Vocabulary exercises

1. List 40
monotonous
obtain
prey
seize
severe
Monotonous—adj; dull, boring, repetitious, repetitive
(mo/no/ton/ous)
Mo/no/to/nousl/y—adv
Mo/no/to/ny - noun
 Doing the same thing over and over and over would be monotonous.
 If a child kept saying, “I want some candy. I want some candy. I want
some candy,” that would be monotonous.
 What can you do when your daily routine becomes monotonous?
Antonym – exciting, interesting, changing, lively
Obtain—verb; to get, acquire, achieve, earn, gain
(ob/tain)
 Most of you want to obtain your GED.
 I would like for the world to obtain world peace.
 How can you obtain your goals?
Antonym - fail, give up, let go, lose, miss
Prey—verb; those that are hunted, chased, kill, underdog, sufferer
 Mice are prey for cats.
 Name another type of prey.
 Would you rather be a predator or prey?
Antonym – predator, attacker, hunter
Seize—verb; to grab, to take hold of suddenly and with force, catch
(seize)
 The police will seize evidence of a crime.
 If a baby seizes a cat’s tail, the cat will probably scratch him.
 If you had to leave your house because it was on fire, what would you
seize?
Antonym – to free, to let go, to release, to liberate
Severe—adj; dangerous, serious, strict, disapproving
(se/vere)
Se/vere/ly—adv
Se/ve/ri/ty - noun
 Minnesota often has severe weather like tornados and blizzards.
 With a severe cold, you might be out of school for several days.

2.  What kind of severe weather or situation have you ever been in?
Antonym – kind, calm, easy, mild
List 40
monotonous
obtain
prey
seize
severe
Definitions
1. _________________ a creature or victim that is hunted by others
2. _________________ to get something through planning or effort
3. _________________ boring; repetitious; always the same
4. _________________ causing great physical or mental suffering; very
serious
5. _________________ to take hold of suddenly or with force
Fill in the Blank
6. The robbers’ usual _________________ were newlyweds whose houses
might contain expensive wedding gifts.
7. The driver had _________________ injuries after the crash.
8. No matter how much you like your favorite food, having it at every meal
would be _________________.
9. Members of the City Council went door to door to _________________
signatures on the petition.

3. 10.Realizing that her plane would leave in two hours, Rita
_________________ a suit case from the closet and began packing.
Word Match
11. The robber tore my purse from my grasp. _____ a. monotonous
12. On my job, I do the same thing every day. _____ b. obtain
13. The cat looks under the stove waiting for a mouse. _____ c. prey
14. To get the job, I need a driver’s license. _____ d. seize
15. The blizzard closed schools for a week. _____ e. severe
Analogies
16.monotonous : exciting ::
a. healthy : strong
b. five : fifteen
c. film : camera
d. hinder : help
17.prey : victim ::
a. artist : painting
b. security : lock
c. baby : infant
d. doctor : patient
18.severe : mild ::
a. painful : pleasant
b. harmful : dangerous
c. angry : frowning
d. loud : noisy
19.seize : take ::
a. exclude : include
b. pull : push
c. humiliate : embarrass
d. shout : whisper
20.obtain : GED
a. whisper : secret
b. cat : dog

4. c. open : close
d. extraordinary : common
Yes/No/Why
21.Should monotonous jobs be paid more than interesting jobs? Why or why
not?
22.Should criminals whose victims or prey are the elderly be given harsher
punishments? Why or why not?
23.Would a severe outbreak of the flu cause schools to close?
24.Should the government seize cars of drug dealers?
25.Would it be easy for you to obtain a bus driver’s license? Why or why not?