Adjectives III (Word formation)

Question 1

accessible

Answer 1

sth that can be easily reached / entered / obtained / used
accessible (n)
Opp: inaccessible, inaccessibility (n)
e.g. The northern part of the park is virtually inaccessible unless you have a four-wheel drive.

Question 2

accurate

Answer 2

precise / correct
accuracy (n)
Opp: inaccurate, inaccuracy (n)
e.g. It is not always easy to give accurate measurements for the strength of an earthquake.

Question 3

apologetic

Answer 3

to say or show you are sorry for doing sth

e.g. Audrey was extremely apologetic for having kept us waiting so long.

Question 4

arguable

Answer 4

debatable, may be questioned [Note: it is arguable that: it can be argued that]
e.g. Whether or not this is the way forward is arguable.
It is arguable that education leads to higher income.

Question 5

argumentative

Answer 5

quarrelsome
always ready to disagree
e.g. I’ve never met anyone more argumentative than Jenny; she will tell you that black is white.

Question 6

coherent

Answer 6

well-planned, clear and sensible
coherence (n)
Opp: incoherent, incoherence (n)
e.g. This is a clear and coherent explanation of the workings of the internal combustion engine.

Question 7

decisive

Answer 7

able to make quick decisions in a difficult situation
decisiveness (n)
Opp: indecisive, indecision (n)
e.g. Winston Churchill’s decisive policies rallied the country round him at a difficult and dangerous time.

Question 8

discreet

Answer 8

careful in order to avoid embarrassing or offending sb
discretion (n)
Opp: indiscreet, indiscretion (n)
e.g. Try to be as discreet as possible as he’s very sensitive and easily upset.

Question 9

excessive

Answer 9

more or higher than is necessary or reasonable

e.g. Don’t you think that a 25% price increase is excessive, even allowing for inflation?

Question 10

knowledgeable

Answer 10

well-informed

e.g. Malcolm is knowledgeable about computer hardware and will tell you everything you want to know.

Question 11

legible

Answer 11

clear enough to read
legibility (n)
Opp: illegible, illegibility [(n) - not common]
e.g. I can’t possibly read this; her handwriting is illegible.

Question 12

logical

Answer 12

reasonable / sensible
logic (n)
Opp: illogical
e.g. There is no logical explanation for his behaviour.

Question 13

loyal

Answer 13

faithful
loyalty (n)
Opp: disloyal, disloyalty (n)
e.g. A loyal friend will stand by you through good and bad times.

Question 14

normal

Answer 14

usual / ordinary
normality (n)
Opp: abnormal, abnormality (n)
e.g. It’s not abnormal for boys of his age to want to join the army.

Question 15

obedient

Answer 15

sb who does what they are told to do
obedience (n)
Opp: disobedient, disobedience (n)
e.g. Jo is a very disobedient child and refuses to do what she is told.

Question 16

official

Answer 16

approved by sb in authority
Opp: unofficial
e.g. This is the only official biography of the author currently on the market.

Question 17

orthodox

Answer 17

accepted or used by most people
orthodoxy (n)
Opp: unorthodox, unorthodoxy (n)
e.g. He always gets outstanding results, despite his unorthodox teaching methods.

Question 18

plausible

Answer 18

likely to be true, valid
plausibility (n)
Opp: implausible, implausibility (n)
e.g. The special effects in the film were excellent but I didn’t think the plot was very plausible.

Question 19

polite

Answer 19

with good manners, courteous
politeness (n)
Opp: impolite, impoliteness (n)
e.g. Timothy was a polite young man with impeccable manners.

Question 20

practical

Answer 20

down-to-earth (for people)
effective / likely to be successful
practicality (n)
Opp: impractical, impracticality (n)
e.g. (im)practical person / idea / plan
Banning all vehicles from the city centre is a lovely idea but I don't think it's practical at all.

Question 21

precise

Answer 21

exact
precision (n)
Opp: imprecision (n)
e.g. This machine has brought an unprecedented degree of precision to the business of dating trees.

Question 22

preferential treatment

Answer 22

(to be) treated better than other people

e.g. Harry gets preferential treatment at work, with an office all to himself, just because he is the boss’s nephew.

Question 23

replaceable

Answer 23

disposable
Opp: irreplaceable
e.g. Many of the paintings lost in the fire were irreplaceable old masters.

Question 24

responsible

Answer 24

behaving sensibly and properly
responsibility (n)
Opp: irresponsible, irresponsibility (n)
e.g. Sharon is the perfect employee; harworking and responsible.

Question 25

ripe

Answer 25

fully grown, ready to eat (fruit, grain)
ripeness (n)
ripen (v)
Opp: unripe, unripeness [(n) - not common]
e.g. I’m not buying these tomatoes; they’re unripe.

Question 26

scrupulous

Answer 26

sb who takes great care to do what is fair, honest or morally right
scruples (n)
Opp: unscrupulous
e.g. Socrates was known for his scrupulous adherence to the truth and his refusal to compromise.