LESSON 36 ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS

 

ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL WORDS LESSON 36

 

1 Prompt (prɑːmpt) quick; on time; done at once; to cause (someone) to do something; remind (someone) of the words or actions needed. a Be prompt in assembling* your baggage.* b Terry’s caution* prompted him to ask many questions before he consented.* c Larry was confident* he knew his lines well enough not to need any prompting. 2 hasty (ˈheɪsti) quick; hurried; not well thought out a A hasty glance* convinced him that he was being followed. b Rather than make a hasty decision, Mr. Torres rejected* the offer. c Myra apologized* for the hasty visit. 3 scorch (skɔːrtʃ) burn slightly; dry up; criticize sharply a The hot iron scorched the tablecloth. b Farmers reported that their wheat was being scorched by the fierce* rays of the sun c Mr. Regan gave the class a scorching lecture* on proper behavior in the cafeteria.     Words in Use Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it. A Helping Hand Youth workers Bill Nash and Jim Boyle are house-hunters, not so much for a house as for a concerned family willing to house and feed troubled youngsters temporarily. They try to give prompt attention to those who cannot or will not live at home. For some, leaving home may have been the result of a hasty decision, based on a scorching remark and the subsequent* tempest within the family. The cooling-off period away from the family is a time to soothe feelings. With sympathetic outsiders, youngsters have a chance to redeem themselves. The hope, of course, is that they will learn to relate* to adults again and quickly resume a normal life of harmony with their own families. Some people refrain from offering their homes, expressing vague* fears of the harmful effects on their own children. But this has not been the case, even when the problem of the “visitor” was the illegal use of narcotics. One parent remarked, “With us it worked the other way. The horror of drugs became real to my own son. We got a lot more than we gave.”   Fill in the Blanks Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below. 1 I insist* on a ________ answer to my question. 2 Harriet’s anger was subsequently* ________ by the apology.* 3 The minister said those who are not ________ from sin will perish.* 4 Joseph could not ________ from embracing* his long-lost brother. 5 My cat and dog, though traditionally* enemies, have lived in perfect ________ for years. 6 Because he liked to be prompt,* Sal ate only a ________ meal. 7 The farmers were grateful* that the ________ had not destroyed their harvest.* 8 Jenny picked up the hot iron just as it was about to ________ my shirt. 9 The couple seemed so ________ that the breakup baffled* us. 10 Chris Pollaro ________ his former position with the. company 11 It is ________ to own firearms without a license. 12 It is impossible* to estimate* the harm caused by the illegal* use of ________.   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 ____________________________________________________________________   Picture It Which of the words studied in this lesson is suggested by the picture?   Spotlight On narcotics—The age of a word can often give us a clue as to the age of the substance it describes. It seems that narcotics are indeed ageless. The word itself has been traced back to an ancient language called Indo-European, but we are certain it was used in the Golden Age of Greece. In those times, as now, narcotics were used to reduce pain.

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