Daily Wordlist 27-Sep-09

	27-Sep-09 TestFunda Home | Sign up for Newsletters | Feedback Daily Wordlist personable [ PUR-suh'-nuh'-buh'l ]   [ adjective ]   MEANING :   1. having a nice-looking appearance 2. having a courteous personality   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   His personable looks made him a hit with all the clients of the firm.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Mr Trotman said: "She was a terrific pupil and very personable, lively and very popular. The Telegraph, Public schoolgirl charged with killing friend, Nick Britten and Nick Allen, 28 August 2009   plaintive [ PLEYN-tiv ]   [ adjective ]   MEANING :   1. sorrowful 2. grief-stricken   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   Her plaintive cries echoed with the misery of her existence.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Where hand in hand, their bodies gently lay, and croon upon the wind their plaintive song, calling the children to come out and play. BBC, Girls and Boys Come Out to Play, 14 September 2009   ponderous [ PON-der-uh's  ]   [ adjective ]   MEANING :   1. weighty and enormous 2. cumbersome 3. boring and gruelling   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   They spent their evenings debating ponderous theories in front of the fireplace.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Firms that relied too heavily on a single product or service have tended to suffer more acutely, says Atkinson, while those that have been prepared to diversify or spot gaps in the market have prospered – something for which nimble, fleet-footed small firms are often better fitted than their more ponderous corporate competitors. The Telegraph, Businesses should not rest easy due to financial upturn - My Business, Paul Bray, 9 September 2009   presumption [ pri-ZUHMP-shuh'n ]   [ noun ]   MEANING :   1. something taken for granted in the reasoning process 2. a reason for accepting something as true 3. the act of believing 4. a permitted inference of the existence of one fact from evidence of the existence of other facts   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   Her incorrect presumptions led her to make incorrect decisions.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   He said the teenager had accepted his guilt and a custodial disposal may follow, but argued there was a presumption in favour of bail until then. BBC, Torturer has bail appeal refused, 8 September 2009   propitiatory [ pruh'-PISH-ee-uh'-tawr-ee ]   [ adjective ]   MEANING :   1. serving or intended to appease 2. making reparation   USAGE EXAMPLE 1 :   They slew an ox and offered it as a propitiatory sacrifice to the gods.   USAGE EXAMPLE 2 :   Here in Bolivia, even in its teeming capital, you are never that far from the old gods, from propitiatory magic. The telegraph, Bolivia: The lair of the puma gods, Jim Perrin, 30 August 2003   Spelled Pronunciation Key Stress marks: [ CAPS ] indicates the primary stressed syllable, as in newspaper [NOOZ-pey-per ] and information [ in-fer-MEY-shuh' n ] CONSONANTS [b] boy, baby, rob [d] do, ladder, bed [f] food, offer, safe [g] get, bigger, dog [h] happy, ahead [j] jump, budget, age [k] can, speaker, stick [l] let, follow, still [m] make, summer, time [n] no, dinner, thin [ng] singer, think, long [p] put, apple, cup [r] run, marry, far, store [s] sit, city, passing, face [sh] she, station, push [t] top, better, cat [ch] church, watching, nature, witch [th] thirsty, nothing, math [th'] this, mother, breathe [v] very, seven, love [w] wear, away [hw] where, somewhat [y] yes, onion [z] zoo, easy, buzz [zh] measure, television, beige   VOWELS [a] apple, can, hat [ey] aid, hate, day [ah] arm, father, aha [air] air, careful, wear [aw] all, or, talk, lost, saw [e] ever, head, get [ee] eat, see, need [eer] ear, hero, beer [er] teacher, afterward, murderer [i] it, big, finishes [ahy] I, ice, hide, deny [o] odd, hot, woffle [oh] owe, road, below [oo] ooze, food, soup, sue [oo'] good, book, put [oi] oil, choice, toy [ou] out, loud, how [uh] up, mother, mud [uh'] about, animal, problem, circus [ur] early, bird, stirring   FOREIGN SOUNDS [a*] Fr. ami [kh*] Scot. loch, Ger. ach or ich [œ] Fr. feu, Ger. schön [r*] Fr. au revoir, Yiddish rebbe [uh*] Fr. oeuvre [y*] Fr. tu, Ger. über   SAMPLE NASALIZED VOWELS [an*] Fr. bien [ahn*] Fr. croissant [awn*] Fr. bon [œn*] Fr. parfum [in*] Port. Principe