Verbal Advantage - Level 01 » Word 1 - Word 10

Word List
  • Word 1: Paraphrase [PAR-uh-frayz]
    To restate, put what someone else has expressed into different words.
    →
    The noun a paraphrase is a restatement of a text or passage to give the sense of the original in fuller terms. The verb to paraphrase means to restate something, giving the meaning in another form.
    To quote and to paraphrase are sharply distinguished. To quote is to use or repeat the words of someone else, giving acknowledgment to the source. To paraphrase is to restate in different words what someone else has said or written.
  • Word 2: Ostensible [ah-STEN-si-bul]
    Apparent, appearing or seeming to be true, professed or declared as true without being demonstrated or proved.
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    More difficult synonyms of ostensible include plausible (PLAWzi-bul) and specious (SPEE-shus). Specious, however, has the negative suggestion of using deception to make something false appear true. A specious argument is one that looks good on the surface but is flawed underneath.
    Ostensible is often used in opposition to real or actual. An ostensible motive is not necessarily a real motive; an ostensible advantage is not necessarily an actual advantage. Ostensible means apparent, stated as true but not necessarily proved.
  • Word 3: Digress [di-GRES or dy-GRES]
    To wander, stray from the point, ramble, deviate, go off in another direction.
    →
    Digress comes from the Latin digressus, which comes in turn from the prefix dis-, apart, and gradi, to go, walk, step. Digress means literally to go apart, walk away. From the same Latin source come ingress (IN-gres), the place you walk in, the entrance; and egress (EE-gres), the place you walk out, the exit.
    Digress once was used of a physical wandering or turning aside, but that sense is now archaic (ahr-KAY-ik), which means oldfashioned. Today we do not say, “She turned right and digressed down Main Street.” Instead, digress is used of speaking or writing that departs from the main point or subject at hand and wanders off in another direction: “In a business report or an oral presentation, it’s important to stick to the facts and not digress”; “If she hadn’t digressed so much, her lecture would have been more interesting.”
    The corresponding noun is digression (di-GRESH-un or dyGRESH-un): “The old man’s story was full of humorous digressions.”
  • Word 4: Uncanny [uhn-KAN-ee]
    Eerie, strange, weird, mysterious: “an uncanny experience.”
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    Uncanny may refer to something that is strange in an unnatural or unearthly way, something whose strangeness is unsettling or even frightening.
    Uncanny may also be used to mean beyond what is normal or expected, strange in a remarkable or marvelous way, as “an uncanny resemblance,” or “uncanny ability.”
  • Word 5: Candor [KAN-dur]
    Frankness, openness, sincere expression.
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    Synonyms include straightforwardness, outspokenness, forthrightness, and ingenuousness. Candor is the noun; the adjective is candid, frank, open, sincere.
    The candid person expresses his or her thoughts frankly and openly, with no hesitation. The forthright person speaks directly to the point, plainly and sometimes bluntly, in a no-nonsense manner. The ingenuous (in-JEN-yoo-us) person speaks honestly and sincerely, with no hint of evasiveness or deception.
  • Word 6: Morose [muh-ROHS]
    Gloomy, moody, glum, grumpy, ill-tempered, depressed. “After weeks of futile job-hunting, he became morose.”
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    More difficult synonyms of morose include dolorous (DOH-luhrus), which means mournful, full of sadness; lugubrious (luh-GOObree-us), which means extremely gloomy or dismal; and saturnine (SAT-ur-nyn), which means having a bitter disposition or sour outlook on life.
    Antonyms—words opposite in meaning—include optimistic, jovial (JOH-vee-ul), and sanguine (SANG-gwin), which means having a cheerful, confident outlook on life.
    Sullen (SUHL-in) and morose are close in meaning. When you refuse to speak or associate with people because you’re in a bad mood, you are being sullen. When you are depressed and silent because you are feeling bitter or resentful, you are morose. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, tenth edition, says that morose suggests “bitterness or misanthropy.” Misanthropy (mis-ANthruh-pee) is hatred of humankind, a spiteful or pessimistic attitude about the human race. Moroseness is ill-tempered, bitter gloominess.
  • Word 7: Adept [uh-DEPT]
    Skilled.
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    Synonyms include handy, clever, able, deft, expert, adroit, dexterous (DEK-strus, also DEK-stur-us), and proficient (pruh-FISHint, not proh-).
    Adept comes from the Latin adeptus, an alchemist who has learned how to do the impossible—change base metals into gold. The noun an adept (AD-ept) means a highly skilled person, an expert. The adjective adept means skilled, dexterous, proficient: “He was adept at managing his investments, and they always turned a handsome profit.”
  • Word 8: Saturated [SACH-uh-RAY-tid]
    Soaked, thoroughly wet, full of moisture.
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    Synonyms include drenched, steeped, permeated (PUR-mee-AYtid), impregnated, imbued (im-BYOOD), and sodden (SAHD-’n).
    Sodden may mean heavy with moisture, soggy, or dull, stupefied, expressionless, as from drinking too much liquor. To saturate means to soak or wet thoroughly, either literally, as in “My french fries are saturated with oil,” or figuratively: “The company saturated the media with ads for its new product.” Saturation is the corresponding noun.
  • Word 9: Pragmatic [prag-MAT-ik]
    Practical, having to do with actual practice, concerned with everyday affairs as opposed to theory or speculation.
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    Pragmatic comes from the Latin pragmaticus, which means skilled in business or law. The lawyer is concerned with evidence and proof; the businessperson is concerned with facts and figures. Both have little time for idle speculation or harebrained schemes. Both must be pragmatic, concerned with practical, everyday affairs.
  • Word 10: Congenial [kun-JEE-nee-ul]
    Sympathetic, agreeable, compatible, kindred, harmonious, having the same taste, nature, or temperament.
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    Congenial persons have similar or sympathetic tastes, interests, or personalities. Congenial things agree, go well together.
    Antonyms, or opposites, of congenial are alien, dissident (DIS-uhdint), and incongruous (in-KAHNG-groo-us).
Quiz

Let’s review the ten keywords you’ve just learned. Consider the following questions and decide whether the correct answer is yes or no.

  1. When you paraphrase something, can you change the wording?
    • yes
    • no
  2. Is an ostensible reason always a true reason?
    • yes
    • no
  3. Would someone who speaks with candor be likely to digress?
    • yes
    • no
  4. Would seeing a UFO or finding a million dollars in the street be an uncanny experience?
    • yes
    • no
  5. Can you describe a morose person as congenial?
    • yes
    • no
  6. Does an adept worker do a job well?
    • yes
    • no
  7. Would a pragmatic person be likely to make a business decision based on a hunch?
    • yes
    • no
  8. Can the market ever be saturated with competing products?
    • yes
    • no
Answer Key
  1. Yes. To paraphrase is to put what someone else has expressed into different words.
  2. No. Ostensible means apparent, appearing or seeming to be true but not necessarily true.
  3. No. Someone who speaks with candor, frankness, openness, sincerity, would not be likely to digress, stray from the point, wander away from the subject.
  4. Yes, indeed. Uncanny means beyond what is normal or expected, strange in a remarkable or unsettling way.
  5. No. Morose and congenial suggest opposite moods. A person who is morose, gloomy, bitterly depressed, is not likely to be congenial, sympathetic, willing to agree or get along.
  6. Yes. Adept means skilled, handy, proficient.
  7. No. Pragmatic means practical, based on practice rather than speculation.
  8. Yes, it can. To saturate means to soak thoroughly, drench completely, permeate, either literally or figuratively.
Answer Key
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