appoint:  to choose (someone) to do a job
The President decided to appoint her as Secretary of State.
The jury appointed the high school teacher as foreperson.

capture:  to catch, take control of
The police captured the terrorist in his hotel room.
That TV show captured my attention.

consider:  to think about
Would you consider starting over again and doing it right this time?
I considered your offer and decided to accept it.

dismiss:  to say (to someone) to leave, to reject
They teachers are going to dismiss the students early on Friday.
The committee dismissed the idea of a fund raising party.

express:  to put into words, state
I want to express my sincere apologies.
He has always had trouble expressing his gratitude.

ignite:  to set on fire, begin to burn
He used matches to ignite the fire.
The lightening ignited the dry trees and a forest fire broke out.

limp:  to walk unevenly because of a bad leg
He tried his best not to limp when he met the president.
After the car accident he always limped.

notify:  to let (someone) know (something), inform
You need to notify the credit card company of your change of address.
After the accident, he knew he had to notify the police.

plead:  to beg, ask for desperately
He pleaded for his life, but they killed him anyway.
The mother went on TV to plead for the return of her child.

recede:  to go or move away, withdraw
At the age of fifty, his hairline started to recede.
It will be another five hours until the tide recedes.

scorch:  to burn slightly
The collar of his white shirt was scorched yellow.
The sun was so hot, it scorched the grass.

slam:  to close with force, hit hard
Although you’re angry, please don’t slam the door when you leave.
The truck slammed into the side of the bus.

thrust:  to push with force
The soldier thrust his knife into the enemy’s chest.
They thrusted their way through the crowd to leave.

violate:  to  (a rule (a rule, the lawbreak (a rule, the law)
They violated the law when they left the scene of the accident.
The family had three cats in their condo, which violated the one pet rule.

withstand: to be strong and survive (against something)
The building was built to withstand a 6.0 earthquake.
Their house withstood the hurricane with little damage.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the vocabulary above on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

attempt:  to try, make an effort
The man will attempt to walk on a wire between the two buildings.
Every year climbers attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

balance:  to make two sides equal
She needs to balance her checkbook.
He never seems to be able to balance his work life and his home life.

confide:  to tell a secret, discuss private matters
The only person he confides in is his wife.
She was too embarrassed to confide in her parents.

defy:  to not follow orders
After a strong warning, the gang defied the police and called a meeting.
Teenagers often defy their parents and do what they want.

dwindle:  to become smaller and smaller.
As the number of jobs dwindled, more and more people were out of work.
The fish off the east coast have dwindled to a very low number.

function:  to work, operate, do the job
The computer won’t function properly.  We need to call tech support.
I can’t function in the morning without two cups of coffee first.

invade:  to enter forcefully
He felt that the government had invaded his privacy.
Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808.

migrate:  to move in groups to another place far away
In the late fall the birds migrate south to warmer places.
The very first people in north America migrated from Asia.

perish:  to die, be completely destroyed
All his paintings perished in the fire.
Millions of people perished from the Spanish flu of 1918.

recline:  to lie down
He reclined on the couch after dinner and turned on the TV.
They reclined on the grass and looked up at the stars.

shiver:  to shake from the cold, fear or excitement
The children were shivering from the lack of heat in the classroom.
He shivered at the thought that he could have been killed in the accident.

specify:  to say or state clearly
The recipe doesn’t specify what kind of oil to use.
The directions specify that the product not be used indoors.

tend:  to do naturally
She tends to be lazy when she’s alone.
Unlike dogs, cats tend to be independent.

vomit:  to throw up, empty your stomach through your mouth
After drinking more than six beers, he usually vomits.
When the police officer discovered the headless body, she wanted to vomit.

wrinkle:  to make lines or folds in (clothing, skin) so it’s no longer smooth
He wrinkled his clothes by sleeping in them all night.
This new shirt doesn’t wrinkle as much as cotton does.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the vocabulary above on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

applaud:  to clap hands in appreciation
The audience applauded wildly at the end of the concert.
I applaud her courage in leaving her husband.

benefit:  to be good for
A national health program benefits everyone.
A house with more bedrooms would benefit us a lot.

concern:  to be of interest to, be worried
A shortage of water concerns all the farmers in the area.
I’m concerned about my father’s health.

deprive:  to stop from having
As a good mother she deprives her children of candy.
Because he studied all night, he was deprived of sleep.

ensure:  to make sure, guarantee
This new investment will ensure the success of the company.
Please ensure that the door is locked after you leave.

glance:  to look at very quickly
She glanced at the clock and saw it was midnight.
The child glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was following him.

infuriate:  to make very angry
It infuriates me when my wife takes a long time to get ready to go.
When the president cancelled elections, it infuriated the citizens.

magnify: to make larger
He just needs reading glasses to magnify the words so he can see them.
You don’t want to magnify the problem, so just be quiet.

oppose: to try to stop by doing things against
There are many people who oppose war.
The church opposes the new “right to die” law.

recommend: to say someone should do (something)
My friends recommend that we go eat at the new Mexican restaurant downtown.
What treatment does the doctor recommend for this patient?

regret: to be sorry about
I hurt your feelings, and I regret that very much.
After he bought the motorcycle, he regretted his purchase.

seal: to close up tight to keep the air out
When he was finished, he sealed the letter in the envelope.
You need to seal that container better if you want the food to last.

sponsor:  to be responsible for, support with money
This show is sponsored by the Ford Motor Company.
Senator Cohen helped sponsor a bill to legalize marijuana.

terrify: to greatly scare
The boy terrified his sister with a snake he found in the garden.
When he thinks about losing his family, it terrifies him.

verify: to prove something is true
She verified that the painting was a real Van Gogh.
The bank verified his signature and gave him the money.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

abolish:  to make illegal, stop forever, eliminate
Canadians should either abolish the Senate or make it more democratic.
Many countries have abolished the death penalty.

beckon:  to gently make someone come
He beckoned her to come to the back of the bus and sit with him.
Canada’s north with its high salaries beckons single young men and women.

collide:  to hit, run into
The truck lost its brakes and collided into a tree.
They say the meteor will collide with the earth in four days.

consist:  to be composed of
These cookies consist of flour, sugar, eggs and butter.
The test consisted of all multiple choice questions.

diminish:  to reduce, lessen, make smaller
Drinking three beers diminished his ability to drive.
His apology did nothing to diminish her anger.

estimate: to make an educated guess
It’s hard to estimate the cost of building a second bathroom.
His wealth is estimated at over $3 billion.

intend:  to plan on doing
We intend to have a picnic this weekend.
I intend to graduate next year and apply to Harvard University.

mount:  to become more and more
After a week of rain, the number of deaths started to mount.
As his debts mounted, the phone calls from his creditors increased.

penetrate: to go into or through, enter
The noise from the party penetrated the walls and bothered our quiet evening.
The arrow penetrated his chest but missed his heart.

pursue: to chase after, follow
She plans on pursuing a career in acting.
The hunter pursued the deer for kilometers before he got a good shot.

reject: to refuse to accept
The bank rejected his business plan and he didn’t get the loan.
Many countries reject the death penalty even for murder.

reveal: to show or tell after being hidden
Magicians never reveal their tricks to the public.
The bank promises not to reveal any of your personal information.

scatter:  to break up or throw in different directions
When the police arrived, the crowd scattered.
He scattered grass seeds all over his yard.

strangle: to kill by squeezing the neck, choke
The killer strangled the man with his bare hands.
I almost got strangled when a rope fell into the water when I was swimming.

ventilate: to move fresh air through
We need to ventilate this room; it smells like a gym.
A cool breeze ventilated the house.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the vocabulary above on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

alter:  to make different for some reason
Her mother altered her wedding gown so it would fit her better.
His excuse doesn’t alter the fact that he missed an important test.

bar:  to prevent, exclude, close
He was barred from the poker club for cheating.
The police barred the exits so the thief couldn’t escape.

comply:  to follow directions or requests
The police asked them to leave and they complied.
She failed to comply with the judge’s orders.

decline:  to say no, refuse
Although he was rich and handsome, she declined his invitation.
He declined the offer on his house because it was too low.

disturb:  to bother, interrupt
Please don’t disturb me when I’m working at the computer.
Your father is in the study and doesn’t want to be disturbed.

exaggerate:  to make it sound better or bigger than it really is
Richard always exaggerates his real estate sales.
He wouldn’t be the first fisher to exaggerate the size of his catch.

ignore:  to not notice or consider
It’s hard to ignore the crime rate in this city.
He asked them to ignore his weaknesses and hire him on his strengths.

limit:  to keep something small
We need to limit the number of people we invite to the party.
He limits the amount of money he spends on clothes.

overlook:  to not notice or consider, disregard
Although his second novel was a bestseller, people overlook his first.
The youngest child in the family, he was often overlooked.

predict:  to say what will happen in the future
I can’t predict what will happen if you don’t tell her the truth.
The meteorologist predicts snow for this coming weekend.

rehearse:  to practice for a public performance
She said she’ll be late today because she has to rehearse with the band.
All week he rehearsed for his speech.

sigh:  to let out your breath noisily
The class sighed from relief when the teacher postponed the exam.
She sighed when she found out she still had a lot more work to do.

stretch:  to make longer, extend
He stretched in bed before getting up.
She stretched a rope between two trees to hang her laundry.

thaw:  to become unfrozen, melt
It took an hour for the frozen fish to thaw.
When Spring came, the rivers and lakes started to thaw.

wager:  to bet, put money on a result
I’ll wager that you can’t make that basketball shot from this distance.
He never wagers on the outcome of an election.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the vocabulary above on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

abandon:  to leave and never go back
The family abandoned the farm and moved to the city.
When it started to sink, everyone abandoned the ship.

back:  to support with help or money
Most of the students backed Gina for class president.
His father backed him in his new business.

celebrate:  to have fun because of a good result or special event
We’re celebrating his birthday this Friday after work.
After he got the job, he and his wife went out to celebrate.

cope:  to be okay in a new situation
He couldn’t cope with the changes in his job, so he quit.
How did you cope with the death of your father?

deteriorate:  to get worse in quality, decay
Her grandmother’s health started to deteriorate after she fell in the shower.
Plastic does not deteriorate as fast as wood.

enable:  to make it possible to do something
Cell phones enable people to keep in touch more easily.
Her knowledge of German enabled her to understand the conversation.

found:  to establish something new
Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres) was founded in 1971.
The group finally succeeded in founding a non-profit organization to feed the poor.

insist:  to be firm about a demand
If you insist, I will refund your money.
He insisted that his wife have dinner on the table at 6:00 every day.

mumble:  to say something unclearly in a low voice
After she left, he mumbled something that I couldn’t understand.
Stop mumbling and tell me what you want.

penalize:  to punish, give a penalty to
The team was penalized for delaying the game.
Students who miss the deadline will be penalized.

puncture:  to make a hole in
The sharp rocks punctured his tire.
Try not to puncture any of the balloons.

rot:  to spoil, decay
The apples have started to rot.
Sugar will rot your teeth if you don’t brush.

socialize:  to be with people in a friendly way
On Facebook you can socialize with people you hardly know.
She doesn’t socialize with people she works with.

swap:  to give something in exchange for something else
At school the children like to swap sandwiches.
He swapped his old cell phone for a pair of running shoes.

whistle:  to make a high sound using your lips and tongue
If you need me, whistle and I’ll come immediately.
He whistles while he works around the house.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the vocabulary above on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

brave:  doing something even though you’re afraid
The brave fireman ran into the burning building and carried the baby to safety.
His mother told him to be a brave boy in the dentist’s chair.

complicated:  difficult to understand or explain
His relationship with his girlfriend is complicated.
The explanation was too complicated for most people to understand.

cute:  pretty in a pleasing way
There were three cute kittens on the bed.
Most people remember the actor when he was a cute little kid.

crazy:  wild, uncontrolled, senseless, not at all normal
John was acting like a crazy person at the party.
It was crazy to go swimming in the lake in winter.

dependable:  able to be trusted to do what is necessary
Although his car is old, it’s still very dependable.
She has been his dependable secretary for many years.

faithful:  always supportive, loyal
He is one of her oldest and most faithful friends.
She remained faithful to her husband during his long illness.

horrible:  terrible, awful
He’ll never forget the skunk’s horrible smell.
There was a horrible five-car accident on the highway.

international:  between countries, of many countries
Global warming is an international problem.
Canada has an international reputation as a peace keeper.

official:  recognized as true by authorities, legal
Canada has two official languages – English and French.
This is an official copy of their marriage certificate.

proud:  having a good feeling for a good result
His father was proud of him for telling the truth.
She was proud of herself for scoring the winning goal.

steep:  at a high angle
The driveway up to his house was very steep.
She likes to ski on steep slopes to test her abilities.

sudden:  fast, without warning
Their picnic was ruined by a sudden rainstorm.
A sudden outbreak of the flu kept many children home from school.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

boring:   not interesting or exciting, full of sameness
The children had a boring time during their field trip to the library.
Some people liked the movie, but I found it very boring.

calm:  relaxed, with good weather
If there’s a fire, the most important thing to do is to stay calm.
They had a calm, sunny day for their wedding.

criminal:  doing illegal activities, very wrong
The boys are members of a criminal organization.
They sell illegal drugs and do other criminal activities.

crowded:  with too many people close together
The bus to school is always very crowded.
When she arrived, the room was crowded with people.

eager:  wanting to do something a lot, excited
She is eager to meet her boyfriend’s parents.
The children are eager for the holidays.

helpless:  not able to do anything to help
The fire was so strong, the firefighters were helpless.
The fishers were helpless against the storm.

legal:  obeying the law, about the law
Everyone has the legal right to defend themselves.
In many places it is now legal to use marijuana for medical purposes.

pale:  without much color
You look pale.  Are you feeling alright?
They painted their house a pale green.

satisfied:  feeling happy with a result
Although he didn’t get an A, he was satisfied with his mark.
The boss was satisfied with the work we had done.

sneaky:  done so no one will see or know, in a secret way
My sneaky son pretends that he’s asleep and then plays video games in bed.
Offering something for free online is a sneaky way to get people’s email addresses.

tense:  not able to relax, nervous
Some students get very tense before a big test.
She felt tense when she walked into her boss’s office.

wise:  intelligent because of experience
You should listen to your grandmother.  She’s a wise person.
The wise thing to do is to wait and see what happens.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

ashamed:  feeling guilty or disapproving for a wrong action
He felt ashamed for not believing her.
She was ashamed of her alcoholic father.

complete:  100%, entire, whole, having all the parts
The kitchen was a complete mess after all the cooking.
Is this list of guests complete, or did you miss someone?

damaged:  a little broken or harmed and no longer perfect.
When the coffee table arrived from the store, it was damaged.
This cell phone is damaged, so you should go get your money back.

embarrassed:  feeling like you or someone close to you has done something wrong
She was embarrassed that she forgot his birthday.
He was embarrassed about his alcoholic father.

frightened:  feeling like you’re in danger, afraid
His little brother is frightened of the dark, so he keeps a night light on.
The frightened cat ran under the sofa.

handy:  easy to use because it’s close by
I always have a handy tissue in my pocket.
Do you have a screwdriver handy so I can replace these batteries?

immediate:  quickly following, instant
His reply to the reporter’s question was immediate.
There was an immediate reaction to the medication.

normal:  usual, regular, natural
She’s a student of normal intelligence.
The normal thing to say when someone does you a favor is “thank-you.”

practical:  useful, best thing for the job
Basic mathematics is a very practical knowledge that you’ll use everyday.
It’s not practical to carry all those heavy books to school and home everyday.

several:  more than a few but not many
There are several things we could do to make this website better.
The Van Gogh paintings are going to be in the art gallery for several weeks.

strange:  unusual, odd, unknown
It felt strange to be the only person in the movie theatre.
They were going to make their home in this new, strange land.

useless:  not able to do what is needed
I find this medicine useless against my headache.
He made a useless attempt to fix the leak in the roof.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

careful:  doing nothing that could cause a problem
Be careful when you cross the street.
She’s a very careful driver.

confused:  not knowing what to do
I’m confused about what time we should be at the airport.
Two people gave him two different directions, which confused him.

direct:  straight from a source, without turning or stopping
He took a direct flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver.
This plant will die in direct sunlight.

generous:  giving or sharing of money or time
Her generous grandparents gave her a car for her graduation.
He was generous with his time, helping anyone in need.

incredible:  unbelievable, hard to believe, amazing
Making a good website takes an incredible amount of work.
It’s incredible that everyone survived the plane crash.

mild:  gentle, not strong or harsh
I had a mild case of the flu last week.
You should use a mild soap on your face.

physical:  of the body, with a lot of movement
Ice hockey is a very physical sport.
He doesn’t get enough physical exercise.

selfish:  caring only about yourself, not caring about others
Although he seemed generous, he did it for selfish reasons.
Don’t be so selfish.  Share that candy with your sister.

single:  only one, not married
When he finished, there wasn’t a single cookie left in the jar.
She’s thirty-three and still single.

skinny:  very thin, too thin
She likes to wear her skinny jeans whenever she goes out.
In high school he was a skinny little guy.

thick:  wide from one side to the other side, not thin
He put the meat between two thick slices of bread and ate it.
Because the lake had a thick layer of ice, they could go ice skating.

upset:  with an angry, worried or unhappy feeling
Please don’t be upset with me, but I lost your ring.
When you two broke up, it really made her upset.

Pronunciation Exercise: Listen and repeat the above vocabulary on the audio file below.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

When you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.