I like the fact that Vocabulary.com, a website devoted to vocabulary building, sponsors each year the “Vocabulary Bowl.” For more information, go to . I like to think of vocabulary learning as a competitive sport. Students can represent their schools in the annual competition. Visit the Vocabulary.com website for details. I am glad to hear that some classes are using Vaughan’s Vocabulary for learning tools. This week’s words are ideal for high school students to add to their word banks. See how well you do with the following. 1. abhor (ab-HOR) A. to block B. to regard with extreme repugnance C. to cover D. to placate 2. hegemony (hi-JIM-uh-knee) A. a private ceremony B. a gambling debt C. the dominance or leadership of one social group or nation over others D. the act of hedging your bets 3. exacerbate (ig-ZAH-sir-bate) A. to smooth out B. to make more violent, bitter or severe C. to float D. None of the above 4. livid (LIV-id) A. very angry B. having a dark purplish color C. discolored by bruising D. All of the above 5. precarious (pre-CARE-ee-us) A. loving B. dangerous C. hateful D. gregarious 6. par excellence (par-ek-SUH-lahns) A. demonstrating the best of a kind or type B. a football phrase for loss of yardage C. a difficult course D. a plan of action projected to work No. 1, abhor, is B. Janet said that she abhors having to work at the office on weekends. No. 2, hegemony, is C. I was born during the time in which the United States was the hegemony of the world. No. 3, exacerbate, is B. The summer wind exacerbated the ear infection. No. 4, livid, is D. Frank was livid when he found out that Joe had stolen his 9-iron. No. 5, precarious, is B. Working outside during afternoon hours when the heat index is at 105 is always a precarious situation. No. 6, par excellence, is A. Let the last syllable have a light sound that rhymes with “fonts.” This adjective is used after the noun. For example: After Karen took a bite of the drenched crab in a spicy tomato gravy, she exclaimed, “Pete, you’re a chef par excellence!” One day WZHI, Center Grove Radio, will be on the air and it will be radio par excellence! Editor's Note: Dr. Don Rodney Vaughan is the pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church near Eupora and is on the faculty of East Mississippi Community College, Golden Triangle Campus. Contact him at dvaughan@eastms.edu.
