attend:  to be part of a gathering (a class, a concert, a meeting)
She doesn’t attend this class any more.
I have to attend a meeting, so I can’t stay very long.

chase:  to run and try to catch
The police chased the man for three blocks before they caught him.
He chased after the bus, but it left before he got there.

climb:  to go up (a tree, a mountain, stairs)
Because the elevator was broken, they had to climb the stairs to their apartment.
The boy climbed every tree in the neighborhood.

connect:  to put things together, join
We have to connect this chord to the back of the TV.
They’re building a bridge to connect the island with the mainland.

drip:  to fall in drops, to leak
The kitchen tap drips continuously.
After the shower the rain dripped off the trees.

load:  to put on or into (something)
It takes them about 24 hours to load the ship with grain.
The students loaded their backpacks with food.

place:  to put (somewhere)
She placed the flowers in the center of the table.
You can feel the baby if you place your hand on her stomach.

punish:  to give a penalty for doing something wrong
Your son must be punished for lying to you.
She punished her daughter by taking away her cell phone for a week.

rub:  to touch a surface with a strong continuous motion
I don’t like these shoes because they rub my heels.
She rubbed her hands together to make them warm.

share:  to use equally
The sisters share a bedroom.
No, I won’t share my dessert with you.

spend:  to give money to buy (something)
We have to stop spending so much money.
How much did you spend on this coat?

stick:  to make stay in one position
She stuck the photo on the wall with tape.
We will stick these paper stars to the ceiling with glue.

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

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

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

beat: to defeat, to win
She beat her sister three games to two in the tennis match.
I won’t let this problem beat me.

believe: to think something is true
We believe you are telling us the truth.
Why don’t you believe me when I say I didn’t know?

decide: to make a choice from all the possibilities
They decided not to go to the dance together.
I can’t decide which dress to wear.

empty: to remove the contents (of something)
It’s your turn to empty the garbage.
We need to empty the bookcase before we move it to the other wall.

greet: to welcome by saying something
It’s your job to greet the new members to the club.
They were greeted at the door by a salesperson.

owe: to be required to pay (someone) back
Here’s the twenty dollars I owe you.
She owes the government for unpaid taxes.

punch: to hit with your closed hand
Stop punching your sister right now!
He got so angry, he punched a hold in the wall.

sink: to go down, to go under water
The small boat sank in the storm.
They got home just as the sun sank in the west.

sneeze: to force air from your lungs to clean out your nose
Her perfume was so strong that he sneezed.
If you sneeze into your sleeve, you won’t spread any germs.

stare: to look at (something/someone) for a long time

It’s a bad idea to stare at the sun.
He couldn’t stop staring at her beautiful face.

trip: to fall after catching your foot on something
He tripped on the stairs and fell.
Someone could trip on that toy if you don’t put it away.

waste: to not use in the best way
Don’t waste my time with your crazy ideas.
He wastes too much money on lottery tickets.

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.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

attach: to connect
She attached a picture of herself to the email she sent to her parents.
So her son wouldn’t lose his gloves, she attached them to his sleeves.

bite: to cut with teeth
The dog bit the boy on the leg.
It’s not a good idea to bite your fingernails.

check: to look at carefully
When I get gas for my car, I also check the oil.
Check your email address to make sure it’s correct.

control: to make someone / something do what you want
He has trouble controlling his anger.
The teacher has to control thirty students.

fear: to be afraid of
She is a leader who fears nothing.
He ran away because he fears snakes.

hunt: to look for so you can get or kill
I’ve been hunting for a nice painting to put over the fireplace.
He and his son like to hunt for rabbits.

mean: to intend, to plan, to say
She didn’t understand what he meant.
We didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.

relax: to rest and not be active
He likes to relax in front of the TV on Friday nights.
After setting up the campsite, everyone relaxed around the fire.

shout: to yell, to be loud with your voice
It’s not necessary to shout; I can hear you.
She shouted at him across the parking lot, but he couldn’t hear her.

stir: to move (a liquid) around in a circular motion
Would you please stir the soup while it’s heating.
He slowly stirred his coffee with a spoon.

tickle: to touch with the fingers to make someone laugh
He tickled the bottom of her feet.
The children like to tickle each other.

trust: to believe that someone will do the right thing
They trust their children to take care of the family dog.
I don’t trust you because you have lied to me before.

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

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

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

bake: to cook in the oven, to make very hot
All afternoon she baked cookies for the party
Everyone was baking in the hot summer sun.

cheat: to not follow the rules
He can’t go back to the casino because they caught him cheating at cards.
When he was dividing the money, he cheated and kept more for himself.

chop: to cut with an axe or knife
He chopped wood all afternoon for the fireplace.
While he fried the meat, she chopped the onions and peppers for the spaghetti sauce.

create: to make an idea real
They brought in sand and created a beach in their backyard.
She created a beautiful logo for her new company.

flow: to move along like water
The oil from his car flowed all over the garage floor.
The water from washing his car flowed down the driveway into the street.

grab: to take forcefully with the hand
The thief grabbed her purse and ran out the door.
As he started to fall, he grabbed onto the railing.

invite: to ask someone to do an enjoyable thing you’ve planned
She invited him over for dinner.
They invited him to speak at the conference.

rescue: to save from danger
The fire fighter recued the babies from the burning house.
The organization rescues lost dogs.

scare: to make someone afraid
She hid behind the door so she could scare her brother when he entered.
The government wants to scare us into believing that we need more security.

skip: to not do
Do this grammar exercise, but skip part B; it’s too difficult for this level.
I have to make sure all these addresses are correct, and I can’t skip any of them.

store: to keep for future use
They stored their old bikes in the garage.
We rented a storage locker to store all the furniture that wouldn’t fit in the new house.

weigh: to find the weight (of something), to have the weight
If you’re on a diet, don’t weigh yourself everyday.
All the apples weighed two kilos.

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.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

become: to change or grow to be
When he heard his name called, he became nervous.
You will become a better student if you learn how to study.

bump: to hit with a little force
Coming out of the parking space, he bumped the car behind him.
She bumped her head on the table and had to go to the hospital.

charge: to ask for payment, put on a credit card
He only charged me $10 to fix my tire.
Since I don’t have the cash, I’ll have to charge it.

decorate: to make fancy with beautiful additions
We need to decorate this room for the party tonight.
The school decorated the walls with art that the students made.

deliver: to bring to someone
The post office will deliver that package for you.
Does the restaurant deliver pizza or do we have to go there?

harm: to hurt, injure
She harmed her plants by not watering them for two weeks.
Too much sun can harm your skin.

join: to become part of
We would love you to join us for coffee after class.
At age eighteen, he joined the navy.

obey: to do what someone else tells you to do
Children should always obey their parents.
If you don’t obey the rules, you will be asked to leave.

scrub: to clean by rubbing hard
She scrubbed the floor on her hands and knees for hours.
The child scrubbed the dirt off his hands.

snore: to make a loud breathing noise while sleeping
Her husband sleeps in another bedroom because he snores all night.
Many students fell asleep and some snored during class.

tease:   to playfully make someone feel bad.
The boy was teased at school for not being athletic.
The boy is always teasing his little sister.

wonder: to think about possibilities
I wonder what she’s doing right now?
She’ll always wonder if he was the right one.

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

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

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

attack: to begin fighting
I was walking through a park when a dog attacked me.
The army will attack the enemy in the early morning.

blink: to close and open both eyes quickly
The bright lights made him blink several times.
If you have something in your eye, look down and blink rapidly.

coach: to show (someone) how to do something
My teacher coached me on how to do a good interview.
In her spare time she coaches a girls volleyball team.

crash: to break or be destroyed with a loud noise
The car crashed through the wall into the living room.
The plane crashed into the side of a mountain.

earn: to get in return for working or investing
He earns enough money to support a big family.
She doesn’t earn much interest on her savings account.

fail: to not get what you want, not succeed
They failed to fix the problem, so they had to call an expert.
Her daughter failed math again this term.

laugh: to make a sound of pleasure or joy
She laughs at all my jokes.
People were laughing and having a wonderful time at the party.

repeat: to say or do again
The teacher said the new word and all the children repeated it.
Could you please repeat that; I didn’t hear you the first time.

rush: to go fast
The kids rushed to the cafeteria when the lunch bell rang.
I have to rush this morning. I’m a little late.

scratch: to rub hard with your fingernails
My cats like it when I scratch their cheeks.
He scratched his head trying to think of a solution to his problem.

tap: to hit lightly
She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.
I hear a bird tapping on the window.

worry: to think a bad thing will happen
Don’t worry; we’ll find your keys.
Her parents worried that she was all alone.

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.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

bathe: to get washed in a tub
She bathes her baby everyday.
He only bathes once a week.

bury: to put in the ground after death
They buried him next to his wife.
He told me he wanted to be buried in his home country.

clear: to make empty
The police cleared the room after the shooting.
Everyone should help to clear the table after dinner.

cough: to quickly and noisily expel air
He coughed as he entered the smoky room.
The first time she tried a cigarette, she coughed continually.

excuse: to forgive, overlook
Please excuse me. I must leave now.
She excused herself for making him wait.

fool: to make someone believe something false, trick
She had to fool him to get him to his own surprise birthday party.
He fooled me into believing that I was too late.

knock: to hit with your knuckles to make noise
I wonder who is knocking on my front door.
Knock three times on the floor if you want me to come up.

polish: to make shiny
I asked you to polish the piano last week. Did you do it?
He should polish his shoes before going to his interview.

retire: to stop working because of age or finances.
He retired after selling his Internet company.
Do you plan to retire when you reach the age of 65?

scream: to make a loud, high sound
She screamed in surprise as her boyfriend got down on one knee.
He heard someone scream next door, so he called the police.

slip: to slide by accident
I slipped on the ice and fell on my face.
The soap slipped from her hands and fell into the sink.

tow: to pull
They towed her car to the nearest service station.
He always had a place to sleep because of the trailer he towed behind his car.

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.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

appear: to become visible or real
As we turned the corner, a beautiful moon appeared.
It appears that we’re going to have to wait a little longer.

crawl: to move on hands and knees
We crawled closer to the edge of the cliff and looked down.
You have to crawl before you can walk.

divide: to separate into equal parts
We should divide all the work so we finish by the end of the day.
If you divide 60 by 12, you get 5.

escape: to get free (of someone or something)
The two men escaped from jail last weekend.
The family moved here to escape the violence of their former country.

hope: to want very much
I hope he’ll be happy with his new car.
We hope she gets well soon.

peel: to take the outside off
She always cries when she peels an onion.
You can’t eat a banana unless you peel it first.

remind: to help someone remember something
She reminded me of my appointment this afternoon.
Let me remind you that you got into trouble the last time you tried that.

spill: to cause something to fall out of the top of a container
The children spilled milk all over the kitchen table.
I tried not to spill any salt, but I got some on the floor.

squeeze: to put pressure on the outside, hug
I can’t squeeze hard enough to open this bottle. Can you help me?
When she started crying, he squeezed her tight.

train: to teach, instruct
He trained his dog to roll over and play dead.
They trained their children to be polite at all times.

twist: to move in a circular motion
She twisted her body around to look behind her.
He twisted the thief’s arm until he dropped his wallet.

wrap: to enclose something with paper, cloth, etc.
She wrapped the package in brown paper before mailing it.
Aren’t you going to wrap that present before you give it to her?

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.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

agree: have the same opinion
I’m afraid I don’t agree with you.
She finally got him to agree to a small wedding.

belong: be owned
That cell phone belongs to my friend.
Who does this sweater belong to?

cheer: to yell in appreciation
The whole school cheered at the good news.
Everyone cheered when the football team ran on the field.

clap: to hit one’s hands together in appreciation
At the end of his speech, the audience clapped politely.
The children clapped their hands in time to the music.

discover: to find out something new
She discovered that he was seeing another woman.
They hope to discover a cure for this disease.

face: to look at directly
He had to face his fear and talk to his boss.
You need to face the truth that she doesn’t love you anymore.

happen: to occur, take place
What happened to your hand?
Sometimes bad things happen to good people.

pause: to stop for a short time
She paused at the curb before crossing the street.
Pause that video for a moment. I’ve got something to tell you.

search: to look for, try to find
They searched the woods for the missing child.
She searched Google for information about her new boyfriend.

steal: to wrongfully take
Many office workers steal little things from their company, like paperclips.
Someone is always stealing my candy from my desk drawer.

surprise: to experience (something) unexpected
He surprised her with a beautiful engagement ring.
It might surprise you to learn that your uncle is very rich.

taste: to get the flavor of something by putting it in your mouth
That soup smells really good. Can I taste it?
He knew he was hurt when he tasted blood in his mouth.

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.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

aggressive:  forceful, attacking
Nobody likes an aggressive  salesperson.
He’s very aggressive when he plays poker.

automatic:  able to happen or operate independent of any person.
A machine that saves us a lot of time is our automatic dishwasher.
The loyalty of his team is not automatic; he must earn it.

dedicated:  100% committed to something
I’ve never know someone so dedicated to his family as my father.
Mother Teresa was dedicated to helping the poor and sick.

frequent:  happening often
Because of his business, he’s a frequent flier to China.
The most frequent comment was that the movie was too long.

gloomy:  sad, hopeless, depressing
The prison was a gloomy place where the inmates hardly talked.
The hooting of the owls made the forest seem gloomy.

ingenious:  very smart and creative
The iPhone was an ingenious product that helped Apple get to the top.
He’s had several very good ideas, but this one is ingenious.

possible:  able to be or happen
It’s possible that he got really busy and forgot about our meeting.
Losing our company is one possible result.

racial:  of different kinds of people of different races
The Chinese are a racial minority in North America.
It’s against the law for him to deny you a room for racial reasons.

silly:  not serious, amusingly playful
She knew he had a surprise for her because of the silly grin on his face.
Don’t be silly.  You can’t eat that whole pie by yourself.

transparent:  see- through, clear
This plastic is almost transparent.
She wore a blue transparent blouse to the party.

united:  acting as a single group, all together
There was a united effort by all the neighbors to clean up the park.
The school was united in their support of the principal.

voluntary:  done out of free choice
The job as a teacher’s helper is a voluntary position.
The museum is free on Tuesdays, but you can make a voluntary donation.

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.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot