Essential Words for the TOEFL- Lesson 5

 amaze  baffle  bear  block  blur  brilliant  caution  challenge  delicate  enhance  intrigue persuade  replace  shed  unique

همراه با آزمون

amaze

v. to fill with great surprise
adv. amazingly n. amazement adj. amazing

Syn. astonish, astounding

I was amazed that I received an A on the calculus test. The actor gave an amazing performance. Dave amazed his friends by suddenly getting married. It still amazes me how much she has improved. Your knowledge amazes me. It amazed us to hear that you were leaving.

Ralph gasped in amazement. To everyone's amazement, the goal was disallowed.

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baffle

v. if something baffles you, you cannot understand or explain it at all, be too hard to understand or solve

adj. baffling n. bafflement

Syn. puzzle

The causes of many harmful diseases have baffled doctors for centuries. That was a baffling question. The question baffled me completely. A baffling mystery. The police admitted that they were completely baffled (by the lack of evidence).

Scientists have been baffled by a series of mysterious mass bird and animal deaths in several countries across the globe over the last few weeks.

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bear

v. to produce, to carry, to show, to endure

adj. bearably adj. bearable

Syn. yield

This orchard bears many fine harvests of apples. Although stock prices declined, losses have been bearable for most investors.

The wedding guests arrived, bearing gifts. The US Constitution states that the people have a right to bear arms .

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block

v. to prevent movement progress, or success
n. blockage adj. blocked

Syn. obstruct

The government blocked the sale of the airline. The streets were flooded due to a blockage in the pipes. Something’s blocking the pipe. A blocked pipe. The road was blocked by a big truck. My nose is all blocked up and I can’t breathe. The police have blocked off the road where the bomb was found.

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blur

v. to make something difficult to see
adj. blurred n. blur (a shape that you cannot see clearly, something that you cannot remember clearly)

Syn. cloud

The rain blurred everyone's view of the valley. The whole accident is just a blur in my mind.

Tears blurred my eyes. Windows blurred with rain. A very blurred photograph. The street lights were blurred by the fog. Many of the details in the picture are blurred. Tears blurred her eyes. His vision was blurred.

I just saw the blur of the cat as it passed in front of me. The island was a faint blur through misty rain. The days before the accident were a blur.

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brilliant

extremely clever or skillful
adv. brilliantly n. brilliance

Syn. radiant

Einstein was a brilliant thinker. She brilliantly produced a solution to the problem. A brilliant performance.

A brilliant young musician. A brilliant idea/invention/scientist.

The brilliant Iranian scholar Iraj Afshar did not survive to receive his honorary doctorate in September 2011.

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caution

v. to warn against possible danger

adj. cautious (careful to avoid danger or risks) adj. cautionary something adv. cautiously n. caution

Syn. warn

The officer cautioned the motorist to slow down. They entered into the negotiations cautiously. She cautioned the child against talking to strange men.

The director cautioned that these changes could lead to job losses. (law) The policeman said, “I must caution you that anything you say may be used against you (at your trial).” Business leaders are cautioning against hasty action that would hamper flexibility. Officials were quick to caution that these remarks did not mean an end to the peace process. He cautioned them to avoid the forest at night.

A cautious driver. A cautious approach to the crisis. The air-pollution board had reacted with cautious optimism to the announcement. Keller is cautious about making predictions for the success of the program. The government responded cautiously to the move.

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challenge

n. an invitation to complete something that demands competitive action or much thought

adj. challenging v. challenge

Syn. dare

Finishing the 26-mile race was a challenge for most of the participants. It was a challenging math problem.

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delicate

adj. needing careful treatment, sensitive, easily broken adv. delicately

Syn. fragile

Because of its controversial nature, it was a challenge to discuss such a delicate issue in public. You must handle the antique delicately. Be careful with those old glasses — they’re very delicate. Delicate hand-cut glass. The sun can easily damage a child's delicate skin.

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enhance

v. to increase in a positive way, such as in value, power, or beauty

n. enhancement adj. enhanced

Syn. strengthen

Passing the exam should enhance your chances of being admitted to college. The computer enhanced our productivity. Good secretarial skills should enhance your chances of getting a job. Hopefully, the meeting will enhance the prospects for world peace. computer-enhanced learning (=learning in which the student is helped or guided by a computer as well as by a teacher).

Good lighting will enhance any room. The publicity has done little to enhance his reputation. Flavor enhancers.

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intrigue

if something intrigues you, it interests you a lot because it seems strange or mysterious.

adj. intriguing adv. intriguingly n. intrigue

Syn. fascinate

He was intrigued by the acclaim flat he received. The intriguing question baffled historians. Other people's houses always intrigued her. The toy intrigued the child.   A tale that intrigues the reader. He’s always been intrigued by machinery. You intrigue me; tell me more!

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persuade

to cause to believe or feel certain to make someone believe something or feel sure about something

adv. persuasively adj. persuasive n. persuasion

Syn. convince

They couldn't persuade their critics to see their point of view. John presented a persuasive argument for his salary increase. She was not persuaded of the truth of his statement. He was unable to persuade the police that he had been elsewhere at the time of the crime. She persuaded me that I was wrong.   I persuaded him to study medicine.   Persuade yourself that you will not fail.

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replace

v. to change for another thing; to take the place of Syn. substitute

adj. replaceable n. replacement

They have replaced all of the old office equipment. The new employee was the replacement for Mr. Topper, who retired last month.

You’ll have to replace those tires; they’re badly worn.

We’ve replaced the old adding machine with a computer.

Common Errors:

I told him he would have to replace the broken lid by a new one. I told him he would have to replace the broken lid with a new one. replace something with something else, NOT by

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shed

v. to throw off naturally, to give out (of a plant or animal) to have (its skin, leaves, hair, etc.) come off or fall out naturally:

Syn. discard

In order to grow, crabs must shed their shells. Most trees shed their leaves in autumn. Some snakes shed their skin each year.

The trees were starting to shed their leaves. As it grows, a snake will regularly shed its skin.

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unique

adj. to be the only one of a kind; special Syn. rare

adv. uniquely n. uniqueness

He was presented with a unique opportunity to attend the conference. His style of writing is uniquely his own.

Common Errors:

It is one of the most unique pieces of architecture in Spain. It is one of the rarest pieces of architecture in Spain. Something can be absolutely unique or totally unique but NOT very/more/most/somewhat (etc.) unique. There are no degrees of uniqueness when unique means ‘the only one of its kind’