English Common Nouns

Aberrations in climate have become the norm: rarely a week goes by without some meteorological phenomenon making headlines.

Jean Paul-Sartre was not a fan of accolades; and as such; he refused to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964.

The acrimonious dispute between the president and vice-president sent a clear signal to voters: the health of the current administration was imperiled.

A true aesthete; Marty would spend hours at the Guggenheim Museum; staring at the same Picasso.

The artist operated according to a peculiar aesthetic; not considering any photograph to be worth publishing unless it contained a marine mammal.

The band's music was an amalgam of hip-hop; flamenco and jazz; blending the three styles with surprising results.

After finding an anomaly in the data; she knew that she would have to conduct her experiment again.

Maria had an antipathy for tour groups; often bolting to the other side of the museum as soon as she saw a chaperone leading a group of wide-eyed tourists.

Widespread apathy among voters led to a very small turnout on election day.

Historically; ascetics like Ghandi are often considered wise men partially because of their restraint.

She surprised her colleagues by having the audacity to publically criticize the findings of an distinguished scientist.

Herbert regarded the minister's remark as a mere banality until Sharon pointed out profound implications to the seemingly obvious words.

With the presidential primaries well under way; the air is thick with calumny; and the mud already waist- high.

The constituents of the metal alloy are nickle; copper; and tin.

A small contingent of those loyal to the king have gathered around the castle to defend it.

Those who show contrition during their prison terms--especially when under review by a parole board-- often get shortened sentences.

Since John had left his banana peel at the top of the stairwell; he accepted culpability for Martha's broken leg.

You will obey the rules of decorum for this courtroom or spend the night in a jail cell; said the judge to the prosecutor.

Fred has no formal medical training; while he likes to claim authority on medical issues; he is little more than a dilettante

The witness said he signed the contract under duress and argued that the court should cancel the agreement.

Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing; everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of flux.

In an act of gall; Leah sent compromising photos of her ex-boyfriend to all his co-workers and professional contacts.

The Internet offers such a glut of news related stories that many find it difficult to know which story to read first.

Dinner at Billy's was more a punishment than a reward; since anyone who sat at the dinner table would have to listen to Billy's father's interminable harangues against the government.

Though everybody at the gym told Mikey to do cardio before weights; Mikey was a heretic and always did the reverse.

"Lady Gaga; in challenging what it means to be clothed; is an iconoclast for wearing a ""meat dress"" to a prominent awards show."

Peggy's numerous idiosyncrasies include wearing mismatched shoes; laughing loudly to herself; and owning a pet aardvark.

In an effort to fight indifference; the president of the college introduced a new; stricter grading system.

North Korea maintains intense control over its population through a combination of jingoism and cult of personality.

Uncle Frank was known for his largess; so his nephew was sad when he did not receive a present for his birthday.

Officer Kelly was a maverick; rarely following police protocols or adopting the conventions for speech common among his fellow officers.

I can forgive her for her mendacity but only because she is a child and is seeing what she can get away with.

There are a myriad of internet sites hawking pills that claim to boost energy for hours on end.

Because of the nuances involved in this case; I hired an outside consultant to advice us and help.

Russian oligarchs are famous for their opulence; living in fancy homes and dining on expensive cavier.

Jim; with his typical panache; came to the wedding reception with a top hat; a cane; and a long cape covered in sequins.

The lowest circles in Dante's Inferno were for those who had practiced perfidy; and among these; the very lowest was for those; such as Judas; who had been treacherous to one of their benefactors.

The professor argued that many statements regarded as wise in previous times; such as the Golden Rule; are now regarded as mere platitudes.

The professor launched into a polemic; claiming that Freudian theory was a pack of lies that absolutely destroyed European literary theory. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one for the GRE

Monte had a predilection for the fine things in life: Cuban cigars; 200 dollar bottles of wine; and trips to the French Riviera.

Baxter's warnings about investing in technology stocks seemed like an act of prescience after the whole market declined significantly.

Most lottery winners go from being conservative; frugal types to outright profligates who blow millions on fast cars; lavish homes; and giant yachts.

Steven Pinker's credentials are unquestioned as a pundit; he has taught at MIT and Stanford; teaches at Harvard; and has published a number of influential books on cognition; language; and psychology.

International sanctions have been placed on certain shipping lanes that were thought to be involved in human trafficking.

The CEO was unaware of the damaging consequences of his choices; largely because he surrounded himself with sycophants who would never dare criticize him.

Welles wasn't known for his temperance--he usually ate enough for two and drank enough for three.

After work; I was expecting my colleagues to be enthusiastic about the outing; but I found them in a state of complete torpor.

What I expected to be an intelligent; nuanced historical documentary turned out to be a poorly-produced travesty of the form.

Even some of the most sacrosanct sporting events are not immune to venality; as many of the officials have received substantial bribes to make biased calls.

The professor's volubility knows no bounds; he could talk through a hurricane and elaborate a point from one St. Patrick's Day to the next.