SAT PRACTICE WORDS (WEEK 3)

  1. Alacrity (uh LAK ri tee) n. cheerful expectancy; eagerness
  • HUmberto packed with great alacrity, thinking of all the adventures he might encounter at summer camp.
  • In a moment of alacrity, Karen realized the gathering was a surprise party for her!
  1. Allegory (AL uh gawr ee) n. a symbolic story
  • Saint Augustine’s “City of God” is an allegory of the triumph of good over evil.
  • “Alice in Wonderland” can be interpreted as an allegory.
  1. Allay (au LAY) v. to relieve, calm, or pacify
  • While babysitting, Christella sang a lullaby to allay the baby’s fear.
  • The doctor hoped to allay Benita’s illness with medication.
  1. Allot (uh LAHT) v. to give a share of something; allocate; apportion
  • Due to the emergency, the boss allotted only two days for a job that would normally take Isis an entire week to complete.
  • The museum is planning to increase the amount of space allotted to modern art.
  1. Allude (uh LOOD) v. to refer indirectly
  • All of Liam’s poems allude to the love of man for nature.
  • In her letter, Ambreia alludes to the reason she left our city ten years ago.
  1. Discordant (dis KOR dunt) adj. disagreeing; quarrelsome; in conflict
  2. Pre-fix: Dis- (apart, asunder, having a negative or reversing force)
  3. Root:-cord- (a binding or restraint)
  4. Suffix:-ant (a person or thing that does a specified thing)
  • The NHS Student Government Association’s discordant attitude discouraged those who wanted to correct the school’s problems.
  • Every generation develops artists with a discordant style that later becomes fashionable and highly sought after.
  1. Discursive(dis KUR siv) adj. rambling on aimlessly
  2. Prefix: Dis-(apart, asunder, having a negative or reversing force)
  3. Suffix: -ive–(doing or tending to do something)
  4. Root Word:curs (run)
  • Brittney’s novel quickly becomes discursive, and the reader loses the story line completely.
  • Amuche’s speech was so discursive that we never could decide what point she was trying to make.
  1. Estimable(ES the muh bul) adj. worthy of respect or admiration; capable of being estimated
  2. Suffix: Able – able (-ble, ible) - capable of, susceptible of, fit for, tending to, given to
  3. Root Word:estim[estimate, esteem] (value)
  • For many years, Gianna ran an estimable publishing house of which her publishing peers thought highly.
  • The young boxer, Kyle, was an estimable opponent for the champ, and he won the fight after a tough struggle.

Prefixes: ex—(out, out of, former, outside)

Suffixes: --logy (the study of)