foreword / forward
A) The __________ of the novel described how both the story and the book came into being.
B) In a hurry, the infant crawled __________, straight into her mother’s lap.
pour / pore
A) Eric was not pleased with his appearance; he felt that the large ________ on his face were unsightly and made him look older.
B) Everyone at the table licked their lips as the server __________ chocolate syrup over the oversized, ice cream-topped cookie.
prescribe / proscribe
A) In an attempt to rid his patient of her severe bacterial infection, the doctor __________ her a ten-day course of antibiotics.
B) Gambling is __________ in this city; anyone caught gambling will be fined heavily and sentenced to a minimum of 30 days of confinement.
skeptic / septic
A) His __________ are stubborn; it appears that they won’t stop calling attention to his “inappropriate conduct” until he has been removed from office.
B) The military physician persistently maintained that the soldier’s __________ finger needed to be removed immediately.
tortuous / torturous
A) The mountain road is dimly lit and __________; be extremely careful when traveling on it.
B) Spending 2 weeks in a prison in that country would, without a doubt, be a __________ experience.
dairy / diary
A) Lactose intolerance is a condition characterized by a decrease in the ability to digest the sugar in __________ products.
B) Sonia’s __________ is unique: within its pages, she records her daily life and personal thoughts in poetry form.
descent / dissent
A) The few __________ voices were loud and caused much disruption.
B) The explorers had to stop their __________ into the cave due to possible life-threatening conditions.
eminent / imminent / pertinent
A) The world’s most __________ climatologists and environmental scientists gathered in New York to discuss practical climate change mitigation strategies.
B) During the proofreading process, the author decided to remove a fact from his essay; he felt that the point wasn’t __________ to his paper.
C) The town’s residents were told that they were not in any __________ danger and that they could “carry on with their normal routines.”
formal / former
A) Jen’s __________ manager was irritable, condescending, and excessively critical; luckily for her, her new one appears to be much more agreeable.
B) The event invitation read the following: “__________ wear required. No jeans, shorts, and/or sneakers allowed.”
lessen / lesson
A) As time passed, the amount of pressure on the talk show host “to act perfectly” __________.
Mr. Terry’s __________ were both informative and humorous; he was much adored by his students.