Vocabulary exercises

1. List 37
abandon
alert
circumstances
devote
dominate
Abandon—verb; to quit, to cease to support or look after someone, to give up
completely, to desert, to leave, to neglect
(a/ban/don)
a/ban/don/ment – noun
a/ban/doned - adj
 Sometimes people abandon what they are trying to do because it gets too
hard.
 I have had to abandon my goal of making a million dollars a year because
teachers cannot make that much money.
 What would have to happen for you to abandon your education?
Antonym – to support, to maintain, to reclaim, to recover, to rescue, to save, to
restore
Alert—adj; fully awake, active, observant, watchful, perceptive
(a/lert)
a/lert—verb
a/lert/ness - noun
 When you’re crossing a street, you need to be alert for cars.
 Some people drink coffee to be alert; some people drink Coca Cola.
 How do you make sure you’re alert enough in the morning?
Antonym – asleep, inattentive, drowsy, lazy, unaware
Circumstances—noun; facts, information, situation, fate
(cir/cum/stan/ces)
Cir/cum/stan/tial - adj
 If someone has a car accident, he or she might argue with the other driver
over the exact circumstances of the accident.
 What are some of the circumstances that led you to enroll in this school?
Antonym - plan
Devote—verb; to give attention to, to dedicate, to donate, to give
(de/vote)
De/vo/ted—adj

2. De/vot/ed/ly—adv
 When she is studying, she tries to devote her time learning what she need
to do.
 Right now, we are devoting our lives to teaching and helping others to be
better.
 What are you devoted to at this time in your life?
Antonym – to keep, to disrespect, to refuse, to discourage
Dominate—verb; to be a leader in, to command, to control, to conquer, to
overpower
(do/mi/nate)
Do/mi/nant--noun
 The Vikings/Timberwolves/Twins do not dominate their sport.
 Of the two brothers, the older one is the dominant one.
 What would you like to dominate?
Antonym – to follow, to lose, to neglect, to mismanage
List 37
abandon
alert
circumstances
devote
dominate
Definitions
1. __________________ to stop trying to continue; discontinue; quit
2. __________________ to give one’s time or attention completely to something
or someone
3. __________________ wide-awake and watchful; highly aware
4. __________________ to have a leading place or position I; be at the head of

3. 5. __________________ condition or facts of a particular situation or event
Fill in the Blank
6. An __________________ person is wide-awake and very much aware of his or
her surroundings.
7. When a friend called to ask if I wanted to go to the movies; I quickly
__________________ed my ironing and got ready to go out.
8. At first I thought George was unfriendly, but when I learned the
__________________ of his life, I understood.
9. Coca Cola and Pepsi __________________ the cola market.
10. The young skater __________________d five hours each day to practicing.
Word Match
11. My friend, Rose, spends every Saturday volunteering at
the hospital.
_____ a. abandon
12. The details of Anna’s financial situation show that she
can’t afford a new car.
_____ b. alert
13. Mindy never lets anyone else speak in a conversation _____ c. circumstances
14. Ron went to the movies with a friend instead of
finishing his homework.
_____ d. devote
15. The driver saw the dog in the street and was able to
stop.
_____ e. dominate
Synonyms
16. circumstances
a. conditions
b. activities
c. jobs
d. abilities
17. dominate
a. lead
b. be active
c. follow

4. d. leave
18. devote
a. get rid of
b. hide from
c. win over
d. give attention to
19. abandon
a. leave
b. lose
c. continue with
d. work badly
20. alert
a. sleepy
b. complete
c. aware
d. curious
Yes/No/Why
21. Should a decision about whether or not to have a baby rely only on your
financial circumstances? Why or why not?
22. Who is someone dominant in your life? Where would you like to be
dominant? Explain.
23. Should children be allowed to devote 5 hours a day to playing video
games? What should they devote their time to doing?

5. 24. Is it alright to abandon a baby at a hospital if you know you can’t take care
of it? Why or why not?
25. Should all cars come equipped with an alert to tell the driver if the road
surface is slippery? What kinds of alerts should cars have?