Vocabulary Words
Vocabulary
Word
Definition
Part of
Speech
Synonym
Antonym
alter
to change something
verb
maintain,
keep as is
edible
safe to eat
adjective
change,
modify,
revise, rework
not poisonous
gradual
changing in small amounts
over a period of time
adjective
slow, regular
rapid
nourishment
food and other things needed
for health and growth
noun
diet, food,
sustenance
starvation
relent
to give in; to agree to
something you previously
opposed
a very small amount or
number
verb
change your
stand firm
mind, yield,
give up
in short
plentiful
supply, limited
theory
an idea to explain facts or
events
noun
verdict
a judgment or opinion about
something
noun
prospect
possibility that something will
happen or someone will be
chosen
important and well-known
noun
scarce
prominent
adjective
adjective
poisonous
hypothesis,
assumption,
guess
decision,
result, finding,
ruling
hope, vision,
famous,
leading
unknown
Vocabulary Lesson 2, Page 1 of 7
Knowledge Rating Scale
Vocabulary
Word
I’ve never
heard this
word before.
I’ve heard
this word, but
I don’t know
what it
means.
I know this
word…it has
something to
do with…
I know the
meaning of
this word.
alter
edible
gradual
nourishment
relent
scarce
theory
verdict
prospect
prominent
Vocabulary Lesson 2, Page 2 of 7
Examples
Word
alter
Example
There was so much snow and ice on our steep road that we decided to
alter our holiday plans because we thought it was too dangerous for
anyone drive on it. We had to make changes to our plans. Since we were
not having guests Christmas eve, we altered our menu, we changed what
we were planning to cook for that day and did not cook nearly as much.
Have you ever had to alter your plans because of illness or weather?
edible
The fish I ordered for dinner last night was barely edible. It was barely safe
to eat, but it did not make me sick. Fresh fruit is edible as long as it is
washed, it is almost always safe to eat.
What are some things that are edible and some that are not edible?
gradual
Losing weight is a gradual process, you lose such small amounts over a
long period of time. It is frustrating to lose weight so slowly when staying
on a strict diet and doing a lot of exercise. I wish losing weight was not
such a gradual process. Improving reading skills is also a gradual process,
you make progress a little at a time over a period of time.
What is something that you have done that is a gradual process?
nourishment
In winter, it is hard for deer to find enough nourishment. It is hard for them
to find the food they need. When we have snow and ice in the mountains,
they spend a lot of time in our horse pasture where there is grass that
provides more nourishment than what they can find in the forest.
Do you know people who do not get enough nourishment?
relent
I argued against my husband buying a pontoon boat because I thought we
would not use it enough to justify its cost. However, I finally relented; I
gave in and agreed. He is the proud owner of a new boat.
Do you ever relent when a person close to you really wants something?
scarce
As people began buying that videogame for Christmas gifts, it became
scarce. The stores had a very small amount, so it took several shopping
trips to find one before they sold out. Next year I plan to buy everything on
my list before the items become scarce.
Do you think good TV shows are scarce?
theory
I have a theory, an idea, that the more things you do for someone, the
more they expect you to do for them in the future. Someday I hope
someone will show me that theory is wrong so I can form a better theory.
Do you have a theory about why people are not nicer to others?
Vocabulary Lesson 2, Page 3 of 7
verdict
After deliberating all day, a jury I served on finally reached a verdict, they
finally reached an opinion about the person’s guilt. I was happy with our
verdict because I was not convinced that the person was guilty.
Now that you have studied these vocabulary lessons, what is your verdict
about how helpful they are?
prospect
I know some people who do not have many job prospects because their
education is limited. They do not think the possibility of getting a job will
happen anytime soon. However, they can improve those prospects by
earning their GED.
Do you think this program improves your prospects for a good career?
prominent
I work with a man who is very prominent in our community. He is
important and well known. Everyone I mention him to knows him or has
heard good things about his leadership.
Who are some prominent people you know?
Fill in the Blank
1. The scientist’s __________________ about the change in weather patterns was interesting.
2. The supervisor thought that John was a great ______________________ for the job
opening since he fit all the qualifications.
3. Mary had to have her wedding dress __________________ when she lost 20 pounds before
her wedding.
4. The Boy Scouts learn what berries and leaves are _________________ in case they are
ever lost in the woods.
5. Children in developing countries sometimes don’t have the proper __________________, so
they have many health problems.
6. I didn’t agree with the jury’s ___________________ about the innocence of the criminal.
7. The city experienced a ______________ increase in crime when the economy began to
worsen.
8. Farmers offering fresh produce became _______________ as it got closer to fall.
9. Bob Timberlake is a _______________________ citizen in the Lexington area.
10. The coach would not _______________ in pushing his team members to do their very best.
Vocabulary Lesson 2, Page 4 of 7
Sentence Completion
1. My favorite source of nourishment is ________________________.
2. Something that has become scarce in the United States is ___________________________.
3. My theory about the best way to improve my grades is________________________.
4. I hope to find a job prospect in the field of ________________________.
5. When I am around prominent people, it makes me feel __________________________.
6. When I don’t agree with a judge’s verdict, I __________________________.
7. Something in my life that I’ve had to alter since returning to school is _________________.
8. Something that is not edible to me personally is ______________________.
9. When a child won’t relent in crying, something good to try is ________________________.
10. Since coming to school, I have gradually gotten better in___________________________.
Yes, No, Why?
1. If the child cries for something, do you think it is okay to relent and alter what you said?
2. Have you ever had to alter your plans because money was scarce?
3. Have you ever been anywhere where edible or food was scarce?
4. Do you think becoming a prominent community leader is a gradual process?
5. Do you have a theory about why public acceptance of online education is so gradual?
6. Do you have a theory about how our government should make laws so that everyone gets
enough nourishment as well as edible food?
7. After you develop a theory, is it hard for you to relent?
8. Have you ever had to relent because your prospects changed?
9. Do you think good job prospects are scarce?
10. If you were the only person on a jury who thought the person was not guilty, would you
relent so the jury could reach a verdict?
11. Do you think there are good prospects for you to become prominent in your community?
Vocabulary Lesson 2, Page 5 of 7
Read and Respond
The Pumpkin Tree (Golden Secrets, Scott, Foresman Reading, Page 202-203, Grade
Level 4. See following page for the reading passage.)
1. How do people do to alter the baobab tree?
2. What kind of nourishment do people get from the baobab tree?
3. Where is the baobab tree prominent?
4. If food is scarce, what parts of the baobab tree are edible?
5. What is said in the story to make you think the baobab tree grows gradually?
6. What is the prospect of you seeing a living baobab tree? Explain your answer.
Vocabulary Lesson 2, Page 6 of 7
The Pumpkin Tree
By Robert Johnson
What if your class was on a
nature walk and it started to rain?
Where could you go to stay dry? If
you lived in some places in Africa
or Australia, you might go inside a
fat old baobab tree. That’s right.
Not under a baobab tree. Inside of
it!
The baobab tree looks a
little like a giant pumpkin, but it is not yellow or orange. It is almost as wide as it is tall.
It has short branches sticking out from the top of the pumpkin part. There would be
plenty of room inside the trunk for you and all your friends.
How would you like to live inside a tree? How would you like to sleep, get up in
the morning, and eat breakfast there? The wood inside the baobab tree is not very
hard. It is so soft that sometimes people hollow it out to make a house. This doesn’t
seem to hurt the tree. It just keeps right on growing. Sometimes it grows for another
thousand years! It lives longer than almost anything in the world.
If you get hungry while you are in the tree, you can cook leaves and eat them.
And the tree has a fruit that some people say tastes like gingerbread. So, instead of a
pumpkin tree, maybe you’d rather call the baobab a gingerbread tree.
If you had a pet elephant and wanted to tie it
up, you could make a very strong rope from the
baobab bark. And if you pet got hungry, you could
feed it some of the tree. But you would have to be
careful about this. Elephants like the baobab so much
that sometimes they eat the whole tree-trunk,
branches, leaves, and all!
Vocabulary Lesson 2, Page 7 of 7