Unit 141

venial / venal / menial

venial adj. 轻微可被原谅的 ((of a sin or mistake) not serious and therefore able to be forgiven) / ˈviːnɪəl /

• The Catholic church considers venial sins less heinous than mortal sins.

venal adj. 贪污的 (open to bribery) / ˈviːn(ə)l /

• The venal customs official lost his job after secret cameras caught him accepting a bribe.

menial adj. 卑微的，仆人的 (used to describe boring or unpleasant work that does not require special skill and usually does not pay much money) / ˈmiːnɪəl /

• Geoff's mom took on a menial job, cleaning houses, in order to pay his school fees.

terse / verse

terse adj. 简洁的 (brief and direct in a way that may seem rude or unfriendly) / təːs /

• The traffic cop spoke tersely to the jaywalker, warning him about the potential fine for his infraction.

verse n. 诗篇 (writing in which words are arranged in a rhythmic pattern) / vəːs /

• English language playwright William Shakespeare wrote most of his plays in blank verse using iambic pentameter.

adorn / adorn

adorn v. 装饰 (to make (someone or something) more attractive by adding something beautiful) / əˈdɔːn /

• The woman sat at her dressing table and carefully adorned herself with jewelry.

adorn v. 装饰 (to enhance the appearance of, especially with beautiful objects) / əˈdɔːn /

• Each Christmas our family gathers together to adorn our tree with garlands, baubles and lights.

fabulous / nebulous

fabulous adj. 极好的 (wonderful and marvelous) / ˈfabjʊləs /

• The three-star, Michelin-ranked restaurant offered its patrons a fabulous five-course meal.

adj. 寓言中的，传说的 (not real, told about in a story)

• The Lord of the Rings is a fabulous tale about mythical creatures set in an imaginary world.

nebulous adj. 模糊的，不清楚的 (not clear) / ˈnɛbjʊləs /

• The Oracle at Delphi was renowned for giving nebulous answers that could be interpreted in many ways.