Kailin
New Words Five cozen&deceive She could cozen everything out of her grandpa, even his favourite jade lion. (Can "cheat" replace "cozen" in this sentence?) The government usually deceives the public by imposing limitations on the media and blocking foreign news. (I think neither "cheat" nor "cozen" can replace "deceive" here. Am I right?) aberrant-unusual and not socially accepted anomalous-unusual and different from what is expected. Often used in scientific discoveries. surmise-How is it different from "guess"? A more literary way of "cheat"? amulet&talisman: amulet is a concrete small object while talisman is more abstract; talisman can refers to a dress, a person and of course the common amulet. venerate & worship Most Chinese venerate/worship their ancestors; they believe praying to ancestors can bring them luck. These two words can both be used regarding religions or your idols, but worship has an extra meaning as "love" or "admire". ruminate on/over= think over/ponder over The movie has a very mawkish ending; I thought the heroine wouldn't die in dispair. elude Their names always elude me; I am very bad at memorizing names. saunter: a casual walk. A poetic word? roam: an aimless walk wander: either casual or aimless walk Can't really distinguish them… pithy I admire those people who has a pithy/refined/succinct wording. dally I loathed Tom's dallying with young girls; He changed his girlfriend three times in two months. Thank you for any corrections
Aug 19, 2014 1:19 PM
Corrections · 3

Most of what you've written is exactly right, which puts you ahead of the majority of native speakers, including some teachers. Here are a few additional notes:

"Cozen" -- In this context, I'd say "cozen" most likely means by coaxing, not by cheating. You can find a good definition in the Merriam Webster online:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cozen

"Roam" is not as aimless as "wander."

"Saunter" strikes me as a way of walking that projects lots of self-confidence, perhaps even arrogance.

"Elude" means to avoid capture.

"Surmise" means to guess based on known facts.

"Dally" You used correctly in context, I'd say the basic meaning of the word is to spend time in an unwise manner or doing something unworthy.

August 23, 2014
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