Magoosh Common Words III

Amy’s name was very apt: she was so amiable that she was twice voted class president.

For all his surface affability, Marco was remarkably glum when he wasn’t around other people.

While the senator privately approved of gay marriage, he was unwilling to advocate for the cause in a public venue.

Not one for social pleasantries, the Chief of Staff would brusquely ask his subordinates anything he wanted, even coffee.

Emergency situations such as this call for immediate action and leave no room to deliberate over options.

Though Walters writes about physics and time travel, his writing is always lucid, so readers with little scientific training can understand difficult concepts.

Kevin is such a misanthrope that he refused to attend the Christmas party, claiming that everyone's happiness was "fake" and "annoying."

The newsroom was inundated with false reports that only made it more difficult for the newscasters to provide an objective account of the bank robbery.

The many telltale signs of chronic smoking include yellow teeth, and a persistent, hacking cough.

Even at the old-timers games, Stan Musial would get the loudest cheer: he was a perennial favorite of the fans there.

Her enthusiasm for the diva’s new album only waxed with each song; by the end of the album, it was her favorite CD yet.

Most discrimination and hatred is based on a lack of empathetic awareness of people that have the same aspirations and fears.

The jury was hardly moved by the man’s plea that his loneliness was an extenuating factor in his crime of dognapping a prized pooch.

A good captain needs to be steadfast, continuing to hold the wheel and stay the course even during the most violent storm.

Even during the quiet sanctity of evening prayer, she held her chin high, a sanctimonious sneer forming on her face as she eyed those who were attending church for the first time.

Since the police sergeant had to train the pair of new hires, progress in his own case was impeded.

Only weeks after the hurricane made landfall, the local supermarket shelves were replete with goods, so quick was the disaster relief response.

The principal explained that even though one student had done modelling work outside of school, the outfits that student wore in those photographs in no way established a precedent for what could be worn at school dances.

With the advent of machines capable of looking inside the brain, fields as disparate as religion and biology have been brought together by scientists trying to understand what happens in the brain when people have a religious experience.

Having grown up in a humdrum suburb, Jacob relished life in New York City after moving.

Nelson’s parents exhorted him to study medicine, urging him to choose a respectable profession; intransigent, Nelson left home to become a graffiti artist.

At the zenith of his artistic career, Elvis was outselling any other artist on the charts.

The most difficult part of the fast was banishing thoughts of food.

The head waiter was careful to tell the amateur diners that red wine was complementary with beef, each bringing out subtle taste notes in the other.

She spurned all his flattery and proposals, and so he walked off embarrassed and sad.

His constant whistling would rankle her, sometimes causing her to leave in a huff.

After the boulder rolled a couple of feet, pinning my friend's arm, he experienced excruciating pain.

Herb has given us no formal statement about his background, but from various hints, I have gleaned that he grew up in difficult circumstances.

Jean Valjean, is at first destitute, but through the grace of a priest, he makes something of his life.

Steve certainly is in a quandary: if he doesn't call Elaine, she will blame him for everything, but if he does call her, the evidence of where he currently is could cost him his job.

He was economical, spending his money thriftily and on items considered essential.

Instead of solving the math problem in three simple steps, Kumar used a convoluted solution requiring fifteen steps.

He was impeccably dressed in the latest fashion without a single crease or stain.

Dennis arranged an elaborate ploy, involving 14 different people lying for him in different situations, so that it could appear that he was meeting Mary completely by chance at the wedding reception.

Without checking his references and talking to previous employers, I am leery of hiring the candidate.

That light could be both a particle and a wave seems paradoxical, but nonetheless, it is true.

While the salaries of the players might draw attention in the media, such monetary figures are not pertinent to the question of who plays the best on the field.

He placed no credence in psychics, claiming that they offered no special powers beyond the ability to make people part with their money.

Richard Dawkins tries to debunk religious belief, but his ridicule tends to push people away from his points rather than convince them.

The lawyer’s demands were so unconscionable that rather than pay an exorbitant sum or submit himself to any other inconveniences, the defendant decided to find a new lawyer.

The nun derided the students for trying to sneak insects and worms into the classroom.

Known for their bellicose ways, the Spartans were once the most feared people from Peloponnesus to Persia.

Steve certainly is in a quandary: if he doesn't call Elaine, she will blame him for everything, but if he does call her, the evidence of where he currently is could cost him his job.

When America first created its national parks, the idea of setting aside the most beautiful land in a country was unprecedented in the history of mankind.

While the other teams in the division actively vie for the championship, this team seems content simply to go through the motions of playing.

When Dexter was unable to fulfill his basic duties, instead of firing him, the boss relegated him to kitchen cleanup.

Many know that smoking is detrimental to your health, but processed sugar in large quantities is equally bad.

I wanted to spend a week in New York this autumn, but the high costs of travel and lodging thwarted my plans.

People smoke to relax and forget their cares, but ironically, in terms of health risks, smoking is far more precarious than either mountain-climbing or skydiving.

Fearing his money would be squandered by his family, he gave all of it to charity when he died.