*My  favorite things

favourite(British English)

pronunciation

spelling(color,theatre)

diction(apartment,flat,OPEC->pertoleum)

*-ant:accountant,applicant,flight attendant

contestant,Protestant(Christian Catholic)

*-cide:killing

commit felony

commit suicide

insecticide

parenticide

genecticide

*con-:opposite

contradict,contradiction

*3C:computer,communication,consumer electronics

3D:dirty,difficult,dangerous

Vocabulary

1.baptized (v.) 

a.  to make someone officially a member of the Christian Church in a service of baptism

e.g.: Were you baptized a Catholic?

2.vexing (adj.) 

a.  annoying, worrying, or causing problems

3.grenade (n.) 

a.  a small bomb thrown by hand or shot from a gun

4.dissidents (n.)

a. a person who publicly disagrees with and criticizes their government

5.calamity (n.) 

a.  a serious accident or bad event causing damage or suffering

e.g.: A series of calamities ruined them - floods, a failed harvest, and the death of a son.

6.philosophizing (v.)

a.  to talk for a long time about subjects such as the meaning of life

e.g.: Students, she complained, had nothing better to do than spend whole days philosophizing about the nature of truth.

7.garage (n.) 

a. a building where a car is kept, built next to or as part of a house

e.g.: Did you put the car in the garage?

b. a place where cars are repaired

e.g.: The car's still at the garage getting fixed.

c.  UK ( US gas station) a place where fuel is sold for cars and other vehicles

d.  UK a place where cars are sold

8.shed (n.) 

a. a small building usually used for storage or shelter

e.g.: The lawn mower is kept in the shed.

9.silhouette (n.) 

a. a dark shape seen against a light surface

e.g.: The silhouette of the bare tree on the hill was clear against the winter sky.

10.involuntarily (adj.)

a.  not done by choice; done unwillingly, or without the decision or intention of the person involved

e.g.: A sharp tap on the knee usually causes an involuntary movement of the lower leg.

11.declarative (adj.) 

a.  of the nature of or making a declaration

e.g.: But to the best of my knowledge this is the first time we've heard this about Rice - certainly in so declarative and unambiguous a fashion.

12.painstaking (adj.)

a.  done with or employing great care and thoroughness

e.g.: The secret of good tiling is painstaking preparation and accurate cutting and fixing.

13.flush (v.) 

a.  (of a person’s skin, face, etc.) become red and hot, typically as the result of illness or strong emotion

sentence: Her skin reacted to the small touches, goose bumps jittering across her flesh as her face flushed hot.

14.acquaintance (n.) 

a. knowledge or experience of something

e.g.: Some had experience of Frankish Gaul and hence some acquaintance with Roman institutions and culture.

15.embed (v.) a.  fix (an object) firmly and deeply in a surrounding mass

e.g.: He had an operation to remove a nail embedded in his chest.

16.declarative (adj.)

a.  of the nature of or making a declaration

17.painstaking (adj.) 

a. extremely careful and correct, and using a lot of effort

e.g.: It took months of painstaking research to write the book.

18.flush (v.)

a. When you flush, you become red in the face, especially as a result of strong emotions, heat, or alcohol

e.g.: She flushed with pleasure as she accepted the prize.

b. If you flush a toilet, or if a toilet flushes, its contents empty and it fills with water again

e.g.: My children never flush the toilet after them.

19.acquaintance (n.) 

a. a person that you have met but do not know well

b. used in some expressions about knowing or meeting people

e.g.: It was at the Taylors' party that I first made his acquaintance (= first met him).

c.  knowledge of a subject

e.g.: Sadly, my acquaintance with Spanish literature is rather limited.

20.embed (v.) 

a. to fix something firmly into a substance

21.swiftly (adv.) 

a.  happening or moving quickly or within a short time, especially in a smooth and easy way

22.incorporate (v.) 

a. to include something as part of something larger

e.g.: Suggestions from the survey have been incorporated into/in the final design.

23.provisional (adj.) 

a.  for the present time but likely to change

e.g.: These dates are only provisional.

24.dice (v.)

a.  a small cube (= object with six equal square sides) with a different number of spots on each side, used in games involving chance

e.g.: We need two dice to play the game.

b.  any game involving chance in which dice are thrown

25.contentious (adj.)

a.  causing or likely to cause disagreement

e.g.: She has some rather contentious views on education.