words, words...

[tynski]

The editors of the American Heritage dictionaries have
compiled a list of 100 words they recommend every high
school graduate should know.

"The words we suggest," says senior editor Steven
Kleinedler, "are not meant to be exhaustive but are a
benchmark against which graduates and their parents can
measure themselves. If you are able to use these words
correctly, you are likely to have a superior command of
the language."

Test yourself if you feel like it.
The following is the entire list of 100 words:

abjure
abrogate
abstemious
acumen
antebellum
auspicious
belie
bellicose
bowdlerize
chicanery
chromosome
churlish
circumlocution
circumnavigate
deciduous
deleterious
diffident
enervate
enfranchise
epiphany
equinox
euro
evanescent
expurgate
facetious
fatuous
feckless
fiduciary
filibuster
gamete
gauche
gerrymander
hegemony
hemoglobin
homogeneous
hubris
hypotenuse
impeach
incognito
incontrovertible
inculcate
infrastructure
interpolate
irony
jejune
kinetic
kowtow
laissez faire
lexicon
loquacious
lugubrious
metamorphosis
mitosis
moiety
nanotechnology
nihilism
nomenclature
nonsectarian
notarize
obsequious
oligarchy
omnipotent
orthography
oxidize
parabola
paradigm
parameter
pecuniary
photosynthesis
plagiarize
plasma
polymer
precipitous
quasar
quotidian
recapitulate
reciprocal
reparation
respiration
sanguine
soliloquy
subjugate
suffragist
supercilious
tautology
taxonomy
tectonic
tempestuous
thermodynamics
totalitarian
unctuous
usurp
vacuous
vehement
vortex
winnow
wrought
xenophobe
yeoman
ziggurat

[Gość: az]

thanks a lot. very useful list. I should learn it by heart.

[Gość: banal]

very lovely :-)

[kingfish]

tynski napisała:

If you are able to use these words
> correctly, you are likely to have a superior command of
> the language."


hehe So much for feeling good about knowing english:-(






>
> Test yourself if you feel like it.
> The following is the entire list of 100 words:
>
> abjure
> abrogate
> abstemious
> acumen
> antebellum
> auspicious
> belie
> bellicose
> bowdlerize
> chicanery
> chromosome
> churlish
> circumlocution
> circumnavigate
> deciduous
> deleterious
> diffident
> enervate
> enfranchise
> epiphany
> equinox
> euro
> evanescent
> expurgate
> facetious
> fatuous
> feckless
> fiduciary
> filibuster
> gamete
> gauche
> gerrymander
> hegemony
> hemoglobin
> homogeneous
> hubris
> hypotenuse
> impeach
> incognito
> incontrovertible
> inculcate
> infrastructure
> interpolate
> irony
> jejune
> kinetic
> kowtow
> laissez faire
> lexicon
> loquacious
> lugubrious
> metamorphosis
> mitosis
> moiety
> nanotechnology
> nihilism
> nomenclature
> nonsectarian
> notarize
> obsequious
> oligarchy
> omnipotent
> orthography
> oxidize
> parabola
> paradigm
> parameter
> pecuniary
> photosynthesis
> plagiarize
> plasma
> polymer
> precipitous
> quasar
> quotidian
> recapitulate
> reciprocal
> reparation
> respiration
> sanguine
> soliloquy
> subjugate
> suffragist
> supercilious
> tautology
> taxonomy
> tectonic
> tempestuous
> thermodynamics
> totalitarian
> unctuous
> usurp
> vacuous
> vehement
> vortex
> winnow
> wrought
> xenophobe
> yeoman
> ziggurat

[butter_fly]

thanks a million!!! How right was I when I decided once that I knew nothing.

[Gość: awalk]

Bravo tynski!

So now guys how about compiling a list of translations and showing their use. For a start I've done some but I am not happy with some Polish translations, especially the word chicanery.

ABJURE ? wyrzec sie
to say that you will no longer have or use; to give up
He abjured his religion/his life of dissipation.
ABROGATE ? znosic, uniewazniac, anulowac
to end (a law, agreement, custom, etc.) formally
The treaty was abrogated in 1929.
ABSTEMIOUS - wstrzemiezliwy
not eating a lot of food or drinking a lot of alcohol, or not allowing yourself to do things which are enjoyable
an abstemious meal/person
He has led a very abstemious life since he became a Christian.
ACUMEN ? bystrosc, wnikliwosc
skill in making correct decisions and judgments in a particular subject, such as business or politics
She has considerable business/financial acumen.
ANTEBELLUM ? przedwojenny
relating to the time before a war, especially the American Civil War
Many homes and churches of the antebellum South can still be visited today.
AUSPICIOUS ? pomyslny
suggesting a positive and successful future
They won their first match of the season 5-1 which was an auspicious start/beginning.
Our first meeting was not auspicious - we had a huge argument.
BELIE ? zadawac klam
to show (something) to be false, or to hide (something such as an emotion)
Television pictures of starving children belie official reports that normal life is continuing.
Her calm face belied the terror she was feeling.
BELLICOSE - wojowniczy
wishing to fight or start a war
The general made some bellicose statements about his country's military strength.
BOWDLERIZE ? okroic
to remove from (a book, play or film) language or parts that are considered to be unsuitable or offensive
They decided to bowdlerize the film by cutting out all the nude scenes when it was shown on television.
The version of the play that I saw had been dreadfully bowdlerized.
CHICANERY ? szykany
clever, dishonest talk or behaviour which is used to deceive people (usually to extract money from them)
The investigation has revealed political chicanery and corruption at the highest levels.