Unit 8

coerce / coarse

coerce v. 强制，迫使 (to make (someone) do something or get (something) by using force or threats) / kōˈərs /

• Our mother tried to coerce us into help her clean the house by threatening to take away our computer privileges for a week.

coarse adj. 粗糙的 (having a rough quality) /kôrs /

• Chin preferred to wear cashmere sweaters because she found regular wool sweaters coarse and scratchy on her delicate skin.

liberal / literal

liberal adj. 慷慨的 (tending to give freely; generous) / ˈlɪb(ə)rəl /

• Janie's favorite holiday was Halloween because she enjoyed handing out liberal handfuls of candy to the happy children who rang her doorbell.

literal adj. 不夸张的 (completely true and accurate; not exaggerated) /ˈlɪt(ə)r(ə)l/

• The judge exhorted the defendant to avoid embellishing his testimony and give a literal account of the incident.

modest / moderate

modest adj. 不太…的；谦虚的 (not very large, expensive, important, etc.; not talking much about your abilities or possessions) / ˈmɑdəst /

• Many movie stars enjoy the extravagance of owning a private jet, but Leonardo Di Caprio prefers to keep his carbon footprint modest by flying on commercial airplanes.

moderate adj. 适度的，有节制的 (avoiding extremes of behavior or expression; observing reasonable limits) /ˈmɑd(ə)rət /

• Jingguo has moderate political opinions about most topics, but he is a bit fanatical about animal welfare issues.

anomaly / analogy

anomaly n. 异常 (something that is unusual or unexpected) / əˈnɑməli /

• Fen's grades were usually quite average, so she was pleasantly surprised by the anomaly of receiving the highest marks in the class.

analogy n. 类比，比较 (a comparison of two things based on their being alike in some way) /əˈnaləjē /

• Puppies and kittens can be considered analogous because they are both very cute, domesticated, baby animals.