Vocabulary Made Easy series: Score better in exams with better language skills

To be able to articulate better in exams requires candidates to keep themselves in tune with their language skills.

To be able to articulate better in exams requires candidates to keep themselves in tune with their language skills. Having a good command of language can help candidates express themselves better during exams which can lead to better scores.

Having a good command of language can help candidates express themselves better during exams which can lead to better scores. (Shutterstock)

Here's a way to improve your vocabulary and communication skills. Check out the words for the day and a small quiz to push yourself to improve your word power and language skills.

Anomaly (Noun)

Meaning: something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected

Example: The apparent anomaly that those who produced the wealth were the poorest

Assuage (Verb)

Meaning: Make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense/ satisfy (an appetite or desire)

Example: Politicians sought to assuage those feelings with a range of new anti-crime measures

Erudite (Adjective)

Meaning: Having or showing great knowledge or learning

Example: But he is also very erudite, scholarly, and has lots of fresh ideas

Fervid (Adjective)

Meaning: Intensely enthusiastic or passionate, especially to an excessive degree

Example: Combined with fervid Methodism, you've got ruthless certainty

Zeal (Noun)

Meaning: Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective

Example: He went about out his task with the zeal of a true believer

Desiccate (Verb)

Meaning: Remove the moisture from (something); cause to become completely dry

Example: Both the older growth and the new vegetation were desiccated by months of relentless sun

Adulation (Noun)

Meaning: Excessive admiration or praise

Example: In a fit of adulation I tell Sir John how much I enjoyed his work

Adultery (Noun)

Meaning: Voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and a person who is not their spouse

Example: I didn't think that adultery was considered a crime, not by common law

Profound (Adjective)

Meaning: (Of a state, quality, or emotion) very great or intense/ (of a person or statement) having or showing great knowledge or insight

Example: Her work is an often eerie mix of the banal and the profound

Antipathy (Noun)

Meaning: A deep-seated feeling of aversion

Example: Might it not, however, be more accurate to call it antipathy?

Put your thinking cap on and try to answer the following questions to understand how much you have grasped.

1. And the level of ___________ towards the president's visit shocked some. Which of the following words fits best in the sentence? (Antipathy, Proufound)
2. Then I realised I wouldn't have any _____________ thoughts. Which of the following words fits best in the sentence? (Profound, Zeal)
3. Can you think of some antonyms for the word Adulation?
4. Can you think of some synonyms for the word Erudite?
5. Can you think of some sentences using the words Anomaly, Assuage and Fervid?

Watch out for this space for your weekly update on improving word power.

(Definitions and examples are from Oxford Languages)