400 Must Have Words for the TOEFL LESSON 39 - Entertainment Vocabulary Test
Word List
amateurish
Not good enough to be the work of professionals
→ Whoever painted this room did an amateurish job, with all sorts of uneven edges.
Parts of speech amateur n., amateurishly adv.
cast [kɑːst] n.
The group of actors in a play, movie, television show, etc.
→ Some viewers mistakenly start thinking that a TV show’s cast members are really the characters they play.
Usage tips In U.S.English, cast is singular. In some other varieties of English it is plural.
Parts of speech cast v.
charismatic [ˌkærɪzˈmætɪk] adj.
Extremely attractive and charming
→ Because of the sparkle in his eye and his confident style, John F. Kennedy was a charismatic leader.
Parts of speech charisma n., charismatically adv.
gala [ˈgɑːlə] n.
Expensive, elaborately arranged, and full of celebration
→ A college graduation party should be a gala affair, not a backyard barbecue.
Usage tips Gala is somewhat old-fashioned, far more common in print than in speech.
Parts of speech gala n.
hilarious [hɪˈlɛərɪəs] adj.
Very funny
→ In my opinion, the most hilarious character on television was Basil Fawlty.
Parts of speech hilarity n.
improvisation [ˌɪmprəvaɪˈzeɪʃən] n.
Inventing a solution to an unexpected problem
→ Boy Scouts take pride in their improvisation when faced with trouble during a camping trip.
Parts of speech improvise v., improvisational adj.
incompetent [ɪnˈkɒmpɪtənt] adj.
Unskilled; lacking the ability to perform a task
→ Because we hired an incompetent builder to replace our roof, we now have leaks everywhere.
Usage tips Usually, incompetent implies that someone tries to do something but fails.
Parts of speech incompetence n., incompetently adv.
medium [ˈmiːdɪəm] n.
A channel or way for a meaning to be expressed
→ Watercolor art is often considered childish, but some artists have achieved great things working in that medium.
Usage tips The plural of medium is media.
skit [skɪt] n.
A short, informal play
→ Marnie and Chris spent a long time practicing their skit for the school show.
zeal [ziːl] n.
Enthusiasm; a deep determination to do well
→ Unfortunately, Tom’s zeal to become a rock star distracted him from his studies.
Usage tips Zeal is often followed by to plus a verb or by a for phrase.
Parts of speech zealot n., zealous adj.
