Vocabulary exercises

1. List 13
abrupt
astonish
classify
complex
consent
Abrupt—adj; not expected, very sudden, hasty, hurried, surprising,
unanticipated
(ab/rupt)
Ab/rupt/ly—adv
 A fire would be an abrupt event in our classroom.
 People who like to control things don’t do well with abrupt changes.
 When are you abrupt?
Antonym – gradual, calm, expected, anticipated, deliberate, not surprising
Astonish—verb; to surprise, to shock, to amaze, to stun, to bewilder
(as/to/nish)
As/to/nish/ment—noun
As/to/nish/ing—adj
As/ton/ishingly—adv
 I would be astonished if we had 100% attendance every day in our class.
 An announcement closing this school for the rest of the year would
astonish all of us.
 What could you say to astonish us?
Antonym – expect, anticipate, foresee, bore, calm
Classify—verb; to group, to arrange, to divide, to label, to organize, to assort
(clas/si/fy)
Clas/si/fi/ca/tion—noun
 History museums classify their exhibits by different time periods.
 All animals are classified into groups such as: mammals, reptiles and
amphibians.
 What is something you could classify?
Antonym – disarrange, disorder, disarrange, join, unite, mix up
Complex—adj; hard to understand, complicated, compound, multiplex, multiple
(com/plex)
Com/plex/i/ty—noun
 Algebra is very complex. Trigonometry is even more complex.
 Some family trees are complex with second, third, and fourth marriages,
step siblings, half siblings and foster siblings.
 What subject in school do you find complex?
Antonym – easy, simple, single, clear, direct, plain

2. Consent—verb; to say yes, to agree, approval, assent, permission, permit
(con/sent)
Con/sen/su/al—adj
Con/sen/sual/ly—adv
Con/sent—noun
 Some restaurants do not give you consent to use cell phones inside the
restaurant.
 Sometimes when you start a job you have to consent to a drug test.
 If we asked students to consent to drug tests, what do you think would
happen?
Antonym – to say no, to disagree, denial, disapproval, dissent, refusal, rejection
Definitions
1. ___________________ not simple; not easy to understand or figure out
2. ___________________ to agree to something
3. ___________________ to arrange or organize into groups or types
4. ___________________ to surprise greatly; amaze
5. ___________________ sudden and unexpected
Fill in the Blank
6. Did you know that scientists ___________________ the whale as a
mammal?
7. The great magician Houdini would ___________________ audiences by
escaping from chains, locked trunks, and sealed coffins.
8. A car would probably come to an ___________________ stop if a dog ran
out in front of it.
9. Why must some forms be so ___________________ to fill out?
10.If you win the lottery, would you ___________________ to having your
name and picture printed in the newspaper?

3. Complete the Sentence
11.The princess wants to marry the woodcutter. Her father doesn’t consent
because he feels the woodcutter would be
a. a good match for his daughter.
b. a poor match for his daughter.
c. married to two women.
12.When our neighbors told us they were divorcing, we were astonished.
Obviously, we
a. had expected the divorce for a long time.
b. had not expected it to happen.
c. were not very interested.
13.The freeway was very complex with
a. eight lanes of traffic, three different levels, and twenty signs.
b. a posted speed limit of 70.
c. many cars traveling on it.
14.Oscar abruptly came into his manager’s office and said,
a. “I am taking lunch now.”
b. “I quit!”
c. “Mr. Smith is a good boss.”
15.The boys classified their coins
a. to buy some candy.
b. to give to their mother.
c. by type of coin.
Synonyms
16.abrupt
a. expected
b. sudden
c. delayed
d. polite
17.astonish
a. borrow
b. allow
c. request
d. surprise
18.classify
a. set aside for later
b. decide the value
c. have no use for
d. organized into groups
19.complex
a. simple
b. difficult
c. interesting
d. true
20.consent
a. try
b. begin
c. disagree
d. agree

4. What/How/Why Questions:
21.How would an abrupt storm cause problems?
22.Why would it astonish you to get your GED tomorrow?
23.What are some food items that you classify as a vegetable?
24.What was a complex decision that you made? How long did it take you to
make?
25.What things did you have to consent to before you came to the U.S.?