appoint:  to choose (someone) to do a job
The President decided to appoint her as Secretary of State.
The jury appointed the high school teacher as foreperson.

capture:  to catch, take control of
The police captured the terrorist in his hotel room.
That TV show captured my attention.

consider:  to think about
Would you consider starting over again and doing it right this time?
I considered your offer and decided to accept it.

dismiss:  to say (to someone) to leave, to reject
They teachers are going to dismiss the students early on Friday.
The committee dismissed the idea of a fund raising party.

express:  to put into words, state
I want to express my sincere apologies.
He has always had trouble expressing his gratitude.

ignite:  to set on fire, begin to burn
He used matches to ignite the fire.
The lightening ignited the dry trees and a forest fire broke out.

limp:  to walk unevenly because of a bad leg
He tried his best not to limp when he met the president.
After the car accident he always limped.

notify:  to let (someone) know (something), inform
You need to notify the credit card company of your change of address.
After the accident, he knew he had to notify the police.

plead:  to beg, ask for desperately
He pleaded for his life, but they killed him anyway.
The mother went on TV to plead for the return of her child.

recede:  to go or move away, withdraw
At the age of fifty, his hairline started to recede.
It will be another five hours until the tide recedes.

scorch:  to burn slightly
The collar of his white shirt was scorched yellow.
The sun was so hot, it scorched the grass.

slam:  to close with force, hit hard
Although you’re angry, please don’t slam the door when you leave.
The truck slammed into the side of the bus.

thrust:  to push with force
The soldier thrust his knife into the enemy’s chest.
They thrusted their way through the crowd to leave.

violate:  to  (a rule (a rule, the lawbreak (a rule, the law)
They violated the law when they left the scene of the accident.
The family had three cats in their condo, which violated the one pet rule.

withstand: to be strong and survive (against something)
The building was built to withstand a 6.0 earthquake.
Their house withstood the hurricane with little damage.

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

Use these flashcards to help you study.

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