DECEMBER THREAD

1. Covert - Existing or operating in a way so as to ensure complete

concealment and confidentiality; lying beyond what is obvious or
avowed; something that physically protects, especially from danger;
a hiding place; clandestine, underhanded; something that serves to
conceal or shelter
2. Fir - Any of various evergreen trees of the genus Abies, having
single flattened needles and erect cones with deciduous scales; wood
of these trees
3. Truculent - Disposed to fight; pugnacious; expressing bitter
opposition; scathing; disposed to or exhibiting violence or
destructiveness; fierce; belligerent, hateful; defiantly aggressive
4. Bore - One that is wearingly dull, repetitive, or tedious; to make a
hole in or through, with or as if with a drill; proceed or advance
steadily or laboriously; high, often dangerous wave caused by the
surge of a flood tide upstream in a narrowing estuary or by
colliding tidal currents; unpleasant, tiresome person; hollow out (a
gun barrel or other tube)
5. Insipid - Lacking flavor or zest; not tasty; lacking qualities that
excite, stimulate, or interest; dull
6. Dispassionate - Devoid of or unaffected by passion, emotion, or
bias; feeling or showing no strong emotional involvement; free from
bias in judgment; unfeeling, impartial; unaffected by strong
emotion or prejudice
7. Quandary - A state of uncertainty or perplexity; delicate situation;
state of doubt or puzzlement; a situation from which extrication is
difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one; state of uncertainty
or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally
unfavorable options
8. Gaunt - Thin and bony; angular; emaciated and haggard; drawn;
bleak and desolate; barren; skinny, pale; having little flesh or fat on
the body; worn and lean, as from hunger or illness
9. Dank - Disagreeably damp or humid; clammy; slightly wet;
unpleasantly damp or cold
10. Malaise - A vague feeling of bodily discomfort, as at the
beginning of an illness; general sense of depression or unease;
general feeling of discomfort or uneasiness, often the first indication
of an infection or other disease
11. Stagnant - Not moving or flowing; motionless; showing little or
no sign of activity or advancement; not developing or progressing;
inactive; lacking vitality or briskness; sluggish or dull; motionless
12. Luminary - An object, such as a celestial body, that gives light;
person who is an inspiration to others; person who has achieved
eminence in a specific field; celebrity; a famous person
13. Bummer - A great disappointment or regrettable fact; one who
begs habitually or for a living; an experience that is irritating or
frustrating or disappointing; a bad reaction to a hallucinogenic
drug; beggar; a loafer or idler; one that depresses, frustrates, or
disappoints
14. Expurgate - To remove erroneous, vulgar, obscene, or otherwise
objectionable material from (a book, for example) before
publication; examine (material) and remove parts considered
harmful or improper for publication or transmission; censor, cut
15. Obstinate - Stubbornly adhering to an attitude, opinion, or
course of action; obdurate; difficult to manage, control, or subdue;
refractory; difficult to alleviate or cure; stubborn, determined
16. Swarthy - Having a dark complexion or color; of a complexion
tending toward brown or black; dark-complexioned
17. Crass - So crude and unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination
and sensibility; coarse, insensitive; lacking in delicacy or refinement
18. Kiosk - A small open gazebo or pavilion; small structure, often
open on one or more sides, used as a newsstand or booth; cylindrical
structure on which advertisements are posted; an independent stand
from which merchandise is sold, often placed in the common area of
a regional shopping center
19. Coy - Tending to avoid people and social situations; reserved;
affectedly and usually flirtatiously shy or modest; annoyingly
unwilling to make a commitment; very modest; not forward but
reticent or reserved in manner; given to flirting; shy
20. Matter-of-fact - Relating or adhering to facts; literal;
straightforward or unemotional; realistic, unembellished; lacking
liveliness, charm, or surprise; having or indicating an awareness of
things as they really are; with little or no emotion or expression
21. Shadowy - Lacking distinctness; faint; lacking substance;
unsubstantial; relating or resembling a shadow; full of shade; dark;
lacking clarity; indistinct
22. Caustic - Capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating
away by chemical action; so sharp as to cause mental pain; burning,
corrosive; sarcastic; destroying living tissue by chemical burning
action; enveloping surface formed by light rays reflecting or
refracting from a curved surface, especially one with spherical
aberration; causing a burning or stinging sensation, as from intense
emotion
23. Boastful - Characterized by or given to boasting; exhibiting self-
importance
24. Aphid - Any of various small, soft-bodied insects of the family
Aphididae that have mouthparts specially adapted for piercing and
feed by sucking sap from plants; A small sucking insect that feeds
primarily on new soft growth
25. Wary - On guard; watchful; characterized by caution; vigilantly
attentive; trying attentively to avoid danger, risk, or error; careful,
cautious; openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
26. Gull - A person who is easily tricked or cheated; a dupe; any of
various chiefly coastal aquatic birds of the family Laridae, having
long wings, webbed feet, a thick, slightly hooked beak, and usually
gray and white plumage; person who is easily deceived or
victimized; get money or something else from by deceitful trickery
27. Laconic - Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or
concise; short, to the point
28. Befriend - To behave as a friend to; make social acquaintance;
support
29. Bolster - To support or prop up with or as if with a long narrow
pillow or cushion; to buoy up or hearten; keep from yielding or
failing during stress or difficulty; help; short horizontal timber or
steel member placed on top of a column to support and decrease the
span of beams or girders; to support; reinforce. To give a boost to
someone
30. Transgression - A violation of a law, command, or duty;
exceeding of due bounds or limits; relative rise in sea level resulting
in deposition of marine strata over terrestrial strata; an act or
instance of breaking a law or regulation or of nonfulfillment of an
obligation or promise; violation, misbehavior
31. Peep - To utter short, soft, high-pitched sounds, like those of a
baby bird; cheep; to speak in a hesitant, thin, high-pitched voice;
slight sound or utterance; to peek furtively; steal a quick glance; to
peer through a small aperture or from behind something; quick
look; glance; first glimpse or appearance
32. Intangible - Incapable of being apprehended by the mind or the
senses; indefinite, obscured; incorporeal; incapable of being realized
or defined
33. Pinch - To be severely sparing in order to economize; take
(another's property) without permission; take into custody as a
prisoner; a seizing and holding by law; very small amount;
predicament
34. Centigrade - A temperature scale in which 0 degrees if freezing
and 100 degrees is boiling; a thermometer scale, divided into 100
degrees, in which 0°C is the freezing point of water and 100°C is the
boiling point; celsius
35. Ostracize - To exclude from a group; to exclude from normal
social or professional activities; to force to leave a country or place
by official decree; exile, banish; to put into public disfavor
36. Formulaic - Characterized by or in accordance with some
formula; being of no special quality or type; average
37. Inclined - Sloping, slanting, or leaning; having a preference,
disposition, or tendency; having a preference, disposition, or
tendency; at an angle to the horizontal or vertical position; having
made preparations; used especially of the head or upper back
38. Paralyze - To deprive of the power to move or feel in a part of the
body; make powerless and unable to function; cause to be paralyzed
and immobile; impair the progress or functioning of; make
inoperative or powerless
39. Addle - To muddle; confuse; to become confused; to become
rotten, as an egg; to cause to be unclear in mind or intent; mix up or
confuse
40. Encipher - To put (a message, for example) into cipher; convert
plain text into unintelligible form by means of a cipher system
41. Emulate - To take as a model or make conform to a model; to
strive against (others) for victory; to imitate with intent to learn;
strive to equal or excel, especially through imitation; compete with
successfully; approach or attain equality with; ambitious; emulous
42. Saunter - To walk at a leisurely pace; stroll; leisurely pace;
leisurely walk or stroll; stroll; walk in a confident manner; act of
walking, especially for pleasure
43. Succor - Assistance in time of distress; relief; one that affords
assistance or relief; to give assistance to in time of want, difficulty,
or distress; give support or assistance
44. Pulchritude - Great physical beauty and appeal
45. Abate - To lessen; to subside; in metalwork, to cut away or beat
down so as to show a pattern or figure in low relief
46. Peremptory - Urgent; imperative; overbearing, authoritative;
tending to dictate; offensively self-assured; dictatorial; having the
nature of or expressing a command; urgent; not allowing
contradiction or refusal; imperative; putting an end to all debate or
action
47. Timorous - Full of apprehensiveness; timid; easily frightened
48. Formulate - To convey in language or words of a particular
form; form a strategy for; to use ingenuity in making, developing, or
achieving; prepare according to a specified formula; devise or
invent; express in systematic terms or concepts; state as or reduce to
a formula
49. Disparate - Fundamentally distinct or different in kind; entirely
dissimilar; containing or composed of dissimilar or opposing
elements; at odds, different; not like another in nature, quality,
amount, or form; including markedly dissimilar elements;
fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
50. Tantalizing - Enticingly in sight, yet often out of reach; arousing
desire or expectation for something unattainable or mockingly out
of reach; very pleasantly inviting
51. Vile - Very evil; unpleasant; so objectionable as to elicit despisal
or deserve condemnation; heavily soiled; very dirty or unclean;
extremely unpleasant to the senses or feelings; having or proceeding
from low moral standards; offensive, horrible; loathsome;
disgusting
52. Vex - To trouble the nerves or peace of mind of, especially by
repeated vexations; distress, bother; disturb or annoy; to cause
perplexity in; puzzle; to debate or discuss (a question, for example)
at length; to toss about or shake up
53. Dauntless - Incapable of being intimidated or discouraged;
fearless; having or showing courage; bold, courageous
54. Vapid - Lacking liveliness, animation, or interest; dull; lacking
taste, zest, or flavor; flat; uninteresting
55. Cameo - To make into or like a gem or shell carved in relief; to
portray in sharp, delicate relief, as in a literary composition
56. Herculean - Of extraordinary size and power; displaying
superhuman strength or power
57. Trifling - Of slight worth or importance; frivolous or idle;
insignificant, worthless; contemptibly unimportant; the deliberate
act of wasting time instead of working
58. Observable - Possible to observe; deserving or worthy of note;
noteworthy; apparent; readily seen, perceived, or understood
60. Polemical - Polemic; controversial; disputatious; given to
arguing; of or involving dispute or controversy
61. Bromide - A tiresome person; a bore; a commonplace remark or
notion; a platitude; a binary compound of bromine with another
element, such as silver; sedative; trite expression or idea
62. Hackneyed - Over familiar through overuse; trite
63. Gratuitous - Costing nothing; not required, necessary, or
warranted by the circumstances of the case; not necessary; free
64. Wedding - Marriage rite
65. Ladle - a long-handled spoon with a deep bowl for serving soup,
stew etc
66. Spartan - Resolute in the face of pain or danger or adversity;
unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment;
practicing great self-denial; austere; laconic; simple
67. Malice - A desire to harm others or to see others suffer; extreme
ill will or spite; the intent, without just cause or reason, to commit a
wrongful act that will result in harm to another; hate, vengefulness;
state of mind that disregards the law and legal rights of others but
that does not necessarily involve personal hate or ill will
68. Teetotaler - One who abstains completely from alcoholic
beverages; a total abstainer; practice of refraining from use of
alcoholic liquors
69. Aggrandize - To increase the scope of; extend; make greater in
power, influence, stature, or reputation; cause something to seem or
be greater, bigger
70. Banquet - An elaborate, sumptuous repast; ceremonial dinner
honoring a particular guest or occasion; honor at or partake of a
banquet; large meal elaborately prepared or served; dinner
71. Dire - Warning of or having dreadful or terrible consequences;
calamitous; urgent; desperate; terrible, ominous; urgent; crucial
72. Comprehensive - So large in scope or content as to include much;
full; including everything; inclusive; covering a wide scope
73. Oaf - A person regarded as stupid or clumsy; large, ungainly,
and dull-witted person; person who is clumsy, stupid; awkward
person
74. Complaisance - Agreeableness; disposition or tendency to yield
to the will of others
75. Veto - To forbid or prohibit authoritatively; refusal of permission
76. Maverick - An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has
become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the
property of the first person who brands it; one that refuses to abide
by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter; being
independent in thought and action or exhibiting such independence;
radical
77. Accolade - An expression of approval; praise; special
acknowledgment; an award; ceremonial embrace, as of greeting or
salutation; ceremonial bestowal of knighthood; recognition;
ornamental treatment, used over an arch, a door, or a window,
composed of two curves meeting in the middle; often a richly
decorated molding; approval
78. Gully - A deep ditch or channel cut in the earth by running water
after a prolonged downpour; to wear a deep ditch or channel in;
deep ditch cut by running water
79. Surreptitious - Obtained, done, or made by clandestine or
stealthy means; sneaky, secret; trickily secret; conducted with or
marked by hidden aims or methods; Marked by quiet and caution
and secrecy
80. Schism - A separation or division into factions; disunion;
discord; state of disagreement and disharmony; condition of being
divided, as in opinion; interruption in friendly relations
81. Penurious - Unwilling to spend money; stingy; yielding little;
barren; poverty-stricken; destitute; mean; poor; ungenerously or
pettily reluctant to spend money
82. Volatile - Following no predictable pattern; explosive,
changeable; having a tendency to evaporate rapidly; flying or
capable of flying; ephemeral; fleeting; inconstant; fickle;
lighthearted; flighty
83. Harangue - A long pompous speech, especially one delivered
before a gathering; speech or piece of writing characterized by
strong feeling or expression; a tirade; long, violent, or blustering
speech, usually of censure or denunciation; speak in a loud,
pompous, or prolonged manner; lecture; long passionate speech
84. Mollify - To calm in temper or feeling; soothe; lessen in intensity;
temper; reduce the rigidity of; soften; ease the anger or agitation of;
ause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of; make more
temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else;
moderate
85. Candid - Free from prejudice; impartial; characterized by
openness and sincerity of expression; unreservedly straightforward;
unposed informal photograph; not posed or rehearsed; manifesting
honesty and directness, especially in speech; honest
86. Belie - To give a false representation to; misrepresent; to show to
be false; contradict; deceive
87. Accrue - Accumulate or increase; increasing by addition of
growth, often financial
88. Bliss - Extreme happiness; ecstasy; ecstasy of salvation; spiritual
joy; condition of supreme well-being and good spirits; be in a state
of great happiness or joy
89. Fretwork - Ornamental work consisting of three-dimensional
frets; geometric openwork; design of short bars or lines fitted
together
90. Repudiate - To refuse to recognize or acknowledge; reject; turn
one's back on; disown
91. Gainsay - To declare false; deny; to oppose, especially by
contradiction; refuse to admit the truth, reality, value, or worth of
92. Ungainly - Lacking grace or ease of movement or form; clumsy;
Difficult to move or use; unwieldy; awkward; lacking dexterity and
grace in physical movement; difficult to handle or manage
especially because of shape
93. Falter - To be unsteady in purpose or action, as from loss of
courage or confidence; waver; speak hesitatingly; stammer; to
operate or perform unsteadily or with a loss of effectiveness;
stumble, stutter; to move in a shaky or unsteady way
94. Alluring - Tending to seduce; charming; tempting; highly
attractive and able to arouse hope or desire; enticing
95. Bestow - To present as a gift or honor; give, allot; to store or
house; to provide with often temporary lodging; give formally or
officially
96. Couch - A sofa; convey in language or words of a particular
form; ie down; recline, as for rest; lie in ambush or concealment;
lurk; be in a heap or pile, as leaves for decomposition or
fermentation; to word in a certain manner; phrase; to embroider by
laying thread flat on a surface and fastening it by stitches at regular
intervals; lower (a spear, for example) to horizontal position, as for
an attack; frame or floor on which grain, usually barley, is spread in
malting; priming coat of paint or varnish used in artistic painting; a
layer of grain, usually barley, spread to germinate
97. Esteem - To regard with respect; prize; favorable regard; think
highly of; have a high opinion of; recognize the worth, quality,
importance, or magnitude of; feeling of deference, approval, and
liking
98. Venerate - To regard with respect, reverence, or heartfelt
deference
99. Din - A jumble of loud, usually discordant sounds; stun with
deafening noise; instill by wearying repetition; sounds or a sound,
especially when loud, confused, or disagreeable; uproar
100. Temerity - Foolhardy disregard of danger; recklessness; nerve,
audacity; rash or presumptuous daring
101. Probity - Complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness;
quality or state of being morally sound; fairness, honesty; virtue or
integrity tested and confirmed
102. Pervasive - Having the quality or tendency to pervade or
permeate; spreading throughout; extending; suffusing
103. Ineluctable - Not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable; certain;
impossible to avoid or evade
104. Fraught - Filled with a specified element or elements; charged;
marked by or causing distress; emotional; freight; cargo; marked by
distress; filled with or attended with
105. Placidity - The quality or state of being placid; calmness;
serenity; a feeling of calmness; a quiet and undisturbed feeling; a
disposition free from stress or emotion
106. Mishap - Bad luck; an unfortunate accident; unexpected and
usually undesirable event; an instance of misfortune; unpredictable
outcome that is unfortunate
107. Happenstance - An unexpected random event
108. Intermittent - Stopping and starting at intervals; alternately
containing and empty of water; irregular, sporadic; happening or
appearing now and then
109. Agility - The state or quality of being agile; nimbleness; deftness
(physical or mental)
110. Visa - An official authorization appended to a passport,
permitting entry into and travel within a particular country or
region; to endorse or ratify (a passport)
111. Pithy - Precisely meaningful; forceful and brief; consisting of or
resembling pith
112. Procrastinate - To put off doing something, especially out of
habitual carelessness or laziness; postpone or delay needlessly;
delay, put off doing
113. Imbue - To inspire or influence thoroughly; pervade; to
permeate or saturate; to stain or dye deeply; to cause to be filled, as
with a particular mood or tone; infuse, saturate
114. Playbill - A poster announcing a theatrical performance; a
theatrical program
115. Conformist - A person who uncritically or habitually conforms
to the customs, rules, or styles of a group; marked by conformity or
convention; conventionalist, traditionalist
116. Voluble - Marked by a ready flow of speech; fluent; turning
easily on an axis; rotating; talkative; marked by a ready flow of
speech
117. Mulish - Stubborn and intractable; recalcitrant; unreasonably
rigid in the face of argument or entreaty or attack
118. Opine - To state as an opinion; speak one's opinion without fear
or hesitation; expect, believe, or suppose
119. Pundit - A source of opinion; a critic; learned person; usually
elderly person noted for wisdom, knowledge, and judgment; person
who is authority
120. Equivocation - Intentionally vague or ambiguous; falsification
by means of vague or ambiguous language; a statement that is not
literally false but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth;
expression or term liable to more than one interpretation; use or an
instance of equivocal language
121. Go-getter - An enterprising person; someone whose career
progresses rapidly; intensely energetic, enthusiastic person
122. Glacier - A huge mass of ice slowly flowing over a land mass,
formed from compacted snow in an area where snow accumulation
exceeds melting and sublimation
123. Crouch - To stoop, especially with the knees bent; to press the
entire body close to the ground with the limbs bent; bend servilely or
timidly; cringe; to bend (the head or knee, for example) low, as in
fear or humility; act of bending low with the limbs close to the body
124. Intimidate - To make timid; fill with fear; to coerce or inhibit by
or as if by threats; frighten, threaten
125. Odious - Arousing or meriting strong dislike, aversion, or
intense displeasure; hateful, horrible; so objectionable as to elicit
despisal or deserve condemnation
126. Indelible - Impossible to remove, erase, or wash away;
permanent; unable to be forgotten; memorable; indestructible;
cannot be removed, washed away or erased
127. Reify - To regard or treat (an abstraction) as if it had concrete
or material existence; interpretation of an abstract idea or concept,
such as the state, as real or concrete; consider an abstract concept to
be real
128. Natatorium - An indoor swimming pool; pool that provides a
facility for swimming; building containing a swimming pool; a
swimming pool
129. Luculent - Easily understood; clear or lucid; (of language)
transparently clear; easily understandable
130. Qurush - 20 qurush equal 1 riyal in Saudi Arabia
131. Gravitas - Substance; weightiness; a serious or dignified
demeanor; high seriousness; formality in bearing and appearance
132. Skulduggery - Crafty deception or trickery or an instance of it;
verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some
way
133. Limpid - Admitting light so that objects beyond can be seen;
characterized by transparent clearness; calm and untroubled;
serene; clear; comprehensible
134. Modicum - A small, moderate, or token amount
135. Mirth - Gladness and gaiety, especially when expressed by
laughter; state of joyful exuberance; great joy; joyfulness with
laughter
136. Avarice - Immoderate desire for wealth; cupidity; excessive
desire for more than one needs or deserves; extreme greed; greed or
passion for money or riches

ANALOGIES:

1. fir:tree
2. truculent:light
3. insipid:bore
4. dank:moisture
5. insect:aphid
6. wary:gulled
7. ruler:length
8. peep:sound
9. degree:centigrade
10. hardness:mass
11. pinch:quantity
12. saunter:walk
13. cameo:sculpture
14. herculean:trifling
15. marriage:wedding
16. gratuitous:justification
17. bromide:hackneyed
18. soup:ladle
19. banquet:meal
20. comprehensive:dire
21. gully:erosion
22. candy:sugar
23. unstable:volatile
24. harangue:mollify
25. appointment:official
26. fretwork:ornament
27. mishap:accident
28. ineluctable:avoid
29. fraught:placidity
30. visa:country
31. mulish:persuaded
32. pundit:opine
33. equivocation:ambiguous
34. glacier:snow
35. approach:intimidate
36. indelible:forget
ISSUE TOPICS:

1. It is impossible for an effective political leader to tell the truth all

the time. Complete honesty is not a useful virtue for a politician
2. Humanity has made little real progress over the past century or
so. Technological innovations have taken place, but the overall
condition of humanity is no better. War, violence, and poverty are
still with us. Technology cannot change the condition of humanity
3. When research priorities are being set for science, education, or
any other area, the most important question to consider is: How
many people's lives will be improved if the results are successful?
4. Children must be skeptic and they will ask questions to teachers
insraec of listening like a def and dumb people
5. Telecast of proceedings of government helps in development of
society
6. The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of
its rulers, artists, or scientists, but the general welfare of all its
people
7. The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements
of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but the general welfare of all
its people
8. In order to improve the quality of instruction at the college and
university level, all faculty should be required to spend time
working outside the academic world in professions relevant to the
courses they teach

ARGUMENT TOPICS:

1. The following is a recommendation from the personnel director to

the president of Acme Publishing Company.

"Many other companies have recently stated that having their

employees take the Easy Read Speed-Reading Course has greatly
improved productivity. One graduate of the course was able to read
a five-hundred-page report in only two hours; another graduate
rose from an assistant manager to vice president of the company in
under a year. Obviously, the faster you can read, the more
information you can absorb in a single workday. Moreover, Easy
Read costs only $500 per employee — a small price to pay when you
consider the benefits to Acme. Included in this fee is a three-week
seminar in Spruce City and a lifelong subscription to the Easy Read
newsletter. Clearly, Acme would benefit greatly by requiring all of
our employees to take the Easy Read course."

2. The following is a recommendation from the business manager of

Monarch Books.

"Monarch Books should open a cafe in its store to attract more

customers and better compete with Regal Books, which recently
opened a cafe. Monarch, which has been in business at the same
location for more than twenty years, has a large customer following
because it is known for its wide selection of books on all subjects.
Opening the cafe would clearly attract more customers. The cafe
would require relatively little space. Space could be made for the
cafe by discontinuing the children's book section, which will likely
become less popular given that the last national census indicated a
significant decline in the percent of the population who are under
age ten."

3. Statistics collected from dentists indicate that three times more

men than women faint while visiting the dentist. This evidence
suggests that men are more likely to be distressed about having
dental work done than women are. Thus, dentists who advertise to
attract patients should target the male consumer and emphasize
both the effectiveness of their anesthetic techniques and the
sensitivity of their staff to nervous or suffering patients

4. The following appeared in a medical newsletter.

"Doctors have long suspected that secondary infections may keep

some patients from healing quickly after severe muscle strain. This
hypothesis has now been proved by preliminary results of a study of
two groups of patients. The first group of patients, all being treated
for muscle injuries by Dr. Newland, a doctor who specializes in
sports medicine, took antibiotics regularly throughout their
treatment. Their recuperation time was, on average, 40 percent
quicker than typically expected. Patients in the second group, all
being treated by Dr. Alton, a general physician, were given sugar
pills, although the patients believed they were taking antibiotics.
Their average recuperation time was not significantly reduced.
Therefore, all patients who are diagnosed with muscle strain would
be well advised to take antibiotics as part of their treatment."

5. The following appeared in an article in a magazine for writers

"A recent study showed that in describing a typical day's

conversation, people make an average of 23 references to watching
television and only 1 reference to reading fiction. This result
suggests that, compared with the television industry, the publishing
and bookselling industries are likely to decline in profitability.
Therefore, people who wish to have careers as writers should
acquire training and experience in writing for television rather than
for print media."