Increasing Effects

Objective: Understand exacerbate and choose it accurately in context.

exacerbate (verb): To make an existing problem or harmful condition worse. Context sentences 1. Closing the only nearby clinic could exacerbate the town's shortage of medical care. 2. Personal accusations will exacerbate the tension between the two committees. 3. Removing the protective vegetation may exacerbate erosion along the riverbank.

Objective: Understand aggravate and choose it accurately in context.

aggravate (verb): To make an existing difficulty, injury, or other unfavorable condition more severe. Context sentences 1. Heavy backpacks can aggravate an existing shoulder injury. 2. Repeated interruptions may aggravate the difficulties of negotiating a compromise. 3. Sudden spending cuts could aggravate the museum's financial instability.

Objective: Understand amplify and choose it accurately in context.

amplify (verb): To make a sound, message, or effect stronger or more widely noticeable. Context sentences 1. The chamber's curved walls amplify the speaker's voice. 2. A prominent endorsement can amplify a small organization's message. 3. Dramatic lighting can amplify the emotional effect of a performance.

Objective: Understand intensify and choose it accurately in context.

intensify (verb): To become or make something greater in strength, degree, or severity. Context sentences 1. A sudden deadline can intensify pressure on an inexperienced team. 2. The rivalry may intensify as the championship approaches. 3. The painter used darker shadows to intensify the portrait's somber mood.

Objective: Understand magnify and choose it accurately in context.

magnify (verb): To make something appear larger, more important, or more serious than it otherwise would. Context sentences 1. A microscope can magnify details invisible to the unaided eye. 2. Repeated headlines may magnify the apparent importance of a minor disagreement. 3. Viewing one mistake without its context can magnify its significance.

Objective: Understand augment and choose it accurately in context.

augment (verb): To increase an amount or improve something by adding to it. Context sentences 1. The library will augment its collection with donated science books. 2. Weekend tutoring allows Nia to augment her income. 3. The researchers plan to augment their survey data with interviews.

Objective: Understand bolster and choose it accurately in context.

bolster (verb): To support or strengthen something, especially confidence, a position, or an argument. Context sentences 1. A successful rehearsal can bolster a speaker's confidence. 2. The historian used newly discovered letters to bolster her interpretation. 3. An emergency grant could bolster the struggling theater's finances.

Objective: Understand reinforce and choose it accurately in context.

reinforce (verb): To make something stronger or more firmly established through added support or repetition. Context sentences 1. Steel braces will reinforce the aging platform. 2. Regular practice helps reinforce newly learned skills. 3. The second witness's account could reinforce the investigator's conclusion.

Objective: Understand compound and choose it accurately in context.

compound (verb): To make an existing problem worse by adding another difficulty or harmful factor. Context sentences 1. Unexpected repair bills can compound a family's financial difficulties. 2. A delayed apology may compound the damage caused by an insulting remark. 3. Poor recordkeeping could compound the confusion surrounding the missing supplies.

Objective: Understand escalate and choose it accurately in context.

escalate (verb): To increase or cause an increase in the seriousness, intensity, or scale of a situation. Context sentences 1. A dispute over parking can escalate into a neighborhood feud. 2. The organizers may escalate their protest from a petition to a weeklong boycott. 3. Without a workable agreement, the costs of the project could escalate.