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blouse:  a girl’s or woman’s shirt.
She has a beautiful red blouse to go with that skirt.
She ripped her blouse running through the woods. 

drawer:  a sliding box inside a larger piece of furniture where you keep things.
He searched all his drawers but couldn’t find his favorite socks.
She keeps her knives in the top drawer to the left of the fridge.

fever:  a high temperature in a body.
She’s throwing up and has a high fever.  I think she has the flu.
We need to bring down his fever fast or he’ll die.

guest:  someone you invite to your home or to go somewhere
We’re having a few guests over for dinner on Friday night.
Would you like to be my guest at my boss’s retirement dinner?

holiday:  a day you don’t have to work.
I’m taking a holiday starting Thursday and going to my cabin.
B.C. has a new holiday called “Family Day” in the middle of February.

jacket:  outside clothing you wear on your top.
I think you should put on a jacket in case it rains later.
He took his jacket off for the long hot walk home.

medicine:  drugs a sick person takes into his body to make himself better.
The medicine the doctor gave her made her sleepy.
My grandmother takes medicine three times a day.

pillow:  the bag of soft material you put under your head when you sleep
She sleeps with two pillows under her head.
As soon as my head hits my pillow, I’m asleep. 

rainbow:  an arc or colored light in the sky during or after a rain.
Did you see the beautiful rainbow yesterday after the storm?
There was a double rainbow over the city. 

snack:  food that you eat between your three main meals.
I like to have a snack when I get home after school. 
His favorite snack is potato chips.

towel:  a large cloth you use to dry water off your body.
He keeps a towel at the gym so he can take a shower.
Beach towels are larger than bath towels.

weather:  the activity that comes from the sky, such as rain, snow and winds.
The weather is nice this time of year in Alaska.
We have had bad weather this whole winter.

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

 

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assistant:  a person whose job is to help another person.
Please call my assistant to make an appointment to see me.
My assistant does a very good job keeping me organized.

basement:  the underground part of a house.
Her exercise equipment is in the basement.
The last big rain storm flooded the basement of our house.

cage:  a box with bars to hold animals.
The children stood in front of the lions cage for a long time.
She keeps two lovebirds in a cage in the dining room

gift:  something one person gives to another.
We’re thinking about giving her a gift when she graduates.
Give me twenty dollars and the wine will be a gift from the two of us.

instructor:  teacher.
The man over there is my automotive shop instructor; I should say hi.
The instructor told us there would be a mid-term test next week.

juice:  liquid from fruit or vegetables.
Pineapple juice is too sweet for my taste.
With the apples all over the ground, they made apple juice.

locker:  a metal box with a door that locks.
I have to stop by my locker and get the books for my next class.
I paid for a locker at the gym so I could keep my workout clothes there.

neighbor:   a person who lives next to you.  [Also: neighbour]
I woke up when I heard my neighbor get home last night.
My neighbor and I built a fence between our houses.

product:  something that is made for sale.
That company makes electronic products.
The company’s most famous product is the iPhone.

reservation:  a hold on a table (restaurant), room (hotel), seat (airplane).
Did you make a reservation at that French restaurant for tomorrow night?
I have a reservation for tomorrow morning on flight 576 to Hawaii.

secretary:  an office worker who helps a boss.
When his secretary was sick, he had a hard time running the office alone.
She works as a secretary to the vice-president of the company.

teenager:  a young person between the ages of 13 and 19.
He started to play football when he was a teenager in high school.
Although she’s now a big movie star, she was very shy as a teenager.

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

 

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alarm:    a device that wakes you up in the morning.  A sound that warns you of danger.
The alarm on my clock didn’t go off this morning, so I got up late.
We were in the middle of a test when the fire alarm went off.

bandage:    a material covering for a wound.
The nurse is coming to change the bandage on your stomach.
You need to put a bandage on that cut to keep it clean.

chapter:   one part of a piece of writing.
I really enjoyed the book, especially the last chapter.
The teacher wants us to read a chapter of our book every day.

corner:    the place where two walls or streets meet.  The pointy edge of something square or rectangular.
I think we should put a lamp in that dark corner of the room.
The child hit his head on the corner of the table.

desert:   an area that has very little rain.
The world’s largest desert is the Sahara in northern Africa.
You can get water in the desert from cactus plants.

expert:   someone who knows a lot about something.
When my computer isn’t working properly, I call an expert for help.
My friend is an expert in 19th century European paintings.

garbage:   unneeded things that you throw away.
Every Wednesday the garbage is collected in our neighborhood.
The puppy destroyed her shoes and now they’re garbage.

illness:   a period of sickness.
The doctors aren’t sure what is causing her illness.
Because of the treatment for his illness, he has lost all his hair.

laundry:   clothing that needs washing.
Get  all your dirty clothes together; I’m doing laundry.
Separate the white clothes from the colored before you do laundry.

package:   a box of something that’s delivered.
I need to go to the post office to send this package.
A package was delivered to her home a day before her birthday.

shelf:   a flat board where you put books, etc.
 all his photo albums were on a shelf in the office.
The detergent is on the shelf next to the washing machine.

wallet: a small leather folder that holds your money.
I have to go back to the restaurant.  I think I left my wallet there.
I keep my bus pass in my wallet so I always have it with me.

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

 

Poker is spreading at a fast rate.  It is now the most popular card game in the world with over 150 million players, a third of whom live in the United States.  It is more popular than golf, billiards, or tennis.  In addition, it’s a game where both men and women have an equal chance of winning.  Because poker is 40% skill and 60% luck (as stated by the “godfather” of poker, Doyle Brunson,) anyone with the basic skills can win on any day.

Here is the vocabulary for the game of Texas Holdem poker, and as you learn the vocabulary, you will also get an idea of how the game is played.

Names of cards:

• Ace

• King

• Queen

• Jack

• Ten / Nine / Eight / Seven / Six / Five / Four / Trey / Deuce

Your position at the table:

• Dealer / On the button:  The last person to act, except for pre-flop bets.

• Small blind:  The first person to act, except for pre-flop bets.

• Big blind:  The second person to act, except for pre-flop bets.

• Under-the-gun:  The first person to act after receiving two hole cards.

• Under-the-gun-plus-one:  The second person to act after receiving two hole cards.

• Hijack:  The person 2 to the right of the dealer.

• Cut-off:  The last person to the right of the dealer.

General vocabulary:

• the deck:  all 52 cards

• your hole cards:  your 2 cards that nobody else can see

• chips:  the flat round things that represent money

• the button / dealer button:  the round white disk that is in front of the dealer

• your hand:  your 5 best cards

• your stack:  all the chips that belong to you

• the blinds:  the small blind of half a bet and the big blind of a full bet

• shuffle:  mix up the cards

• cut:  put the top cards of the deck on the bottom

• deal:  pass out the cards to everyone at the table

• burn:  put the top card in the deck face down on the table

• the flop:  the first 3 cards put face up on the table

• pre-flop:  before the flop

• the turn / 4th street:  the 4th card put face up on the table

• the river / 5th street:  the 5th or last card put face up on the table

• the pot:  all the chips that have been bet

• bet:  put the first chips into the pot

• all in:  a bet of all your chips

• check / pass:  not put chips into the pot

• call:  put the same amount of chips into the pot as someone else

• fold:  throw your cards into the middle of the table and not continue to play

• the muck:  all the cards that  players don’t want to play

• raise:  bet double or more what another player bet

• re-raise / 3 bet:  bet double or more what another player raised

• re-re-raise / 4 bet:  bet double or more what another player reraised

• bluff:  pretend that you have a good hand by betting

• suit:  the kind of card – spade, heart, diamond, or club

Hands:

• high card

• one pair

• two pair

• three of a kind / trips / a set

• straight

To read about the history of poker, click here.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

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abnormal:     not usual, not typical, exceptional
This past winter there was an abnormal amount of snowfall.
Some cats have an abnormal six toes on their paws.

adaptable:     able to change when the situation changes
She’s very adaptable and will have no trouble living in Spain for a year.
My grandparents are not adaptable to new technology.

annual:     happening every year, yearly
The school holds an annual fund-raising event to raise money for sports equipment.
He got a good job out of college with an annual salary of $65,000.

anonymous:     nameless, unknown
He received an anonymous phone call telling him to stay away from work tomorrow.
The donors for the new hospital wing want to stay anonymous.

audible:     able to be heard
The eruption of the volcano was audible for thousands of miles.
Her last words to him were not audible because of the train whistle.

decent:     right and good
The decent thing to do is to apologize to her and promise never to do it again.
That was very decent of you to help the girl find her mother.

improbable:     probably not happening, unlikely to occur
It is improbable that the earth will get hit by a large meteor anytime soon.
Mechanical failure is an improbable cause of the crash.

ineffective:     not causing the expected result
On the second day his deodorant became ineffective, and he started to smell bad.
Her efforts to stay above the water were ineffective, and she drowned.

infectious:     spreading from one person to another
Anita’s laughter was so infectious that everyone started to laugh with her.
AIDS is an infectious disease that is spread through sexual contact.

inseparable:     always together, not separating
She met her boyfriend three months ago, and since then they’ve been inseparable.
My iPhone and I have been inseparable since I bought it over a year ago.

minor:     not important, small
In her first movie, she had a minor role as a waitress in a diner.
He was lucky that his injury was minor; it could have been much worse.

premature:     happening too soon, before the right time
Many people die a premature death because of smoking.
My niece was born four weeks premature, but she’s doing well.

recent:     just happening, not long ago
In recent years real estate prices have fallen all over the world.
The police needed a recent photograph of the woman’s daughter.

toxic:     poisonous, very negative
The company had to pay the costs of cleanup after dumping toxic waste in the lake.
There’s a person at my club who is so toxic that I want to leave the room when he enters.

unconcerned:     not worried
He seemed unconcerned that his girlfriend hadn’t arrived yet.
My doctor seemed unconcerned about the dark spots on my skin.

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 exercises.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

Sexist words have been part of the English language since men dominated the world.  Today, with the equality of the sexes, the English language has changed.  Gone are words like policeman, stewardess, fisherman and housewife, all of which indicate the sex of the person mostly likely to have that job.  The first words to change were those with -man on the end, such as fireman and policeman.  What about the women who hold these same jobs?  Should there be two different words – one for women and one for men, or should there be only a single word for both sexes?  Many people agree that English should reflect the equality of the sexes, so little by little the language has been getting rid of its sexist words.  Here is a list of words that have changed to become non-sexist.

 

Don’t use man:

Man is always exploring the limits of his environment.

Use people:

People are always exploring the limits of their environment.

 

Don’t use  mankind:

Mankind has not yet solved the problem of global food distribution.

Use humanity / humankind / people / human beings:

Humanity has not yet solved the problem of global food distribution.

 

Don’t use manpower:

They can’t build that bridge without trained manpower.

Use workers / workforce:

They can’t build that bridge without a trained workforce.

 

Don’t use man-made:

Nylon was one of the first man-made fibers.

Use artificial / manufactured / synthetic:

Nylon was one of the first synthetic fibers.

 

Don’t use businessman / businesswoman:

As a businessman with interests around the world, he’s always traveling.

Use business  person / business executive:

As a business person with interests around the world, he’s always traveling.

 

Don’t use chairman:

She became chairman of the fund-raising committee.

Use chairperson / chair:

She became chair of the fund-raising committee.

 

Don’t use fisherman:

For three months a year, he is a fisherman off the coast of British Columbia.

Use fisher:

For three months a year, he is a fisher off the coast of British Columbia.

 

Don’t use fireman:

Firemen are well-respected in the community.

Use fire fighter:

Fire fighters are well-respected in the community.

 

Don’t use foreman:

His foreman fired him for not wearing his hard hat.

Use supervisor:

His supervisor fired him for not wearing his hard hat.

 

Don’t use mailman:

The mailman delivered the package I had been waiting for.

Use letter carrier:

The letter carrier delivered the package I had been waiting for.

 

Don’t use policeman / policewoman:

She told the policeman that she hadn’t heard the gun shot.

Use police officer:

She told the police officer that she hadn’t heard the gun shot.

 

Don’t use salesman:

The salesman understood exactly what I needed. 

Use sales person / sales clerk:

The sales person understood exactly what I needed. 

 

Don’t use actress:

She was a stage actress for twenty years.

Use actor:

She was a stage actor for twenty years.

 

Don’t use ballerina:

She’s a ballerina with the Royal Ballet in London.

Use ballet dancer:

She’s a ballet dancer with the Royal Ballet in London.

 

Don’t use heroine:

Annie, the heroine of the story, escaped and came back home.

Use hero:

Annie, the hero of the story, escaped and came back home.

 

Don’t use hostess

As everyone sang Happy Birthday, the hostess brought out a cake with thirteen candles.

Use host:

As everyone sang Happy Birthday, the host brought out a cake with thirteen candles.

 

Don’t use housewife:

After ten years in the corporate world, she quit to become a full-time housewife.

Use homemaker:

After ten years in the corporate world, she quit to become a full-time homemaker.

 

Don’t use stewardess:

She got a job as a stewardess with Air Canada.

Use flight attendant:

She got a job as a flight attendant with Air Canada.

 

Don’t use waitress:

She’s been a waitress at the diner ever since I can remember.

Use server:

She’s been a server at the diner ever since I can remember.

 

Also, the pronouns he/him/his and she/her, if unknown or unimportant, can change to they/them/their in informal language.

For example:

Formal:  Everyone who bought tickets to the concert can get his or her money back.

Informal:  Everyone who bought tickets to the concert can get their money back.

Formal:  Someone on the bus told me that he needed to buy his son a new bike.

Informal:   Someone on the bus told me that they needed to buy their son a new bike.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

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accurate:     with no mistakes
I don’t think my watch is very accurate; it has a different time than my computer.
Are you sure the number of homeless people is accurate?

antique:     made a long time ago
She wants nothing but antique furniture in her apartment.
That vase may seem antique, but it’s a modern copy.

compact:     a lot in a small space, packed
They had to dig up the compact soil to make a garden area.
He drives his compact car to work every day.

fantastic:     unbelievably imaginative, exceptionally good
That was a fantastic meal we had at your house last Friday night.
He drew up fantastic plans for a settlement on the moon.

fascinating:     very interesting, holding your attention
The professor’s talk about his experiences in Sudan was fascinating.
I saw a fascinating photo of the Crab Nebula in astronomy class today.

foreign:     from another country
He has a love for foreign cars, especially those from Italy.
They’re going on a trip to six foreign countries in South America.

frustrated:     angry when unable to do something
She was frustrated that she couldn’t remember where she parked her car. 
His inability to pass the entrance exam made him frustrated.

imminent:     going to happen very soon
It looks like rain is imminent; I see thunder clouds coming this way.
When the professor walked in, the students knew that a quiz was imminent.

impulsive:     done without thinking
Many people do impulsive buying when shopping at the grocery store.
His proposal of marriage seemed impulsive to her.

The public washroom was not sanitary, so she went back to her hotel.
The nurses knew everything had to be sanitary in the operating room.

secluded:     far away from other things, alone
They live on a secluded island off the coast of British Columbia.
John and his sister Joanne felt secluded in their new school.

tolerant:     accepting of other people
Canadians are generally tolerant of foreigners.
He was tolerant of his neighbor’s parties because they were only once a month.

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

 

 

There are many expressions in English that have double words.  Here is a partial list with examples of how they’re used:

Time:

hours and hours – many hours

        It took him hours and hours to do his taxes.

days and days – many days

        It rained for days and days.

weeks and weeks – many weeks

       He had been working for weeks and weeks on the project.

months and months – many months

       They’ve been trying to sell their house for months and months.

years and years – many years

       She’s been renting that apartment for years and years.

time after time – every single time

       He keeps helping her time after time.

time and time again – periodically

       He returns to Vancouver time and time again.

hour after hour – one hour after another

       He studied hour after hour with no break.

day after day – one day after another

       It kept raining day after day.

day by day – each day

       She has no future plans; she’s just trying to live day by day.

week after week – one week after another

      Week after week she stays at home and doesn’t go out.

month after month – one month after another

      He would ask his parents for money month after month.

year after year – one year after another

      Year after year the rent on their condo went up.

little by little – gradually

      He started to lose his hair little by little.

again and again – repeatedly

       She called his name again and again, but there was no answer.

on and on – continuously without stopping

       He talked on and on about his adventures in Indonesia.

over and over – repeatedly

       She kept saying over and over how lucky she was.

Comparatives:

more and more – a little more each time

      Every day she likes him more and more.    

less and less – a little less each time [uncountable nouns]

      As time went on, he became less and less interested in art.

fewer and fewer – a little fewer each time [countable nouns]

      As time went on she made fewer and fewer typing mistakes.

better and better – a little better each time

      Every day he’s feeling better and better.

worse and worse – a little worse each time

      My stomachache is getting worse and worse.

harder and harder – a little harder each time

      It seems to be getting harder and harder to find a used CDs store.

bigger and bigger – a little bigger each time

      Vancouver is getting bigger and bigger.

longer and longer – a little longer each time

      The waiting time for a trial date is getting longer and longer.

smarter and smarter – a little smarter each time

      His grandson is getting smarter and smarter every year.

stronger and stronger – a little stronger each time

      By working out, you’ll get stronger and stronger.

Other expressions:

round and round – in circles

The children turned round and round until they fell over.

all in all – considering everything

      All in all, it wasn’t a bad movie.

word for word – each word the same, exactly

      She told him what her girlfriend told her word for word.

step by step – all the steps necessary

      There were step by step directions on the back of the package.

item by item – each and every item

      They had to clean everything item by item.

pound for pound – each and every pound

      He can match his brother pound for pound.

street by street – every street

      The police searched street by street for the missing children.

face to face – facing each other

       Their first face to face meeting was at Starbucks.

shoulder to shoulder – touching the shoulder of the one next to you

The union members stood shoulder to shoulder facing the angry mob.

 

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alert:        awake and ready for action
As an air traffic controller, he has to stay alert for hours at a time.
Get some sleep tonight if you want to be alert for your test in the morning.

constant:    continuing without stopping
There is constant noise coming from the worksite.
In the end their arguing became constant, so they broke up.

edible:        okay to be eaten
I don’t think those berries are edible; the birds aren’t eating them.
The brilliant thing is that the ice cream cone is entirely edible.

exhausted:    very very tired
After a double shift at the hospital, he was mentally exhausted.
At the end of the game, everyone was exhausted.

fatal:        causing death
There was a fatal shooting at the mall this morning.
He made the fatal mistake of not being prepared.

immense:    very large, huge
The Canadian north is an immense land with few people.
There is immense interest in the discovery of life off the earth.

occasional:    rarely happening
He has the occasional cigarette and only when he’s at a party.
Once in a while she’ll have the occasional glass of white wine.

obvious:    easy for anyone to see or understand
It’s obvious she’s not going to finish the race after that fall.
The obvious choice for club secretary is Julianna because she’s had experience.

portable:    able to be carried
There were four portable toilets at the worksite.
She has a portable sewing machine at home.

rare:        uncommon, unusual
His grandfather’s collection of rare 18th century coins was put in the safe.
Yellow diamonds are especially rare.

repulsive:    causing you to feel sick about it, disgusting
The car accident was a repulsive sight.
The odor in the carpet is repulsive.

severe:        strong, powerful
There were severe winds last night that blew over several trees.
I’m sorry; she has a severe headache and can’t come to the phone.

suitable:    proper, correct
Go back and change your clothes; that is not suitable for high school.
There is no suitable explanation for why you cheated.

tardy:        late
The twins have been tardy to class everyday this week.
As a child, he was a tardy reader.

urgent:        needing immediate action
Your sister wants you to call her right away; it’s urgent.
The Prime Minister is giving an urgent message in 30 minutes.

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

 

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approximate:  general, a good guess, not exact
Those numbers are approximate; nobody knows exactly how many people saw it.
I can only give you an approximate time; I didn’t have my watch on.

counterfeit:  not real, made to look like a real one
The police seized $2.4 million in counterfeit $100 bills.
They bought several hundred counterfeit CDs in Singapore.

courteous:  polite
She has always been courteous when I’ve been with her.
It’s important to be courteous with others, especially those in your neighborhood.

efficient:  getting a good result in a short time
I know he’s expensive, but he’ll do the job in half the time; he very efficient.
That’s not the most efficient way to deal the cards.  Here, let me show you.

imperfect:  having something wrong with it, not perfect
He’s had imperfect vision since he was a child.
All systems of government are imperfect in some way.

magical:  as if produced by magic, fantastic
The change from the person she used to be was magical. 
His proposal to her was a magical moment she will never forget.

massive:  really really big and heavy
It took four of them to move the massive sofa to the other side of the room.
Your grandmother had a massive stroke and died within minutes.

patient:  able to wait or do boring things without getting upset
She runs an excellent daycare because she’s patient with the children.
She’s in a coma now, so we must be patient.

priceless:  unable to be bought for any amount of money
My daughter’s joy on her wedding day was priceless.
The Mona Lisa is a priceless work of art.

prompt:  on time, not late
The meeting starts at 8:30, and the manager wants us to be prompt.
His reply was prompt; he refused the man’s invitation and walked away.

ridiculous:  really really stupid
You’ve just been arrested; wipe that ridiculous smile off your face!
Don’t be ridiculous; I would never lie to you.

strict:  following the rules exactly, without choice
She is on a strict diet of fruits and vegetables.
There are strict laws against smoking in any public building.

trivial:  of very little importance
It is no trivial matter that she got accepted at Yale University.
The brothers are always arguing over trivial things, like which channel to watch.

vital:  absolutely necessary for life
It is vital that you tell your brother to come say goodbye to his father.
Her surgery is near some of her vital organs, including the heart.

worthy:  deserving, as good as or better
She has worked hard and she’s worthy of your support, so please vote.
I don’t know if Peter will win today; he’s up against a worthy opponent.

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