Unit One Vocabulary Words Red Level
Chapter 1
challenge -a test of one’s abilities; anything that calls for a special effort
(chǎl' ǐnj) Ginny enjoys rock climbing. It’s a difficult challenge, but she feels very proud after making a
climb.
dependent -relying on others for aid or support
(dǐ-pĕn'dənt) Some animals can take care of themselves as soon as they are born, but human babies are
dependent upon their parents for years.
fertile -producing or able to produce much fruit, large crops, or many children
(fûr' tl) Since its soil is so fertile, Iowa has many farms.
peculiar -odd; strange
(pǐ-kyōōl'yər) Jack didn’t know why people were giving him peculiar looks until he realized there was a large
hole in his pants.
preference -first choice; something preferred
(prěf'' ər-əns) There are Chinese, Italian, and Indian restaurants nearby. What’s your preference for dinner
tonight?
principal -most important; main; chief
(prǐn' sə-pəl) The principal cause of post success is hard work, not luck or talent.
solitary -happening or done alone
(sŏl' ǐ-těr' ē) After taking a solitary vacation in my cabin for two weeks, I was ready to return to the company
of other humans.
suitable -right for a certain purpose; proper; fitting
(sōō' tə-bəl) Sharon asked her mother if her blue was suitable for a funeral, or if she had to wear black.
surplus -extra; more than what is used or needed
(sûr' plŭs) More and more restaurants are donating their surplus food to homeless people.
transform -to change in form or appearance
(trăns-fôrm') I plan to transform this messy attic into an attractive office.
Chapter 2
analyze -to examine carefully; study closely
(ăn' ə-līz) Someone in the laboratory will analyze the blood sample to see if the parent has an illness.
attitude -a point of view; state of mind; way of thinking or feeling
(ăt' ǐ-tōōd') Athletes need to have a positive attitude. Even if they have lost the previous game, they need to
come into the next one ready to win.
category -a group of people or things having something in common; type
(kăt' ə-gōr' ē) When I was in high school, I didn’t seem to fit into any category. I wasn’t an athlete, a scholar,
or a rebel.
contrast -an obvious difference
(kən' trăst') Everyone is surprised to see that there’s a contrast between Peggy’s eyes –one eyes is brown,
and the other is green.
critical -disapproving; tending to find fault
(krǐt' ǐ-kəl) My boss can be very critical of me when I don’t do my best work, but she’s also quick to praise
me when I do well.
deliberate -done on purpose; carefully planned
dǐ-lǐb' ər-ǐt) Missy’s pushing was quite deliberate; it wasn’t accidental at all.
excessive -too much; more than is reasonable
(ǐk-sěs' ǐv) Excessive speed caused the accident; the truck driver was going nearly eighty miles an hour.
fragile -easily broken or damaged
(frǎj' əl) The lamp is fragile, so when you pack it, please put it in a deep box with plenty of newspaper
around it.
frustration -a feeling of anger and helplessness that comes from bad luck, defeat, or failure
(frŭs-trā' shən) Trying to learn to roller-blade, I fell down twenty times and then crashed into a wall. Feeling
more frustration than pain, I finally gave up.
indicate -to show; serve as a sign or signal
(ǐn' də-kāt') Jeff’s frown seemed to indicate that he was unhappy with our plan.
Chapter 3
accompany -to go along with; be together with
(ə-kŭm' pə-nē) In popular music, words usually accompany the tune. In much classical music, there are no
words to go with the notes.
desperate -having a great need or desire
(děs' pər-ǐt) Extremely ill people may be so desperate for a cure that they will try anything.
determine -to find out exactly; figure out
dǐ-tûr' mǐn) The doctor in the emergency room determined from an x-ray that Charlie’s ankle was sprained,
not broken.
dispose of -to throw or give away; get rid of
(dǐs-spōz' ŭv) After losing forty pounds, Herb decided to dispose of all the clothes that reminded him of his
old size.
evident -obvious; clear
(ěv' ǐ-dənt) The fact that my aunt dyes her hair is evident –her gray roots show.
preserve -to protect; keep in good condition
(prǐ-zûr') Steps are being taken to preserve the remaining giant redwood trees of California and Oregon
for future generations.
pursue -to try to get or succeed in; seek
(pər-sōō') Victor plans to pursue an acting career in New York City. His goal is to become a great actor,
not a great star.
rejection -saying “no” (to a request or desire); refusal
(rǐ-jěr' shən) My brother was upset when he received a letter of rejection from a college he wanted to attend.
restore -to bring back to a normal or former condition; repair
(rǐ-stôr') During the 1980s, the Statue of Liberty was restored. The damaged torch and the 1,600 iron
bands that hold the copper skin to the frame were replaced.
scarce -rare; hard to get; not enough to meet demand
(skârs) Since 1909 pennies are scarce, the one I own may be worth a lot of money.
Chapter 4
abundant -very plentiful; more than enough
(ə-bŭn' dənt) Our apple tree bore such an abundant crop this year that we’ll have plenty of applesauce all
winter.
betray -to be disloyal to; turn against
(bǐ-trā') The prisoners refused to betray their country by telling its secrets.
comparison -the act of checking or judging how two or more things are alike or different
(kəm-păr' ǐ-sən) I decided which car to buy after making a comparison of all the cars in my price range.
demonstrate -to explain or teach by showing
děm' ən-strāt') I asked the salesman to demonstrate how to use the camera, but it was clear he didn’t
know how.
dispute -an argument; a quarrel
dǐ-spyōōt') My dispute with my brother about who would get the last piece of pie was settled when our
father ate it.
distinct -clear; obvious; easy to see or notice
(dǐ-stǐngkt') The faces of the people in the faded old photo were not distinct – we couldn’t identify anyone.
exaggerate -to say that something is larger or greater than it really is; overstate
(ǐg-zăj' ə-rāt') I didn’t exaggerate when I called Randall a musical genius. He really does play the guitar
amazingly well.
inhabit -to live in
(ǐn-hǎb' ǐt) Six billion people inhabit the Earth.
neutral -not taking sides in a quarrel
(nōō' trəl) If you ever go to a marriage counselor, don’t expect him or her to take sides in your problems
with your spouse. A counselor must remain neutral.
reduction -a decrease; cutback
(rǐ-dŭk' shən) When our company offered to pay us for sick time we didn’t use, there was a sudden reduction
in the number of sick days taken.
Chapter 5
aggravate -to make worse
(ăg' rə-vāt) If you walk on your sprained ankle, you’ll only aggravate the injury: the pain and swelling will
get worse.
cease -to stop; discontinue
(sēs) When the snowfall finally ceased, we went out to shovel the driveway.
coincide -to happen at the same time
(kō' ǐn-sīd') My best friend from high school and I have moved to different states. We try to make our visits
to our hometown coincide so that we can see each other.
considerable -rather great; rather large
(kən-sǐd' ər-ə-bəl) After two hours and considerable effort, I finally found Vernon’s apartment.
humane -kind; sympathetic; merciful; gentle
(hyōō-mān') When our cat developed a fatal blood disease, we didn’t want her to sufer. We felt it was more
humane to have her painlessly “put to sleep.”
intentional -done on purpose; planned
(ǐn-těn' shə-nəl) The police believe the fire was intentional, although they don’t know why someone
would purposely burn down the library.
interference -the act of getting in the way of something; meddling in someone else’s business; something
that gets in the way
(ǐn 'tər-fēr' əns) I’m very fond of my mother-in-law, but I do not like her interference in arguments
between me and my wife.
obnoxious -very unpleasant; distasteful; disgusting
(əb-nŏk' shəs) The children visiting the chicken farm held their noses because of the obnoxious smell.
unstable -unsteady; wobbly; not reliable
(ŭn-stā' bəl) The ladder felt so unstable that I was afraid to climb any higher than the third step.
utilize -to make use of; put to use, especially to good use
(yōōt' l-īz') Don’t throw bread away just because it’s stale/ Stale bread can be utilized to make bread
crumbs and croutons.