acknowledge: to admit to be true
The man acknowledged that the boy was his son.
The government will never acknowledge that the war on drugs isn’t working.

ban: to prohibit, make illegal
The Port of Vancouver has banned any ship with nuclear weapons.
Smoking is banned in all public buildings in the province.

coincide: to happen at the same time
Her parents’ visit this year coincides with the annual fireworks show.
They planned their trip to Italy to coincide with their grandmother’s 100^th birthday.

dazzle:  to amaze, astonish
He was dazzled by her beauty and charm.
She dazzled all her friends by showing them her diamond engagement ring.

deserve:  to justify an outcome
He deserves to win the competition because he’s worked very hard to improve his skills.
The boys deserve to be punished for treating their sister so badly.

evade: to avoid doing, to escape from
For many years, he evaded paying income tax.
The men evaded capture by hiding in the attic.

harass:  to continually disturb
The company harassed him for the money until he finally paid.
Every day gang members would enter his store and harass him.

jeopardize:  to risk, put in danger
You don’t want to lie to him and jeopardize your friendship.
If I steal these things from my workplace, it could jeopardize my job.

negotiate: to reach an agreement
The company negotiated an agreement with the union over salaries.
The President said he would never negotiate with terrorists.

opt:  to make a choice
He opted not to get the operation and to take the medication instead.
The students opted for an open-book test and not a multiple choice test.

promote:  encourage, help achieve
The teacher showed her students a video on hand washing to promote cleanliness.
To promote health among the soldiers, they were supplied with fresh fruit every day.

rehabilitate:  to make healthy or normal again
He needed to rehabilitate his shoulder after the skiing accident.
Prisons were designed to rehabilitate criminals but often don’t do the job.

settle:  to start living and supporting oneself
After traveling across the country, the family finally settled in northern California.
The first people to settle the Yukon were in search of gold.

straighten:  to make straight
She used an iron to straighten her curly hair.
He straightened his tie before he walked into the meeting room.

utter:  to speak, to say
She was too far away to hear the words that he was uttering.
The first word that the baby uttered was “mama.”

boil:  to heat until air bubbles form
Would you please boil some water for tea?
Don’t boil the soup, but just heat it up.

catch:  to take into your possession
He taught his young son to catch a ball.
You need a net to catch butterflies.

collect:  to gather together in a group
Collect your things and let’s go.
My sister collects old dolls.

float:  to stay on top of the water
They saw a dead tree float by their camp site.
The boy’s coat floated down the river.

fry:  to cook in oil or butter on top of the stove
I’m going to fry the fish, not bake it.
After you cut the potatoes, you fry them in oil.

hurry:  to go fast
If you don’t want to be late, you need to hurry.
They hurried past the candy store so they wouldn’t go in and buy anything.

murder:  to kill (someone)
I saw on the news that a man murdered his wife and then killed himself.
He murdered his brother with a kitchen knife.

rise:  to go upward, to get up
The sun rises in the east.
It’s six thirty and time for everyone to rise.

sip:  drink slowly in little bits
The coffee is too hot, and I have to sip it.
She always sips her drinks to make them last longer.

slap:  to hit with an open hand
She slapped him in the face because she was so angry.
When he won, he slapped his hands together.

steer:  to control the direction of a moving thing
He steered the boat toward the island.
She steered the car to the side of the road and stopped.

trade:  to give something in exchange for another thing
I’ll trade you my sandwich for yours.
The two families traded houses for the holidays.

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

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.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

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

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.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

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

admit: to say that you did something wrong
There’s no way I’m going to admit to taking that money.
She admits lying to the police.

argue: to disagree with someone in a strong voice
Many couples argue over how to spend their money.
I don’t remember what we argued about, but it was serious.

complain: to say that you don’t like something
They complained several times about the loud music nest door.
He can complain all he wants, but it will do no good.

drown: to die by not breathing under water
Her husband drowned in a boating accident last summer.
If you don’t want to drown, you’d better wear that lifejacket.

frighten: to scare, to make afraid
Both cats were frightened by the loud thunder and ran under the bed.
You frightened me when you came in without knocking.

instruct: to teach, to show how to do something
The coach instructed him on how to play defence.
She was instructed in all the arts, especially music,

manage: to be able to
They managed to escape through the bathroom window.
I can’t manage three things at the same time.

notice: to see briefly
He noticed that she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring.
Did you notice the words on his T-shirt?

perform: to entertain people
He likes to perform magic tricks at children’s birthday parties.
She’s never performed before such a large audience before.

prove: to show something is true with evidence
You can’t prove that I was the last one to see him alive.
In the end they proved that he was responsible for the crash.

receive: to get
We received this package this morning, but we haven’t opened it.
Yesterday he received a phone call at about six o’clock.

release: to let go, to set free
He was released from prison last month.
She took a dove out of the cage and released it into the air.

soak: to be under water for a long time
The dishes are soaking in hot water. I’ll wash them later.
She likes to soak in the bathtub for hours.

surround: to be all around
The boys surrounded the campfire and started to cook their hotdogs.
They’ll catch him. The building is surrounded by police.

worry: to think bad things are going to happen
She is always worrying about her children.
Don’t worry. Everything’s going to be alright.

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