Shape Up your Vocabulary from Newspaper Wordlist: 28 December, 2019

Over the last couple of years, the English section of the Banking Examinations has given good surprises. You must have encountered one or more new type of question in almost every Banking exam you appear for. Many of these questions exclusively check your vocabulary skills. So, apart from enhancing your reading, writing and speaking skills, a sound grip on vocabulary helps you score better in examinations. 

Reading is one of the best ways to boost your vocabulary. As you read a piece of writing, you come across new words which you might not have come across before. So, we must always try to inculcate a habit of reading.

Keeping this vision in mind, we bring to you the series, ‘Shape up your Vocabulary from Newspaper Wordlist’. The articles in this series fulfil your daily intake of English words. The series tries to feature words from an article, with their meanings, contextual usage, pronunciation, synonyms, antonyms, proper use in sentences, etc. Given below is an important editorial from the newspaper ‘The Hindu’. Read it, understand the context and go through the meanings of words to boost up your learning.

Happy Reading!

Endless wait: on Afghanistan Presidential election

Important Words from the Article 

1. Word: Significant (महत्त्वपूर्ण)

• Pronunciation: sig-nif-i-kuhnt/ सग्निफिकन्ट
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• Meaning: 
  a. sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy.
  b. having a particular meaning; indicative of something.
• Synonyms: important, substantial, considerable, crucial
• Antonyms: unimportant, minor, unimportant, trivial
• Usage in a Sentence:  A significant number of customers complained about the service.

2. Word: Consolidate (संघटित करना)

• Pronunciation: kuh n-sol-i-deyt/ कन्सालिडेट
• Part of Speech: Verb
• Meaning:
  a. make (something) physically stronger or more solid.
  b. combine (a number of things) into a single more effective or coherent whole.
• Synonyms: merge, unite, combine, strengthen
• Antonyms: separate, weaken, divide
• Usage in a sentence: The company is planning to consolidate its business activities at a new site in Arizona.

3. Word: Ratify (अभिपुष्टि करना)

• Pronunciation: rat-uh-fahy/ रैटफाइ
• Part of Speech: Verb
• Meaning: sign or give formal consent to (a treaty, contract, or agreement), making it officially valid.
• Synonyms: approve, endorse, confirm
• Antonyms: abolish, deny, reject
• Usage in a sentence: The US Senate refused to ratify the agreement on weapons reduction.

4. Word: Obviate (टालना)

• Pronunciation: ob-vee-eyt / आब्वीएट
• Part of Speech: Verb
• Meaning: 
  a. remove (a need or difficulty).
  b. avoid or prevent (something undesirable).
• Synonyms: preclude, prevent, remove, eliminate, forestall
• Antonyms: need, necessitate, allow, permit, involve
• Usage in a Sentence: The new treatment obviates many of the risks associated with surgery.

5. Word: Prolong (बढ़ाना)

• Pronunciation: pruh-lawng/ प्रलॉंग
• Part of Speech: Verb
• Meaning: extend the duration of
• Synonyms: extend, lengthen, stretch, expand
• Antonyms: shorten, contract, diminish
• Usage in Sentence: Though his recovery was rapid and complete, he did not choose to prolong his stay abroad.

6. Word: Reconciliation (मिलान)

• Pronunciation: rek-uh n-sil-ee-ey-shuh n/ रेकन्सिलीऐशन
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Meaning: the restoration of friendly relations.
• Synonyms: reunion, accord, compromise
• Antonyms: conflict, breakup, feud, estrangement
• Usage in a sentence: There was little hope of reconciliation between the two groups.

7. Word: Allegation (आरोपण)

• Pronunciation: al-i-gey-shuhn/ ऐलगेशन
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Meaning: a claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof.
• Synonyms: charge, assertion, declaration, statement, proclamation, contention, argument
• Antonyms: denial, cancellation, abnegation, rejection
• Usage in a Sentence: There have been allegations of fraud in the city government.

8. Word: Fraud (छल, धोखेबाज़)

• Pronunciation: frawd/ फ्रॉड
• Part of Speech: Noun
• Meaning: 
  a. wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain.
  b. a person or thing intended to deceive others, typically by unjustifiably claiming or being credited with accomplishments or qualities.
• Synonyms: cheat, swindler, deceiver, charlatan, imposter
• Antonyms: honesty, truth, authentic, genuine, virtuous
• Usage in a Sentence: 

9. Word: Divisive (विभाजनात्मक)

• Pronunciation: dih-vahy-siv/ डिवाइसिव 
• Part of Speech: Adjective
• Meaning: tending to cause disagreement or hostility between people.
• Synonyms: dividing, splitting, disruptive, inharmonious
• Antonym: unifying
• Usage in a Sentence: The divisive issue has divided families and friends, but demonstrations had largely been peaceful until this week

10. Phrase: Cast a shadow over (फीका कर देना)

• Pronunciation: कास्ट अ  शैडो
• Meaning: To fill a place with sadness, grief, dread, or any strong negative emotion
• Synonyms: overshadow, obscure, darken
• Antonyms: light up, encourage, illuminate
• Usage in Sentence: The child's sudden death cast a dark shadow over the house.

'Writer's Corner'

Based on the description of the words, we have some practice questions for you. Answer these questions in the comments section. Our team will review them at the earliest!

Exercise 1. Make your own Sentences.

Here are some of the words from the above article. Try to frame sentences from them in your own words and share them with us in the comments section!

• Consolidate
• Significant
• Cast a shadow over
• Fraud
• Divisive
• Reconciliation

Exercise 2: Match the columns.

Share your answers in the comment section. 

More from us:

For practice, attempt the quiz based on this daily wordlist from the link below to enhance your exam preparation: Vocabulary Quiz, Click here to attempt!

You can also check the wordlist articles for the previous days from the link below: Shape Up your Vocabulary from Newspaper Wordlist

That was your Vocabulary dose for the day. 

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