• Flaunt: Have you ever seen a child showing off his newly acquired toy- remote- car? Or a woman in a gathering showing off the diamond ring her husband gifted her to one and all? Most of us have come across such situations. To flaunt is to show off, exhibit. To flaunt is to parade, that means to display.

• Flout: Some employees are not very happy with the rules framed by the Human Resources Department of their company. They always make negative, derisive remarks on the company’s policies. They do not uphold the company’s integrity. Such employees are said to flout the rules of their company.

To flout is to show contempt, scoff at or to mock at something.

• Flay: The word flay has many connotations. It is a very powerful word/verb indeed. To flay is to pare, i.e. to remove the outer skin of something. Now, is that not extremely painful? Well, if it is so, it also means to make excoriating comments against someone.

To flay is to strip a person of his/her money/wealth or property. A formidable and powerful word indeed! Hope you never forget this!

• Flail: How does a politician/celebrity initially address a huge gathering? He/she raises up his/her hands and waves at the enchanted public. Got the picture in mind? Yes, to flail is to wave vigorously. It also means to whirl or to thrash. This word also has multiple definitions. Hence, you have to put some extra effort to memorize this.

• Prate: Do you get mad at people who keep on talking foolishly. Who blabber unendingly without making any point? Could you think of such people around you?

To prate is to talk foolishly, to such an extent that the person hearing this feels like pulling his hair and screaming. Funny! Isn’t it? I am sure you will memorize this word faster than most others. (( smiles))

• Rail: Rail is simpler word to commit to memory. To Rail is to make an acerbic (harsh) complaint. It is like cursing one’s own fate for a series of unfortunate events that might have taken place. To rail at one’s fate/destiny is the contextual usage of the Power Verb.
• Reek: Reek is once again a powerful word/verb which means to emit something (usually of a foul odor). It means to expose to something or treat with smoke.

• Rake: To rake is not only a power verb it is also a visual verb. How do the police search for the missing documents in a notorious criminal’s residence? Can you almost imagine the police going to the wardrobe and scattering around all the clothes, tearing the mattress, opening the cupboards and throwing away the miscellaneous household equipment helter-skelter? What are they doing? Yes, they are raking.

The police raked the apartment for the missing files. That is the word in its contextual usage.

• Cloy: Have you ever heard the saying ‘Too much of anything is good for nothing’? What happens if you keep eating sweets just because they are available around you in overabundance? You grow weary of eating them, don’t you?

To cloy is to become uninteresting.

• Foist: To foist is to impose fraudulently or pass off something as genuine.

The contractor foisted unfair agreements in the document.

I suggest you all to spend a little more time than usual with these words. Work harder on these words as we do not use them frequently in our regular conversation. On the other side whether we like it or not these are the words that keep appearing in GRE’s (Graduate Record Examination) Verbal Ability Section.

Some important advice:

Do not just read but work on these words. Use a notebook to jot them down and a dictionary to understand the meaning and the context better. As I always tell: Utter the words aloud- each word five times!!

Things you should never forget:

1. Work with the word.

2. Expand its meaning into a suitable context.

3. Relate it to the person or situation you know.

4. Share the word with your friends, colleagues

5. Try to pronounce the word aloud at least five times

Read this blog on Power Verbs more than once to comprehend its essence thoroughly. Do get back to us with pertinent queries in case you have any.

Wishing you all, success!!

Regards,

Anu Veluri

Manager- learnwordlist.com