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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

 

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basic:  simplest, first, most important
The basic colors are red, yellow and blue.
This course teaches the basic history of Europe.

clumsy:  not able to use your hands or feet well.
She’s a clumsy person who drops things all the time.
He’s a clumsy dancer with two left feet.

damp:  a little bit wet, moist
Just wipe that table with a damp cloth, and it’ll be clean enough.
It’s very damp in this basement.

friendly:  like a friend, welcoming and supportive
Let me give you a little friendly advice.
Don’t worry about the natives.  They’re generally friendly.

giant:  unusually large, huge
At the concert there were giant speakers on either side of the stage.
Apple has become a giant corporation that employs over 115,000 people.

hollow:  with nothing inside, not solid
He found a bear sleeping in a hollow log in the forest.
Although the chocolate bunny looked solid, it was hollow inside.

lonely:  feeling all alone, sad because of no friendships
He was a lonely boy who had very few friends.
She felt lonely without her family close by.

plain:  with nothing added, without pattern or decoration
Her favorite snack was plain yogurt.
He had on jeans and a plain T-shirt.

rude:  impolite, not concerned about others’ feelings
Everyone was shocked by his rude behavior.
I left the store angry because the salesperson was rude to me.

slippery:  unable to walk on or hold
She fell on the wet and slippery floor.
He couldn’t hold on to the slippery fish.

tough:  difficult to do or experience
Because they were so small for their age, both children had a tough time at school.
With his father losing his job, it was a tough year for the family.

wild:  uncontrolled, of nature
On their hike in the mountains they found bushes of wild blueberries.
When their parents were out of town, the kids threw a wild party.

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.

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average:  typical, common, ordinary
The average person in the world earns about a thousand dollars a month.
The average rainfall or snowfall in Canada is about 540 centimeters a year.

bright:  with lots of light, shiny
This room is very bright with all these windows.
It was too bright in the sunlight to read a book.

clever:  intelligent and able to learn things quickly
Some cats are clever enough to open doors by turning the doorknob.
All her teachers say she’s a clever little girl who will have lots of success in life.

crooked:  bent, curved, not straight
His nose is crooked because of a fight he had last year.
They followed a crooked path through the forest.

difficult:  hard to do, not easy
It was difficult to move the sofa upstairs, but we did it.
She had a difficult birth that lasted over 25 hours.

famous:  know by many people
His father is a famous Canadian hockey player.
This restaurant is famous for its cheesecake.

harmful:  bad for the body, causing injury or illness
If you drink alcohol with that medication, it can be harmful.
Junk food is harmful to your health.

messy:  with no order, not neat
Her handwriting is very messy.
You boys, go clean your messy rooms before dinner.

original:  the first one
That’s an original painting by Van Gogh.
Thomas Edison had many original ideas.

regular:  usual. normal, habitual
They’re regular customers at that restaurant.
She’s a regular guest at all his parties.

straight:  with no bend, not curved, direct
They need a straight road to race their cars on.
I want you to come straight home after school.

ugly:  unpleasant to look at, having no beauty
I don’t like that kind of dog.  I find it very ugly.
I would never buy that ugly rug.

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

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alive:  full of life, with life
He was lucky to be alive after a terrible car accident.
When I’m dancing, I feel alive .

cheap:  costing or charging very little money
I lost my watch, but it was a cheap one, so I don’t care.
They like to shop in cheap stores.

dangerous:  able to cause harm
She’s a dangerous driver when it’s dark outside.
It’s dangerous to leave your toys on the stairs. 

fresh:  newly made, not old
Is the milk in the fridge still fresh?
We like to eat fresh fruit everyday.

huge:  very big, large
He has trouble buying shoes for his huge feet.
I have a huge favor to ask of you.

loose:  not touching hard, not tight
These pants are too loose, so I need a belt.
Hi necktie was loose and his sleeves were rolled up.

modern:  of the present time
This kitchen is not very modern, so we’ll have to update it.
I don’t l modern art very much.

private:  not to be shared with anyone else
Do you mind?  This is a private conversation.
let’s keep this private, just between you and me.

ripe:  ready to eat (fruit), mature
Those green bananas will be ripe in a couple days.
The peaches on our tree are turning ripe.

shy:  lacking confidence in oneself
She won’t talk to boys because she’s too shy.
It’s hard to believe, but the movie star was shy when he was a  boy.

tight:  fitting too closely, pushing on the skin
I’m not going to buy these shoes; they’re too tight.
His belt was too tight, so he had to loosen it.

worried:  afraid that something bad has happened or will happen
He was worried that his boss would fire him.
Her parents are always worried when she goes out at night.

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

The file you specified does not exist.

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

The file you specified does not exist.

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.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

 

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

© 2013 Ambien Malecot