1. 1. A pleasant, affable receptionist gives customers a positive first impression of the business. Parts: af (to); fab (speak); able (capable of) Educated Guess: Definition: Friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to Antonyms: disagreeable, ill-tempered,morose, rude Variant forms: affability (n); affably (adv) Context Phrase: Affable – (adj) Synonyms: amiable, friendly, amicable, cordial

2. 2. The child found it very difficult to articulate his fears to his doctor. Parts: articulare(to divide into joints; to utter); ate (make) Educated Guess: Definition: To express an idea or feeling fluently and coherently; To pronounce something clearly and distinctly; (adj.) - having jointed segments Antonyms: inarticulate, disjointed, disconnected, slur Variant forms: articulately (adv); articulation (n) Context Phrase: articulate - verb Synonyms: eloquent, well-spoken, jointed, hinged

3. 3. Some friends will tell you what they think you want to hear, but she is known for her candor. Parts: cand (white, glowing); or (that which) Educated Guess: Definition: The quality of being open and honest in expression Antonyms:deception, falsehood, guile, ruse, finesse Variant forms:candid(adj), candidly (adv) candidness (n) Context Phrase: Candor- noun Synonyms: frankness, truthfulness, impartiality, openess

4. 4. We need a trained mediator to conciliate this dispute Parts: con(together, with); calere (call); ate (make, cause) Educated Guess: Definition: To stop someone from being angry or discontented; To act as a mediator; To make compatible Antonyms: antagonize, roil, anger, aggravate Variant forms: conciliation (n); conciliative (adj) Context Phrase: conciliate – verb Synonyms: placate, pacify, reconcile, arbitrate

5. 5. To avoid a war, the king decided to countermand the arrest of the rebels. Parts: counter (against); mand (order) Educated Guess: Definition: To cancel or reverse an order or command; To recall by a contrary order; An order or command that reverses another one (n) Antonyms: confirm, ratify, uphold Variant forms:na Context Phrase: Countermand – (v) Synonyms: cancel, retract, rescind

6. 6. The President’s policy is to devolve to the states the decisions about educational issues. Parts: de (down); volv (turn) Educated Guess: Definition: To transfer or delegate (power) to a lower level, especially from central gov’t or local or regional administration; To degenerate or be split into Antonyms: na Variant forms: devolvement (n) Context Phrase: devolve - verb Synonyms: convey, consign, depute, delegate, empower

7. 7. When the egregious abuses of the elderly were reported, the facility was immediately closed. Parts: e (out); greg (flock, group); ious (full of) Educated Guess: Definition: Outstandingly bad Antonyms: mild, restrained, minor, petty, unimportant Variant forms: egregiously (adv); egregiousness (n) Context Phrase: Egregious – adj. Synonyms: flagrant, shocking, terrible, outrageous

8. 8. Putting alcohol on a fresh cut will truly exacerbate the pain. Parts: ex (out); acerbus (rough, harsh, sharp); ate (make) Educated Guess: Definition: To increase the severity of; To make something bad, worse Antonyms: relieve, soothe, allay, ease, alleviate Variant forms: exacerbation (n) Context Phrase: exacerbate – v. Synonyms: intensify, worsen, aggravate

9. 9. Context usually eliminates the confusion between heteronyms such as tear (to rip) and tear (liquid from the eye). Parts: hetero ( different); onym (name) Educated Guess: Definition: Words that have the same spelling but different sounds and meanings; words that refer to the same thing in different geographical areas i.e. submarine/hoagie Antonyms: na Variant forms: heteronymic (adj); heteronymous (adj) Context Phrase: Heteronyms – (noun) Synonyms: na

10. 10. I will incur fines because I was late filing my taxes this year. Parts: in (in, into); cur (run) Educated Guess: Definition: To become subject to or liable for something unwelcome or unpleasant as a result of one’s own behavior or action. Antonyms: avoid, circumvent, evade, escape Variant forms: incurrence (n.) Context Phrase: incur – v. Synonyms: face, undergo, attract

11. 11. I found her first novel thought provoking and suspenseful, but this one is long and insipid. Parts:in(not); sapidus (tasty, savory, flavorful) Educated Guess: Definition: Lacking flavor or zest; Lacking stimulation, excitement, or interest Antonyms: interesting, exciting, amusing Variant forms: insipidity (n); insipidly (adv) Context Phrase: Insipid – ( adj.) Synonyms: unpalatable, dull, tasteless, monotonous

12. 12. If we want to schedule a luminary such as Oprah Winfrey to speak at graduation, we must make the request early. Parts: lumin (light); ary (pertaining to) Educated Guess: Definition: A person who inspires or influences others; A natural light-giving body, especially the sun or moon; An artificial light Antonyms: na Variant forms: na Context Phrase: Luminary – (n) Synonyms: celebrity, dignitary, star

13. 13. She gazed at the multitudinous stars twinkling above the trees Parts: multi (many); tude (state of); ous (full of) Educated Guess: Definition: Very numerous; Consisting of or containing many individuals or elements Antonyms: finite, limited, few, numbered Variant forms: multitudinously(adv)multitudinousness (n) Context Phrase: multitudinous – adj. Synonyms: countless, infinite, innumerable

14. 14. My teacher thrilled me by asking to use a copy of my essay as a paragon for other students. Parts: para(beside);akine(whetstone) To separate good gold from bad on a touchstone Educated Guess: Definition: A person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality; A person or thing viewed as a model of excellence Antonyms: na Variant forms: na Context Phrase: Paragon - n Synonyms: epitome, archetype, quintessence, exemplar

15. 15. The older we become, the less pliable are our opinions and beliefs. Parts: pli 9blend); able (capable of) Educated Guess: Definition: Easily bent or shaped; Receptive to change; Easily influenced, persuaded, or swayed Antonyms: rigid,unyielding,intractable, uncompromising Variant forms: pliability (n) Context Phrase: pliable - (adj.) Synonyms: flexible, supple, adaptable, tractable

16. 16. Her proclivity to practice gymnastics at least four hours daily contributed to her winning the gold medal. Parts: pro (forth, forward);cliv (bend, slope) ity (state of) Educated Guess: Definition: A tendency to choose or do something regularly; An inclination or predisposition toward a particular thing Antonyms: aversion, dislike, antipathy Variant forms: na Context Phrase: Proclivity - adj Synonyms: tendency, penchant, aptitude, flair

17. 17. Losing patience with the recalcitrant lawyer, the judge charged her with contempt of court. Parts: re (back); calx (heel); ant (characterized by) Educated Guess: Definition: Stubbornly resistant to authority, discipline, domination or guidance Antonyms: amenable, docile, obedient, cooperative Variant forms: recalcitrance (n); recalcitrancy (n) Context Phrase: recalcitrant – (adj) Synonyms: obstinate, disobedient, unruly, rebellious

18. 18. My doctor insists that reserving time to exercise daily is important, even sacrosanct. Parts: sacro (holy, sacred rite), sanct (holy, sacred) Educated Guess: Definition: Regarded as too important or valuable to interfere with Antonyms:superfluous,unnecessary, useless, dispensable Variant forms: sacrosanctity (n.) Context Phrase: sacrosanct - adj. Synonyms: inviolable, indispensable, imperative

19. 19. Freshmen at military academies are subservient to their upper classmen. Parts: sub (under); servus (slave); ent (full of) Educated Guess: Definition: Prepared to obey others unquestioningly; less important Antonyms: superior, dominant; greater Variant forms: subservience (n); subserviently (adv.) Context Phrase: Subservient – (adj.) Synonyms: subordinate, servile, secondary, inferior

20. 20. Wearing jeans and sandals is rather unorthodox attire for a bride and groom Parts: un (not); ortho (standard, straight) dox (belief) Educated Guess: Definition: Contrary to what is usual, traditional, or accepted Antonyms:standard, conventional, customary, orthodox Variant forms: na Context Phrase: unorthodox - adj. Synonyms: unconventional, atypical, unusual