Basic Knowledge Helpful in Critical Reasoning

1. 100%
  • all
  • consensus
  • unanimous
  • complete
  • total
2. Majority
  • most
  • many 
  • much
  • high degree
  • 50%-99%
  • always less than all
3. Minority
  • little
  • few
  • less
  • low
  • 1%-49%
  • always less than 50%
4. Some = atleast 1
  • 1<=some<=all
5. Only
  • Solely
  • exclusively
  • no other

BASICS CONCEPTS OF ECONOMICS(Sometimes used in GRE)

1. Long Term Goal of any Business - Profit
2. Profit consists of 2 parts:-
  • Decrease in Cost
  • Increase in Sales
3. Supply(Price, Variety, Innovation) is ------> Demand
4. In case of drought, say supply is less, demand is same , then cost will increase.
5. Production
  • No. of hours 
  • Productivity/ hours

Critical Reasoning Rules

Different Types of Questions:-

1. ASSUMPTION
  • Aim is to find the missing link.
    • A---> B 
    • ? }} Missing Link is assumed
    • .'. C---> D
2. PARADOX
  • Question consists of 2 statements that contradict each other.
  • Answer will be explanation/resolve/solution
3. PARAGRAPH COMPLETION
  •  It can further classified into following types of problems:-
    • ____Effect______(__Cause___)
    • ____Saying Theory______(__Example___)
    • ____Cause______(__Effect___)
    • ____Example1=logic______(__Example2=logic___) 
    • Tone
      • _____(+ve)_____(+ve)_____
      • _____(+ve)__(but | though | etc)___(-ve)_____
    • Style
    • Perspective 
      • ________(Company)_______(Company)______
4. INFERENCE
  • Argument [Premise (stated(facts/findings/example/evidence/statements)) + Assumption (unstated(author/company)) ----> Conclusion(Author has concluded)]
  • Statements are given/Premise ------> you are expected to conclude. Your conclusion should be very close to what is stated. 
  • There are 3 types of questions in Inference Questions:-
    • Data Based
      • Data is given in %, numbers, values/amount, ratio, proportion, rates, time, average
      • Some As are Bs
        • Data = valid
        • Sample - representation  increase in sample ----> increase in representation
        • Compare only comparables
        • General ---> Specific is correct
        • Specific ----> General is wrong
      •  Only As are Bs ----> Whatever is attached to Only is main set.
        • Only Indians wear sarees.
        • Answer can contain 'only' only if 'only' is there in paragraph.
    • Goal Plan
      • Aim/Objective/Goal ---> Plan(How can they achieve Goal) [Inference]
      • Example for AWA(Argument)
        • Goal: Eradicate Polio
        • Argument ------> Plan : Pulse Polio
        • Assumption :
          • Plan can achieve the goal
          • Plan - Practical, cost-effective, accessible
          • People will co-operate
          • Benefits > Drawbacks
          • Benefits ---> Long term/ sustainable
        •  These assumptions are very important in AWA
    • Cause & Effect
5. STRENGTHEN & WEAKEN
  • Argument in simple terms "your opinion"
  • Example:- 
    • Smoking is bad
      • Strengthen
        • Prove Smoking is bad
        • Finding 
        • Example
        • Explanation
      • Weaken
        • Prove Smoking is good
        • Finding 
        • Example
        • Explanation
  • Cause & Effect
    • A ------> B
    • Weaken Cause & Effect
      • A---/->B
      • C-----> B
      • B -----> A
    •   Strengthen Cause & Effect(Its only A that causes B)
      • yes A ----> yes B
      • No A ----> No B
6. BOLD FACE
  • always about structure
    • role
    • relationship
  • always about lines in Bold
  • not about meaning , only about structure
  • Differentiate Between Fact and Non Fact
    • Fact - 
      • evidence, data, report, finding, statement of fact, quotation
      • Fact is something which is measurable.
      • Something that happened in past is a fact.
    • Not a Fact - 
      • Claim, Position, Stand, Argument, View, Judgement, Opinion, Conclusion, Consideration, Situation, Circumstance, Prediction(Claim about future)
      •  If As| Because | Since | Clearly [Bold Face Line]......... In such cases, Bold face line is an explanation(not a fact)
    • Example:-
      • India is Great                                                       Not a Fact
      • MG Said: India is a Great                                    Fact
7. EXTRA NOTES:-
1. Critical reasoning is very helpful in AWA.

AWA
  • Issue
  • Analysis of an Argument
    • Evaluate
      • Strengthen 
      • Weaken

Reading Comprehension Notes

Types of Questions:-

1. Primary Purpose
  • Primary also used as following words:-
    • Central 
    • Main
    • Chief
  • Purpose also used as following words:-
    • theme
    • idea
    • concern
    • argument
    • conclusion
    • opinion
    • judgement
    • opinion
    • stand
    • point of view
  • Suitable title is also part of Primary Purpose type of Questions
  • Words in primary purpose answer choice should be in paragraph majority no. of times.
  • Ways to answer this question:-
    • Vertical scanning to find a location of a word
    • Individual merits/demerits should not be answer
    • Word matching from options
    • Quotation/Example will never be primary purpose
2. Factual/Specific Details Questions
  • Indicators:-
    • According to the passage
    • Described
    • mentioned
    • defined
    • Based on the information
    • accurate
  •  It must not have following words:-
    • infer
    • suggest 
    • indicate
  • Ways to answer this question:-
    • Vertical scanning to find a location of a fact
    • Read the question and identify the keywords 
    • Word matching from options
  • In factual questions, don't think too much. Just coolely locate the fact and do word matching.
3. Sentence Selection
  • Word Matching to find the sentence.
 4. Inference Questions
  • Indicators:-
    • suggest
    • infer
    • indicate
    • probably 
    • likely
  • Inference and Assumptions are similar words
  • Inference is made by reader and Assumption is made by author
  • Example of Assumption
    • I want to write, therefore I need a pen
    • Assumption:- Pen can be used for writing.

Sentence Completion Rules


Not To Do :-
  • Do not read options first
To Do:-
  • Read and analyze sentence first
  • Analyze the option
    • Tone - + N
    • Meaning unrelated/irrelevant
    • structure
Key Indicators:-
  • Punctuation
    • comma(,)
      • _____, ____ (      )_____, _____ The part after 2nd comma will give hint what will come in blank.
      • When we though, although, even though, then 2 sentences separated by , are contrast to each other.
    • semicolon(;)
      • part before and after have similar meaning.
    • Colon(:)
      • part after the colon(:) should be an elaboration of part before the colon.
    • 1 cm dash(-)
      • equivalent to colon(:). 
    • - - 
      • equivalent to 2 commas(,    ,)
  • Contrast
    • In GRE, disagreement/contrast means totally opposite.
    • Criticism
    • Disagreement
    • Hostility
    • avoid
    • not
    • though, although, even though
    • still
    • but
    • nevertheless
    • surprised
    • unlike
    • distinguished
    • differentiated
    • separated
    • however
    • while
  • Cause & Effect
    • Cause and Effect are complementary to each other
    • by v+ing = cause
    • Consequently
    • because
  •  Similarity
    • Not only, but also } pair of conjunctions what connects 2 similar sentences
    • Like
    • Equally
    • or
    • that, which
    • and

Word Power Made Easy: Session 14, 15, 16, 17

Session 14: How to talk about Liars and Lying


Ideas
1. Notorious liar
    You don't even fool even some of the people. Everybody knows your propensity for avoiding facts.
    You have built so solid and unsavory a reputation that only a stranger is likely to be misled - and
    then not for long.

2. Consummate Liar
    To the highest summits of artistry. Your ability is top drawer - rarely does anyone lie as
    convincingly or as artistically as you do. Your skills has, in short, reached the zenith of perfection.
    Indeed your mastery of art is so great that your lying is almost always crowned with success.

3. Incorrigible Liar
    Beyond Redemption or salvation. You are impervious to correction. Often as you may be caught in
    your fabrications, there is no reforming you - you go right on lying despite the punishment,
    embarrassment, or unhappiness that your distortions of truth may bring upon you.

4. Inveterate Liar
    Too old to learn new tricks. You are the victim of firmly fixed and deep-rooted habits. Telling
    untruths is as frequent and customary an activity as brushing your teeth in the morning, or having
    toast and coffee for breakfast.

5. Congenital Liar
    An early start. You have such a long history of persistent falsification that one can only suspect that
    your vice started when you were reposing in your mother's womb. In other words, and allowing for
    a great deal of exaggeration for effect, you have been lying from a moment of your birth.

6. Chronic Liar
    You never stop lying. While normal people lie on occasion, and often for special reasons, you lie
    continually - not occasionally or even frequently, but over and over.

7. Pathological Liar
    A strange disease. You are concerned with the difference between truth and falsehood; you do not
    bother to distinguish a fact from fantasy. In fact, your lying is a disease that no antibiotic can cure.

8. Unconscionable Liar
    No regrets. You are completely without a conscience. No matter what misery your fabrications may
    cause your innocent victims, you never feel the slightest twinge of guilt. Totally unscrupulous, you
    are a dangerous person to get mixed up with.

9. Glib Liar
    Smooth! You can distort facts as smoothly and as effortlessly as you can say your name. But you
    do not always get away with your lies. Ironically enough, it is your very smoothness that makes
    you suspect. Even if we can't immediately catch you in your lies, we have learned from unhappy
    past experience not to suspend our critical faculties when you are talking. We admire your nimble
    wit but we listen with a skeptical ear.

10. Egregious Liar
      Outstanding! Your lies are so outstanding hurtful that people gasp in amazement and disgust at
      hearing them.

Above ten expressive adjectives are not restricted to lying or liars. Note their general meanings:-
1. notorious - well known for some bad quality - a notorious philanderer.
2. consummate - perfect, highly skilled - consummate artistry at the keyboard.
3. incorrigible - beyond reform - an incorrigible optimist.
4. inveterate - long accustomed, deeply habituated - an inveterate smoker
5. congenital - happening at or during birth - a congenital deformity
6. chronic - going on for a long time, or occurring again and again. - chronic appendicitis
7. pathological - diseased - a pathological condtion
8. unconscionable - without pangs of conscience - unconscionable cruelty to children
9. glib - smooth, suspiciously fluent - a glib witness.
10. egregious - outstandingly bad or vicious - egregious error.

Session 15: Origins and related words

1. Well-known
  • 'Widely but unfavorably known is the definition for notorious. Just as a notorious liar is well-known for unreliable statements, so a notorious gambler, a notorious thief, or a notorious killer has achieved a wide reputation for some form of antisocial behavior.
  • The derivation is from Latin notus, known, from which we also get noted
  • It is an interesting characteristic of some words that a change of syllables can alter the emotional impact. Thus, an admirer of certain business will speak of them as 'noted industrialists'; these same people's enemies will speak of them as 'notorious exploiters'. Similarly, if we admire a man's or woman's unworldliness, we refer to it by the complimentary term childlike; but if are annoyed by the trait, we describe it, derogatively, as childish. Change '-like' to '-ish' and our emotional tone undergoes a complete rehearsal.
2. Plenty of room at the top
  • The top of a mountain is called, as you know, the summit, a word derived from Latin, summus, highest, which also gives us the mathematical term, sum, as in addition. A consummate artist has reached the very highest point of perfection; and to consummate a marriage, a business deal, or a contract is, etymologically, to bring it to the highest point; that is, to put the final touches to it, to bring it to completion.
3. No Help
  • Call people incorrigible if they do anything to excess, and if all efforts to correct or reform them are to no avail. Thus, one can be an incorrigible idealist, an incorrigible criminal, an incorrigible optimist, or an incorrigible philanderer.
  • The word derives from Latin corrigo, to correct or set straight, plus the negative prefix -in.
4. Veterans
  • Inveterate, from Latin vetus, old, generally indicates disapproval. 
  • Inveterate gamblers have grown old in the habit, etymologically speaking; inveterate drinkers have been imbibing for so long that they, too, have formed old, well-established habits; and inveterate liars have been lying for so long, and their habits by now are so deep-rooted, that one can scarcely remember when they ever told the truth.
  • A veteran, as of the Armed Forces, grew older serving the country; otherwise a veteran is an old hand at the game (and therefore skillful). A veteran at (or in) swimming, tennis, police work, business, negotiations, diplomacy - or a veteran actor, teacher, diplomat, political reformer.
5. Birth
  • Greek genesis, birth or origin, a root we discussed in psychogenic, is the source of a great many English words.
  • Genetics is the science dealing with the transmission of hereditary characteristics from parents to offspring. The scientist specializing in this field is a geneticist. The particle carried on the chromosome of the germ cell containing a hereditary characteristic is a gene.
  • Genealogy is the study of family trees or ancestral origins (logos, study). The practitioner is a genealogist
  • The genital, or sexual organs are involved in the process of conception and birth. The genesis of anything - a plan, idea, thought, career, etc. - is its beginning, birth, or origin, and Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, describes the creation, or birth, of the universe.
  • Congenital is constructed by combining the prefix con-, with or together, and the root genesis, birth.
  • So, a congenital defect, deformity, etc. occurs during the nine month birth process.
  • Hereditary characteristics, on the other hand, are acquired at the time of conception. Thus, eye color, nose shape, hair texture, and other such qualities are hereditary; they are determined by the genes in the germ cells of the mother and father. 
  • Congenital is used both literally and figuratively. Literally, the word generally refers to some medical deformity or abnormality occurring during birth process. Figuratively, it wildly exaggerates, for effect, the very early existence of some quality : congenital liar, congenital fear of the dark, etc.

Session 16: Origins and related words


1. Of time and place
  • A chronic liar lies constantly, again and again; a chronic invalid is ill time, frequently, repeatedly. The derivation of the word is Greek, chronos, time. 
  • An anachronism is someone or something out of time, out of date, belonging to a different era, either earlier or later.  
  • Read a novel in which a scene is supposedly taking place in the 19th century and imagine one of the characters turning on a TV set.  An anachronism.
  • Your friend talks, thinks, dresses, and acts as if he were living in the time of Shakespeare. Another anachronism!
  • Science fiction is deliberately anachronous - it deals with phenomena, gadgetry, accomplishment far off in the future.
  • An anachronism is out of time; something out of place is incongruous, a word combining the negative prefix in-, the prefix con-, with or together, and a Latin verb meaning to agree or correspond.
  • Thus, it is incongruous to wear a sweater and slacks to a formal wedding; it is anachronous to wear the wasp waist, conspicuous bustle, or powdered wig of the eighteenth century.
  • Chronological, in correct time order, comes from chronos. To tell a story chronologically is to relate the events in the time order of their occurence. Chronology is the science of time order and the accurate dating of events - the expert in this field is a chronologist.
  • A chronometer combining chronos with metron, measurement, is a highly accurate timespace, especially one used on ships. Chronometry is the measurement of time.
  • Add the prefix syn-, together, plus the verb suffix -ize, to chronos, and you have constructed synchronize, etymologically to time together, or to move, happen, or cause to happen, at the same time or rate. If you and your friend synchronize your watches, you set them at the same time. If you synchronize the activity of your arms and legs, as in swimming, you move them at the same time or rate. 
2. Disease, suffering, feeling
  • Pathological is diseased - this meaning of the word ignores the root logos, science or study.
  • Pathology is the science or study of disease - its nature, cause, cure, etc. However, another meaning of the noun ignores logos, and pathology may be any morbid, diseased, or abnormal physical condition or conditions; in short, simply disease, as in 'This case involves so many kinds of pathology that several different specialists are working on it.'
  • A pathologist is an expert who examines tissue, often by autopsy or biopsy, to diagnose disease and interpret the abnormalities in such tissue that may be caused by specific diseases.
  • Pathos occurs in some English words with the additional meaning of feeling. If you feel or suffer with someone, you are sympathetic. Husbands, for example, so the story goes, may have sympathetic labour pains when their wives are about to deliver. 
  • The prefix anti- means against. If you experience antipathy to people or things, you feel against them - you feel strong dislike or hostility. The adjective is antipathetic, as in 'an antipathetic reaction to an authority figure.'
  • But you may have no feeling at all - just indifference, lack of any interest, emotion, or response, complete listlessness, especially when some reaction is normal or expected. Then you are apathetic; a-, as you know, is a negative prefix. The noun is apathy, as in voter apathy, student apathy, etc. 
  • On the other hand, you may be so sensitive or perceptive that you do not only share the feelings of another, but you also identify with those feelings, in fact experience them as if momentarily you were the other person. What you have then is empathy; you empathize; you are empathetic.
  • Someone is pathetic who is obviously suffering - such a person may arouse sympathy or pity in you. A pathetic story is about suffering and again, is likely to arouse sadness, sorrow, or pity.
  • What makes it possible for 2 people separated by miles of space to communicate with each other without recourse to messenger, telephone, telegraph, or postal service? It can be done, say the believers in telepathy, also called mental telepathy, they do not admit to knowing how.

Session 17 : Origins and related words

1. Knowing
  • Psychopaths commit antisocial and unconscionable acts - they are not troubled by conscience, guilt, remorse, etc. over what they have done.
  • Unconscionable and conscience are related in derivation - the first word from Latin scio, to know, the second from Latin sciens, knowing, and both using the prefix con-, with, together.
  • Etymologically, then, your conscience is your knowledge with a moral sense of right and wrong; if you are unconscionable, your conscience is not working, or you have no conscience.
  • conscious, also from con- plus scio, is knowledge or awareness of one's emotions or sensations, or of what's happening around one.
  • Science, from sciens, is systematized knowledge as opposed, eg. , to belief, faith, intuition or guesswork.
  • Add Latin omnis, all, to sciens, to construct omniscient, all-knowing, possessed of infinite knowledge.  The noun is omniscience.
  • Add the prefix pre-, before, to sciens, to construct prescient - knowing about events before they occur, i.e., psychic, or possessed of unusual powers of prediction. The noun is prescience.
  • Add finally, add the negative prefix ne- to sciens to produce nescient, not knowing, or ignorant. The noun is nescience.
2. Fool some of the people
  • Glib is from an old English root that means slippery. Glib liars or glib talkers are smooth and slippery; they have ready answers, fluent tongues, a persuasive air - but, such is the implication of the word, they fool only the most nescient, for their smoothness lacks sincerity and conviction.
  • The noun is glibness.
3. Herds and flocks
  • Egregious is from Latin grex, gregis, herd or flock. An egregious lie, act, crime, mistake, etc. is so exceptionally vicious that it conspicuously stands out from the herd or flock of other bad things. The noun is egregiousness.
  • A person enjoys companionship, who, etymologically, likes to be with the herd, who reaches out to for friends and is happiest when surrounded by people - such a person is gregarious.
  • Extrovert are of course gregarious - they prefer human contact, conversation, laughter, interrelationships, to solitude.
  • Add the prefix con-, with, together, to grex, gregis, to get the verb congregate; add the prefix se-, apart, to get the verb segregate; add the prefix ad-, to, towards, to construct the verb aggregate.
  • Lets see what we have. When the people gather together in a herd or flock, they congregate. The noun is congregation
  • Put people or things apart from the herd, and you segregate them. The noun is segregation.
  • Bring individual items to or towards the herd or flock, and you aggregate them. The noun form is aggregation.

Word Power Made Easy - Session 11, 12, 13

Session 11 : How to talk about Science and Scientists


1. Anthropologist
    Whither mankind. The field is all mankind - how we developed in mind and body from primitive
    cultures and early forms.

2. Astronomer
    Whats above? The field is the heaven and all that's in them - planets, galaxies, stars and other
    universes.

3. Geologist
    Whats below? The field is the earth. How our planet come into being, what is it made of, how were
    its mountains, oceans, rivers, plains, and valleys formed, and whats down deep if you start digging.

4. Biologist
    What is life? The field is all living organisms - from the simplest one-celled amoeba to the
    amazingly complex and mystifying structure we call human-being. Plants or animals, flesh or
    vegetable, earth or air - if it lives and grows, this scientists want to know more about it.

5. Botanist
    Flora. Biology classifies life into 2 great divisions - plant and animals. This scientist's province is
    the former category - flowers, trees, shrubs, mosses, marine vegetarian, blossoms, fruits, seeds,
    grasses, and all the rest that make up the plant kingdom.

6. Zoologist
    And fauna. Animals of every description, kind, and condition, from birds to bees, fish to fowl,
    reptiles to humans, are the special area of exploration of this scientist.

7. Entomologist
    And all the little bugs. There are over 650, 000 different species of insects, and millions of
    individuals of every species - and this scientist is interested in every one of them.

8. Philologist
    Tower of Babel. This linguistic scientist explores the subtle, intangible, elusive uses of that unique
    tool that distinguishes human beings from all other forms of life - to wit : language. This person is,
    in short, a student of linguistics, ancient and modern, primitive and cultured, Chinese, Hebrew,
    Icelandic, Slavic, Teutonic, and every other kind spoken now or in the past by human beings.

9. Semanticist
    What do you really mean? This linguistic scientist explores the subtle, intangible, elusive
    relationship between language and thinking, between meaning and words; and is interested in
    determining the psychological causes and effects of what people say and write.

10. Sociologist
      Who are your friends and neighbors? This scientist is a student of the ways in which people live
      together, their family and community structures and customs, their housing, their social
      relationships, their forms of government, and their layers of caste and class.

Session 12 : Origins and related words

1. People and the stars 
  • Anthropologist is constructed from roots we are familiar with anthropos, mankind, and logos, science, study.
  • Astronomy is built on Greek astron, star, and nomos, arrangement, law or order. The astronomer is interested in the arrangement of stars and other celestial bodies. The science is astronomy. 
  • Astronomy deals in such enormous distances (the sun, for example, is 149 million kms/ 93 million miles from earth, and light from star towards earth travels at 300, 000 kms/186, 000 miles per second) that the adjective astronomical is applied to any tremendously large figures.
  • Astron, star, combines with logos to form astrology, which assess the influence of planets and stars on human events. The practitioner is called astrologer.
  • By etymology, an astronaut is a sailor among the stars (Greek nautes, sailor). The person is termed with somewhat less exaggeration a cosmonaut by the Russian (Greek kosmos, universe). 
  • Nautical, relating to sailors, sailing, ships, or navigation, derives also from nautes, and nautes in turn is from Greek naus, ship - a root used in nausea (etymologically, ship sickness or sea sickness).
  • Aster is a star shaped flower. Asterisk, a star shaped symbol(*), is generally used in writing or printing to direct the reader to look for a footnote. 
  • Astrophysics is that branch of physics dealing with heavenly bodies.
  • Disaster and disastrous also come from astron, star. In ancient times, it was believed that stars ruled human destiny; any misfortune or calamity, therefore happened to someone because stars are in opposition.
  • Namos, arrangement, law or order, is found in two other interesting English words.
  • For example, if you can make your own laws for yourself, if you needn't answer to anyone else for what you do, in short, if you are independent, then you enjoy autonomy, a word that combines nomos, law, with autos, self. Autonomy, then, is self law, self government. A self governing state is autonomous. 
  • You know the instrument that beginners at the piano use to guide their timing? A pendulum swings back and forth, making an audible click at each swing, and in that way governs or orders the measure of player. Hence it is called a metronome, a word that combines nomos with metron, measurement.
2. The earth and its life
  • Geologist derives from Greek ge(geo-), earth. The science is geology. 
  • Geometry - gee plus metron - by etymology 'measurement of earth', is that branch of mathematics dealing with the measurement and properties of solid and plane figures, such as angles, triangles, squares, spheres, prisms, etc. (The etymology of the word shows that this ancient science was originally concerned with the measurement of land and space on the earth). The mathematician is called a geometrician. 
  • Geography is writing about (graphein, to write), or mapping, the earth. A practitioner of science is a geographer. 
  • The name George is also derived from ge-(geo-) earth, plus, ergon, work - the first George was an earth-worker or farmer.
  • Biologist combines bios, life with logos, science, study. The science is biology.
  • Bios, life, is also found in biography, writing about someone's life. An autobiography, the story of one's life written by oneself; and biopsy, a medical examination or view (opsis, optikos, view, vision), generally through a microscope of living tissue, frequently performed when cancer is suspected. A small part of the tissue is cut from the affected area and under the microscope its cells are investigated for evidence of malignancy. A biopsy is contrasted with an autopsy which is a medical examination of a corpse in order to discover the cause of the death. The autos in autopsy, as you know, self - in an autopsy, etymologically speaking, the surgeon or pathologist determines, by actual view or sight rather than by theorizing, what brought the corpse to its present grievous state.
  • Botanist is from Greek, botane, plant.
  • Zoologist is from Greek, zoion, animal. The science is zoology. The combination of the 2 o's tempts many people to pronounce the first three letters of these words in one syllable, thus, zoo. However, the 2 o's should be separated, as in co-operate, even though no hyphen is used in spelling.
  • Zoo, a park for animal, is a shortened form of Zoological gardens.
  • The zodiac is a diagram used in astrology, of the paths of the sun, moon, and planets; it contains, in part, Latin names for various animals - scorpio, scorpion; leo, lion; cancer, crab; taurus, bull, etc. Hence, its derivation from zoion, animal.

Session 13: Origins and related words


1. Cutting in and out.
  • Flies, Bees, Beetles, wasps and other insects are segmented creatures - head, thorax and abdomen. Where these parts join, there appears to the imaginative eye a 'cutting in' of the body.
  • Hence, the branch of zoology dealing with insects is aptly named entomology, from Greek, en-, in, plus, tome, a cutting.
  • The prefix, ec-, from Greek ek-, means out. Combine ec- with tome to derive the words for surgical procedures in which parts are cut out or removed : tonsillectomy(the tonsils), appendectomy(the appendix), mastectomy(the breast), hysterectomy(the uterus), prostatectomy(the prostate), etc.
  • Combine ec- with Greek, kentron,  centre, to derive eccentric - out of the centre, hence deviating from the normal in behavior, attitudes, etc. or unconventional, odd, strange.
2. More cuts
  • The greek prefix a- makes a root negative; the atom was so named at a time when it was considered the smallest possible particle of an element, that is, one that could not be cut any further. The adjective is atomic.
  • The Greek prefix, ana- has a number of meanings, one of which is up, as in anatomy, originally the cutting up of a plant or animal to determine its structure, later the bodily structure itself.
  • Originally, any book that was a part of a larger work of many volumes was called a tome - etymologically, a part cut from a whole. Today, a tome designates, an exceptionally large book,  or one that is heavy and dull in content.
  • The Greek prefix, dicha-, in two, combines with tome to construct dichotomy, a splitting in two, a technical word used in astronomy, biology, botany, and the science of logic. It is also employed as a non technical term, as when we refer to the dichotomy in the life of a man who is a bank clerk all day and a night school teacher after working hours, so that his life in sense is split into 2 parts. The adjective is dichotomous.
  • Dichotomous thinking is the sort that divides everything into 2 parts - good and bad, white and black, Democrats and Republicans, etc. An unknown has made this classic statement about dichotomous thinking "There are 2 kinds of people: those who divide everything into 2 parts and those who don't".
  • Imagine a book, a complicated or massive report, or some other elaborate document - now figuratively cut through it so that you can get to its essence, the very heart of the idea contained in it. What you have is an epitome, a condensation of the whole.
  • An epitome may refer to a summary, condensation, or abridgement of language, as in 'Let me have an epitome of the book', or 'Give me the epitome of his speech'.
  • More commonly, epitome and the verb epitomize are used in sentence like 'She is the epitome of kindness', or 'That one act epitomizes her philosophy of life'. If you cut everything else away to get to the essential part, that part is a representative cross- section of the whole. So, a woman who is the epitome of kindness stands for all people who are kind, and an act that epitomizes a philosophy of life represents, by itself, the complete philosophy.
3. Love and words
  • Logos, we know, means science or study; it may also mean word or speech, as it does in philology, etymologically the love of the words(from Greek, philein, to love, plus logos), or what is more commonly called linguistics, the science of languages, a term derived from latin lingua, tongue.
 4. More Love
  • Philanthropy is by etymology, the love of mankind - one who devotes himself to philanthropy is a philanthropist.
  • The verb philander, to 'play around' sexually, be promiscuous, or have extramarital relations, combines philein with andros, male.
  • By etymology, philosophy is the love of wisdom (Greek spohos, wise); Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love (Greek adelphos, brother); philharmonic is the love of music or harmony (Greek, harmonia, harmony); and a philtre, a rarely used word, is a love potion. Today, we call whatever arouses sexual desire an aphrodisiac, from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty.
  • A bibliophile is one who loves books as collectibles, admiring their binding, typography, illustrations, rarity, etc. - in short, a book collector. The combining root is Greek biblion, book.
  • An Anglophile admires and is fond of the British people, customs, culture, etc. The combining root is Latin Anglus, English.
5. Words and how they affect people
  • The semanticist is professionally involved in semantics.
  • Semantics, like orthopaedics, paediatrics, and obstetrics, is a singular noun despite the -s ending. Semantics is, not are, an exciting study. However this rule applies only when we refer to the word as a science or area of study. In the following sentence, semantics is used as a plural: 'The semantics of your thinking are all wrong.'
6. How people live
  • Sociology is built on Latin socius, companion, plus logos, science, study. Socius is the source of such common words as associate, social, socialize, society, sociable, and antisocial; as well as asocial, which combines the negative prefix a- with socius.
  • The antisocial person actively dislikes people, and often behaves in ways that are detrimental or destructive to society or the social order.
  • On the other hand, someone who is asocial is withdrawn and self-centered, avoids contacts with others, and feels completely indifferent to the interests or welfare of society. The asocial person doesn't want to 'get involved'.

Learn Words by Pictures

Acerbic
Bitterness, Roughness, Sharpness
Example:-
The acerbity of my wife's temper is sometimes frightening.
Picture:-
   

Amalgam
a combination or mixture
Example:-
The chef blended an interesting amalgam of bananas, apricots and milk.
Picture:-
   

Amenable
Ready to be changed or controlled.
Example:-
Mitch was always amenable to whatever the boss wanted, but his constant willingness to agree got a little irritating to others in the office.  He was always submitting to the boss, telling him that everything he did was right, going along with his ideas for the business.  If he'd been a little less amenable, though, the boss wouldn't have liked him as much and would have found someone else to agree with him on everything.
Picture:-
    
Bolster
to support or to strengthen
Example:-
Every night in bed, Barb uses pillows to bolster her head and feet. She likes that the fluffy pillows support her neck and keep her back comfortable while she sleeps. The pillows also prop up her feet and help to reduce any leg soreness.  When she bolsters her head and feet at night, Barb sleeps more soundly and comfortably.
Picture:-

Bombastic:-
To be characterized by grand, dramatic gestures, inflated and overblown
Example:-
The bodybuilder struck a bombastic pose after winning the competition.
Picture:-

Credulous
tending to believe too readily or easily convinced.
Example:-
Riley always had a credulous nature, believing almost anything people told him.  His gullibility sometimes caused him to trust people who were only trying to trick him.  Just the other day, Riley encountered an old man who claimed to foretell the future.  Our credulous friend Riley quickly sought to learn his future from the man, even paying a large amount of money to hear his fortune.
Picture:-

Diatribe
a harsh verbal attack, criticism or rant
Example:-
At dinner, my father went on a long diatribe about his boss and his bad management style.
Picture:-

Flout
to mock or scoff at, to show scorn or contempt
Example:-
The teenagers flouted the law as they scribbled graffiti on the side of the police station. Their destruction mocked the police and scorned the law against vandalism.  By flouting the law, the teens showed contempt for the honor and discipline of the local police squad.
Picture:-

Fortuitous
happening by chance or accident and bringing good luck.
Example:-
Molly's day was filled with fortuitous events that began almost as soon as she awoke. This morning she happened to find a $50 bill in her jeans pocket, and later, she was fortunate to run into an old friend that she hadn't seen in many years. Her entire day proved to filled with fortuitous wonders.
Picture:-

Garrulous
Talkative and Irritating
Example:-
I sat on the park bench next to a garrulous old man who talked excessively and wouldn't let me get a single word in.
Picture:-

Germane
to the point, relevant
Example:-
I don't see how your suggestion of pretending to be dead is germane to our plan of escape.
He was asked to sit down because his objections were not germane to the case being discussed.
Picture:-

Glib
Speaking without thinking or concern; to speak casually.
Example:-
When I crashed my bike, I thought Justin's reaction was a little glib; he didn't seem worried that I was really hurt.
Picture:-

Implacable
Unable to eased or appeased
Example:-
Emily's grief over the damage to her rare collectible doll was implacable.  Despite our best efforts to console her, Emily continued to cry relentlessly for hours.  She finally calmed down and stopped crying, but it was clear that her overall sadness was implacable. We were not able to take away the sadness she felt.
Picture:-

Indifferent
Having no interest, concern or preference.
Example:-
Grady.s indifferent attitude during the house fire angered his roommate and the fire fighters.  He just sat by calmly, as firefighters rushed to put out the raging flames.  His roommate tried to save as many items from the fire as he could, but Grady seemed uninterested in helping.  Usually someone is very concerned about an out-of-control fire, but Grady was indifferent toward the whole situation.
Picture:-

Laconic
Brief with words, concise or something said with few words.
Example:-
The old men sat on the bench making laconic remarks from time to time.
Picture:-

Madrigal:-
A short poetic song for 2-3 voices, with no music.
Example:-
Madrigals were a popular form of music during the Renaissance.
Picture:-
Malleable:-
able to be hammered, pounded or pressed into shapes, without breaking.
Example:-
fter heating the metal on the fire, the blacksmith could work more easily with the malleable material.  By pounding and hammering on the hot metal, the smith turned the chunk of steel into a sleek, polished sword, flexible enough to be used in almost any situation.  In the hands of the experienced blacksmith, the malleable steel was as supple as putty, able to be shaped into any form.
Picture:-

Mercurial
Changeable; volatile or unstable.
Example:-
Pop singer Britney Spears has always had a mercurial personality, so it was no surprise when she suddenly shaved off her long hair.  This type of erratic behavior was the norm for Britney, and most of her fans have become accustomed to her fickle nature. In fact, it was Britney's mercurial personality that kept everyone wondering just what whimsical thing she would do next.
Picture:-

Meticulous
Extremely or Excessively careful about details.
Example:-
When it came to making watches, Jared was very meticulous.  He was extremely careful to make sure that he didn't overlook any important detail.  His meticulous attention to every aspect of his creation meant that he never had to take apart and rebuild any of his watches.
Picture:-


Obdurate
not giving in easily, stubborn or inflexible.
Example:-
Little kids can be extremely obdurate when they don't want to do something. Even when parents beg and plead, the kids can stand stubbornly, refusing to obey.  The obdurate nature of some kids can be frustrating for parents dealing with them.
Picture:-

Obfuscation
something that causes confusion; unclear
Example:-
The company president tried to explain the new policy, but his obfuscations didn't make sense to anyone.
Picture:-

Obsequious
excessively willing to yield
Example:-
Tom is an obsequious employee of our company. Whenever his manager is around, Tom tries everything to please him. If the manager says he feels like eating a pizza, Tom would be the one who would want to go and personally bring it to his manager's office. This is no different than licking his manager's shoes. We don't think Tom's obsequious manners will help him reach a high position in our company.
Picture:-

Ostentatious
Showy or pretentious
Example:-
Hollywood is often seen as a pretentious city, filled with stars, models, and other fame seekers. Their showy lifestyles and flashy personalities can be exciting to watch. However, some people don't like Hollywood's ostentatious displays and would rather watch people that are more down-to-earth.
Picture:-

Pedantic
Related to displays of knowledge which are often arrogant or unnecessary.
Example:-
The teacher's pedantic ramblings side-tracked the entire class discussion. The class was only supposed to last an hour. If he continued his pedantic lecture on the origin of the word liberty, instead of discussing the Declaration of Independence, he would run out of time.
Picture:-

Pervade
to spread through or throughout, especially subtly or gradually.
Example:-
The smell of turkey baking in the oven gradually pervaded the house on Thanksgiving Day. The delicious aroma spread from the kitchen to the staircase to all the bedrooms upstairs. The entire family was trying to save their appetites for the big meal, but with the smell of turkey pervading the entire house, it was hard to resist.
Picture:-

Phlegmatic
Calm, not easily excited
Example:-
Even with children running around the room like maniacs, our phlegmatic cat continued to sit on the sofa, undisturbed by the commotion. They threw toys at each other, screamed and yelled, and even sent a vase crashing to the floor, but the cat simply ignored them. We always knew he was a very calm cat, but this behavior was so phlegmatic that we checked to see if he was still breathing!
Picture:-

Polemical
Extremely argumentative
Example:-
Darren was famous for making polemical arguments that usually angered his classmates. What's worse is that he frequently fails to make sure his facts are correct before he starts. Most people will just walk away rather than listen to Darren's polemical rants.
Picture:-

Sedulous
Hard-working, diligent, or persistent.
Example:-
Stephanie’s sedulous attention to her job makes her a top employee. Her supervisor points to her hard work and diligence as some of the key characteristics of her strong work ethic. Every year, Stephanie receives a raise in her salary due to her sedulous approach to her work.
Picture:-


Word Power Made Easy - Session 7, 8, 9, 10

Session 7: How to talk about Practitioners

1. Psychologist
    Behavior. This practitioner is an expert in the dark mysteries of human behavior - what makes
    people act as they do, why do they have certain feelings, how their personalities were formed. This
    person may also do private or group therapy.

2. Psychoanalyst
    Worries, fear, conflicts. This practitioner is a physician, psychiatrist, or psychologist who has been
    specially trained in the techniques devised by Sigmund Freud, encouraging you to delve into that
    part of your mind called 'unconscious'. By reviewing the experiences, traumas, feelings and
    thoughts of your earlier years, you come to a better understanding of your present worries, fears
    and insecurities. Treatment, consisting largely of listening to, and helping you to interpret the
    meaning of, your free-flowing ideas, is usually given in frequent sessions that may well go on for a
    year or more.

3. Orthodontist
    Teeth. This practitioner is a dentist who has specialized in straightening of teeth.

4. Optometrist or (Ophthalmic) Optician
    Eyes. This practitioner measures your vision and prescribes the type of glasses that will give you a
    more accurate view of the world.

5. (Dispensing) Optician
    Glasses. This practitioner makes or supplies lenses according to the specifications prescribed by
    your optometrist or ophthalmologist.

6. Osteopath
    Bones and blood vessels. This practitioner uses a drug less technique of curing diseases by
    massage and other manipulative procedures, a technique based on theory that illness may be
    caused by the undue pressure on displaced bones on nerves and blood vessels.

7. Chiropractor
    Joints and articulations. The basic principle of this practitioner's work is the maintenance of the
    structural and functional integrity of the nervous system. Treatment, consists of manipulating most
    of the articulations of the body, especially those connected to the spinal columns.

8. Chiropodist
    Feet. This practitioner treats foot ailments - corns, calluses, bunions, fallen arches, etc.

9. Graphologist
    Writing. This practitioner analyses handwriting to determine character personality, or aptitudes,
    and is often called upon to verify the authenticity of signatures, written documents, etc.

10. Gerontologist
      Getting old. This person deals with the economic, sexual, social, retirement and other problems of
      elderly.

Session 8: Origins and their related words

1. The mental life
  • The psychologist is built upon the same Greek root as psychiatrist - psyche, spirit, soul or mind. In psychiatrist, the combining form is iatreia, medical healing. In psychologist, the combining form is logos, science or study; a psychologist, by etymology, is one who studies mind.
  • Psyche is an English word in its own right - it designates the mental life, the spiritual or non-physical aspect of one's existence. 
  • The adjective, psychic, refers to a phenomena that cannot be explained in purely physical terms. People may be called psychic if they seem to posses a sixth sense, a special gift of mind reading, or any mysterious aptitudes that cannot be accounted for logically. The person's disturbance is psychic if it is emotional, rather than physical.
  • Psyche, combines with the Greek pathos, suffering or disease, to form psychopathic, an adjective that describes someone suffering from a severe mental or emotional disorder.
  • The root, psyche combines with the Greek soma, body, to form psychosomatic, an adjective that delineates the powerful influence that the mind, especially the unconscious, has on bodily diseases. Thus, a person who fears of being present at a certain meeting will suddenly develop a bad cold or backache, or even be injured at a traffic accident, so that his appearance at this meeting is made impossible. According to psychosomatic theory of medicine, his unconscious made him susceptible to the cold germs, caused the backache or forced him into the path of the car.
  • Psychoanalysis relies on the technique of deeply, exhaustively probing into the unconscious, a technique developed by Sigmund Freud. In oversimplified terms, the general principle of psychoanalysis is to guide the patient to an awareness of the deep seated, unconscious causes of anxieties, fears, conflicts and tension. Once found, exposed to light of the day, and thoroughly  understood, claim the psychoanalysts, these causes may vanish like a light snow exposed to strong sunlight.
  • Consider an example : You have an asthma and your doctor can find no physical basis for your ailment. So, you are referred to as psychoanalyst.
  • In your sessions with your therapist, you discover that your asthma is emotionally, rather than organically based - your ailment is psychogenic. And your treatment? No drugs, no surgery - these may help the body, not the emotions. And if your asthma is indeed psychogenic, therapy will very likely help you: your attacks may cease , either gradually or suddenly.
  • In any case, psychotherapy is the indicated treatment for psychogenic (or psychosomatic) disorders, or for any personality disorders. 
Session 9: Origins and related words

1. The whole tooth
  • Orthodontist, is built on orthos, straight, correct, plus odontos, tooth.
  • A periodontist is a gum specialist - the term combines odontos with the prefix peri-, around, surrounding. And what surrounds the teeth is gum.
  • An endodontist specializes in work on the pulp of tooth and in the root canal therapy - the prefix in this term is endo-, from Greek endon, inner, within.
  • Similarly, exodontist is for outer of tooth.
2. Measurement
  • The optometrist, by etymology, measures vision - the term is built on opsis, optikos, view, vision plus metron, measurement.
  • Metron is used in many words.
  • thermometer - an instrument to measure heat.
  • barometer - an instrument to measure atmospheric pressure.
  • sphygmomanometer - a device for measuring blood pressure.
  • metric system - a decimal system of weights and measures.
3. Bones, feet and hands
  •  Osteopath combines Greek osteon, bone, with pathos, suffering, disease. Osteopathy, you will recall, was originally based on the theory that disease is caused by pressure of the bones on the blood vessels and nerves. An osteopathic practitioner is not a bone specialist, despite the misleading etymology - and should not be confused with the orthopaedist who is.
  • The chiropodist (Greek cheir, hand plus podos, pons, foot) practices chiropody. The term was coined in the days before labour-saving machinery and push-button devices, when people worked with their hands and developed calluses on their upper extremities as well as on their feet.
  • Chiropractors heal with their hands - the specialty is chiropractic.
  • Cheir(Chiro-) hand, is also the root in chirography. An expert in writing by hand, or penmanship would be a chirographer.
  • If the suffix -mancy comes from a Greek word meaning foretell or prediction, then chiromancy will mean predicting future by seeing palm.
  • The person who practices chiromancy is called chiromancer.
  • The root pous, podos is found in many words
  • octopus, the eight-armed (or, as the etymology has it, eight-footed) sea creature
  • platypus, the strange water mammals with a duck's bill, webbed feet, and a beaver-like tail that reproduces by laying eggs. (Greek, platys, broad, flat - hence, by etymology, a flatfoot !).
  • podium, a speaker's platform, etymologically, a place for the feet. (The suffix -ium often signifies 'place where', as in gymnasium, stadium, auditorium, etc.)
  • tripod, a three-legged stand for a camera or other device.
  • podiatrist, another name for a chiropodist. The specialty is podiatry.
Session 10: Origins and related words

1. Writing and writers
  • The greek verb graphein, to write, is the source of a great many English words.
  • We know that the graphologist analyses handwriting, the term combining graphein with logos, science or study.
  • Chirographer is built on graphein plus cheir(chiro-), hand. Though chirography may be a lost art, calligraphy is enjoying a revival.
  • A calligrapher is called upon to design and write announcements, place cards, etc., as a touch of elegance.
  • Calligraphy combines graphein with greek kallos, beauty, and so by etymology, means beautiful writing.
  • If a word exists for artistic handwriting, there must be one for the opposite - bad, scrawly, or illegible handwriting. And indeed there is - cacography, combining graphein with greek kakos, bad, harsh.
  • Cardiograph (discussed earlier) - etymologically a 'heart writer'. (kardia, heart)
  • Photograph -  etymologically, 'written by light' (Greek, photos, light)
  • Phonograph - etymologically, a 'sound writer'(Greek, phone, sound)
  • Telegraph - etymologically, a 'distance writer'(Greek, tele, distance)
  • Biography - etymologically, 'life writing' (Greek, bios, life)
2. Aging and Old
  • We know that a geriatrician specializes in the medical care of the elderly. The greek word geras, old age, has a derived form, geron, old man, the root in gerontologist.
  • The latin word for old is senex, the base on which senile, senescent, senior, and senate are built.
  • senile - showing signs of the physical and/or the mental deterioration that generally marks very old age.
  • senescent - aging, growing old. (note the same suffix in this word as in adolescent, growing into adult, convalescent, growing healthy again, and obsolescent, growing or becoming obsolete). The noun is senescence.
  • senior - older
  • senate - originally a council of older, and presumably, wiser citizens.

Learn Words By Mnemonics: Z List


Learn Words By Mnemonics: Y List


Learn Words By Mnemonics: X List


Learn Words by Mnemonics: W List

Waver
to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled in opinion.
Example:-
At this, the politicians did waver slightly, but normal confidence was quickly restored.
Mnemonic:-
Like a sea WAVE going UP and DOWN in taking decision.

Learn words by Mnemonics: V List

Vacillate
be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
Example:-
Unable to decide on which restaurant to enter, she vacillated for hours before opting for Italian.
Mnemonic:-
sounds like OScillate..so something which moves from one position to another position.

Variegated
multicoloured; having variety of colours
Example:-
This name seems to be older than Kashgar, which is said to mean " variegated houses."
Mnemonic:-
varie(various)-gated(gates)... the gates are of various colors..

Vexation
annoyance; irritation
Example:-
His arrogance was an endless source of vexation to me, but I could not help but find it a little bit attractive as well.
Mnemonic:-
vexation sound's some what like waxation if we do waxation we get irritation on our skin

Vigilant
alertly watchful
Example:-
It is important to be vigilant when there are criminals nearby
Mnemonic:-
VI-gi-LAN-t(vilan): vilan in movies are very WATCHFUL and ALERT of heros activities

Vilify
to criticize harshly, spread negative info about.
Example:-
Waging a highly campaign, the candidate attempted to vilify his opponent's reputation.
Mnemonic:-
vilify(to speak ill of) is to make someone out to be villain.

Virulent
extremely poisonous
Example:-
It is always frightening to encounter a collection of virulent items like bottles of poison or a large scorpion.  These dangerous objects can cause death if you are not careful handling them.
Mnemonic:-
it is a virus, which is extremely poisonous.

Vituperate
to use harsh condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; spread negative information about
Example:-
The Nazi propaganda vituperated the Jews
Mnemonic:-
vituperate: vittu(a guy) pe rage...to use harsh condemnatory language to abuse..
 
Voracious 
excessively eager; having a huge desire; craving food in great quantities.
Example:-
It seemed it the voracious kitten was eating her weight in food everyday.
Mnemonic:-
remember carniVORES ,herbiVORES...So "VORE" tells sumthing about eating.
 

Learn Words by Mnemonics: U List

ubiquitous
being everywhere at once.
Example:-
That Christmas "The Little Drummer Boy" seemed ubiquitous : Justin heard the tune everywhere he went.
Mnemonic:-
it pronounces like mosquitoes which are being everywhere.

unfeigned
genuine; not false or hypocritical
Example:-
He showed unfeigned admiration for the performance.
Mnemonic:-
un(not)-feigned(fined): you are left unfined if you are HONEST, and this is a GENUINE fact.

untenable
incapable of being defended or justified
Example:-
His unwavering belief in fundamental creationism is untenable in my opinion. 
Mnemonic:-
a child un(der) ten not able defense himself they need parents maintenance (under+ten+not able)

urbane
sophisticated; refine; elegant
Example:-
Joseph was always overly polite and had kind words for everyone, even when they mistreated him; he was urbane.
Mnemonic:-
People living in urban areas are sophisticated.

Learn Words by Mnemonics: T List

Tacit
implied; not explicitly stated
Example:-
Although he didn't respond directly, he gave tacit approval for the trip when he left the $20 on the desk. 
Mnemonic:-
Tacit - Change the word to Tact - You tactfully (with perfection)handled the situation even without expressing it in words (tacit).

Tenacity
the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued
Example:-
Do you have the tenacity for this job?
Mnemonic:-
tenacity : teen's consistant activity ie determination to continue what he/she 's doing.

Tenuous
lacking substance or strength; thin; weak
Example:-
My husband and I had a tenuous argument this morning.
Mnemonic:-
this word sound very close to TENNIS....and most of the female TENNIS PLAYERS ARE VERY SLIM AND THIN...

Terse
brief and concise in wording
Example:-
I could tell by her terse response Molly was nearby.
Mnemonic:-
terse...sounds like TERESA..Here all her achievements,efforts everything has been consolidated, confined and put into a single word "MOTHER"..So TERSE means brief,concise

Tirade
a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation 
Example:-
On and on, she went; an endless tirade of nonsensical anger poured out of her mouth.
Mnemonic:-
sounds like tired.. your mom gets tired after a TIRADE..i.e. LONG ANGRY DENUNCIATORY SPEECH..

Torpid
slow; lethargic; sluggish; dormant
Example:-
After helping my sister move her belongings in her new house I felt so torpid because i had no energy left to do my chores at home.
Mnemonic:-
tor - pid sounds like tor - toise, we all they are slow.

Tortuous
excessively complicated; marked by repeated turns and bents.
Example:-
a tortuous path up the mountain.
Mnemonic:-
a tortoise does not move in straight line..... it keeps twisting and turning making path complicated.

Tout
by publicly praise or promote
Example:-
JUst listen to the ads on TV - touting is all they ever do.
Mnemonic:-
tout: shout to promote (to publicly praise or promote)

Transient
fleeting; passing quickly; brief
Example:-
It was a transient phase, her being interested in him; we knew it wouldn't last.
Mnemonic:-
remember transient light and transient current.... that we studied in physics.....which produce an effect for a very short time...

Trenchant
sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating
Example:-
The student wrote a trenchant and powerful essay about World War II.
Mnemonic:-
When you chant it is to be very strong, clear and effective

Truculent
deadly; destructive; fierce and cruel; eager to fight.
Example:-
die hard fans who became truculent and violent after their team loss.
Mnemonic:-
sounds like 'truck' which is king of road. runs very fiercely i.e. eager to fight with other vehicles.