LESSON 10 ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS

 

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS LESSON 10

 

1 excel (ek sel') be better than; do better than a Because he was so small, Larry could not excel in sports. b At least Hannah had the security* of knowing that she excelled in swimming. c Clarence Darrow wanted to become a prominent* lawyer, but he felt that he must first excel in the study of history. 2 feminine (fem'ə nin) of women or girls a When my sister wants to look feminine she changes from dungarees into a dress. b Aunt Sarah can always be counted on to give the feminine viewpoint. c My brother is ashamed to cry at a sad movie because people might think he is behaving in a feminine manner. 3 mount (mount) get up on a Congressman Gingrich mounted the platform to make his speech. b The watchman mounted the tower to see if there were any people in the vicinity.* c My sister couldn’t mount the horse so they gave her a pony instead.     Words in Use Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it. Bet on the Blond Can women excel as jockeys in big-time horse racing? Years ago the feminine touch was kept out of racing, but now at tracks all over the country women mount horses and compete with men, many of whom dread the whole idea. Their masculine image, they feel, may be threatened.* Also, some offer the weak argument that females are a menace on the track. But, as we all know, we should resist* the tendency to underestimate the power of women. A few female jockeys have been victorious in numerous races, and this is probably what has put the male jockeys in a rage.* It would be wise if the men were more flexible in their attitudes toward women athletes.     Fill in the Blanks Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below. 1 The massive* tree on the corner was a ________ to traffic. 2 At parties, the shy girl would ________ being asked to dance. 3 My uncle has a ________ to repeat the same story over and over again. 4 The modest man used to ________ his own strength. 5 No person can ever ________ in all things he does. 6 Being ________ is far better than being stubborn. 7 We went to the beach on ________ occasions last summer. 8 Playing with dolls is traditionally* a ________ pastime. 9 Only the brightest students were invited to ________ for the prize. 10 Carole was ten years old before her parents finally let her ________ a horse. 11 The amateur* tennis player completed many matches without being ________ . 12 When Stuart started growing a mustache, it was obvious* he was becoming more ________ .   Creativity Exercise Now make up your own sentences, one for each of the new words you have just been taught. 1 ____________________________________________________________________ 2 ____________________________________________________________________ 3 ____________________________________________________________________ 4 ____________________________________________________________________ 5 ____________________________________________________________________ 6 ____________________________________________________________________ 7 ____________________________________________________________________ 8 ____________________________________________________________________ 9 ____________________________________________________________________ 10 ____________________________________________________________________ 11 ____________________________________________________________________ 12 ____________________________________________________________________   Spotlight On mount—A salesman of worthless goods and phony remedies would often gather a crowd at a fair by juggling or doing some other lively antics. Sometimes he mounted a bench (bank) on which goods were displayed, and in that manner our English word mountebank came to mean quack or fake.   Picture It Which of the words studied in this lesson is suggested by the picture?

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