EXERCISE - Parallels_The Century Vocabulary Builder

Study the discriminations between the members of the following pairs. At

each blank in the illustrative sentences insert the appropriate word.

<Brotherly, fraternal.> _Brotherly_ is used of actual blood

kinship, or indicates close feeling, deep affection, or religious love.

_Fraternal_ is used less personally and intimately; it normally

betokens that the relations are at least in part formal (as relations

within societies). "The sight of the button on the stranger's lapel caused

Wilkes to give him the cabalistic sign and ask his ____ assistance."

"Though the children of different parents, we bear for each other a true

____ devotion." "Because we both are newspaper men I feel a ____ interest

in him."

<Daily, diurnal.> _Daily_, the popular word, is often used

loosely. We may say that we eat three meals daily without implying that we

have never gone dinnerless. _Diurnal_, the scientific term, is used

exactly, whether applying to the period of daylight or to the whole

twenty-four hours. A diurnal flower closes at night; a diurnal motion is

precisely coincident with the astronomical day. In poetry, however,

_diurnal_ is often used for _daily_. "Give us this day our ____

bread." "The ____ rotation of the earth on its axis is the cause of our

day and night." "Fred and I went for our ____ ramble through the hills."

<Cold, frigid.> Which is the more popular word? Let us see. Would the

man in the street be more likely to use one than the other? Which one?

Does this answer our question? Another question: Which word is the more

inclusive in meaning? Again, let us see. A blacksmith is beating iron;

does the iron grow cold or frigid? Which term, then, approaches the closer

in meaning to the idea of mere coolness? On the other hand, may that same

term represent a temperature far beyond mere coolness? Would you speak of

a morning as bitterly cold or bitterly frigid? Now think of the term you

have not been using. _Can_ it convey as wide meanings, or is it

limited in range? Does the word _frigid_ carry for you a geographical

suggestion (to the frigid zone)? Do you yourself use the term? If so, do

you use it chiefly (perhaps entirely) in connection with human temperament

or demeanor? Is _cold_ used thus figuratively also? Which is the more

often thus used? "I suffer from ____ hands and feet." "The slopes of Mont

Blanc are ____ with eternal snow." "He did not warm to the idea at all.

His inclinations are absolutely ____."

<Manly, virile>. _Manly_ implies possession of traits or

qualities a man should possess; it may be used of immature persons.

_Virile_ implies maturity and robust masculinity; it is also used of

the power to procreate. "A ____ lad." "A ____ reply." "____ energy."

"____ and aggressive." "____ forbearance."

<Inner, internal>. _Inner_ is somewhat within, or more within

than something else is; it is also used in figurative and spiritual

senses. _Internal_ is entirely within. "The ____ organs of the human

body." "The ____ layer of the rind." "The injury was ____."

"The ____ nature of man." "The ____ meaning of the occurrence."

<Height, altitude>. "He was five feet, eleven inches in height."

Can you substitute _altitude_? Is _altitude_ used of persons?

"At an altitude of eleven feet from the ground." Would _height_ be

more natural? Does _altitude_ betoken great height? If so, does

Hamlet speak jestingly when he greets the player, "Your ladyship is nearer

heaven than when I saw you last, by the altitude of a chopine?" What of

the sentence: "The altitude of Galveston was not sufficient to protect it

from the tidal wave"? Does the magnitude or importance of the object

(Galveston) compensate for its lack of elevation and thus justify

_altitude_? Could _height_ be substituted? If so, would the

words _above sea-level_ have to follow it? Does this fact give you a

further clue as to the distinction between the two words? You are

comparing the elevation of two peaks, both plainly visible; you measure

them merely by your eye. Do you say "This exceeds the other in height" or

"This exceeds the other in altitude"? Suppose the peaks are so distant

from each other that the two are not visible simultaneously, and suppose

you are speaking from a knowledge of the scientific measurements. Do you

say "This exceeds the other in height" or "This exceeds the other in

altitude"?

<Talk, conversation>. _Talk_ may be one-sided and empty.

_Conversation_ requires that at least two shall participate, and it

is not spoken of as empty, though it may be trivial. "Our ____ was

somewhat desultory." "Thought is less general than ____."

"His ____ was so lively that I had no chance to interrupt"

"That is meaningless ____."

<Homesickness, nostalgia>. All of us have heard physicians call

commonplace ailments by extraordinary names. When homesickness reaches the

stage where a physician is or might be called in, it becomes nostalgia.

The latter term suggests morbid or chronic suffering. A healthy boy away

from home for the first time is homesick. An exile who has wasted himself

with pining for his native land is nostalgic. "His ____ was more than

____; it had so preyed upon his thoughts that it had grown into ____."

Rise, ascend. _Rise_ is the more general term, but it expresses less

than _ascend_ in degree or stateliness. "He had foretold to them that

he would ____ into heaven." "Do not ____ from your seat." "The diver

slowly ____ to the surface." "The travelers ____ the mountain."

<Sell, vend>. _Sell_ is the more dignified word socially, but

may express greater moral degradation. _Vend_ is used of the petty

(as that which can be carried about in a wagon), and may suggest the

pettily dishonest. "That man would ____ his country." "We shall ____ a

million dollars' worth of goods." "The hucksters ____ their wares."

Study the discriminations between the members of the following pairs.

Determine whether the words are correctly used in the illustrative

sentences. (Some are; some are not.)

<Friendly, amicable>. _Friendly_ denotes goodwill positive in

quality though perhaps limited in degree; we may be friendly to friends,

enemies, or strangers. _Amicable_ is negative, denoting absence of

open discord: it is used of those persons between whom some connection

already exists. "The newcomer has an amicable manner." "Both sides were

cautious, but at last they reached a friendly settlement." "I have only

amicable feelings for an enemy who is thus merciful." "The two met, if not

in a friendly, at least in an amicable way."

<Willing, voluntary>. Both words imply an act of the will; but

_willing_ adds positive good-nature, desire, or enthusiasm, whereas

_voluntary_ conveys little or nothing of the emotional attitude.

_Voluntary_ is often thought of in contrast with _mechanical_.

"They made willing submission." "They rendered whole-hearted and voluntary

service." "Though torn by desire to return to his mother, he willingly

continued his journey away from her." "The sneeze was unwilling."

<Greedy, voracious.> _Greedy_ denotes excessiveness (usually

habitual) of appetite or, in its figurative uses, of desire; it nearly

always carries the idea of selfishness. _Voracious_ denotes intense

hunger or the hasty and prolonged consumption of great quantities of food;

it may indicate, not habitual selfishness, but the stress of

circumstances. "Nobody else I know is so greedy as he." "The young poet

was voracious of praise." "Trench, though a capital fellow, was so hungry

that he ate voraciously."

<Offspring, progeny.> _Offspring_ is likely to be used when our

thought is chiefly on the children, _progeny_ when our thought is

chiefly on the parents. _Offspring_ may be used of one or many;

_progeny_ is used in collective reference to many. "He was third

among the progeny who won distinction." "They are the progeny of very rich

parents." "Clayton left his offspring well provided for."

<Ghost, spirit.> _Ghost_ is the narrower term. It never

expresses, as _spirit_ does, the idea of soul or of animating mood or

purpose. With reference to incorporeal beings, it denotes (except in the

phrase "the Holy Ghost") the reappearance of the dead in disembodied form.

_Spirit_ may denote a variety of incorporeal beings--among them

angels, fairies (devoid of moral nature), and personalities returned from

the grave and manifested--seldom visibly--through spiritualistic tappings

and the like. "The superstitious natives thought the spirit of their chief

walked in the graveyard." "The ghost of the ancestors survives in the

descendants." "I can call spirits from the vasty deep."

<Foe, enemy.> Nowadays the chief difference between the two terms is

that _foe_ is the more used in poetry, _enemy_ in prose.

But _foe_ tends to express the more personal and implacable

hostility. We do not think of foes as bearing any friendship for each

other; enemies may, or they may be enemies in public affairs but downright

friends in their private relations. A man is hardly spoken of as being his

own foe, but he may be his own enemy. "For the moment we found ourselves

foes." "Suspicion is an enemy to content." "I paid a tribute to my friend,

who was the dominant personality among the enemy."

<Truth, veracity.> _Truth_ has to do with the accuracy of the

statement, of the facts; _veracity_ with the intention of the person

to say nothing false. "I cannot vouch for the veracity of the story, but I

can for the truth of the teller." "Though he is not a man of veracity, I

believe he is now speaking the truth." "Veracity, crushed to earth, will

rise again."

<Break, fracture>. _Break_ is the broader term. It need not

refer clearly to the operation or result of external force, nor need it

embody the idea that this force is brought against a hard substance. In

these respects it differs from _fracture_, as also in the fact that

it may designate a mere interruption. Furthermore it has figurative uses,

whereas _fracture_ is narrowly literal. "There was a fracture in the

chain of mountains." "The break in his voice was distinct." "The fracture

of the bones of his wrist incapacitated him." "The fracture of the rope."

<Hug, embrace>. To _hug_ is to clasp violently or

enthusiastically, and perhaps ludicrously. To _embrace_ is to clasp

in a more dignified, perhaps even in a formal, way; the term also means to

include, to comprise. "This topic embraces the other." "Did you see that

ardent bumpkin embracing his sweetheart?" "Her sister gave her a graceful

but none too cordial hug." "The wounded bear hugged the hunter

ferociously."

<Shorten, abridge>. The two terms overlap; but there is a fairly

strong tendency to use _shorten_ for reduction in length, and

_abridge_ for reduction in quantity or mass. Both words are used

figuratively as well as literally. "The tyrant shortened the privileges of

his subjects." "We shortened the rope." "The teacher abridged the

recitation." "The report of the committee appears in abridged form in

Volume 2 of our records."

With the help of the dictionary discriminate between the members of the

following pairs. Determine whether the words are correctly used in the

illustrative sentences. (Some are; some are not.)

<Fiery, inflammable>. "He delivered a fiery address." "The

underbrush was dry and fiery." "Your disposition is too inflammable."

<Lean, attenuated>. "The fat man had grown attenuated."

"Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look." "The hot metal was then drawn

into an attenuated wire." "Only a lean line of our soldiers faced the

dense masses of the enemy."

<Home-like, domestic>. "The scene was quiet and domestic." "It is

home-like, inexpressibly dear." "To Waltham, heartsick from his

wanderings, the room in all its arrangements was thoroughly domestic."

<Vigilant, watchful>. "We must be vigilant if we would maintain our

liberty." "He was wakeful, even watchful, though not from set purpose."

"He was vigilant for evidences of friendship."

<Building, edifice>. "It is a big, barn-like building." "Spare yonder

sacred edifice." "This is the most imposing building I ever saw."

<Hole, aperture>. "I poked a stick into the aperture which the

crawfish had made." "Through the aperture of the partly open door I gazed

out on the street." "The hole of the hornet's nest was black with the

emerging and angry insects."

<Farming, agriculture>. "Two hundred students graduated this year

from the college of farming." "For long years he had devoted himself to

the homely, grinding tasks of agriculture." "I have looked rather

carefully into the theories of farming."

<Rest, repose>. "He obtained some repose even while standing." "We

wished for a moment's rest from our exertions." "Worn out, he was

compelled to seek repose." "Lincoln's face in repose was very melancholy."

<Help, aid>. "The man was so injured he could do nothing for himself;

I had to aid him." "Help, help!" "Aid us, O God, in our sore distress."

"The little fellow could not quite get the bundle to his shoulder; a

passerby helped him."

<Hide, conceal>. "By refraining from comment he hid his connection

with the affair." "Wild creatures hide themselves by means of their

protective coloring." "The frost on the panes conceals the landscape from

you." "Do not hide your misdeeds from your mother."

In the following list only the native member of each pair is given.

Determine what the classic member is, and frame sentences to illustrate

the correct use of the two words. (Make a conscientious effort to find the

classic member by means of its parallelism with the native. If, and after,

you definitely fail in any instance to find it, obtain a clue to it

through study of the words in List G. Every pair in that list is clearly

suggestive of one or more pairs in this list.)

nightly,-- motherly,--

breadth,-- buy,--

hot,-- fall,--

thought,-- sleeplessness,--

fatherly,-- yearly,--

outer,-- depth,--

womanly,-- speech,--

Discriminate between the members of each of the following pairs, and frame

sentences to illustrate the correct use of the two words.

freedom, liberty well, cistern

freedom, independence give, donate

free, acquit happen, occur

door, portal lessen, abate

begin, commence lessen, diminish

behead, decapitate forefathers, ancestors

belief, credence friend, acquaintance

belief, credulity lead, conduct

swear, vow end, finish

curse, imprecate end, complete

curse, anathema end, terminate

die, expire warn, admonish

die, perish warn, caution

die, succumb rich, affluent

lively, vivacious wealthy, opulent

walk, ambulate help, assistance

leave, depart help, succor

leave, abandon answer, reply

go with, accompany find out, ascertain

go before, precede take, appropriate

hasten, accelerate shrewd, astute

quicken, accelerate breathe, respire

speed, celerity busy, industrious

hatred, animadversion growing, crescent

fearful, timorous grow, increase

Cover with a piece of paper the classic (right-hand) members of the

following pairs, and if possible ascertain what they are by studying the

native members. Frame sentences to illustrate the correct use of both

words in each pair.

neighborhood, vicinity hang, impend

hang, suspend rash, impetuous

flood, inundation drunk, intoxicated

harmful, injurious tool, instrument

mind, intellect mad, insane

birth, nativity sail, navigate

sailor, mariner ship, vessel

lying, mendacious upright, erect

early, premature upright, vertical

first, primary shake, vibrate

raise, elevate swing, oscillate

lift, elevate leaves, foliage

greet, salute beg, importune

choose, select beggar, mendicant

choose, elect smell, odor

same, identical sink, submerge

name, nominate dip, immerse

follow, pursue room, apartment

follow, succeed see, perceive

teach, instruct see, inspect

teach, inculcate sight, visibility

teacher, pedagogue sight, vision

tiresome, tedious sight, spectacle

empty, vacant glasses, spectacles

farewell, valediction

Cover with a piece of paper the native (left-hand) members of the

following pairs, and if possible ascertain what they are by studying the

classic members. Frame sentences to illustrate the correct use of both

words in each pair.

skin, cuticle thunder, fulminate

skin, integument sleep-walking, somnambulism

hide, epidermis bird, ornithology

fleshly, carnal bird, aviary

hearer, auditor bee, apiary

snake, serpent bending, flexible

heap, aggregation wrinkle, corrugation

laugh, cachinnation slow, dilatory

laughable, risible lime, calcimine

fear, trepidation coal, lignite

live, exist man, anthropology

bridal, nuptial winter, hibernate

wed, marry gap, hiatus

husband/wife, spouse right, ethical

shore, littoral showy, ostentatious

forswear, perjure spelling, orthography

steal, peculate time, chronology

steal, embezzle handbook, manual

lockjaw, tetanus hole, cavity

mistake, error dig, excavate

mistake, erratum boil, tumor

wink, nictation tickle, titillate

blessing, benediction dry, desiccated

wet, humid warm, tepid

flirt, coquet forgetfulness, oblivion

fiddle, violin sky, firmament

sky, empyrean flatter, compliment

flee, abscond flight, fugitive

forbid, prohibit hinder, impede

hold, contain

For each of the following pairs frame a sentence which shall contain one

of the members. Can the other member be substituted without affecting the

meaning of the sentence? Read the discrimination of _Height-altitude_

in EXERCISE - Parallels. Ask yourself similar questions to bring out the

distinction between the two words you are considering.

threat, menace call, summon

talk, commune cleanse, purify

short, terse short, concise

better, ameliorate lie, recline

new, novel straight, parallel

lawful, legitimate law, litigation

law, jurisprudence flash, coruscate

late, tardy watch, chronometer

foretell, prognosticate king, emperor

winding, sinuous hint, insinuate

burn, incinerate fire, incendiarism

bind, constrict crab, crustacean

fowls, poultry lean, incline

flat, level flat, vapid

sharpness, acerbity sharpness, acrimony

shepherd, pastor word, vocable

choke, suffocate stifle, suffocate

clothes, raiment witness, spectator

beat, pulsate mournful, melancholy

beginning, incipient drink, imbibe

light, illuminate hall, corridor

stair, escalator anger, indignation

fight, combat sleight-of-hand, prestidigitation

build, construct tree, arbor

ask, interrogate wench, virgin

frisk, caper fill, replenish

water, irrigate silly, foolish

coming, advent feeling, sentiment

old, antiquated forerunner, precursor

sew, embroider unload, exonerate

grave, sepulcher readable, legible

tell, narrate kiss, osculate

nose, proboscis striking, percussion

green, verdant stroke, concussion

grass, verdure bowman, archer

drive, propel greed, avarice

book, volume stingy, parsimonious

warrior, belligerent bath, ablution

owner, proprietor wrong, incorrect

bow, obeisance top, summit

kneel, genuflection food, nutrition

work, occupation seize, apprehend

shut, close field, agrarian

Turn back to Lists A, B, C, D, E, and F. Discriminate between the members

of each pair contained in these lists. Frame sentences to illustrate the

correct use of the words.