English Voc 1, 2, 3

Front 1

Affluent

Back 1

1. Affluent \af-loo-uhnt\ (adjective/noun), Affluence (noun)
1: Having an abundance of wealth, property, or other material goods; prosperous; rich.
2: Flowing freely (as in an affluent fountain).

• “The area seventy miles west of Los Angeles is one of affluence.”
• “The affluent often lack the gratitude the poor possess.”
• “His affluence provided him with opportunities than those available to his fiscally-challenged friends.”

Did you know?
“Affluent” comes from the Latin “affluere,” meaning “to flow toward” from “fluere,” meaning “to flow.” The idea of a plentiful flow (of the gifts of fortune) led to “affluent” in the sense of "wealthy."

Front 2

Conducive

Back 2

2. Conducive \kuhn-doo-siv\ (adjective): usually used as PA followed by “to” and OP)
Tending to cause or bring about; contributive; helpful.

• “These dark and dirty working conditions are not conducive to productivity.”
• “Diligent study habits are conducive to higher grades.”
• “Intense competition is not conducive to a peaceful climate.”

Did you know?
“Conducive” usually functions as a predicate adjective followed by a prepositional phrase beginning with “to.”

Front 3

Facilitate

Back 3

3. Facilitate \fuh-sil-i-tayt\ (transitive verb)
To make easy or easier; to help along or assist (not people but processes).

• “The dolphin trainer facilitated the show with ease; everyone was able to enjoy the tricks and humor.”
• “In order to facilitate this dull process, I brought my friend Paco. He can sing and dance and will help us make it through.”
• “The butter on the bottom of the pan, which should facilitate the cooking process, only hindered things once it burned.”

Did you know?
The first half of “facilitate” is “facile,” which means “easy.” This should help facilitate your understanding of “facilitate.”

Front 4

Innocuous

Back 4

4. Innocuous \ih-nok-yoo-uhs\ (adjective), Innocuously (adverb)
1: Having no adverse effect; harmless.
2: Not likely to offend or provoke to strong emotion.
3: Not interesting, stimulating, or significant.

• “Our attack seemed innocuous, like a toddler throwing a Lego missile at Godzilla.”
• “Don’t worry, this smoke is innocuous; I breathe it every day.”
• “It was an innocuous comment. I don’t understand why she’s so upset.”
• “She wrote a rather innocuous novel, incapable of grabbing a reader or publisher.”

Front 5

Integral

Back 5

5. Integral \in-ti-gruhl or in-teg-ruhl\ (adjective)
1: Essential, vital, fundamental, constitutional.
2: Constituting or forming part of the essence of something.

• “The bass is an integral instrument in the worship band. It really is the backbone of the music.”
• “Flour was an integral ingredient here. Of course the muffins turned out flat without it.”
• “Trust, commitment, and diligence are all integral to the success of our team.”

Front 6

Nonchalant

Back 6

6. Nonchalant \ non-shuh-lahnt\ (adjective), Nonchalantly (adverb), Nonchalance (noun)
1: Seeming to be coolly unconcerned or indifferent; not easily excited, even under pressure; casual.

• “”His grades suffered because of his nonchalant attitude towards studying.”
• “Steve said, ‘To get a girl to like you, you must be in a constant state of nonchalance; they love guys who are in control.’”
• “He strode nonchalantly into traffic as if walking on water, expecting to defy the laws of physics.”

Did you know?
“Nonchalant” is the French present participle of “nonchaloir,” which means “to lack warmth (especially warmth of heart),” but it has mostly lost this negative connotation of “uncaring” and now refers to the more positive “unconcerned, cool, casual.”

Front 7

Pompous

Back 7

7. Pompous \pom-puhs\ (adjective), Pompously (adverb), Pomposity \pom-pos-i-tee\ (noun)
1: Characterized by an exaggerated show of dignity or self-importance; pretentious, narcissistic.
2: Ostentatiously lofty in style: a pompous speech.

• “He was truly a pompous individual; his self-praise turned the audience against him.”
• “Pomposity is like bad breath; all those around are offended before the one who breathes it.”
• “It was when you pompously told me how cute I was; that’s when I first knew that you were not the one for me.”

Did you know?
The suffix “ous” means “possessing, full of, characterized by.” Thus, someone who is pompous is full of pomp, or self-important display.

Front 8

Stolid

Back 8

8. Stolid \stol-id\ (adjective), Stolidly (adverb), Stolidity \stuh-lid-i-tee\ (noun)
Having or revealing little emotion or interest; unsympathetic, uncaring, unresponsive.

• "The incredibly massive and stolid bureaucracy of the organization seems cold and inhuman."
• “He sat stolidly, unmoved, amidst the weeping audience.”
• “His stolidity makes him a poor husband.”

Front 9

Tangible

Back 9

9. Tangible \tan-juh-buhl\ (adjective), Tangibility (noun)
1: Discernible by the touch; palpable; possible to touch.
2: Possible to be treated as fact; real or concrete as opposed to imaginary or visionary.
Intangible (adjective), Intangibility (noun)
1: Not discernible by the touch; impossible to touch.
2: Imprecise or unclear to the mind.

• “I felt some very tangible examples of our poverty.”
• “It’s just this feeling; I can’t describe it. It’s intangible.”
• “The tangibility of his argument became clear when he produced the secret evidence: a garden gnome.”

Front 10

Titanic

Back 10

10. Titanic \tye-tan-ik\ (adjective)
Having great magnitude, force, or power; colossal.

• “Titanic trees towered over the glade, and as she gazed up into their vast boughs, it seemed to Lorraine that she must have diminished in size.”
• “Becky has had a titanic crush on Richard ever since he spilt ketchup on her at summer camp.”
• “It started as a subtle gurgling in his belly that grew as it climbed up his esophagus and resulted in a titanic belch.”