Grammar

More 'intelligent' words

Merriam-Webster have another 'Top Ten' list, of what they call 'Simple but intelligent' ways to spruce up your conversation.

Intelligent as they may be, some of these are far from simple, and might even get you funny looks if you brought them up in conversation. After all, you might want to sound intelligent, but you don't want to sound pretentious.

So treat them with care, and perhaps keep them for your passive vocabulary.

First go over to Merriam-Webster and cycle through the definitions, then come back here for the exercise.

Fill the gaps using the words in the box.

Click and Drop - Click on a word in the box and then click on an appropriate gap. If you change your mind, just repeat the process.

serendipity · non sequitur · dilettante · nuance · conundrum · euphemism · paradigm · epiphany · dichotomy · paradox

She's a bit of a really, I've never been able to work her out.
2.	Our MP is always going on about family values, and it turns out he has had a lover on the side for years. Talk about a between what people practise and what they preach.
3.	Little Johnny swore at you? But normally he's such a of good manners and behaviour.
4.	In Britain some people used to look down on the word 'toilet', saying it was a . But as their preferred word 'lavatory' also originally meant a place for cleaning, who were they kidding?
5.	The difference between being boring and being dull is largely a matter of .
6.	I know it's a , but although he doesn't seem very friendly, I find him really charming.
7.	She has a house in Tuscany and likes to think she's something of a painter, but she's a , really - lots of money and enthusiasm, but not an ounce of talent, poor thing.
8.	Finding this cottage was pure . We went out for a drive in the country one day, and there it was, with a 'For sale' sign. We couldn't believe our eyes.
9.	It's a bit of a to say that because somebody is British they must obviously like tea.
10.	His personal came when he first heard Charlie Parker. After that he simply lived and breathed jazz.

Answers

1. conundrum, 2. dichotomy, 3. paradigm, 4. euphemism, 5. nuance, 6. paradox, 7. dilettante, 8. serendipity, 9. non sequitur, 10. epiphany

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