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

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

amusing:  causing laughter, funny
That was an amusing story he told at the party.
Watching the kittens play was very amusing.

contagious:  able to spread from one person to another
Chickenpox is a contagious disease, so keep your child home.
AIDS is only contagious through body fluids

domestic:  in the home, on the farm, in the country
Pigs, sheep and cows are domestic animals.
She left her husband because of domestic violence.

flammable:  able to catch on fire easily
Natural gas is a highly flammable substance.
Don’t smoke around any flammable liquid.

horizontal:  positioned from side to side, lying
Draw a horizontal line across the middle of the page.
She stayed in a horizontal position until her back pain got better.

intense:  of an extreme kind, strong
They had to find shelter from the intense heat of the sun.
He won the video game with intense concentration.

junior:  with less experience, younger
He is only a junior partner in the law firm.
They met each other in junior high school.

mobile:  able to be carried or moved
Everyone I know has a mobile phone.
The family lives in a mobile home outside the city.

rebellious:  fighting against authority, disobedient
At the age of sixteen, he entered a rebellious stage in his life.
England tried to maintain control over the rebellious colonies in America.

senior:  of an older age or higher rank
He is senior vice president of sales at Microsoft.
That seating is for handicapped people or senior citizens.

typical:  usual, common, normal
It is typical of him to forget his keys.
The typical reader will find this book hard to read.

vertical:  positioned up and down, standing
The spaceship rose vertical to the horizon.
The vertical movements of the needle on the page indicate an earthquake.

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

allergic: making the body react badly
He had an allergic reaction to his medication.
Many people are allergic to nuts.

awful: very bad, terrible
When he entered the room, he smelled something awful.
That’s an awful restaurant; the food is terrible and the place is dirty.

cruel: hurting (someone) physically or mentally
Saying she was fat was a cruel thing to say to your sister!
Don’t be so cruel to your dog. Bring him inside on this rainy night.

dizzy: feeling like falling down
This medication can make you feel dizzy, so don’t drive.
I have to sit down; I’m feeling a little dizzy.

fierce: wild and dangerous, violently strong
The fights that couple has are sometimes fierce.
A fierce storm battered the coast for three days.

heroic: done without regard for your safety, bold
Saving that drowning child was very heroic of you.
Firemen often do heroic deeds bringing people to safety.

humble: having a feeling of not being important.
In my humble opinion, I think you should go to the police.
In the presence of these famous writers, I feel quite humble.

inevitable: certain to happen
If he continues to drink and drive, an accident is inevitable.
No matter how long we manage to live, death is inevitable.

insane: not mentally normal, crazy
It’s insane to think that you’ll be a millionaire by the end of the year.
The jury found the man insane and therefore not responsible for the crime.

popular: liked by many people
She’s the most popular girl in school.
I mostly listen to popular music.

responsible: having the duty (to do something)
Nobody else is responsible for the way you feel.
He is responsible for buying the boss a birthday present.

temporary: for a short time
She got a temporary job for the summertime.
The aspirin gave him only temporary relief from his pain.

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

appropriate: the right thing at the right time, expected by others
When someone says “thank-you,” the appropriate response is “you’re welcome.”
It is not appropriate to shake the Queen’s hand.

beneficial:  good (for someone)
Drinking a liter of water everyday has beneficial results.
It’s beneficial for most people to get eight hours of sleep per night.

considerate:  thinking of the welfare of someone else.
It was considerate of you to give me a ride home last night.
Please be considerate and let the elderly woman sit down on the bus.

feeble:  weak, with no energy 
His grandfather is getting more and more feeble.
She made a feeble attempt to answer him in German.

idle:  not active or moving, still
His brother has been idle ever since he lost his job.
I’ve finished all my work, so now I can be idle for the rest of the day.

infinite:  never ending, limitless
There are an infinite number of stars in the universe.
The Internet give us access to an infinite amount of information.

miniature:  very small compared to a normal one
He has a large collection of miniature cars.
Miniature golf is a sport that is enjoyed by many families.

mysterious:  unknown, confusing
They were speaking a mysterious language that she couldn’t understand.
A mysterious man was standing on the corner watching the house.

neutral:  not favoring one side or the other
Switzerland was a neutral country in World War II.
He tried to remain neutral in the argument between his wife and his mother.

scarce:  not common, rare
Five star restaurants are scarce in this city.
Fresh water is scarce in that part of Africa.

suspicious:  causing people to think bad things
The man had been waiting outside the bank for an hour, which was suspicious.
You should be suspicious of any get-rich-quick schemes.

synthetic:  not made naturally
Nylon is a synthetic material used to make parachutes.
Synthetic diamonds are manufactured for the construction industry.

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

addictive:  so pleasurable you can’t stop
Cigarettes are so addictive because of the nicotine.
Coffee can be addictive to some people.

customary:  traditional, always done in the same way
It’s customary to remove your shoes at the front door.
Shaking hands is a customary greeting.

federal:  of the nation as a whole
The federal government is located in Ottawa.
Bank accounts are insured under a federal program.

harsh:  unpleasant, uncomfortable
Winters in the north are harsh.
Early Canadian settlers had a harsh life.

ignorant:  not knowing, unaware
He was ignorant of the police car following him.
On the subject of biology, I’m totally ignorant.

maximum:  the most, highest
He’s locked up in maximum security.
The maximum amount I can lend you is $800.

minimum:  the least, lowest
The minimum tip you should leave is 10%.
There was a minimum number of people at the meeting.

pure:  with nothing extra
Her favorite drink is pure orange juice.
Our grandmother breathes pure oxygen from a tank.

sincere:  truthful, honest
I’m being sincere when I tell you I’ll miss you.
Please accept our sincere apologies.

thorough:  complete, 100%
The dogs made a thorough mess of the living room.
The police did a thorough search of the apartment.

unique:  unlike anything else, one of a kind
He has a unique way of tying his shoe laces.
There is something unique about everyone.

wholesale:  in large amounts
Wholesale sales rose in the first quarter of the year.
What is the wholesale price if I buy ten of them?

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

affectionate:  showing love
That little kitten is so affectionate.
The affectionate couple walked hand in hand.

constant:  all the time
The noise from the construction project next door is constant during the day.
I have a constant pain in my lower back.

deliberate:  with a plan, not accidental
His meeting her was deliberate.  He had planned it for days.
She made a deliberate mistake so that he would help her.

economical:  inexpensive, cheap
Driving to work everyday and paying for parking is not economical.
He thought it would be more economical to stay with his parents while at university.

expensive:  costing a lot of money
It’s becoming more and more expensive to buy a house in this city.
That engagement ring he gave you must have been expensive.

frigid:  very cold
The Yukon is a frigid place in winter.
The ocean off the coast of Argentina can get very frigid.

grateful:  thankful, showing gratitude
She was grateful for his help after the fire that destroyed her home.
His son was grateful that he could have his own room in the new house.

identical:  exactly the same
Julia and Gillian are identical twins with identical likes and dislikes.
The knife used in the murder was identical to those in the kitchen drawer.

mature:  like an adult, not childish
Stealing her smart phone was not a mature thing to do.
Jonathan, although he’s only eight, is very mature for his age.

negative:  bad, not good
I hope you have no negative feelings towards me.
The students’ attitude toward their substitute teacher was negative.

present:  happening now
I can’t tell you her present address because she recently moved.
Don’t daydream in class.  You need to be present to learn anything.

sensitive:  emotional, showing emotions easily
Their son’s suicide is a sensitive topic in that family.
I think that sometimes your sister is too sensitive.

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

Get is a very important word in English because it is used a lot by everyone.  It has 5 different meanings.

1st:  Get means receive, obtain or buy.  It is followed by a noun (the thing received, obtained or bought.)

Examples:
The boy got a new bicycle on his birthday.
I would like to get an A on the next test.
She gets an email from him every day.

2nd:  Get means become.  It is followed by an adjective.

Examples:
She got sick after eating the fish.
The children may get lost if they go by themselves.
They got married last weekend.

3rd:  Get means arrive.  It is followed by a place.

Examples:
What time did you get home last night?
I got to school early this morning.
We’ll get there as soon as we can.

4th:  Get means bring and give.  It is followed by a person and then a noun.

Examples:
I got her something to read while she was in the hospital.
We got you two tickets to the concert this weekend.
Did you get me a bicycle for my birthday?

5th:  Get means possess (to have something.)  It is used with have and is followed by a noun.

Examples:
I’ve got three sisters.
She’s got plenty of time to help us.
We’ve got mice in the attic.

Note:  In informal English, speakers often drop ‘ve [but not ‘s]

I got three sisters.
We got mice in the attic.

6th:  Get means understand.  It is used informally and is followed by a noun (the thing that was understood)

Examples:
I still don’t get his decision to drop out of school.
Did you get what he was trying to say?
That joke was so stupid.  I didn’t get it.

7th:  Get means deal with (give your attention to.)  It is followed by a noun (the thing that needs to be dealt with.)

Examples:
There’s someone at the door.  I’ll get it.
Could you get the phone, please?  I’m busy.
You answer that email, and I’ll get dinner.

In addition to these 7 meanings of get, there are lots of idioms with this word.  Here are some.

get in – enter (a car, a truck, bed)
I got in his car, and we went for a drive.

get out of – leave, exit (a car, a truck, bed)
Get out of my house!

get out of here – I don’t believe you
You won the lottery?  Get out of here!

get on – enter (a bus, plane, train, boat)
We can get on the bus across the street.

get off – exit (a bus, plane, train, boat)
After they got off the plane, they took a taxi downtown.

get up – arise
It’s time to get up now.

get down to – start working on
We should get down to work soon.

get back – arrive back home
What time did you get back last night?

get by – have just enough
They don’t have a lot of money, but they get by.

get around to – start to do
I’m tired now.  I’ll get around to that job later.

get over – recover from a sickness or sadness
It took her two weeks to get over her last cold.

get through – to finish something unpleasant
Don’t worry.  I’ll help you get through this.

get together – to meet someone
Let’s get together after work for coffee.

get in touch – to communicate
I have to get in touch with my brother.

get rid of – to throw away
I think you should get rid of that terrible painting.

get along – have a good relationship
My sister and I get along very well.

get on (one’s) nerves – bother (one) a lot
Sometimes my children get on my nerves.

get (one) down – make (one) sad
Bad news always gets me down.

get ahead – be  more successful
If I don’t graduate, I’ll never get ahead.

get away – escape
She helped her sister get away from her bad husband.