The best way to expand your vocabulary is by reading, reading, and more reading. Whether its a novel, newspaper, or magazine the more we read the more we become familiar with an array of vocabulary (old and new). While reading write down words and definitions you have never heard before and when you finish the reading go back and read the list again, it will help you retain the new words. Below is a list of the top 100 vocabulary words of all time:

1. abbreviate — (v) to shorten, abridge
2. abstinence – (n) the act of refraining from pleasurable activity, e.g., eating or drinking
3. adulation – (n) high praise
4. adversity – (n) misfortune, an unfavorable turn of events
5. aesthetic – (adj) pertaining to beauty or the arts
6. amicable – (adj) friendly, agreeable
7. anachronistic – (adj) out-of-date, not attributed to the correct historical period
8. anecdote – (n) short, usually funny account of an event
9. anonymous – (adj) nameless, without a disclosed identity
10. antagonist – (n) foe, opponent, adversary
11. arid – (adj) extremely dry or deathly boring
12. assiduous – (adj) persistent, hard-working
13. asylum – (n) sanctuary, shelter, place of refuge
14. benevolent – (adj) friendly and helpful
15. camaraderie – (n) trust, sociability amongst friends
16. censure – (v) to criticize harshly
17. circuitous – (adj) indirect, taking the longest route
18. clairvoyant – (adj) exceptionally insightful, able to foresee the future
19. collaborate – (v) to cooperate, work together
20. compassion – (n) sympathy, helpfulness or mercy
21. compromise – (v) to settle a dispute by terms agreeable to both sides
22. condescending – (adj) possessing an attitude of superiority, patronizing
23. conditional – (adj) depending on a condition, e.g., in a contract
24. conformist – (n) person who complies with accepted rules and customs
25. congregation – (n) a crowd of people, an assembly
26. convergence – (n) the state of separate elements joining or coming together
27. deleterious – (adj) harmful, destructive, detrimental
28. demagogue – (n) leader, rabble-rouser, usually appealing to emotion or prejudice
29. digression – (n) the act of turning aside, straying from the main point, esp. in a speech or argument
30. diligent – (adj) careful and hard-working
31. discredit – (v) to harm the reputation of, dishonor or disgrace
32. disdain – (v) to regard with scorn or contempt
33. divergent – (adj) separating, moving in different directions from a particular point
34. empathy – (n) identification with the feelings of others
35. emulate – (v) to imitate, follow an example
36. enervating – (adj) weakening, tiring
37. enhance – (v) to improve, bring to a greater level of intensity
38. ephemeral – (adj) momentary, transient, fleeting
39. evanescent – (adj) quickly fading, short-lived, esp. an image
40. exasperation – (n) irritation, frustration
41. exemplary – (adj) outstanding, an example to others
42. extenuating – (adj) excusing, lessening the seriousness of guilt or crime, e.g., of mitigating factors
43. florid – (adj) red-colored, flushed; gaudy, ornate
44. fortuitous – (adj) happening by luck, fortunate
45. frugal – (adj) thrifty, cheap
46. hackneyed – (adj) cliched, worn out by overuse
47. haughty – (adj) arrogant and condescending
48. hedonist – (n) person who pursues pleasure as a goal
49. hypothesis – (n) assumption, theory requiring proof Read more…

This is a quick SAT vocabulary learning exercise, designed mainly for the students who will be taking the SAT reasoning test on May 7, 2011, barely less than a month away. It is surely revision time but then, there is no way you can tell if the number of words that you have learnt is enough for the SAT exam. Your SAT vocabulary should be replenished every now and then with meaningful words.

This is a short exercise where 15 anagrams with meaning are given followed by 15 fill in the blank sentences. All you have to do is to guess the right word in the rearranged form.

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Did you know that the English language has German roots? Well, it does and this basically explains the connection with so many German etymological roots. However, the main focus of this post is on Homophones, the words that are similar in pronunciation but different in spelling and meaning.

If you aim towards building a strong SAT vocabulary, then you have to pay special attention to the similar sounding words. It is not as if you will come across them for the first time, but never before you may have considered from the homophones point of you. They do have the power to leave you stumped when they appear suddenly in the SAT exam. Read more…

There is no end to the number of SAT vocab quizzes you can take to hone your vocabulary and SAT testing skills. You learn new words, different usages of each word and moreover, you also learn to manage your time well. Time management is very important and you must take proper timed SAT exam tests to check how much time you take on an average to solve each kind of question. Read more…

Practice makes the man perfect and practicing SAT sentence completion questions is one thing that you should do ceaselessly, with dedication, trying to get the perfect score every time. All you have to do is to read the sentence carefully, go through the options quickly and decide which word will fit the blank to make the sentence logically complete. Can it get simpler than this?

Know your practice level. Take SAT Vocab test now!

If you’re proficient in English, then you will find the exercise given below as easy as ABC. All the best!

1. Kicking the bucket is a humorous ____ for dying.

a)      Dictum

b)      Incantations Read more…

Pick out the sentence that correctly explains the meaning of the idioms given below:

1. To charge the earth

a)      To be very serious and sincere about what you saying

b)      To cost a lot of money

c)       To reduce or destroy something gradually

d)      Not to spend more than what is necessary

e)      To move somebody from their job or position gradually Read more…

Choose the word that is nearest in meaning to the given word:

1. Fluctuation

a) Increase                  b) Change

c) Stability                   d) Decrease

Read more…

This is a collective mix of the kinds of questions asked in SAT critical reading and SAT vocab. Take this quiz to test your knowledge:

Choose from the 4 alternatives numbered 1, 2, 3 & 4, the word nearest in meaning to the given word:

1.            Insolvent

1. Bankrupt
2. Corrupt
3. Melancholic
4. Possessive

2.            Topple

1. Prickle
2. Tool
3. Dominate
4. Overthrow

3.            Ruckus

1. Redemption
2. Commotion
3. Pleasure
4. Surplus

Choose from the 4 alternatives numbered 1, 2, 3 & 4, the word opposite in meaning to the given word:

4.            Amicable

1. Criminal
2. Compensatory
3. Experienced
4. Unfriendly

5.            Cursory

1. Perfunctory
2. Flimsy
3. Careful
4. Indecent

6.            Capricious

1. Predictable
2. Chivalrous
3. Diplomatic
4. Changeable

The given sentence is divided into three parts numbered 1, 2, 3 & 4. One of these parts may contain an error. Select the erroneous part. If you think there is no error in any part of the sentence, select option 4 that indicates ‘No Error’ Read more…

Confusion! Confusion!

There is literally no end to the extent of confusion we have and you have to agree when I say that the multiple choices given as probable answers to the questions in the SAT exam only intensify the confusion. For every question, the answer could be A, B, C, D or E and at times the options are so highly-likely that you feel all are right. There are times when you do not understand a word in the question and you seriously do not seem to care about the correct option. Happens! This is SAT testing after all.

In English or to be precise in SAT vocab, we have something known as “confusing words” that often confound us. For example, Prescribe and Proscribe. Prescribe we all know means “to suggest or to tell”. If you have been following the etymology rules, then you can safely argue that Proscribe should also mean having a favorable outlook towards something, to talk favorably about something. However, this is not the case! Proscribe means to “forbid”, prohibiting something, at time legally. Was that a pleasant surprise? I hardly think so!

To make your life a little easier, given below is a list of confusing words along with their meanings. Go through them and build up your vocabulary list:
1.       Accede: agree, consent
Exceed:  to surpass

2.       Allude:  to refer to indirectly
Elude :  to avoid capture or escape notice

3.       Allusion:  an indirect reference
Illusion :   a false impression or a wrong perception by the senses

4.       Alternate:  every other one of a series; a substitute
Alternative:  a choice between two courses of action Read more…

The knowledge of word meanings make up a learner’s vocabulary. All the words that he or she understands or can read fall under the realm of vocabulary. Vocabulary building is an essential exercise for SAT takers. It helps that student learners frequently learn new words at a voracious pace than an adult.

The Four Components of Reading

According to various research studies conducted on Reading, we can defined four components of Reading –

1)      Alphabetics

2)      Comprehension

3)      Fluency

4)      Vocabulary

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