LESSON 20 ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS

 

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS LESSON 20

 

1 emerge (əˈmərj) come out; come up; come into view a When the fight was over, the underdog* emerged the winner. b You have to be nimble* to emerge from the narrow opening in five seconds. c What emerged from the bottle was a blend* of fruit juices. 2 jagged (jag' id) with sharp points sticking out; unevenly cut or torn a Being reckless,* Rudy didn’t watch out for the jagged steel. b It’s an enormous* job to smooth the jagged edge of a fence. c Leslie’s hair was so jagged it was scarcely* possible to tell that it had just been cut. 3 linger (ling’ ɡər) stay on; go slowly as if unwilling to leave a The odor didn’t vanish,* but lingered on for weeks. b Some traditions* linger on long after they have lost their meanings. c After the campus* closed for the summer, some students lingered on, reluctant* to go home.     Words in Use Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it. A Home Where the Buffalo Roam Even today in South Dakota a cowboy emerges from behind a jagged rock where he has lingered in ambush waiting for the crafty buffalo to appear. Although not wild—they are raised on vast* ranches—the gallant,* defiant bison need to be hunted with the same vigor cowboys showed a century* ago. For a while, Americans thought the buffalo would perish from the earth; fortunately* the buffalo is far from being such a fragile animal. Now more or less captive, the buffalo, an estimated* 10,000, are raised for profit by ranchers who prosper from the sale of buffalo meat. When did you devour your last morsel* of tasty buffalo meat?     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 If we do not do something about pollution,* we may ________ from this earth. 2 The ________ edge of that sheet of metal is very dangerous. 3 We were held ________ by the sinister* enemy for ten days. 4 The bank teller’s ________ plan to steal a million dollars didn’t succeed. 5 I like to ________ on until everyone else has left the theater. 6 My parents taught me not to be ________ of authority. 7 Did the ________ of the Lebanese soldiers fail? 8 Business persons can ________ if they are honest with their customers. 9 A new star has just ________ from the rock music world. 10 I can ________ a steak in two minutes when I am hungry. 11 With a surprising show of ________, the old woman swam up and down the pool six times! 12 A lack* of calcium in Tyrone’s diet caused his bones to be quite ________ .   Antonyms (Opposites) Circle the word that most nearly expresses the opposite meaning of the word printed in orange type. 1 emerge 5 devour 9 vigor a go back a charge a lack of strength b involve b figure out b lack of funds c disturb c nourish* c lack of ability d ruin d leave d lack of understanding e amuse e perish e lack of tradition* Spotlight On ambush—What kind of hiding place would best protect a person who wanted to ambush an enemy? The clue is in the word itself. Of course, the bushes or woods provided the greatest safety for the attacker. The bushes are better hidden in the word ambuscade, but the meaning is the same. Now you have gained two words in one stroke.

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