[responsivevoice] ameliorate [/responsivevoice] [ uh-meel-yuh-reyt ] Quotation: For reforms ameliorate the situation of the working class, they lighten the weight of the chain’s labour is burdened with by capitalism, but they are not sufficient to crush capitalism and to emancipate the workers from their tyranny. Clara Zetkin Social Example: Did you miss out on reading […]
[responsivevoice] precarious [/responsivevoice] [ pri-kair-ee-uhs ] Quotation: I hear the same anxieties over and over again. Everything is too fast; everything is too precarious. We have more access than ever to the people we are trying to reach, thanks to social media and mobile technology, and more information than we know what to do with. […]
[responsivevoice] surmise [/responsivevoice] [ser-mahyz ] Quotation: For some time, I’ve said this issue of comprehensive immigration reform is not just an issue about immigration or human rights or civil rights, it’s about our economy. You take 11 million people from out of the dark and into the light. The think tanks have surmised that you […]
In the previous lesson, we covered the trending word Sardonic. In this lesson, we will read about the word pedantic, which is not just trending on Vocabulary Today, but also on every word lover’s list. After reading this lesson, you will confirm that there are quite some pedants around us, and we simply did not […]
[responsivevoice] carte blanche [/responsivevoice] [ kahrt blanch ] Quotation: By and large, the making of motion pictures is all about, ‘Let’s ratchet it up.’ And I always think, ‘We don’t need to ratchet this up.’ If you do, don’t call it ‘Captain Phillips’ or ‘The Maersk Alabama.’ Call it something else, and then you have carte […]
[responsivevoice] antipathy [/responsivevoice] [an-tip-uh-thee ] Quotation: The thing about youthful offenders is that no one seems to care about them. Most people don’t like adolescents – even the good ones can be snarky and unpleasant. Combine the antipathy we feel toward the average teenager with the fear inspired by youth violence, and you have a […]
[responsivevoice] bittersweet [/responsivevoice] [bit-er-sweet ] Quotation: If you go back to your home town or you’re reunited with school friends, it is always slightly bittersweet because as much as there are nice things in terms of seeing them again, the town has changed without you, and you’re no longer a part of it. Edgar Wright […]
[responsivevoice] geriatric [/responsivevoice] [ jer-ee-a-trik ] Quotation: My mum was a nurse, and her passion was geriatric care. I used to love listening to the old people’s stories in her nursing home and picturing myself in their place. They’d say, ‘I went to school in a horse and cart,’ and I’d just think ‘Wow!’ I’d picture […]
[responsivevoice] taut [/responsivevoice] [ tawt ] Quotation: When you’re telling taut, tight storytelling that has any kind of built-in plot twist elements, you tend to want to stack everything up on top of itself as opposed to letting things breathe and be languid in terms of the passage of time. Julie Plec Social Example: Did you […]
[responsivevoice] promulgate [/responsivevoice] [ prom-uhl-geyt ] Quotation: The historical basis for the gap between the black middle class and underclass shows that ending discrimination, by itself, would not eradicate black poverty and dysfunction. We also need intervention to promulgate a middle-class ethic of success among the poor, while expanding opportunities for economic betterment. Henry Louis Gates […]