aggressive:  forceful, attacking
Nobody likes an aggressive  salesperson.
He’s very aggressive when he plays poker.

automatic:  able to happen or operate independent of any person.
A machine that saves us a lot of time is our automatic dishwasher.
The loyalty of his team is not automatic; he must earn it.

dedicated:  100% committed to something
I’ve never know someone so dedicated to his family as my father.
Mother Teresa was dedicated to helping the poor and sick.

frequent:  happening often
Because of his business, he’s a frequent flier to China.
The most frequent comment was that the movie was too long.

gloomy:  sad, hopeless, depressing
The prison was a gloomy place where the inmates hardly talked.
The hooting of the owls made the forest seem gloomy.

ingenious:  very smart and creative
The iPhone was an ingenious product that helped Apple get to the top.
He’s had several very good ideas, but this one is ingenious.

possible:  able to be or happen
It’s possible that he got really busy and forgot about our meeting.
Losing our company is one possible result.

racial:  of different kinds of people of different races
The Chinese are a racial minority in North America.
It’s against the law for him to deny you a room for racial reasons.

silly:  not serious, amusingly playful
She knew he had a surprise for her because of the silly grin on his face.
Don’t be silly.  You can’t eat that whole pie by yourself.

transparent:  see- through, clear
This plastic is almost transparent.
She wore a blue transparent blouse to the party.

united:  acting as a single group, all together
There was a united effort by all the neighbors to clean up the park.
The school was united in their support of the principal.

voluntary:  done out of free choice
The job as a teacher’s helper is a voluntary position.
The museum is free on Tuesdays, but you can make a voluntary donation.

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

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

abundant:  a lot, in great quantity
Canada has an abundant supply of fresh water.
At this time of year the river is abundant with salmon.

alike:  similar, with few differences
She thinks that all politicians are alike.
All those cars look alike to me.

bright:  filled with light
The room was big and bright with floor to ceiling windows.
You’ll need your sunglasses because it’s very bright outside.

casual:  informal
On the weekends they like to wear casual clothes.
This is a casual company where everyone uses first names.

definite:  clearly defined, known for sure
It’s definite that Professor Wight is leaving at the end of this term.
I need a definite answer by tomorrow morning.

energetic:  full of energy, lively
For a person in her eighties, she seems very energetic.
I don’t want to go for a walk.  I’m not feeling very energetic.

external:  on the outside
This medicine says it’s for external use only.
This computer has an external hard drive.

feminine: of a female quality, like a woman
Her deep voice is not very feminine.
When she puts on a dress, it makes her feel more feminine.

internal:  on the inside
He was rushed to the hospital with internal bleeding.
In that family there’s a lot of internal fighting.

logical:  the result of good thinking
That seems like a logical solution to our problem.
Her logical mind told her that he was no good for her.

masculine:  of a male quality, like a man
He looks much more masculine with that beard.
There are many masculine qualities other than strength.

vacant:  empty, with nothing inside
That building has been vacant for years.
The community started a vegetable garden in the vacant lot.

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

announce:  to say (something important) to everyone
She announced to her family that she was getting married soon.
We’d like to announce the birth of our first baby.

approve:  to say that something is okay with you
Everyone approved of Helen’s cooking.
Her parents disapprove of her new boyfriend.

choke:   to not be able to breathe because of something caught in your throat
He was so hungry he almost choked on the first bite of his steak.
He choked to death when a fishbone got stuck in his throat.

describe:  to give someone a picture of something using only words
Can you describe the person you saw running from the bank?
It’s hard to describe, but I felt like I was floating in the air.

doubt:  to not believe, to be uncertain about
I doubt he’s going to be on time; he’s always late.
He told her she should never doubt his love for her.

fade:  to slowly become lighter in color, to become less bright
I can no longer read outside because the sunlight has faded.
His blue jeans are faded because of repeated washings.

inform:  to give (someone) information
The doctor informed the parents that their son would be okay.
I must inform you that if you’re absent one more time, you’ll fail the course.

invent:  to create something for the first time
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876.
The computer was invented at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946.

lighten:  to make lighter or brighter
When he walked into the room, her face lightened.
You need to lighten your hair a little.

produce:  to make, to manufacture
That company produces smart phones.
When you mix those chemicals together, they produce a very strong smell.

provide:  to supply, to give
The university provided all their undergraduates with a laptop computer.
The company will provide all the bottled water we need.

regret:  to be sorry about doing something
She regretted all the pain she caused her family.
I regret that I can’t come to your graduation, but I’ll be out of town.

remove:  to take away
She asked him politely to remove his feet from the coffee table.
His task was to remove all the graffitti from the wall.

separate:  to divide, to not be together
She told him to separate his dark clothes from his light clothes before washing.
John and Nancy Wells separated last week.

suspect:   to think that someone is guilty
I don’t know who took the money, but I suspect Robert.
She suspects her husband of cheating.

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

allow:  to let, to give permission
The police wouldn’t allow the homeowners to enter their home.
Please allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Baron Roth.

blush:  to turn red (skin)
His direct question made her blush.
You could see her embarrassment when she blushed.

claim: to say that something is true
They claim not to know the victim.
He claimed he didn’t leave the party till 1:00 am.

depend:  to trust (someone) to do something
You can depend on me to bring the supplies.
Children depend on their parents to feed them.

expect:  to think something is going to happen
We expected you to arrive tomorrow morning..
I don’t expect you to believe me, but that’s the truth.

imagine:  to create in your mind
I can imagine how she feels.
Can you imagine winning the lottery?

judge:  to determine right and wrong, good and bad.
Don’t judge me until you’ve been in my shoes.
Her job was to judge singers for a singing contest.

mention:  to say briefly
Did I mention that he was single?
He never mentioned being in the army when he was young.

occur:  to happen
The robbery occurred some time between 2:00 and 4:00 in the morning.
The next full moon will occur in two weeks.

present:  to give, to introduce
May I present my wife, Sharleen.
His coach presented him with the Most Valuable Player award.

realize:   to know for the first time
When I got to work, I realized that I had forgotten my iPhone.
She realized she was in a bad relationship, so she broke up with him.

request:  to ask for
The couple requested a room with a view of the mountains.
He called the radio station and requested his favorite song to be played.

state:  to say (something) officially
Please state your full name for the court.
He stated his innocence many times.

support:  to help (someone) when they need it
His parents supported him through university.
I support the arts by donating money every year

treat:  to act toward someone in a certain way
Everyone treated her well on her first day of school.
They treated him with respect.

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

advise:  to give advice
My doctor advised me to drink more water.
Go talk to Dad.  Maybe he can advise you about what to do.

arrange:  to make a plan and do it
I can arrange to have flowers delivered, if you like.
She arranged to meet him at the coffee shop across from the library.

communicate:  to talk to, text or email (someone)
We communicate every week by email.
My ex-girlfriend and I don’t communicate at all.

delay:  to do at a later time
They decided to delay the wedding for two months.
Traffic was delayed for an hour due to an accident.

explain:  to make (something) understandable
He had to explain why he was late again.
Can you explain to me how I can fix this.

handle:  to manage, be responsible for
Even when life gets hard, I can handle it.
I wanted to see if you could handle that problem.

include:  to make part of the group.
Don’t forget to include your email address on the form.
This is the first time he’s included me on his team.

measure:  to find out exactly how long, wide or high something is
You can’t measure my love for you.
Before we buy the paint, we should measure the living room.

order:  to tell (someone) what to do
The police have ordered everyone out of the building.
The doctor ordered her to stay in bed for a week.

pretend:  to act in a certain way even though it’s not truthful.
The children pretended to be asleep.
Although her heart was broken, she pretended to be alright.

reduce:  to make less
We must all do our part to reduce the pollution in this city.
All the prices in the store were reduced by 40%.

ruin:  to make unusable or unworkable
He ruined the wedding cake when he knocked it over.
I ruined the surprise party by accidentally telling her yesterday.

scrape:  to remove the top layer by force
He scraped his knee playing baseball.
There’s no need to scrape the pan.  Just soak it for an hour.

stretch:  to make longer
After waking up from his nap, he stretched his body.
He stretched his arm as high as he could  and grabbed the lowest branch.

trick:  to do or say something to fool (someone)
She tricked me into believing that she wasn’t going to the party.
He tricked her into giving him her phone number.

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.

admire:  to think well of someone
I admire your patience with young children.
She admired her mother for raising four children by herself.

behave:  to act, usually in a good way
I’ll take my children to the movies if they promise to behave.
She behaved badly when she saw her ex-husband with his new girlfriend.

complete:  to finish doing
It took them three weeks to complete their garden.
She makes her children complete their homework before dinnertime.

destroy:  to make useless, to break
The fire destroyed the entire building.
He got so angry he destroyed his computer with a hammer.

fasten:  to close (something) so it doesn’t open
He didn’t fasten his briefcase and everything fell on the floor.
Fasten your seatbelt.  It’s the law.

improve:  to make (something) better
Is there any way to improve the taste of this stew?
I’m afraid Johnny isn’t improving much in math.

kneel:  to get on your knees
Grandfather kneeled to hug his granddaughter.
Kneel down and look under the desk for your lost keys.

lend:  to let (someone) use (something) that’s yours
Could you lend me $100 until pay day?
He lent her his guitar and never saw it again.

mind:  to be bothered (by something)
Do you mind if I close the window.  I’m a little chilly.
My wife doesn’t mind my snoring at night.

offer:  to give if the other accepts
We offered to help them, but they refused.
I can offer you some apple juice, but that’s all I have to drink.

protect:  to keep safe
It was his job to protect his younger brother and keep him out of trouble.
He took karate lessons to learn how to protect himself.

reply:  to answer
You don’t have to reply right now, but let me know by the end of the week.
When he called her name, no one replied.

seem:  to appear to be a certain way
You seem tired.  Have you been getting enough sleep?
I seem to be the only person who knows what to do.

succeed:  to get what you want
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
She went to university, where she succeeded in getting her bachelor’s degree.

wander:  to walk with no destination
He wandered around the park for hours thinking about his future.
While she was wandering through the town, she found a little coffee shop.

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