VOCABULARY LESSON 5

HELP AND IMPROVEMENT

WORD LIST

ameliorationassuagecompensateconserveconstructive

enhanceenrichmentneutralizepreservationredeem

The words in this lesson will give you more ways to express the concepts of help and improvement.

Everywhere we look, we can find opportunities to make a difference.

  1. amelioration – to make better or improve (noun)
  • The department store decided to hire more employees during the holidays to ameliorate the unemployment problem.(ameliorate –verb)
  1. assuage – To make less difficult or to relieve
  • Tylenol can assuage the discomfort of a headache.
  1. compensate –

a) to pay

  • I was compensated for all the hard work I did on the project.

b) to make up for

  • What Amelia lacked in cheerleading skills, she compensated for in enthusiasm.
  1. conserve – to protect from wasteful loss (verb)
  • It is important to conserve your strength during a marathon.
  1. constructive – serving a useful purpose
  • Rather than put people down, I try to give them some constructive criticism.
  1. enhance – to make more valuable or better
  • Some people feel a face lift will enhance their appearance.
  1. enrichment – making richer or better
  • Attending the Renaissance Faire will provide enrichment to the social studies curriculum.
  1. neutralize – to cancel an effect
  • Cat litter helps to neutralize unpleasant odors.
  1. preservation – to keep in good condition
  • The preservation of our forests is important to the environment.
  1. redeem – to restore value or worth
  • When I missed the basket I tried to redeem myself by hustling for the rest of the game.

- to recover or buy back

  • This coupon is redeemable for one free ice cream cone.

COMPLETE THE SENTENCE

Write the letter for the word that best completes each sentence.

_____1. My daughter was______well for babysitting at such short notice.

a. ameliorated b. compensatedc. neutralizedd. assuaged

_____2. Hydrogen Peroxide, baking soda, and dishwashing detergent are used to ______a skunk’s odor.

a. redeem b. constructc. neutralized. preserve

_____3. The manipulatives added ______to the math activity.

a. enrichment b. conservationc. preservationd. compensation

_____4. It’s important to ______our forests.

a. conserve b. redeemc. enhanced. construct

_____5. The new roof ______the value of the house.

a. assuaged b. redeemedc. preservedd. enhanced

_____6. Rather than criticize the student’s writing, I offered some ______comments.

a. conservative b. compensatedc. enhancedd.constructive

_____7. Habitat for Humanity ______the devastation of hurricane Katrina by helping to clean up trash and debris.

a. compensated b. amelioratedc. enrichedd. preserved

_____8. We can ______meat in the freezer for months..

a. preserve b. neutralizec. compensated.enhance

_____9. Although the actress forgot her lines in the play, she______herself in the second act when she sang her solo.

a. assuaged b. conservec. redeemedd. neutralized

_____10.My teacher______my fear of public speaking by allowing me to practice in front of her.

a. enriched b. assuagedc. conservedpreserved

PICK FIVE

Pick any five vocabulary words and write a sentence using that word to show understanding of meaning.

Underline the vocabulary word.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

WRITE THE DERIVATIVE

Complete the sentence by writing the correct form of the word shown in parentheses. Some words may not need to be changed.

______1. In order to be ______, this CVS rebate needs to be mailed in by October 31. (redeem)

______2. During the summer, my mom______strawberries so she can make jam out of them in the winter. (preservation)

______3. I ______the value of my home by adding an alarm system. (enhance)

______4.Traveling around the world would be an______experience. (enrichment)

______5. Turning off the microwave and the computer when not in use will help with the______of energy. (conserve)

FIND THE EXAMPLE

Choose the best answer.

_____1. Something that would enhance a meal

a. a forkb. spicesc. waterd. eating out

_____2. After forgetting to take the trash out, I can redeem myself by

a. offering to do another choreb. going shoppingc. talking on the phone

_____3. A comment that would be constructive

a. you can never do that!b. nice, but you can do betterc. that’s awful!

_____4. To compensate for having a soft voice, I could

a. whisperb. use a microphonec. volunteer to sing

_____5. I could enrich my mind by

a. flying a kiteb. texting my friendc. doing my homework