LESSON 6 ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS

 

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS LESSON 6

 

1 postpone (põst põn’) put off to a later time; delay a The young couple wanted to postpone their wedding until they were sure they could handle the burdens* of marriage. b I neglected* to postpone the party because I thought everyone would be able to come. c The supermarket’s owner planned to postpone the grand opening until Saturday. 2 consent (k´n sent') agree; give permission or approval a My teacher consented to let our class leave early. b David would not consent to our plan. c The majority* of our club members consented to raise the dues. 3 massive (mas' iv) big and heavy; large and solid; bulky a The boss asked some employees* to lift the massive box. b From lifting weights, Willie had developed massive arm muscles. c The main building on the campus* was so massive that the new students had trouble finding their way around at first.       Words in Use Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it. The Frozen Future Doctors are always devising* new cures for diseases that kill people. But suppose you are dying from an incurable illness now. If only you could postpone death until a cure was found! Now some people are trying to do just that. One young man consented to having his body frozen and placed in a massive capsule in order to preserve it until doctors find a cure for his disease. Some people have denounced this unique experiment with a torrent of angry words. They resent human attempts to molest the natural order of life and death. There is also a gloomy fear that the world is already overcrowded and that people have to die to make room for those who are about to be born. If the experiment works, unforeseen problems undoubtedly* will arise.     Picture It Which of the words studied in this lesson is suggested by the picture?   Fill in the Blanks Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below. 1 We have tried for over 200 years to ________ the United States Constitution. 2 The ________ weather predictions* upset him. 3 Will Karen ________ to having her baby picture published in the school newspaper? 4 I found a ________ collection of old books in the attic. 5 Dave knew that if he mistreated her, she would ________ it. 6 The president ________ the criminal activities that were going on. 7 Lori feared that if she walked the streets, she would be ________ . 8 Owning a house created ________ difficulties. 9 The new movie invited a ________ of disapproval. 10 A telephone call told us that the employees’* picnic was ________ until next week. 11 The ________ was filled with records of the past. 12 It was a ________ job for just one person to unload the big truck.   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 preserve—Would you expect any connection between this word and family ? Well, there is. In ancient times man was master of his household (familia) and the person who served him was the woman who had been captured and preserved from slaughter in order to work for the conqueror. In the 1500s a servant was called a familiar.

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