Speak Better… Write Better… Build a Better Vocabulary!

• You’ll need a dictionary (best of all, convince a parent to buy you something like a Sharp,
Seiko or Collins Electronic Dictionary – one with at least the FULL ‘concise’ version of the
dictionary and with a large screen.
• The words below are all reasonably commonly used by educated writers and speakers
today.
• Each week, work on maybe one or two blocks. Look up each word in your dictionary, find
out what it means then use it in a sentence of your own. Use it is speech to an adult – see
if they know what it means!
BLOCK 1 BLOCK 2 BLOCK 3 BLOCK 4 BLOCK 5
Abhorrent Abstain Abysmal Acquaintance Acquisitive
Adjourn Admirable Alleviate Advantageou Adversary
s
Affectation Afterthought Aggrieved Agility Alienate
Allege Aloof Ambiguous Ambivalent Amorous
Anguish Antagonistic Anticipation Apportion Ascend
Aspire Astute Attributable Adverse Alliance

BLOCK 6 BLOCK 7 BLOCK 8 BLOCK 9 BLOCK 10

Earnest Eclectic Efficacious Effigy Egalitarian
Elaborate Elated Elevated Eloquent Emancipated
Eminent Emulate Endeavour Endorse Engrossing
Enlightened Epitomised Equivocate Eradicate Eventuality
Exacerbate Exasperated Exemplify Exhaustive Exhilarating
Exorbitant Expedient Extenuating Extraneous Extricate
Exuberant Elephantine Ephemeral Entrenched Euphoric

BLOCK 11 BLOCK 12 BLOCK 13 BLOCK 14 BLOCK 15

Idealistic Idiosyncratic Ignominious Ill-fated Ill-gotten
Illicit Illogical Illustrious Imminent Immodest
Impassioned Impassive Imperceptible Impetuous Implacable
Imponderable Impoverished Imprudent Inauspicious Incoherent
Indicative Indifferent Indiscriminate Inexorably Infrastructure
ly
Inscrutable Irate Irreconcilable Irreverent Insufferable

BLOCK 16 BLOCK 17 BLOCK 18 BLOCK 19 BLOCK 20

Obese Objectionable Obligation Oblivious Obtuse
Offhand Officious Ominous Onus Opportunistic
Oppressive Opulent Orthodox Ostensibly Ostentatious
Ostracise Otherworldly Outlandish Outpouring Overweening

BLOCK 21 BLOCK 22 BLOCK 23 BLOCK 24 BLOCK 25

Ubiquitous Ulterior Umbrage Unadorned Unadulterated
Unaffected Unalloyed Unashamedly Undaunted Unequivocal
Uninformed Uninspiring Unprepossess Untenable Untoward
ing
Unwittingly Unworldly Urbane Unorthodox Utilitarian
Speak Better… Write Better… Build a Better Vocabulary!
• You’ll need a dictionary (best of all, convince a parent to buy you something like a Sharp,
Seiko or Collins Electronic Dictionary – one with at least the FULL ‘concise’ version of the
dictionary and with a large screen.
• The words below are all reasonably commonly used by educated writers and speakers
today.
• Each week, work on maybe one or two blocks. Look up each word in your dictionary, find
out what it means then use it in a sentence of your own. Use it is speech to an adult – see
if they know what it means!