Top 100 Most Challenging SAT Vocabulary Words E - H (Weeks: May 2-6 – May 9-13)

Look up the following words in the dictionary and record: 1. the part(s) of speech 2. any helpful notes and 3. an original sentence that uses the word correctly

1. ebullient DEFINITION: extremely lively, enthusiastic

PART of speech: adj SAMPLE SENTENCE: She became ebullient upon receiving an acceptance letter from her first- choice college. NOTES: bulla – latin “bubble” YOUR SENTENCE: The freshman wide receiver seemed ebullient to start his first game. 2. eclectic DEFINITION: consisting of parts selected from various sources SAMPLE SENTENCE: The academy’s philosophy of teaching was an eclectic blend of ideas, ranging PART of speech: adj from Socrates to Montessori. NOTES: ex – “from” or “out of” YOUR SENTENCE: The eclectic research paper gathered information from many sources. Lexis – speech, word or phrase

3. egregious DEFINITION: extremely bad

PART of speech: adj SAMPLE SENTENCE: The student who threw sloppy joes across the cafeteria was punished for his egregious behavior. NOTES: YOUR SENTENCE: Ms. Houlditch is an egregious break dancer. / Alex and Daniel’s egregious decisions led them to being duct-taped to the wall. 4. ephemeral DEFINITION: short lived; fleeting

SAMPLE SENTENCE: She promised she’d love me forever, but her “forever” was only ephemeral: PART of speech: adj she left me after one week. NOTES: YOUR SENTENCE: Osama bin Laden’s feelings of security were ephemeral when the Navy Seals bust into his room.

5. epigraph DEFINITION: an inscription on a monument or building, on a coin, or at the beginning of a book or chapter. PART of speech: SAMPLE SENTENCE: The epigraph to Things Fall Apart is from a poem by WB Yeats. NOTES: grapheme – latin “word” YOUR SENTENCE:

6. expiate DEFINITION: to make amends for, atone

PART of speech: SAMPLE SENTENCE: To expiate my selfishness, I gave all my profits to charity. NOTES: ex – “from” or “out of” YOUR SENTENCE:

7. expunge DEFINITION: to obliterate, eradicate

PART of speech: SAMPLE SENTENCE: Fearful of an IRS investigation, Paul tried to expunge all incriminating evidence from his tax files. NOTES: ex – “from” or “out of” YOUR SENTENCE:

8. extol DEFINITION: to praise, revere

PART of speech: SAMPLE SENTENCE: Violet extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-loving brother. NOTES: ex – “from” or “out of” YOUR SENTENCE:

10. fallacious DEFINITION: incorrect, misleading

PART of speech: SAMPLE SENTENCE: Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumption that I smoked.

YOUR SENTENCE: NOTES: 11. fastidious DEFINITION: meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards SAMPLE SENTENCE: Mark is so fastidious that he is never able to finish a project because it always PART of speech: seems imperfect to him NOTES: YOUR SENTENCE:

12. fervid DEFINITION: full of intense passion or zeal SAMPLE SENTENCE: The governor’s campaign speech inspired fervid support. PART of speech: YOUR SENTENCE: NOTES:

13. flagrant DEFINITION: shockingly evident; outrageously conspicuous SAMPLE SENTENCE: Amnesty International is an organization that draws attention to flagrant PART of speech: violations of human rights around the world. NOTES: YOUR SENTENCE:

14. forensic DEFINITION: 1. referring to legal proceedings 2. the study or practice of formal debate SAMPLE SENTENCE: A specialist in forensic medicine testified that the victim had died from poison. PART of speech: YOUR SENTENCE: NOTES:

15. garrulous DEFINITION: talkative, wordy SAMPLE SENTENCE: Some talk-show hosts are so garrulous that their guests can’t get a word in PART of speech: edgewise

NOTES: YOUR SENTENCE: 16. grandiloquence DEFINITION: lofty, pompous language SAMPLE SENTENCE: The student thought her grandiloquence would make her sound smart, but PART of speech: neither the class nor the teacher bought it NOTES: YOUR SENTENCE:

17. gregarious DEFINITION: drawn to the company of others, sociable YOUR SENTENCE: Well, if you’re not gregarious, I don’t know why you would want to go to a PART of speech: singles party NOTES:

18. hapless DEFINITION: unlucky

PART of speech: SAMPLE SENTENCE: My poor, hapless family never seems to pick a sunny week to go on vacation. NOTES: YOUR SENTENCE:

19. heterodox DEFINITION: not in agreement wit accepted beliefs; holding unorthodox opinions. SAMPLE SENTENCE: Although the medical establishment once scorned them as radically PART of speech: heterodox, Sigmund Freud’s ideas about the psyche have generally become accepted today. NOTES: YOUR SENTENCE:

20. hyperbole DEFINITION: an exaggeration; a figure of expressing excess SAMPLE SENTENCE: “Our math homework was so hard! It took me ten years to finish those PART of speech: problems,” is an example of hyperbole.

NOTES: YOUR SENTENCE: