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