. submarine
clear up? 9 c. telescope
Ex. 21
1 bail out 10 b. hydroplane
Ex. 17 2 lay off 11 c. irregular
1 see 12 a. incorrect
3 pay off
2 Pick 13 d. multilingual
4 shutdown
3 look 14 a. dishonest
5 sell off
4 get 15 c. eight
Ex. 22
5 go 16 a. miniature
1 fill
2 look 17 a. an
Ex. 18 autobiography
3 get
1 away 18 c. interrelated
4 keep
2 up 5 come
3 over
83
XI Phrasal Verbs 29 bring up Ex. 1
1 d. call off 30 call off 1 care for
2 b. postpone 31 drop in on 2 do away with
3 a. pick up 32 turn out 3 drop out of
4 d. end 33 make up 4 get through
5 b. getting across 34 let down 5 broke off
6 a. create 35 cheer up 6 held up
7 d. putting aside 36 get out of 7 drawing up
8 c. brought up 37 look like 8 figure out
9 b. threw up 38 turn down 9 keep on
10 b. watch out 39 put off 10 called on
11 a. call in 40 make up 11 give up
12 b. blew up 41 run across 12 closing in on
13 d. departed 42 ask out 13 look after
14 a. submit 43 talk over 14 came down with
15 c. make up 44 pass away 15 fill in
16 a. hand in 45 talk over 16 held on to
17 b. went off 46 take after 17 look into
18 a. came to 47 drop out 18 passed out
19 have on 48 bring about (handed out)
20 pick out 49 show up 19 check out of
21 shut up 50 tear down 20 found out
22 call up 21 pick out
23 get up XII Idioms 22 get by (get
along)
24 look over 1 c. 6 a.
23 come along with
25 throw up 2 d. 7 a.
24 pointed out
26 cut out 3 d. 8 b.
25 count on
27 give back 4 a. 9 d.
26 put off
28 run into 5 b. 10 d.
27 ran into
84
28 see about 19 held up 3 international
29 brought up 20 put off 4 flight number
30 passed out 21 get along 5 reservation
31 talk over 22 called on 6 ticket
32 trying out 23 break off 7 check-in
33 turned in 24 found out 8 passport
34 get up (wake up) 25 dropped out of 9 visa
35 watch out for 26 pass out 10 seat assignment
27. put off 11 window seat
Mini Test: Problem 28 turned in 12 aisle seat
Vocabulary and Pre- 29 care for 13 baggage
positions 30 pointed out 14 carry on
1 devise 15 claim check
2 costumes
Vocabulary Quizzes 16 boarding pass
3 toward Historical Events 17 gate
4 besides 1 assassination 18 baggage claim
5 later 2 holocaust
5 in 3 rebellion Disaster
7 of 4 overthrown 1 blizzard
8 prosecuted 5 discovery 2 drought
9 lose 6 invention 3 famine
10 all ready 7 coronation 4 earthquake
11 quite 8 defeat 5 tidal wave of
12 latter tsunami
9 massacre
13 out, samples 6 riot
10 natural disasters
14 too, loose 7 explosion
15 acc 8 tornado
At an Airport
16 counting on 9 epidemic
1 flight
17 passed out 10 pollution
2 domestic
18 keep on
85
Money in the United
States
1 coin
2 bill
3 penny
4C
5 cents
6$
7 dollar
8 $1000
9 nickel
10 dime
11 quarter
12 half dollar, fifty
cent piece
13 silver dollar
14 George
Washington
15 Abraham Lincoln
16 Alexander
Hamilton
17 Andrew Jackson
18 Ulysses S. Grant
19 Benjamin Franklin
86
Міністерство освіти і науки України
Сумський державний університет
До друку і в світ
дозволяю на підставі
“Єдиних правил”,
п.2.6.14
Заступник першого проректора –
начальник організаційно-методичного
управління В.Б. Юскаєв
ЛЕКСИЧНІ ТЕСТИ
з англійської мови для студентів та аспірантів
усіх спеціальностей денної форми навчання
Усі цитати, цифровий та
фактичний матеріал,
бібліографічні відомості
перевірені, написання одиниць
відповідає стандартам
Укладач І.М. Башлак
Відповідальний за випуск Г.І. Литвиненко
Декан гуманітарного факультету Л.П. Валенкевич
Суми
Вид-во СумДУ
2008
87
Навчальне видання
ЛЕКСИЧНІ ТЕСТИ
з англійської мови для студентів та аспірантів
усіх спеціальностей денної форми навчання
Відповідальний за випуск зав. каф. іноземних мов Г.І. Литвиненко
Редактор Н.О. Кравченко
Комп‟ютерне верстання О.І. Нефедченко
Підп. до друку _____. ______. 2008, поз.
Формат60х84/16. Папір офс. Гарнітура Times New Roman Cyr. Друк офс.
Ум. друк. арк. 2,09. Обл.- вид.арк. 1,09.
Тираж ________ пр. Собівартість вид. ____ грн. ______ к.
Зам. №
Видавництво СумДУ при Сумському державному університеті
40007, Суми, вул. Римського-Корсакова, 2
Свідоцтво про внесення суб‟єкта видавничої справи до Державного
реєстру ДК № 3062 від 17.12.2007 р.
Надруковано у друкарні СумДУ
40007, Суми, вул. Римського-Корсакова, 2.
88
