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amazing:  wonderful and surprising
She has an amazing ability to remember people’s names.
My grandmother was an amazing, independent woman.

cautious:  careful to avoid danger
You can’t be too cautious when traveling abroad.
It’s a good idea to be cautious when you’re driving at night.

elderly:  very old (for people)
An elderly couple live next door.
The government has programs to care for elderly people.

frozen:  hard because of low temperature.
We should put this frozen food in the freezer.
The turkey we bought was still frozen the following day.

guilty:  having done something wrong
Everyone thought he was guilty of taking the money.
If you run, the police will think you’re guilty.

innocent:  having done nothing wrong
She was found to be innocent of the crime.
During war many innocent people are killed.

natural:  pure with nothing artificial
This bread is made with only natural ingredients.
She needs little makeup because she has a natural beauty.

old-fashioned:  used in the past, not modern
They had a 1920s party, so everyone wore old-fashioned clothes.
She wanted an old-fashioned wedding in a church.

pleasant:  pleasing, giving pleasure
It was a pleasant day for a long walk.
What a pleasant surprise to find you here.

serious:  having an important or dangerous result
We need to have a serious conversation.
He’s in the hospital with a serious illness.

sharp:  having an edge that can cut easily or a point that is thin
I need a sharp knife to cut the turkey meat.
She likes to draw with a sharp pencil.

thankful:  happy that someone has helped or something has happened
She was thankful for all the help he gave her.
Everyone was thankful when the storm ended.

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.

The file you specified does not exist.

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.

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

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

The file you specified does not exist.

angry:  feeling like hurting someone

She was angry at her brother for breaking her doll.
I’m still angry with you for taking my bike without telling me first.

blank:  with nothing on it
He tried to write her a letter, but after an hour the page was still blank.
The room seemed cold because all the walls were blank.

delicious:  tasting really good
Thank you for the meal, Mrs. Johnston.  It was delicious.
She made a delicious apple pie for dessert.

empty:  with nothing inside
There were several empty bottles on the floor after the party.
At 2:00 in the morning all the streets were empty.

favorite:  most liked
Uncle Henry is my favorite uncle.
I know his favorite sport is soccer.

honest:  truthful
I want you to be honest with me and tell me the truth.
He wasn’t being honest when he said he was home last night.

kind:  good and helpful
Her husband is a kind and loving man.
You’re always kind to animals.

nervous:  afraid of doing something
He’s nervous about meeting his girlfriend’s parents.
The idea of speaking in front of a large crowd makes me nervous.

polite:  showing good manners towards other people
The polite thing to do is to hold the door open for the lady.
You need to learn to be more polite and say please and thank you.

silent:  making no noise
This dishwasher is more silent than my last one.
The teacher wanted all the students to be silent while she was talking.    

sour:  tasting similar to a lemon or vinegar
This milk is sour, so we should throw it out.
If you don’t like the sour taste, add more sugar.

wide:  big across
This street is very wide.
The doorway isn’t wide enough to get the sofa in the room.

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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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

 

The file you specified does not exist.

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

 

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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

 

 

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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

 

The file you specified does not exist.

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

 

The file you specified does not exist.

anxious:    greatly worried / wanting very much
Many students are anxious about the final exams.
We’re anxious to know the results of the election.

ambitious:    wanting very much to be successful
Olympic athletes have to be ambitious to win
I know he’ll do well in life because he’s ambitious

awkward:  not able to move very well
He’s not fun to dance with because he’s too awkward.
These golf clubs are awkward to use.  They’re for left-handed people.

capable:    having the ability
My brother is a capable carpenter who can build almost anything.
I swear I didn’t kill her.  I’m not capable of murder.

delicate:    easily damaged, fragile
She can never be a dancer.  She has delicate feet.
He noticed a spider’s delicate web in the corner of the room.

drowsy:    sleepy
This medicine makes me drowsy.
I studied all night and felt drowsy all during the test.

essential:    absolutely necessary
It is essential that you tell him to call me as soon as he arrives.
Banks are essential to the economy.

eternal:    unending, lasting forever
Their love for each other is eternal
The origin of life is an eternal question among scientists.

flexible:    bending or changing easily
Dancers have flexible bodies.
He has a job where he works flexible hours.

leisure:    free from work or other duties
They enjoy many leisure activities together, such as playing poker.
She spends her leisure time reading novels.

punctual:    on time, at the correct time
Your son has been punctual to class everyday this term.
I didn’t have to wait for our meeting.  He was punctual.

solid:    hard, strong, not hollow
This beautiful table is solid oak.
They built the house on solid rock.

violent:    with uncontrolled rough force
The violent storm is expected to hit the coast of Florida on Friday.
Stay away from him when he drinks because he gets violent.

visible:    able to be seen
He has a visible scar on his cheek.
On a clear night many stars are visible.

weird:    strange, very unusual
She has a weird habit of pulling on her left earlobe.
She felt weird when she saw her ex-husband kiss her sister.

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