Lesson 20: Essential Words for the TOEFL

Jun 7, 2016

accentuate ○ disguise ○ finance ○ initiate ○ innovative ○ narrate ○ nevertheless ○ occasionally ○ omit ○ outlandish ○ overcome ○ partially ○ pass ○ portray ○ submit

accentuate
[v.] to highlight; to give more importance to
[Syn.] emphasize

[adj.] accentuated
[n.] accentuation

The colorful dress accentuated the joy of the occasion.
The supervisor accentuated her preference for hard-working employees during the performance appraisal.

disguise
[v.] to hide the usual appearance of something
[Syn.] conceal

[adj.] disguised
[n.] disguise

It is hard to disguise the fact that business is slow.
Everyone saw through his disguise.

finance
[v.] to provide money
[Syn.] fund

[adv.] financially
[adj.] financial
[v.] financed
[n.] finance
[n.] finances

The art exhibition was financed by a private foundation.
The college was financially independent.

initiate
[v.] to begin; to establish; to take decisive action without help
[Syn.] launch

[adj.] initiated
[n.] initiation
[n.] initiative

The newcomer initiated the long citizenship process.
Their work shows a lot of initiative.

innovative
[adj.] something newly introduced; creative
[Syn.] creative

[n.] innovator
[n.] innovation

This innovative project is worthy of support.
There have been many innovations in the field of genetic engineering.

narrate
[v.] to tell a story; relate
[Syn.] relate

[adj.] narrative
[n.] narrative
[n.] narration
[n.] narrator

Walter Cronkite narrated the documentary film.
Her fabricated narrative generated a lot of excitement.

nevertheless
conj. in spite of that
[Syn.] nonetheless

She was quite sick; nevertheless, she attended all of her classes.
His project was flawed; nevertheless it won second prize.

occasionally
[adv.] now and then; once in a while
[Syn.] sometimes

[adj.] occasional
[n.] occasion

Extreme heat occasionally causes health problems.
They were very fine students who, on occasion, experienced problems with pop quizzes.

omit
[v.] to leave out, not include
[Syn.] neglect

[adj.] omitted
[n.] omission

He inadvertently omitted some important data from the report.
His paper had several notable omissions.

outlandish
[adj.] strange and unpleasant; beyond accepted norms
[Syn.] bizarre

[adv.] outlandishly

His outlandish dens demonstrated his creativity.
Rebellious youth in many countries dress outlandishly.

overcome
[v.] to defeat, fight with success; to take control of an individual
[Syn.] conquer

The young woman was overcome with emotion when she learned she had won a scholarship.
The family overcame many obstacles to purchase the house.

partially
[adv.] a part of the whole; incomplete
[Syn.] somewhat

[adv.] partly
[adj.] partial
[n.] part

The clerk was only partially responsible for the error.
The business venture was only a partial success.

pass
[v.] to accept formally by vote
[Syn.] approve

[adj.] passable
[n.] passage

The proposed amendment passed unanimously.
The passage of the resolution is in doubt.

portray
[v.] to represent; to act
[Syn.] depict

[n.] portrayal

The girl portrayed an orphan.
The book’s portrayal of Mozart as a calm, mature individual is absurd.

submit
[v.] to turn in, offer for evaluation
[Syn.] propose

[n.] submission

The architects had to submit plans reflecting the new specifications.
The submission of the application must be made by February 13.

Choose the synonym.
1. launch
  1. overcome
  2. initiate
  3. persuade
  4. investigate
2. occasionally
  1. suitably
  2. outlandishly
  3. partially
  4. sometimes
3. submit
  1. approve
  2. propose
  3. omit
  4. develop
4. creative
  1. fallacious
  2. coherent
  3. innovative
  4. conspicuous
5. finance
  1. fund
  2. develop
  3. fabricate
  4. oppose
6. relate
  1. restore
  2. record
  3. narrate
  4. balance
7. nevertheless
  1. nonetheless
  2. albeit
  3. although
  4. presumably
8. disguise
  1. delight
  2. neglect
  3. feign
  4. conceal
9. emphasize
  1. accentuate
  2. conquer
  3. suspect
  4. select
10. portray
  1. refine
  2. depict
  3. pass
  4. abuse
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to the underlined word in the sentence.
1. President Ford was a frequent opponent of inflationary spending measures passed by Congress.
  1. approved
  2. submitted
  3. financed
  4. initiated
2. The evolution of life on Earth may be partially typical of the evolution of life on many other planets.
  1. somewhat
  2. exceptionally
  3. nevertheless
  4. occasionally
3. Sword swallowers must first overcome their fear of projecting the sharp sword down their throat.
  1. disguise
  2. conquer
  3. treat
  4. accentuate
4. The popular singer Madonna is known for her songs with outlandish lyrics.
  1. innovative
  2. bizarre
  3. relaxing
  4. melodical
5. Many nature films omit information about the breeding, parenting, and fishing behavior of the Pel fishing owl.
  1. portray
  2. contribute
  3. neglect
  4. narrate

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