My simple invention, designed to keep my grandfather safe

TED TALK

audible - that can be heard clearly
To block out audible sounds, Jack uses earplugs when flying
Danielle’s soft voice was not audible in the crowd.  

stem from - to be the result of something
Most of her health problems stem from an accident she had when she was younger.
His love of the outdoors stems from his father.

to implant - to fix an idea, attitude etc. firmly in somebody's mind
As a busy student with little free time, Sylvia’s way of cramming for an exam would be to implant as much information in her brain right before the test.
The teenager did not know what to do but to implant the telephone number into her head since her cell phone had gone missing.

snugly - in a way that is comfortable 
I left the children tucked up snugly in bed.
The indigo jeans fit snugly against his lean hips and muscular thighs.

bulky - large and difficult to move or carry
The bulky package was much too large to be placed in the small mailbox.
Our bulky Christmas tree was so colossal that the top touched the top of the ceiling.

Falling in love is the easy part

TED TALK

stick out - to be noticeable or easily seen 
They wrote the notice in big red letters so that it would stick out.

promptly - without delay
She deals with all the correspondence promptly and efficiently.
Fortunately, the paramedics arrived promptly and were able to save my father.

inadvertent - done by accident, without being intended 
I wonder how many inadvertent inventions were developed in the process of trying to discover something totally different.
Probably the most horrific consequences of violence are the inadvertent injuries or deaths of innocent bystanders.

fling - a short period of enjoyment when you do not allow yourself to worry or think seriously about anything 
He was determined to have one last fling before retiring.

escalate - to become or make something greater, worse, more serious etc. 
Gas prices usually escalate during the summer because of the high demand for fuel.
The veterinarian said it was not unusual for a cat’s anxiety to escalate when the animal moves into a new environment.

My escape from North Korea

TED TALK

emaciated - thin and weak, usually because of illness or lack of food
He looked emaciated, eating only an apple and a piece of bread each day to survive.
I was shocked when I saw her emanciated face when she was in the last stage of cancer.

famine - a lack of food during a long period of time in a region
Many people have starved to death because of the famine.
During the famine, the portions of food were restricted by government.

outage - a period of time when the supply of electricity, etc. isn't working 
The power outages throughout the region were a result of a hurricane.
Service outages prevent applications from communicating across the network.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE END OF GENDER

TED TALK


rigid - very strict and difficult to change
His rigid adherence to the rules made him unpopular
In the biographical movie, the cult leader was portrayed as a rigid man who tolerated no ideas except for his own.

aggregate - to put together different items, amounts, etc. into a single group or total
During the singing competition, the producers will aggregate singers into groups based on gender and age.
Schools often use test scores to aggregate students into classes based on intelligence.

outnumber - to be greater in number by somebody/something
Knowing that they were outnumbered by their opponent, the small army decided to retreat from the battle.
The number of people wanting pizza outnumbered those wanting seafood, so we headed to a pizza parlor.

ascertain - to find out the true or correct information about something 
From looking at Monica's grim face, I was able to ascertain she was in emotional distress.
Since I’m not a very good liar, most people usually find it easy to ascertain when I’m being dishonest

WHAT MY RELIGION REALLY SAYS ABOUT WOMEN

TED TALK

to amplify - to increase something in strength

To irritate his roommates, Howard left a small microphone under his pillow to amplify the sound of his snoring.
Because the bus can get noisy, our camp counselor uses a bullhorn to amplify his voice.


to relegate - to give somebody a lower or less important position, rank, etc. than before

Because of her shyness, Emma would often relegate herself to doing chores in the kitchen while everyone else enjoyed the party.
After the lead actors had been repeatedly late for rehearsal, the director decided to relegate them to the chorus and replace them with their understudies.


to cite - to mention something as a reason or an example, or in order to support what you are saying

The teacher was saddened to learn only half of her students could cite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Jill can easily cite the words of her favorite song.  

sheer - of transparently thin quality, usually of fabric

The modest woman always covered her shoulders with a sheer scarf that was long enough to cover but thin enough to keep her from sweating.
The sheer sheets my grandmother bought us for Christmas were not thick enough to keep us warm at nights.

TO RAISE BRAVE GIRLS, ENCOURAGE ADVENTURE

TED TALK

to chafe - if skin chafes, or if something chafes it, it becomes sore because something is rubbing against it 
The rope that they tied her with started to chafe her wrists.
The collar was too tight and chafed her neck.

searing - so strong that it seems to burn you
When I was in Tenerife last summer, there were days that I couldn't breathe because of the searing heat. 
I had  never felt such a searing pain before as when I fell of the roof.

billow - if smoke, cloud, etc. billows, it rises and moves in a large mass
When we entered our old house, the only thing we saw was the billowing cloud of dust.
The great cloud of smoke billowed out of the burning building.

trepidation - great worry or fear about something unpleasant that may happen
We entered the abandoned house with some trepidation.
I couldn't help my trepidation when he asked me if we could talk.

gutsy - showing courage and determination
Her gutsy attitude impressed everyone, she seemed fearless.
I've never seen such a gutsy player, he always does his best to win the match.

exhilaration - a feeling of being very happy and excited 
The exhilaration of performing on stage is the reason why he loves touring so much.
You could see her exhilaration when Harry Styles was about to come on stage.

Save the oceans, feed the world!

TED TALK

abundant - existing in large quantities

Wolves are the most abundant animals in this forest.

I have abundant hair and that’s why I have to spend so much time styling it.

coastal - of or near a coast

The coastal areas are most likely to be influenced by tsunami.

It is forbidden to fish in our country’s coastal waters.

quota - the limited number or amount of people or things that is officially allowed
The Apple store set a quota of three iPhones per person during the big sale.

I’ve done my quota of exercises for today, it’s time to relax. 

irrigate - to supply water to an area of land through pipes or channels so that crops will grow
The river irrigates the village.

The doctor said you should irrigate your eyes with water for 5 minutes.