1. Unerring Without mistakes Adjective –Noun: error –Verb: err –Related words: aberrant, erratic, erroneous Sample sentences: –With unerring instinct the migratory birds find their way home. –His writing showed no errors in capitalization or punctuation. –He erred when he said the earth was flat.. (Hint: An unerring arrow hits the target.) 106

3. digress To move from the main topic, go off on a tangent Verb –noun: digression Sample sentences: –It was easy to get the teacher to digress. –Sometimes a digression leads to real insight. (Remember:) 106

4. Verb: To place side by side – Noun: juxtaposition – Related words: superimpose Sample sentences: –Juxtaposing the two essays made it easy to see their similarities. (Hint: Just pose them together.) 108

5. Magnanimous Generous, forgiving Adjective –Noun: magnanimity Sample sentences: –In a magnanimous gesture, the CEO gave up his bonus rather than lay off workers. – With great magnanimity, the shop owner declined to press charges when the shoplifters were caught. (Hint: Magnificent generosity.) 109

6. Delude To deceive or mislead Verb –Noun: delusion –Adjective: delusional Related words: illusion, interlude, allude, collusion, prelude, ludicrous Sample sentences: –He could not delude her; she saw his wedding ring. –A person who suffers from delusions is said to be delusional. (Latin ludere is “to play” and ludum is “game.” ) 95

7. Inept Adjective: Clumsy, bungling –Opposite: adept Related words: adaptation, aptitude – Latin aptare, “to fit” and aptus, “fit” Sample sentences: –His inept attempt to ride a bike ended in disaster. Hint: An ape is inept. 111

8. Stymie To block or get in the way verb Sample sentences: –Her desire to sing was stymied by her weak voice. (Hint: tie me so I can’t move forward) 112

9. Negate Verb: To make ineffective or deny –Adjective: negative –Noun: negation Related words: abnegation, negligible, renegade, renege (Latin verb negare, “to say no”) Sample sentences: –His umbrella negated the need for a hat. –His positive qualities far outweigh the negatives. 113

10. Blithe Carefree, cheerful Adjective Sample sentences: –Hail to thee, blithe spirit! –She spoke with blithe ignorance of the true situation. (Hint: Blithe = Be LighT Hearted) 114

11. Authoritarian Like a dictator Adjective, noun Sample sentences: –Tyrannical rulers throughout history have believed in authoritarian control of their citizens. –Stalin was a strict authoritarian. (Synonyms: dictator, tyrant, despot) 115