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as • cend v., climb upward. We watched the airplane ascend into the clouds.

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daft adj., insane; crazy. Aunt Joan dons a clown suit and pretends to be daft.

ver • i • fy v., test or check for correctness. Before writing the article, the reporter was careful to verify all the facts.

ap • pa • ra • tus n., device or machine. A seismograph is an apparatus used to record vibrations within the earth.

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ravel v., separate; become thinner. As the afternoon wore on, thick clouds raveled into streaks of white across a mild blue sky. raveling, adj.

pri • me • val adj., from the earliest ages. Remarkably, information about the primeval world often helps us better understand the modern world.

an • guished adj., feeling great suffering or pain. Leroy remained in an anguished state for days after his dog died.

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brood v., dwell on a gloomy subject, worry. Elaine tends to brood when something upsets her.

thresh v., beat or strike. Mee used a broom to thresh the dust from the rug.

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pro • jec • tion n., something that sticks out. A projection from the log caught and snagged her sweater.

con • cus • sion n., violent shaking; shock. The continuous concussions of the hail hitting the roof woke me.

la • ment n., loud mourning; wailing. Every time we leave the house, the puppy howls in lament.