Unit 17

UNIT 17 WORD LIST coexist To coexist with something means to exist with it in the same time and place. Our pets coexist in our home with few or no problems. conceive To conceive something means to be able to imagine or believe it. The child could not conceive the actual size of the Earth. dubious When something or someone is dubious, they are not considered honest. The police thought that the man's description of the crime was dubious. ego An ego is a person's sense of their own worth. Kelly's ego made her think that she was some kind of a superhero. elastic Elastic is a rubber that stretches when it is pulled. He attached the elastic bungee to his legs before he jumped off the platform. endeavor An endeavor is an attempt to do something, especially something new, or original. The company's new advertising endeavor ended in a horrible failure. engrave To engrave means to cut a designi or words, into the surface of something. The couple engraved their names onto the old pine tree. excavate To excavate means to dig on land and remove dirt to look for something. The team wishes to excavate the site in hope of finding fossils. jagged When something is jagged, it has a tough, uneven shape or edge. The swimmer was hurt when he fell on the jagged rocks. locale A locale is a small area or place where something specific happens. The spa was the perfect locale for my mother to relax and enjoy her vacation.

magnitude Magnitude refers to large size. This was a discovery of great magnitude. mold A mold is a hollow container that is used to make certain shapes. Using a cupcake mold will ensure that they come out just right. outright When something is outright, it is open and direct. Everyone knew that the boy's story was an outright lie. periphery The periphery of an area, place, or thing is the edge of it. A beautiful floral pattern is on the periphery of the stationery. plaster Plaster is a smooth paste that gets hard when it dries. He used plaster to fill in the cracks in the old walls. shovel A shovel is a tool with a long handle that is used for digging. The boy grabbed his shovel and got all of the snow off of the sidewalk. skeletal When something is skeletal, it relates to bones in the body. We studied the skeletal system in anatomy class. stumble When you stumble, you move in an awkward, unplanned way. She stumbles a lot when she is drunk. thigh Your thigh is the upper half of your leg. He suffered from a serious thigh injury. vicious When something or someone is vicious, they are violent and cruel. The vicious dog tried to bite the small child.

The Fossil Hunters Tim and Dean were great fossil hunters. They were the very best at finding dinosaur bones. Although Tim and Dean were quite similar, they were outright enemies. The two men got into vicious arguments all the time. They couldn't coexist peacefully because their egos were too large. Tim thought he was the best fossil hunter, while Dean was sure that he was much better than Tim. One day, Tim was searching for fossils on the periphery of the city when he stumbled on a huge thigh bone. He had never seen anything like it! He took his shovel and carefully excavated the dirt around it. As he dug, he uncovered more jagged bones. He realized that he had found an entire dinosaur skeleton! Tim couldn't conceive of the magnitude of the find. He could not think of a plan to remove the huge skeleton all by himself. Such an endeavor would be beyond his capability. He needed help. He tried to think of people who would be capable of helping him remove the skeleton without breaking it. The only person Tim could think of was Dean, his enemy. Tim ran into the city to find Dean. Tim found him and said, "Dean, I've found the skeletal remains of a huge animal. But I can't get the skeleton out by myself. Will you please help me? Dean thought that Tim's claim might be dubious. He replied, "If you're serious about the skeleton, I'll help." Tim excitedly showed Dean the skeleton's locale. They worked together to carefully remove each bone. To keep the bones together, they tied them with elastic strips. When they were finished, they had uncovered a perfect skeleton. They used plaster to make a mold of the dinosaur's skull. They engraved their initials into it and gave it to the curator of a local museum. Tim and Dean found out that they could work very well together. They decided to end their feud and become friends. By combining their talents, the even became even greater than they were before.