abrupt adj.

happening suddenly, without warning

When the bus made an abrupt stop, several people were thrown off balance.

achieve (verb)

achievement (noun)

to do what one sets out to do

Even though she was blind and deaf, Helen Keller achieved her goal of graduating from college.

something done that takes skill or effort

Landing astronauts on the moon was a great achievement.

attempt (verb)

attempt (noun)

to try; to make an effort

When I attempted to leave class early the teacher asked me to wait until the period was over.

a try

The athlete cleared the bar in high jump on the third attempt.

contempt (noun)

a feeling that someone or something is bad or unworthy

Their classmates felt nothing but contempt for those who refused to help the new student.

entertain (verb)

entertained (verb)

entertaining (verb)

to interest and amuse

My little brother Ramon entertained himself for hours with his new paints.

to have guests

We entertained some old friends on Thanksgiving weekend.

to have in mind

Linn is entertaining the idea of going to soccer camp next summer.

glimps (verb)

glimps (noun)

to get a quick look at

I glimpsed a black bear near our campground.

a quick or hasty look

I was thrilled to get a glimps of Justin Bieber leaving the concert.

mock (verb)

mock (adj)

to make fun of

Cinderellas step sisters mocked her for thinking she could go to the ball.

not real, pretended

Mock turtle soup is really made of veal broth, not turtle meat.

persist (verb)

persistence (noun)

persistent (adj.)

to keep on doing or trying

In spite of all my falls on ice I persisted and finally did a figure-eight.

to go on and on

If this rain persists, we'll hav to cut our vacation short.

sticking to something, not give up

Emils persistence was rewarded when the tenth law school he applied to accepted him.

refusing to give up

The persistent reporter kept asking questions until she had found out all there was to know about the case.

persuade (verb)

persuasive (adj.)

to win someone over by arguing or asking

Frank finally persuaded me to read the "Adventures of Tom Sawyer".

having the power to persuade

Mary is so persuasive that we agreed to help her paint her room.

phase (noun)

a stage in a series of changes

The full moon is one of the phases of the moon.

quaint (adj.)

odd or unusual in a pleasing or old-fashioned way

Wooden shoes seemed quaint to Americans but not to the people of Holland.

recall (verb)

recalled (verb)

to remember

Do you recall what time we left for the soccer game?

to call or take back

The manufacturer recalled the cars because of a problem in the steering.

rejected (verb)

reject (noun)

to refuse to accept or use

The school board rejected the plan for the new gym because it's cost was excessive.

something that falls short of what is acceptable

Peter buys factory rejects at the pottery store for much less than the price of the perfect peices.

revise (verb)

to go over carefully in order to correct or improve

I don't like to revise my stories, but I have to admit they get better when I do.

to change in order to bring up to date

The publishers of that dictionnary revise it every eight or ten years.

sensitive (adj.)

quick to notice or feel

My doctor is very sensitive to my feelings.

easily affected by even slight change

Film used in cameras is very sensitive to light.