Exercise – Words M to P

Now have a look at this sample for some of the words M to P, which have been taken from our “Word Power” download.

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Words M to P

mandatory – (adj.) required; necessary; obligatory; (syn.) compulsory.

misconstrue – (v.) to misunderstand. Der. (adj.) misconstruable.

nibble – (v.) to eat something in very small bites. Der. (n.) nibble.

noxious – (adj.) the quality of possessing a poisonous or deadly gas. Der. (n.) noxiousness; (adv.) noxiously.

obsession – (n.) a continuing mental preoccupation with a single thought or idea which is often unreasonable or illogical. Der. (adj.) obsessive.

obsolete – (adj.) relating to things which are no longer useful as a result of being replaced or becoming outdated. Der. (n.) obsolescence.

overwhelm – (v.) to overcome or take control of an individual’s thoughts, feelings, or actions.

paramount – (adj.) highly important or significant.

parsimonious – (adj.) exhibiting excessive or extreme care about money and spending. Der. (n.) parsimony; (adv.) parsimoniously.

penchant – (n.) desire or preference.

Now complete the exercise below.

1. You have completely __________ what I said. When I said you looked beautiful today, I didn’t mean that you usually look ugly.

2. He continued his __________ with finding a cure for his disease long after the doctor had told him that treatment was impossible.

3. He was __________ with sadness when his wife died.

4. If you want to get good grades, studying is __________.

5. By the way you are __________ your food, I assume that you are not very hungry.

6. Bob is reckless and has a __________ for participating in dangerous activities.

7. Gasoline is a __________ substance. Breathing excessive quantities of it can cause death.

8. The __________ man used his tea bags twice in order to save money.

9. Computers become __________ quickly nowadays as they are constantly being replaced by newer models.

10. Completion of this form is __________. It must be filled in by every applicant.

ANSWERS:

1. misconstrued

2. obsession

3. overwhelmed

4. paramount

5. nibbling

6. penchant

7. noxious

8. parsimonious

9. obsolete

10. mandatory