Verbal Classifications: Adjectives and Adverbs - HSPT Language Skills

The words that are related all pertain to being intelligent and insightful. To be “perspicacious” is to “see through” to the truth of some matter. (It comes from “per,” meaning “through,” and the Latin root for “to see”—as found in “spectator” and “spectacular”). To be penetrating is not merely to push through a boundary; it likewise can mean “mentally penetrating”—seeing the truth of a matter, getting to “the heart of the matter.” Someone who is “acute” is keenly perceptive or “sharp” (in the sense of intelligence). Only “dull” is different from all of these words.

At first glance, the related words likely seem to be all unrelated. What has humility to do with haughtiness? Likewise, to be "irate" is to be extremely angry, while to be "pusillanimous" is to be timid and weak-willed. Note that all of these are psychological character traits of some sort. In contrast to this group, the word “towering” might describe someone’s physical or social stature; however, it does not describe a psychological condition in the manner that the other words do.

Each of these related words pertains to some form of loud speech or being outspoken. Something is presented stridently when it is done so in a harsh, forceful way. Someone is vociferous when they speak in a vehement or loud manner. Vocal can mean “outspoken” as in “a vocal supporter.” Even “forceful” is related to these other words, insofar as it pertains to being vehement. The only word that does not match these senses is “understated.”

All of the words given here pertain to being small to some degree or another; however, note that the related set of words all indicate the state of being very small. The word “miniscule” is related to “miniature,” and it means “very small.” To be “minute” likewise means to be very small—do not confuse it with its use regarding the measurement of time. In contrast with all of the related words, “small” is a much weaker description of smallness.

Note that all of the words here are related to the notion of being large—but not to the same degree. The set of incorrect options all describe the state of being very large. This is obvious in the case of “gigantic” and “enormous.” The words “gargantuan” and “colossal” have entered English through literary and mythical connections. Having at one time (in slightly different forms) named large creatures or statues, these words now mean “extremely large.” In contrast with all of these “very large” words, “large” is small!

All of these words pertain to being overweight but not to the same degree. Among the set of related words, the one that you might not know is “corpulent.” It means “fat” and is related to the same root word that is found in the English words “corpse” and “corpuscle.” The root word means “body,” so someone who is “corpulent” has “a lot of body;” however, someone who is “obese” is extremely overweight. This difference of degree separates this word from the others.

This whole set of words is related to being clean, however, not to the same degree. To be “sterile” is to be completely free of any dirt or potentially infectious material. Even something “sanitary” (clean and generally safe with regard to health) is not necessarily as clean as something that is completely sterile; therefore, “sterile” is the word least related to the others.

Note that all of the related words indicate evaluations that something is acceptable or adequate. While these are all positive judgments, none of them are as strong as “perfect.” Even something that is “proper” is merely something that is “fitting.” (For example: “This is the proper time,” means, “This is the appropriate or correct time”). Something is (for example) “an able substitute” when it is fitting or good, though not necessarily perfect. (Note this is not a negative judgment, just merely not a glowing judgment of perfection). The word “perfect” is much stronger than any of these other words.

All of the related words describe things that are doubtful or uncertain. Something “dubious” is of questionable value or quality. This can apply an argument as well as a physical article. Thus “dubious presuppositions” are ones that are questionable. The word “impossible” is much stronger than any of these words that indicate doubt. It thus is the word that does not fit with the rest.

The set of relating words all describe something that is in the process of being completed. An “evolving” reality is one that is changing in a gradual manner but certainly is not complete. While something might be advancing or progressing toward its completion, it is not complete yet. Hence, the word “complete” is different from these other words.

Each of the four related words indicate something that is veiled, mysterious, or unknown. Something is cryptic when it is obscure and hidden. A cryptographer is someone who encodes (hence hides) messages in coded language. A “cryptic saying” is one that has a hidden meaning that is difficult to discern. An enigma is something that is puzzling, and “enigmatic” is the adjective form of that. “Arcane” matters are ones that are only understood by a few people because of their mysterious or secret nature. In comparison with all of these words, “apparent” is quite different, meaning “obvious or clearly understandable.”

While all of these words indicate something negative, bad, or difficult, they do not do so to the same degree. All of the words are all relatively familiar, so you should not have a vocabulary issue. What is necessary is to know that the word “severe” means “very intense,” almost always implying that it is something that is intensely bad. This is a much stronger sense of trouble / badness than the other options and thus is differentiated from them.

Note that all of the wrong options indicate the state of being famous or well known. The word “eminent” means “famous” and is related to “eminence,” which does not merely indicate fame but likewise is used to describe a location that rises above its surrounding area. Although “celebrated” might seem to be different (implying some sort of celebration), it actually means “renowned,” that is, “well known.” The word “paltry” greatly differs from all of these other options, for it means “meager or trivial.”

You likely know the words “concise” and “succinct,” which mean “short spoken” or merely “brief.” These clearly are opposed to “wordy.” Still, it helps to be sure regarding the other words. “Laconic” is an adjective describing someone who uses few words. Likewise, “pithy” describes something that is brief, though often implying that is a very strong and emphatic kind of brevity. “A pithy remark” is one that is short, “cutting directly to the point.”

The words “wordy” and “talkative” are clearly similar, indicating that someone speaks a lot. The word “verbose” is related to the word “verb,” which is taken from the Latin for “word.” “Verbose” is used to describe someone who uses many (often too many) words when he or she communicates. Someone is called “voluble” when he or she speaks without ceasing. In contrast to all of these, “taciturn” describes someone who does not say much in speech. The word “tacit” means “understood without being said explicitly.” A “tacit agreement” is one that is presumed without having the details “spelled out.”

Each of the related words here pertains to smoothness. Something “satiny” is like the silky fabric “satin.” Likewise, velvety is soft like its namesake fabric. When something is “unruffled” it is in good order and is calm (lacking any rough, uneven patches). This can be used metaphorically or—at times, at least—literally (e.g. unruffled fabric). When something is calloused, it is made rough—as when someone’s hands are covered with calluses because of hard manual labor.

Each of the related words pertain to something that is average. Even something “mediocre” is not necessarily bad—it is merely an average amount, nothing extremely good. To say that someone is “mediocre” is perhaps an insult, but it is in the sense that “he or she is not all that great,” not necessarily implying that he or she is bad or completely lacking talent. Something “maximal” is obviously quite different from something merely “middling” or “moderate” (etc.), for to be at the “maximum” is to be at the highest point.

While all of these words are associated with color, reddish does not fit. Reddish is only an adjective used to describe another color. Violet, blue and green can be nouns as well, and describe specific colors.

The group of related words are all descriptions of kinds of sounds. Something “euphonious” is pleasant-sounding, and something “cacophonous” is a jumbled, harsh mixture of sounds. A clamor is a loud noise—often a shouting (from the Latin for to cry out)—and something harmonious consists of sounds that are beautifully mixed. The last word certainly has metaphorical uses—e.g. “a harmonious relationship”—but still is related to the general category of “descriptions of sounds.” Only “delectable” is different from the rest. While the word is related to “delightful,” its primary usage is applied to food and drink that are delightful or delicious.

The group of “like” terms is comprised of words that connote mere permission or allowance. Even when something is “authorized,” it is not necessarily actively promoted for use. It is merely approved—which is quite different. Likewise, to “countenance” something is to classify or accept it as possible or acceptable. To say, “I will not countenance that sort of language,” is akin to saying, “I will not accept or endorse that kind of language.” To “encourage” something, on the contrary, is to promote something in an active way. It is one thing to say, “He encouraged the telling of small lies.” It is quite another to say, “He permitted the telling of small lies.”