TOTAL WORDS (WORDS # 10)

HULLO!

BEAUTIFUL DAHLIAS!

Source: Pixabay, Public Domain

 

TANGIBLE

Adjective  (formal) – Refers to something you can touch, or at least see.

 There was tangible evidence of the theft

 

TAUT

Adjective – refers to something that is stretched very tight. Can also refer to a person who is extremely nervous about something

That rope must be taut if you are going to climb with it

Her facial muscles were taut with nervous tension

TRACTABLE

Adjective (very formal) – Easy to deal with, easy to get along with

The dog had a very tractable nature

TURMOIL

Noun (uncountable) – A state of excitement or uncontrolled activity

The writer’s life was always in turmoil

 

MY COMMENTS ON THESE WORDS.

These are relatively well known words, and I believe they could also be easily included in both written and spoken English related to everyday life.

I feel that “Tractable” would be the least used; it doesn’t seem to flow so easily.

On the other hand, we speak of “taut muscles” or a “taut rope”, and I would say these expressions and other similar ones are relatively frequent in our day-to-day experiences.

In gothic novels, the heroine is frequently described as “her feelings were in turmoil”. Or the writer states that “the turmoil of her feelings made her heart race”, or some such expression!

The good news for Spanish speakers: the word “Tangible” is exactly the same in both English and Spanish, and the meaning is the same. Only the pronunciation varies!

So practice these words, use them frequently, and you will increase your chances of a good score on the GRE, or any other graduate entry test!

 

See you on the next post!

© 2013  joanveronica  (Joan Robertson)

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