English 10B Vocabulary: Unit 2 SAT/ACT Words

2.1 ARDUOUS (Ahr joo us) hard, difficult, tiresome
Memory link: the arduous snow covered trail is hard on us

It was an ARDUOUS climb up the 5 mile hill.

The pace of the track meet was ARDUOUS and left many runners tired and ready to go to sleep.

The assignment given the recruits was ARDUOUS, twenty miles with full packs in the hot sun.

Swimming three miles was the most ARDUOUS excersize Jeannie ever had.

The long, ARDUOUS boat trip was made even worse by stormy seas and much seasickness.

It was the most ARDUOUS puzzle I had to ever solved, it took days to solve it.

2.2 ASUNDER (uh SUN dur) separate parts; apart from each other in position
Memory link: The thunder tore the young lovers asunder
Friday, December 5, 2008

The big storm made the houses all ASUNDER. Nothing was one piece anymore.

When the earthquake stopped, and we came up from our shelter, we found the city had been torn ASUNDER and not one single building was left standing.

Our team lost its unity and became a group of individuals who played entirely for themselves, ASUNDER from each other.

Bowling pins ASUNDER from each other when the ball hit them.

Their relationship was brought to an ASUNDER; they couldn’t be together any longer.


2.3 ASKEW (uh skew) to one side; crooked; awry; a sidelong look of contempt
Memory link: Curlys pool cue had become askew.Friday December 7, 2007
Thursday, December 4, 2007

Our backbones have an ASKEW bend to them.

After the flood receded, the bridge was found to be ASKEW of the road which connected to it.

The tire wouldn't fit on the car beacause in the accident the axle had been bent ASKEW.

The speaker looked ASKEW at the heckler at every interruption.

Marcy looked at Jan with an ASKEW look because she said a rude comment.

The picture was too ASKEW; nothing fit together.

2.4 BELEAGUER (be Lee gur) to besiege; beset; surround, harass
Memory link: the little leaguers beleaguered the big leaguers.
Friday, December 5, 2007.

The ants BELEAGUERED the ham sandwich at the picnic.

In World War II, the Russian city of Staligrac was BELEAGUERED by the German ARmy for five months before it fell to the Germans.

During his last year in office, Richard Nixon was a BELEAGUERED president, struggling to fight off the Watergate scandal.

In the midst of important negotiations, the union official asked his staff not to BELEAGUER him with insignificant details.

Tom BELEAGUERED Jimmy at recesses all day long. Jimmy cried.

My mom was BELEASGUERING me with many questions so I told her to back off.

2.5 DULCET (DULL set) melodious, soft, soothing
Memory link: If you don’t like opera, even the most Dulcet tones of the finest sopranos make for a dull sit.

The DULCET sound of her voice could put any baby to sleep.

Senator Kramer was a political campaigner who could hypnotize an audience with sweet words and DULCET tones.

Jeff's parents declared there was nothing DULCET about the rock-and-roll music that shook the house from his room every morning as he dressed for school.

The radio therapists voice was DULCET and calmed her listeners down and made them comfortable sharing their problems on the radio with thousands of listeners.

Some people need "white noise" to sleep as they find it DULCET. It doesn't work for me and drives me crazy. I need the room to be silent to sleep.

2.6 EFFACE (uh FACE) to rub away
Memory link: how to efface a face by erasing it

Sometimes people who commit crimes will EFFACE all evidence.

We came upon a cemetary by the sea. Many of the headstone inscriptions had been EFFACED by the ravages of time, but we could make out many that were well over two hundred years old.

To assure that he left no clues, the thief EFFACED his fingerprints from the stolen car.

Someone vandalized the museum paintings by EFFACING each one with red spray paint.

Over the years, the color on the pictures started EFFACING slowly.

I EFFACED the dirt off my arms.

2.7 HISTRIONIC (his tree AHN ik) overly dramatic, theatrical
Memory link: Professor Bradley likes his history on the histrionic side

Jess was always HISTRIONIC about everything. Even about the littlest things possible.

As soon as you would mention thw word wrinkle the middle-aged actress would fall into a state of HISTRONIC tears.

Everything Michael said was on the swaggering, HISTRONIC side, as if he were the coolest guy on campus.

The children's HISTRONICS when they couldn't find their toys made everyone uncomfortable.

The HISTRIONICS within the movie made it more exiting.

The movie was too HISTIONIC for me too handle.

2.8 MILIEU (mill you) environment or surroundings
Memory link: the boys’ locker room showers were a milieu of mildew

After a long sea journey, a sailor on land for the first days feels out his MILIEU.

The proper MILIEU for raising a family is a home setting with loving parents who understand child rearing; something every parent must work at and not take for granted.

I always love the MILIEU in an airplane; its always friendly.

Its always a good MILIEU when the house is clean.

The New York Stock Exchange is a MILIEU of frenzied activity during trading hours.

2.9 PORCINE (pore sein) reminiscent of or pertaining to a pig
Memory link: it was a poor scene when mark arrived with his porcine date
Thursday, December 4, 2007

Her skin had a PORCINE color that bugged me.

After an around the world cruise, where each meal is a grand feast, Bob and Helen returned home with PORCINE figures.

She had a PORCINE attitude about food; that is to say she would eat anything and everthing.

Over the college years he has gotten the PORCINE. look.

Bob was a PORCINE when it came to food but he was still skinny.

2.10 QUIXOTIC ( kwik SAHT ik) idealistic and totally impractical
Memory link: Jim, the messenger, is not idiotic, he’s just quixotic.
Wednesday, December 3, 2007

Her freinds thought her QUIXOTIC when planning big parties; she just loved to dream big.

Professor Callan said it is QUIXOTIC of society to ignore the world's environmental problems.

Puttingall taxpayers on the honor system is a QUIXOTIC suggestions.

Sue had the most QUIXOTIC ideas of what her life would be like if she ever won the lottery.

The man's behavior was QUIXOITIC, he sat outside of mcdonalds thinking he would get free big macs everyday.