Review this list of words and context sentences to find the word that matches the definition below.
To do as commanded or asked
acknowledge (ăk-nŏlĭj) -verb- Stubborn people often find it difficult to acknowledge their errors. They hate to admit they were wrong.
- Even after most of the votes had been counted, Senator Rice refused to acknowledge that he had lost.
alternative (ôl-tûrnə-tĭv) -noun
- The teacher stated the alternatives to Tim—either retake the test or get a D for the course.
- When her dog began to suffer from cancer, Wanda felt she had no alternative. He would have to be put to sleep.
anecdote (ănĭk-dōt′) -noun
- Dad told the children an anecdote about getting his tie caught in a file cabinet at work just as the boss walked in.
- I once heard an anecdote about a stagehand's revenge on a bossy actor. The stagehand put wheels on a table used in the play, so when the actor leaped onto the table during the most dramatic scene, he rolled off the stage.
appropriate (ə-prōprē-ĭt) -adjective- Chuck has little sense of what is socially appropriate. For example, he wore jeans and running shoes to his sister's wedding.
- Although it is appropriate for a man to take off his hat in church, in a synagogue it is proper for a man to cover his head.
avert (ə-vûrt) -verb- Renata averted an unpleasant meeting with her ex-boyfriend by leaving the store before he saw her.
- To avert an accident, Larry turned the steering wheel sharply to the right—and ran into a stop sign.
candid (kăndĭd) -adjective- I’ll give you my candid opinion, but you may not like what you hear.
- My heart always sinks when Robbie invites me to his house for dinner. He's a wonderful person, but to be candid, he's a terrible cook.
compel (kəm-pĕl) -verb- My history teacher would often compel us to do useless work, such as memorizing the date each state entered the union.
- If the law did not compel people to pay taxes, no one would pay them.
comply (kəm-plī) -verb- If someone with an iron pipe demands your wallet, it is safer to comply than to resist.
- “My wife is so used to being the boss at work,” Martin said, “that she is annoyed when I don’t comply with her every request at home."
concise (kŏn-sīs) -adjective- Because of limited space, most newspaper articles must be concise.
- Unlike many politicians, our mayor is concise—his speeches are short and to the point.
drastic (drăstĭk) -adjective- The company's new president took drastic steps, closing two factories and laying off three hundred employees.
- The most common punishment in schools is detention. If that does not work, then schools resort to something more drastic.