Build Your Vocabulary - Practice sheet for A

Please read the guidelines before you start working with the Practice Sheets

Vocabulary - Words starting with A

It took him weeks of assiduous labor before he was satisfied with his portrait of his son. He was avid for learning and read everything he could get. I must avow that I am innocent. This should alleviate the pain. Many social workers have tried to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums. Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate. They decided to wage a war of attrition rather than to rely on an all-out attack. The wealthy young man could not understand the ascetic lives led by the monks. Your messages of cheer should assuage her suffering. The land was no longer arable. Erosion had removed the valuable topsoil. The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population. Do not pass aspersions on her character. Her ardor was contagious. Soon all her followers were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause. It is difficult to appraise old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless. Members of the Parliament took the oath of allegiance to the Queen. Try not to allude to this matter in his presence because the topic annoys him. Throughout the altercation not one sensible word was uttered. Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings. The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.  

Practice sheet for words starting with A

It took him weeks of ____________ labor before he was satisfied with his portrait of his son. He was ____________ for learning and read everything he could get. I must ____________ that I am innocent. This should ____________ the pain. Many social workers have tried to ____________ the conditions of people living in the slums. Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to ____________. They decided to wage a war of attrition rather than to rely on an all-out attack. The wealthy young man could not understand the ____________ lives led by the monks. Your messages of cheer should ____________ her suffering. The land was no longer ____________. Erosion had removed the valuable topsoil. The enemy in its revenge tried to ____________the entire population. Do not pass ____________ on her character. Her ____________ was contagious. Soon all her followers were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ____________ enthusiasm for the cause. It is difficult to ____________ old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless. Members of the Parliament took the oath of ____________ to the Queen. Try not to ____________ to this matter in his presence because the topic annoys him. Throughout the ____________ not one sensible word was uttered. Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ____________ of her feelings. The deal was held in ____________ until her arrival.  

Build Your Vocabulary - Practice sheet for B

Vocabulary - Words starting with B

When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt. The chief of police balked at sending his officers into the riot-torn area. A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sulky blast. Basking on the beach, she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep. One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another. I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings. He beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire. They were beguiled into forming an unwise alliance. Our journey was beguiled with pleasant talk. We beguiled the children with fairy tales. His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his innate sensitivity. His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. The old man was well liked because of his benign attitude toward friend and stranger alike. He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness. The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.

Sultry- Burning hot; extremely and unpleasantly hot; Characterized by

          oppressive heat and humidity

Blast- A strong current of air

Alliance - An organization of people (or countries) involved in a pact or  

              Treaty

Practice sheet for words starting with B

When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to ____________ their attempt. The chief of police ____________ at sending his officers into the riot-torn area. A  ____________ breeze refreshed us after the sulky blast. ____________  on the beach, she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep. One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily  ____________  another. I  ____________  every minute I have to spend attending meetings. He  ____________  himself during the long hours by playing solitaire. They were  ____________ into forming an unwise alliance. Our journey was  ____________ with pleasant talk. We  ____________ the children with fairy tales. His coarse, hard-bitten exterior  ____________ his innate sensitivity. His  ____________ nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. The old man was well liked because of his  ____________ attitude toward friends and strangers alike. He feared she would  ____________ him for his forgetfulness. The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a  ____________ to the whole community.

Building Your Vocabulary

My first advice regarding your vocabulary: mere memorizing will not help. You will actually have to KNOW and UNDERSTAND the words. You have to know its proper usage. The best way to do this is by looking-up as many sentences as you can containing that word. A book I found very useful was "30 Days to a More Powerful Vocabulary" by Wilfred Funk and Norman Lewis . I got my copy from ETC that used to be at Dhanmondi, but you should also be able to find it at Nilkhet and New Market. You may also find this website helpful: http://insidestoryflashcards.com. Additionally I used to make flash cards. This was very helpful as far as memorizing was concerned. But to actually have a good command over the words, I used to make practice sheets for each alphabet. I have attached some practice sheets I made for each letter. Below is a guideline on how to use the practice sheets:

1. Make a printout of the sheet.
2. Find the meanings of the words in the sheets (I suggest programs like Encarta dictionary to save time)
3. Once you feel you can remember the meanings of the words you listed (using flashcards or whatever you find convenient), try filling in the blanks in the practice sheets. Do this again a week later to ensure that you do in fact have a good grasp of the word.

Also note that just like reading lots of books improves you command over a language, studying the sentences in the sheets will also do the same. Additionally, good vocabulary will help you with the written section. But again, don't over-do it. Your writing should seem natural and lucid to the reader. You will find practice sheets for words beginning with the respective letters in the links below:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z  

Dear Applicants, I have uploaded till D and it is kind of time consuming. Do let me know if it is actually helping, then I will upload the rest. In the meantime I will move on to the next topic