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ERIC NEAL

A

DICTIONARY

SENTENCE

(2)

A S E N T E N C E D I C T I O N A R Y

Careful investigations have shown that children

understand many words more easily by seeing

them used in appropriate sentences than by trying

to understand their synonyms listed in a dictionary.

The 10,000 words in A Sentence Dictionary are

therefore used in sentences skilfully written to make

them interesting to students. A special feature is

the use of a symbol to separate the meanings of

a word, or its uses as different parts of speech.

(3)

By arrangement with

HULTON EDUCATIONAL PUBLICATIONS

1991

Compiled by E R I C N E A L

A Sentence

DICTIONARY

(4)

i 5 Bankim Chattcrjce Street: Calcutta 700 073 13S South Malaka > Allahabad 211 001

Ghaswala T o w e r : P.G. Solanki Path : Bombay 4 0 0 0 0 7 7/16 Ansari Road : Daryaganj: New Delhi 110 002.

By arrangement with

Hulton Educational Publications Ltd.

This edition is not for export.

Printed by

Swapna Printing Works Pvt. Ltd. 52 Raja Rammohan Roy Sarani Calcutta 700 009

© 1965: Hulton Educational Publications First published 1965

First Indian edition 1979 Reprinted 1986, 1988, 1991

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P R E F A C E

T

he

selection of the 10,000+ words in this dictionary is

based on investigations into the words most used by

child-ren between tjie ages of 9 and 13 in their school work.

The words include the names of days, months, important

cities and countries, numbers, fractions and abbreviations.

Many common words such as dog, cat, boy, it, etc., are

not included since it is unlikely that a child capable of

using a dictionary would have any need to look them up.

Some simple words are included because of some special

feature, e.g. a secondary meaning, or spelling that is not

obvious from the pronunciation. Words derived from

those in the dictionary are not included if they merely

require the application of a simple spelling rule such as

the addition of -ed or ing. Exceptions have been made,

however, for words known to be common sources of

error.

All words, including derivations, are listed

alphabeti-cally, since not all users of a dictionary of this kind can

be expected to know, for example, that to find the spelling

of bought one has to look up buy.

The author is a teacher who has been dealing with

pupils' written work in a variety of subjects for many

years and has carried out a number of investigations into

children's vocabularies and their spelling difficulties. Also

he has observed how often children look up a word in

their school dictionary and then have to ask the teacher

what the explanation means.

Tests made with girls and boys in the junior half of a

Secondary School showed that children understand many

words better by seeing them used in appropriate sentences,

than by looking up the meanings in a dictionary. One

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cannot presume that a word has been made clear to a

child when all that has been given is a synonym that is

even less well known to him than the original word.

Where, however, a .synonym simpler than a word is

avail-able, this will usually be the best means of explaining the

word. AH too often a child is perfectly capable of

under-standing the meaning of a word, but is baffled by the

explanation. In such circumstances, a sentence will be a

better way of making the meaning clear. A sentence is

also better than a definition for a word where the meaning

is known but there are doubts about its spelling. It is

hoped that teacheas will find that the sentences also

provide useful material for a variety of English exercises.

To many children, the guides to pronunciation in

dictionaries are incomprehensible if they are phonetic, or

confusing if they look like simplified spellings. As all the

words in this dictionary are those constantly heard or

used by the children, guides to pronunciation would be

superfluous. Pronunciations are therefore indicated only

in special cases, e.g. where they are necessary to explain

a difff rence in meaning.

The symbol • is used to separate the different

mean-ings of a word. It also serves to separate uses of a word

as different parts of speech, for merely labelling a word

noun, verb, or adj., etc., is unlikely to help the child for

whom this dictionary is intended.

IMPORTANT NOTE

The mark • shows that a word has

another meaning, or that it can be used

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abandon 1 absolute

A

abandon At the shout, 'Abandon ship !' all the sailors j u m p e d over-board.

abashed T o be abashed is to feel shy and ashamed,

abbess t h e chief n u n in a n abbey.

abbey a n ancient church once used by monks.

abbey

abbot the head of t h e monks in an abbey,

abbreviation T h e abbreviation for mister is M r .

abdomen the lower part of the body, between the chest a n d the thighs. Young children call a pain in the abdomen a tummy-ache, abide to stay or dwell,

ability T o have ability is to b e able to do something,

ablaze T h e dry old house was

ablaze from top to bottom before

the firemen could arrive, able After his accident J o h n was

able to walk only with crutches,

abnormal not normal, e.g. There was a n abnormal a m o u n t of rain last summer,

aboard W h e n all the passengers were aboard, the ship set sail.

abode T h e place in which any-one lives is his abode.

abolish do away with, e.g. M a n y schoolboys would like t o abolish homework,

abolition doing away with, e.g. M a n y schoolgirls would b e in favour of the abolition of home-work.

abominable very unpleasant a n d hateful,

aborigines T h e people who first lived in a country are called the

aborigines.

abound T o say that rivers abound in fish means that they are full of fish.

about A t about sunset • yog can see bats flying about. above We saw the moon in the

sky above us.

abrasion a sore place caused by scraping off the skin,

abreast T w o abreast is two side by side.

abroad When we go abroad t o France or Italy, we need a pass-port.

abrupt His going was so abrupt that we had no time to say good-bye.

abscess a large and painful sore, abscond T h e prisoners tried t o

abscond during the night, but they

were soon caught, absence being absent,

absent not present, e.g. H e was

absent from school because he was

ill.

absolute An absolute ruler is iA complete command of his country. • A n absolute victory means that all resistance was crushed.

(8)

absolutely 2 accommodation

absolutely completely, absorb H e w a u h e d the

olotting-p a olotting-p e r absorb t h e ink from ..e blot, abstain M a n y people abstain

from m e a t on Fridays and eat fish instead.

abstract A n (distract noun nanies something which cannot be seen o r touched, e.g. ambition, absurd silly or ridiculous, abundance plentiful supply, abundant As t h e explorers h a d

a n abundant water supply, they could drink a s m u c h as they liked.

abase Abuse, when it rhymes with 'juice', means insulting lan-g u a lan-g e ; • when it rhymes with

news', it means to use wrongly, abusive T o b e abusive is t o say

insulting things,

abyss a d e e p crack o r hole in t h e earth,

acacia T h e acacia tree is grown in E n g l a n d chiefly because its feathery leaves a r e so decorative.

acacia

academy a place where students go t o study,

accede T h e boys did not expect t h e headmaster to accede to their request, b u t they asked him just the same,

accelerate J o h n ' s new car can

accelerate from 10 m . p . h . t o 60

m.p.h. in a few seconds,

acceleration T h e car's

accelera-tion is so good that it can increase

its speed from 10 m.p.h. t o 60 m.p.h. in a few seconds.

accelerator If you w a n t a car to accelerate, you press your foot on a pedal called the accelerator. accent Ivan speaks English with

a Russian accent (pron. Ak-sent). • (pron. ak-s&it) T h e dash over cint means that you accht t h a t p a r t of the word.

accept I a m always pleased t o

accept presents, especially on my

birthday,

access W e were refused access to the house by the policeman who stood at the door,

accessary someone who helps to d o something—usually some-thing criminal,

accessible T h e cave w a s n o t

accessible because it was so high u p

the cliff face,

accessory a n additional piece of equipment.

a c c i d e i a n unexpected or un-intentional happening,

acciden. ally As I reached for the butter, I accidentally knocked over a tea-cup.

acclimatized Visitors from I n d i a find our weather very cold until they become acclimatized. accommodate T h e landlady

could not accommodate us because all her rooms were booked, accommodation W e h a d to seek

accommodation i n a hotel because

our friends had no spare beds in their house.

(9)

3

accompaniment J a n e sang

while J o h n played t h e piano

accompaniment for her.

accompanist While J a n e sang, J o h n , her accompanist, played the

piano.

accompany ' I f I sing, will you

accompany m e on t h e piano?' • ' I

would rather accompany you home,' replied J o h n ,

accomplice someone who helps in doing something wrong, accomplish t o finish doing

some-thing.

accomplished A n accomplished person is one who is especially clever at something,

accomplishment T o have passed the examination with so many distinctions was a great

accomplishment.

according According to J o h n we have a holiday tomorrow, b u t

according to Peter we haven't,

accordion An accordion is like a small organ, p u m p e d b y the player squeezing i t between his hands.

accost T o accost someone means to go u p t o h i m a n d start a conversation,

account T o m ' s story d i d n o t agree with Fred's account of the incident.

accountant When the accountant checked the office books, he found an error of 5op in the total, accumulate Dust will soon begin

to accumulate o n furniture left unused.

accumulation T h e r e was such an accumulation of newspapers when we returned from holiday,

t h a t w e could scarcely open t h e door.

accumulator a large battery i n which electricity is stored, accuracy H e threw the d a r t with

great accuracy into the bull's-eye, b u t showed less accuracy in adding u p t h e score,

accurate exactly correct, accusation Fred said that J i m

h a d stolen his purse, but J i m denied the accusation.

accuse You must not accuse J i m of the crime unless you know that he did it.

accustomed J a n e was n o t

ac-customed t o being shouted a t ;

people h a d always spoken quiedy to her a t home,

ace t h e playing-card that is highest i n value, having on i t only one spade, heart, d i a m o n d or club. • An outstanding sports-m a n is called a n ace. • I n tennis a n ace is a first service that beats the opponent.

*

J

accordion ac* acetylene a gas which gives a

very hot flame when b u r n t with oxygen,

aeke a continuous pain, achieve T o achieve something is t o

succeed in doing or completing it. achievement A n important

undertaking which has been suc-cessfully done o r completed can b e called a n achievement.

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add 4 adder

add Acids a r e sour substances, m a n y of which are poisonous, acidity sourness o r bitterness, acknowledge T o acknowledge

something is t o admit having received it, or • to admit that it is true.

acknowledgement, acknow-ledgment I shall not know that you have received m y letter if you do not send m e a n

acknowledge-ment. • T h e queen waved in acknow-ledgement of the crowd's cheers,

acorn T h e fruit of the oak tree is a little n u t , called a n acorn.

IJ5

acorn acrobat acquaintance I d o n o t know

George very well; h e is not a friend, only a n acquaintance. acquire If you did not steal t h e

watch, you h a d better explain how you did acquire it.

acquisition A n acquisition is something that one has obtained, acquit T h e j u d g e will acquit a prisoner if there is n o evidence against h i m .

acre an area about the size of a school football pitch. 2-5 acres =

1 hectare,

acreage T h e amount of fertilizer required depends upon the

acre-age of the field; you need 254 kg.

per acre,

acrobat T h e acrobat turned a series of backward somersaults.

across I t is dangerous t o r u n

across a road without looking,

act I n the first act of t h e play, • H e n r y h a d t o act t h e p a r t of a duke.

action A n action is something d o n e or a movement made, active Uncle J o h n took no active

p a r t i n the game, b u t sat a n d shouted advice to the players, activity I ' m bored with sitting

still; I ' d like some activity such as dancing or playing table tennis, actor H e n r y was the actor w h o

h a d t o pretend t o be a d u k e i n t h e play,

actress J u l i a was the actress who h a d to pretend to be a n old lady in the play,

actual H e r actual age was 50, b u t she always said she was only 30. actually H e called himself M r . Jones, b u t actually h e was Lord

Gedny.

acute An acute angle is less t h a n a right angle. • An acute person is quick to notice things,

adapt W e h a d n ' t a proper h u t c h for our rabbit so we h a d to adapt a n orange-box for the purpose, add If you add two a n d three, t h e

total is five,

ladder a small poisonous snake.

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addition 5 adult

addition ' T w o a n d three a r e five' is an addition sum.

address M y address is where I live, i.e. the n u m b e r of the house and the n a m e of the street, town, and country, etc.

adenoids growths at the back of the nose a n d throat, which some-times make breathing difficult, adept Anyone who is especially

expert a t something could b e described as adept.

adequate T h e water supply was

adequate for our needs, so while no

one went thirsty, we h a d n o n e to spare.

adhere stick fast - to a thing, a person, or a n opinion,

adhesive Glue is a n adhesive. •

Adhesive t a p e is sticky,

adieu good-bye or farewell,

adjacent next to. T h e fox squeezed through o u r garden fence into t h e adjacent field a n d escaped.

adjective a word added t o the n a m e of something in order t o describe i t , e.g. 'new' in 'new bicycle'.

adjoin W h e n two houses adjoin, they usually share the same middle wall.

adjust Billy's bicycle brakes were not working properly, so he h a d to adjust them.

administer You c a n administer punishment with a cane, administer medicine i n a spoon, • and

ad-minister a theatre by managing its

affairs.

admirable I t was such an

admir-able idea t h a t w e all agreed

enthusiastically.

admiral T h e officer of highest rank in t h e navy is an admiral. admire George stopped to admire

t h e new car. 'Isn't she a b e a u t y ! ' he exclaimed.

admission After being forced into t h e admission that we were not players, • w e h a d t o pay for

admission to t h e cricket ground.

admit I admit that I broke into t h e house through a window, • a n d then opened the front door to admit m y friends.

admonish t o give warning a n d advice, especially t o someone w h o has d o n e something wrong or foolish.

ado She m a d e such a n ado about the spider t h a t we thought she was being attacked by wild beasts. adolescence t h e period i n life between childhood a n d m a n h o o d or womanhood.

adolescent Another word f o r

adolescent is teenager.

adopt A married couple will sometimes adopt someone else's b a b y a n d bring it u p as their own.

adorable Sheila thought t h e p u p p y so adorable that she had- t o pick it u p a n d cuddle it.

adore Sheila cuddled the p u p p y in her arms. ' I adore puppies,' she said.

adorn T o adorn something, you decorate it or a d d beauty in some other way.

adrift T h e anchor rope snapped a n d soon t h e boat was adrift a n d at t h e mercy of wind a n d waves. adult grown u p .

(12)

advance

i

6

afloat

advance T o advance is to go for-w a r d , • o r t o m o v e something f o r w a r d .

advantage A n advantage of being tall is t h a t you c a n see over o t h e r people's heads,

advent T r e e s bursting into leaf a if- ,t sign of t h e advent of spring. • T h e C h u r c h calls the period before ( In istmas Advent.

adventure A n adventure story is one a b o u t exciting events, adventurous T o m w a s a n

adventurous b o y w h o always liked

d o i n g s o m e t h i n g exciting,

adverb A n adverb a d d s t o t h e m e a n i n g of a verb, a n adjective,

CM a n o t h e r a d v e r b , e.g. 'bravely' in ' H e fought bravely.'

advertise A good way of letting u r o p l e k n o w t h a t you h a v e a car liii sale is to advertise in the news-pa|«*r.

advertisement T h e television film was followed by an

advertise-ment for a washing powder,

advice M y advice is, 'Never bor-row m o n e y from your school-friends.'

advisable I t is advisable never t o b o r r o w m o n e y from your school-frirnds.

advise I advise you not to borrow money from your school-friends, advocate T o advocate something

is lo r e c o m m e n d it, o r to speak in favour of it.

aerial R a d i o a n d television broadcasts a r e picked u p b y t h e

aerial of t h e receiving set.

aerodrome As a t r a i n stops at a station, so a n aircraft lands a t a n

aerodrome.

aeroplane A n aeroplane often travels a b o v e t h e clouds.

aeroplane

afar W e could see afar t h e snow-covered tips of the m o u n t a i n s , low on t h e horizon,

affable T h e m a n h a d been q u i t e

affable, b u t wh en we m e n t i o n e d

m o n e y h e suddenly b e c a m e a n g r y , affair ' W h y did you g o t o see h e r ? ' asked J o a n . ' T h a t ' s m y

affair,' s n a p p e d Jill,

affect I d r o p p e d t h e b a t o n i n the relay race, b u t this d i d n o t

affect t h e result, for we w o u l d h a v e

lost a n y w a y ,

affected A girl is said t o b e

affected w h e n d i e puts o n airs a n d

behaves u n n a t u r a l l y ,

affection F a r f r o m showing

affection ibr h e r chick, the old h e n

constantly pecked t h e p o o r little thing.

afflicted T h e u n f o r t u n a t e m a n was afflicted with a horrible disease, affliction Deafness is a very

seri-ous affliction.

afford I c a n n o t afford t o b u y a w a t c h because I spent so m u c h m o n e y o n m y s u m m e r holiday, affront a n insult. • T o affront

someone is to insult h i m .

afloat T h e flood w a t e r rose till all t h e boxes in the grocer's ( h o p were afloat.

(13)

afoot 7 agree

afoot H e a r i n g the commotion, a policeman came to see what was

afoot.

afraid People w h o are afraid of heights m a y feel no such fear in a n aircraft.

Africa a large continent, half-way between the N o r t h Pole a n d the South Pole.

African Things from Africa are described as African. • Africans are people whose h o m e is Africa, aft a t o r near t h e stern (i.e.

back) of a ship,

after Will you walk home with m e after t h e p a r t y ?

afternoon W e worked until mid-day a n d then played games all the

afternoon.

afterwards Y o u m a y borrow my football boots for the match if you promise to clean them

after-wards.

again I first saw t h e strange bird on Sunday a n d saw it again on Tuesday,

against ' I refuse t o play against that t e a m , ' said Fred, • a n d rested his b a t against a tree, age A t t h e age of 10 years w e

learnt a b o u t • the Bronze Age people, who lived 3,000 years ago.

aged G r a n d a d has aged (grown old) since we last saw him. • T h e winner was a boy aged 5 years. • (pron. a-jed). U n c l e has to look after his aged (old) mother, agency t h e means b y which

something is d o n e ; • the place in which a n agent works,

agent Insurance companies em-ploy agents t o collect payments for them. T h e owners of newspapers

have news agents to sell the papers for them,

aggravate t o make worse, e.g. T h a t b a n g o n t h e head will

aggravate your head-ache,

aggression t h e starting of a quarrel or an attack,

aggressive acting in a m a n n e r likely to start a quarrel or a fight, aggressor T h e one who starts a

quarrel, a fight, or a war, is t h e

aggressor.

aggrieved T h e aggrieved p a s -senger shouted a n d swore t h a t h e would report his complaint to t h e inspector,

aghast Susan was aghast a t t h e t h o u g h t t h a t she h a d been t h e cause of such a terrible accident, agile T h e small boy, agile a s a

monkey, clambered u p the tree in a m o m e n t ,

agitate Workers agitate for better conditions b y making speeches, organizing processions, etc. agitated M a r y was n o longer

hysterical b u t still very agitated a n d far from being calm,

aglow T h e fire h a d died down, b u t t h e logs were still aglow with friendly w a r m t h ,

ago T h e R o m a n Empire came to a n end a long time ago.

agog T h e children were all agog to see t h e i m p o r t a n t visitor,

agonizing T h e pain w a s s o

agonizing t h a t he could not b e a r

it.

agony T h e injured m a n screamed in agony as the rescuers tried t o pull h i m from his wrecked car. agree W h e n t w o p e o p l e have d i e

same opinion o r thoughts a b o u t something, they agree about it.

(14)

agreeable 8 Algeria

agreeable T h e r e is nothing so

agreeable as a hot bath when you

are tired,

agreed I thought it was time to go home, and Dick agreed with m e (i.e. h e thought so too), agriculture the growing of crops

on farms,

aground T h e ship r a n aground and tugs h a d t o be used to pull her bade into deep water,

ahead People who always look behind will be unable to see t h e dangers that lie ahead.

aid help. • T o aid someone is to help him.

ailment an illness,

aim H e took careful aim a n d threw t h e d a r t straight into t h e bull's-eye.

aimlessly H e wandered aimlessly r o u n d the streets, neither knowing n o r caring where he was going, air a song; • also the n a m e given

to the mixture of gases that we breathe.

airborne An aircraft is airborne when it has risen off the ground, aircraft Aircraft are aeroplanes.

An aircraft is an aeroplane, airport T h e aircraft left London

Airport this morning,

airtight An airtight tin or j a r is one that air cannot get into (or out o f ) .

aisle (pron. I'll). T h e gangway between t h e seats in a church is called the aisle.

ajar T h e door was ajar and a light push swung it wide open, aldn like or related to.

alarm A fire alarm makes a loud noise to warn people of the danger

from fire. • An alarm clock tells people when it is time to get u p . alas W e had looked forward to a lovely week by t h e sea, b u t alas, it rained every day.

Albania a small country t o the east of the Adriatic Sea.

Albanian a citizen of Albania. • Things from Albania a r e des-cribed as Albanian.

albatross a large sea-bird, very beautiful in flight.

albatross

album a book especially m a d e for keeping collections of photo-graphs, stamps, autophoto-graphs, etc. alcohol I t is the alcohol in drink

which makes people drunk, alcove Hollowed out of one wall , of the room was a n alcove, big enough to contain some shelves, alderman someone on a town

council elected from among the m o r e experienced councillors.

Aldermen are next in importance

to the mayor. ale a kind of beer,

alert T h e sentries were o n t h e

alert, so they were not surprised by

the enemy attack,

algebra Calculations i n algebra require letters as well as figures, e.g.: 3** + 2xy = 8 z .

Algeria a country i n north Africa.

(15)

Algerian 9 along

Algerian People o r things of Algeria are described as Algerian. Algiers the chief city of Algeria, alias Fred Smith, alias Harry

Green, alias J a m e s Forsythe, etc., always invented a new false name for each new crime he committed, alibi a claim by an accused

per-son that h e was somewhere else when the crime of which h e is accused was committed,

alien a foreigner,

alight W e saw him alight from the train. • Uncle puffed at his pipe t o m a k e sure that it was

alight.

alike T h e twins were as alike as two peas in a pod.

alive A large reward was offered for t h e capture of the outlaw, dead or alive.

allay W e tried to allay her fears by assuring her that George was safe a n d with friends,

allegation a statement which has not been proved,

allege So you allege that you are late because you lost your way to school! A most unlikely story ! alley a narrow street or passage, alliance a uniting of friends

or allies.

alligator a n American reptile, like a crocodile.

a l l i g a t o r

allocate As it was J o h n ' s j o b to

allocate t h e seats, everyone was

expected t o sit where J o h n told him. > allotment ' Uncle's garden is

next to his house, but the allotment on which he grows his fruit a n d vegetables is some distance away, allow W e do not allow smoking

in schools,

allowed People are not allowed to smoke in this theatre.

alloy Bronze is n o t a single m e t a l ; it is a n alloy of copper and tin.

all right I t is quite all right; you have nothing to worry about. ally T o unite for some special

purpose is to ally.

almanac If I require such in-formation as the date, or time of sunrise, I look at an aim/mac. almighty God is often described

as almighty, which means' all-powerful.

almond Almond nuts grow o n

almond trees, which look very like

peach trees.

almost Start putting on your coat; for it is almost time for us to

go-alms money o r gifts given t o needy people.

aloft T h e sailors were u p aloft in the 1 igging, while far below them the waves swept over the bows of the ship.

alone All the others went, leaving J a c k alone.

along W e walked along t h e promenade.

(16)

aloof

10

a m b u s h aloof Susan stood aloof; she d i d

n o t feel like j o i n i n g in t h e f u n a n d g a m e s t h a t h e r friends w e r e enjoying,

aloud Y o u o u g h t n o t t o t a l k

aloud d u r i n g t h e service in c h u r c h ,

alphabet O u r alphabet begins w i t h t h e letters A, B, C .

Alps H o l i d a y m a k e r s ski o n t h e

Alps in Switzerland,

already I was going t o ask y o u t o w a s h u p t h e cups a n d saucers, b u t I see you h a v e already d o n e it. also W h e n you go for a d a y b y t h e s e a y o u should t a k e y o u r s w i m m i n g t r u n k s a n d also a ' m a c k i n t o s h .

altar A n altar is a flat-topped stone, t a b l e , etc., o n w h i c h offer-ings a r e m a d e t o G o d . T h e r e is o n e a t t h e east e n d o f most churches,

alter I f you d o n o t like t h e a r r a n g e m e n t s w e h a v e m a d e , w e will alter t h e m for you.

alternate T w o things a r e said t o

alternate (pron. 41-ter-nate) w h e n

t h e y c o n t i n u e t o come i n t u r n , like d a y a n d night. • If y o u p u t pictures o n alternate (pron. a l - t t r - n a t e ) pages of a book, e a c h p a g e of pictures is followed by a p a g e w i t h o u t pictures,

alternative one o r t h e o t h e r o f t w o things,

although T h e boys went skating

although t h e y k n e w t h a t t h e ice

was t h i n .

altitude T h e aircraft was a t a n

altitude of 5,000 metres whe n i t

began to descend,

alto T h e m e n with the highest voices sing alto; other m e n sing tenor or bass.

altogether I f you go 4 miles, 2 miles a n d 6 miles, t h a t is 13 miles

altogether.

aluminium a m e t a l w h i c h does n o t rust a n d w h i c h is light i n weight a n d in colour,

always I t is always cold a t t h e N o r t h Pole,

amass I w o n d e r h o w a m a n c a n

amass such great riches in s o short

a t i m e without b e i n g dishonest, amateur A n amateur does a j o b

o r plays a g a m e j u s t f o r t h e p l e a s u r e i t gives h i m a n d n o t i n o r d e r to e a r n money,

amaze to surprise very m u c h , ambassador A n ambassador lives

in a foreign c o u n t r y a s his o w n c o u n t r y ' s official r e p r e s e n t a t i v e t h e r e .

amber a yellowish colour, seen i n traffic lights,

ambiguous h a v i n g t w o m e a n -ings, e.g. Y o u see this nail ? W h e n I n o d m y h e a d , you hit it w i t h t h e h a m m e r , ambition I t is m y ambition to b e a g r e a t scientist w h e n I g r o w u p . ambitious F r e d is n o t ambitious; h e n e i t h e r knows n o r cares w h a t h e w a n t s to d o w h e n h e grows u p . amble I like t o walk briskly, n o t

amble along at this slow p a c e ,

ambulance T h e i n j u r e d b o y was t a k e n t o hospital in a n ambulance.

ambush W e m a d e a n ambush in t h e woods a n d surprised t h e girls anchor

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amen 11 anchor

when we j u m p e d out on them. • 'We will ambush you next time,' they declared,

amen T h e last word of m a n y hymns a n d prayers is Amenr which means, 'so be it',

amends J a n e was very late home but she m a d e amends by getting u p first the next morning,

amenities I n t h e town where I live, we have no such amenities as libraries, parks o r swimming-baths.

America U.S.A. is short for the United States of America. American a citizen of America.

• Things belonging to America are American.

amiable As my father was feel-ing so amiable, I took the oppor-tunity to ask him for the money I wanted.

amicable friendly, e.g. We did not quarrel; i t was a perfectly

amicable conversation,

amicably T h e quarrel was for-gotten and the boys played

amic-ably together,

amid, amidst in the middle of. amiss Hearing the complaints,

an official came along to see what was amiss (i.e. what was t h e matter).

ammonia T h e strong-smelling gas which makes your eyes water when you sniff smelling-salts is

ammonia.

ammunition T h e soldiers h a d no ammunition for their guns, so they could not fire,

amok T o r u n amok is to rush madly about, in a wild urge t o injure people (also spelt amuck).

among, amongst I saw Susan

among (amongst) the crowds at the

horse show,

amount If I add u p all the items, they will amount to £ 5 . • This is a greater amount than you can pay. amp Amp (short for ampere) is

the unit in which electric current is measured, e.g. This battery supplies a current of half an amp. amphibian a n animal, such as the frog, which lives both on land a n d in water,

amphibious T h e frog is an

am-phibious animal, equally a t home

in water or on land,

ample We have ample food for the picnic, so you need not bring any.

amplify If the radio is not loud enough you can amplify the sound by turning a knob,

amputate T o amputate a leg o r a r m is to cut it off from the body, amuck T o run amuck is to rush

madly about, in a wild urge t o i n j u r e people (also spelt amok). amuse T h e children h a d games,

books a n d toys t o amuse them during t h e holidays,

anaesthetic I h o p e the dentist will give m e a n anaesthetic so that I shall not feel the pain of his drill, anatomy I n anatomy lessons we

cut u p such creaturcs as frogs t o find out how their bodies a r e m a d e up.

ancestor T h e ancestor of whom I a m proudest is m y great-grandfather,

anchor W h e n a captain wants to

anchor his ship, • h e drops a n anchor which hooks into the

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a n c b o r a g e 12 answer anchorage T h e b a y d i d n o t

provide a good anchorage for ships as there was insufficient shelter f r o m storms,

ancient T h e Ancient Britons lived in Britain before t h e R o m a n s came.

anemone (pron. a-nem-on-ee) a spring flower, found in woodlands.

A

anemone ankle angel H y m n 2 2 5 begins, ' Y e

holy angels bright, W h o wait a t G o d ' s right h a n d . '

angelic A voice, a face, or a dis-position is described as angelic w he n it is considered t o b e like t h a t of a n angel,

anger J o e showed his anger b y b a n g i n g his fist on the table, angle a corner, o r t h e space

between t w o lines where they meet. • T o angle is to try to catch fish with a hook a n d bait

angler A n angler is a fisherman w h o uses a r o d , hook a n d bait, angry I f y o u tease the a n i m a l ,

h e m a y b e c o m e angry a n d bite you.

anguish a very severe pain o r very d e e p anxiety,

angular A n object is described as angular if it has s h a r p corners or angles.

animal W h i c h animal d o you like best, a dog, a cat, o r a h o r s e ?

animated An animated discussion is one t h a t is lively. • Animated drawings move as if the c h a r a c -ters were alive.

Ankara t h e capital city of T u r k e y .

ankle T h e j o i n t between the foot a n d t h e leg is called the ankle. annex a n extra p a r t a d d e d to a

building. • T o annex land, estates, etc., is to take possession of t h e m , annihilate T o annihilate

some-t h i n g m e a n s some-to blosome-t isome-t complesome-tely o u t of existence,

anniversary T h e 25th anniversary of a w e d d i n g is known as a Silver W e d d i n g , w h e n couples celebrate twenty-five years of m a r r i e d life, announce Afte^j assembly, t h e

h e a d m a s t e r will minourwe t h e n a m e s of t h e boys w h o have been elected prefects.

announcer A television announcer has t o speak clearly as well as look pleasant,

annoy to worry, irritate or tease, annoyance T o M o t h e r ' s

annoy-ance, the dog p u t his dirty p a w s o n

h e r n e w coat. v

flnnnal A n annual event is one which occurs once each year. • A p l a n t is a n annual if i t lives only o n e year. • A book is a n

annual if new issues a r e p r i n t e d

e a c h year,

anoint to p u t on oil or o i n t m e n t , especially in a religious ceremony, anonymous As t h e gift w a s

anonymous, we did not know w h o m

we h a d to t h a n k for it.

another I f you d o n ' t like this book, try another one.

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answerable 13 apart

question. • I d o not know t h e

answer to your question,

answerable T h e boys know that if they d a m a g e the books they will b e answerable t o the head-master,

ant a tiny insect.

Antarctic the region of the South Pole. • An Antarctic explorer is one who explores this region,

antelope an African animal very like a

deer-antelope anvil anthem T h e church choir sang

an anthem in place of the first hymn.

anthology a collection of selected short poems or pieces of prose. anthracite a h a r d , shiny,

smoke-less coal.

anticipate A good footballer will

anticipate a pass a n d so be in the

correct position for receiving the ball when it comes.

anticipation Mother prepared two large plates of bread a n d butter in anticipation of the return of the hungry boys.

antics Fred was trying to dance a war-dance, b u t we thought by his

antics that a bee h a d got inside his

shirt.

anticyclone a n area of high pressure, in which the weather is usually dry 4nd settled.

antidote T h e baby did not die after swallowing the poison be-cause the doctor was able to give h i m the correct antidote immedi-ately.

antique I like antique furniture better t h a n m u c h of the modern stuff. • T h e dingy-looking chair was valuable because it was a n

antique.

antiquity Carol-singing is a cus-t o m of greacus-t ancus-tiquicus-ty, going back a t least a thousand years,

antiseptic W e p u t antiseptic cream on the wound to prevent it from becoming poisoned, antlers A stag has horns with

m a n y branches, called antlers. anvil A blacksmith beats the hot

iron into shape o n a speciaMf-m a d e block of iron called a n

anvil.

anxiety a feeling of concern and worry.

anxious J o h n was so anxious t o m a k e a good impression that he p u t on his best suit and even had a special haircut for the occasion, anybody Is there anybody a t

h o m e ?

anyhow We tried all the doors a n d t h e windows, but we could n o t get into the house anyhow. anyone Is there anyone at home ? anything I ought to write him a

letter, b u t I can't think of

any-thing t o say. J o e will d o anythaig

t h a t you ask him.

anywhere 'Where shall I p u t this b o o k ? ' ' I t doesn't m a t t e r ; put it anywhere.'

apart I keep these books apart from t h e rest because they are my school prizes.

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apartments 14 application apartments lodgings, especially

those in seaside boarding-houses, ape a tailless monkey. • T o ape

someone is t o i m i t a t e h i m a s a m o n k e y m i g h t do.

apple apiece U n c l e disposed of t h e

two p o u n d s b y giving the four boys 50p apiece.

apologize If you h a v e been r u d e y o u should at least apologize to the

person you h a v e offended. apology I owe you a n apology for

m y rudeness last night,

apostles T h e twelve apostles were the twelve disciples w h o m Jesus sent o u t to p r e a c h the Gospel, apostrophe (pron.

a-p6ss-tro-fee) a c o m m a p u t a b o v e a w o r d t o show possession, o r t o show t h a t letters have been left o u t , e.g. F r e d ' s toe, a n d c a n ' t ( m e a n i n g c a n n o t ) .

appalling T h e results o f t h e explosion were appalling', t h e r e were i n j u r e d people lying all over t h e street, apparatus T h e apparatus b r o u g h t by the p h o t o g r a p h e r i n c l u d e d a c a m e r a , a n exposure m e t e r a n d a flash. apparent T h e c a r h a d suffered n o apparent d a m a g e , b u t as soon as w e tried t o drive away, w e realized t h a t a wheel was loose.

apparently T h e car was

appar-ently u n d a m a g e d , b u t w h e n w e

tried t o drive away, we r e a l i z e d t h a t a wheel was loose,

appeal Classical music does n o t

appeal to F r e d ; he prefers ' p o p ' . •

T h e h e a d m a s t e r m a d e a n appeal to t h e boys to help the b l i n d , appear W h e n we s a w t h e m a n

appear f r o m behind t h e h u t , w e

h i d , • lest we should appear t o be

spying on him. a appearance Sally m a d e a n

appearance o n television. • Y o u will

never see J i m dirty o r u n t i d y ; h e takes a pride in his appearance. appease T o appease is to d o

t h i n g intended t o soothe some-o n e w h some-o is angry.

appendix A small a d d i t i o n t o a book is called t h e appendix. • A small off-shoot f r o m t h e intestine is also called t h e appendix. appetite W h e n I a m ill I h a v e

n o appetite for food. • M y b r o t h e r has a n e n o r m o u s appetite for detective stories.

applaud H o w e v e r m u c h you lik,e t h e song you s h o u l d n o t applaud before the singer h a s finished it. apple Eve pulled a n apple f r o m

t h e tree a n d a t e it.

appliance M y first pocket-knife i n c l u d e d a n appliance for removing stones f r o m horses' hoofs, applicant Every applicant for the

j o b h a d t o fill i n a form a n d a t t e n d a n interview,

application All applicants for t h e j o b must fill i n a n application f o r m . • T h e m a k e r s r e c o m m e n d t h e application o f t h r e e coats o f p a i n t .

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a p p l y 15 architect apply T h e conditions apply to all

children u n d e r 14 • w h o apply for m e m b e r s h i p of t h e club, appoint W h e n does t h e h e a d

-master appoint next term's pre-fects?

appointment I h a v e a n

appoint-ment w i t h t h e dentist a t 3 p . m .

today.

appreciate J o h n has a keen sense of h u m o u r ; h e c a n appreciate a good j o k e . • I m u s t write a n d tell A u n t i e h o w m u c h I appreciate the gift she sent m e .

apprehend t o u n d e r s t a n d . • T o

apprehend a thief is to arrest him.

apprentice someone w h o is learning a t r a d e b y working at it. approach W e could not approach t h e b u r n i n g house because of the intense h e a t .

appropriate O u r fishmonger h a s a most appropriate n a m e ; i t is I. S a l m o n ,

approval D a d indicated his

ap-proval w i t h a n o d of the head,

approve If y o u d o not approve of t h e p l a n , y o u m u s t vote against it. approximate A n approximate a n

-swer is o n e t h a t is n o t absolutely a c c u r a t e .

apricot A n apricot is a fruit q u i t e like a p e a c h o r a p l u m , b u t orange-coloured.

April t h e fourth m o n t h of the year.

apron O u r b u t c h e r wears a white

apron t o p r o t e c t t h e front of his

clothes.

apt G r a n d a d is q u i t e willing t o d o t h e shopping, b u t u n -fortunately h e is apt t o forget w h a t h e "has t o b u y .

aquarium I n o u r classroom w e h a v e a n aquarium co n t ai n i ng w a t e r p l a n t s a n d several little fish.

aquarium

arable L a n d t h a t is suited t o t h e g r o w i n g o f crops is called arable l a n d .

arc p a r t o f a curve. • A n are l a m p p r o d u c e s a very b r i g h t light b y m a k i n g electricity j u m p across a g a p .

arcade A n arcade is m a d e b y covering over t h e passage between t w o rows of shops,

arch a c u r v e d s t r u c t u r e t h a t s u p p o r t s d i e roof of a c h u r c h , etc.

• Arch also m e a n s chief, e.g. in

orcAbishop, arcAcriminal.

archbishop T h e Archbishop o f C a n t e r b u r y is the chief bishop of the C h u r c h of E n g l a n d ,

archer T h e archer fired his arrows with s u c h p o w e r t h a t h e broke his b o w .

apricot arcfccr architect T h e arckiUct w h o d e

-signed St. Paul's C a t h e d r a l was Sir C h r i s t o p h e r W r e n .

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architecture 16 arrival

architecture N o r m a n architecture can be recognized by heavy semi-circular arches in churches, etc. Arctic t h e region around the

N o r t h Pole. • An Arctic explorer is one who explores the North Polar area.

area T h e area of a room 3 m long a n d 4 m wide is 12 m2.

arena the centre part of a circus ring o r stadium where the per-formance takes place.

Argentina, Argentine a large country in South America. argue A good sportsman does

not argue with t h e referee; he accepts every decision,

argument After a long argument the boys agreed to J a n e ' s proposal, arise Should any trouble arise,

you a r e t o let m e know i m -mediately.

aristocrat a person of -noble birth.

arithmetic I like arithmetic lessons only when I get all my sums right,

ark a large wooden ship in which N o a h and his animals were saved from the Flood.

ark

arm W e will arm o u r soldiers with swords and pistols. • T h e cricketer could not bowl because he had h u r t his arm.

armada T h e Spanish Armada was t h e most powerful fleet of war-ships that had ever sailed against England,

armful J a n e grabbed a n armful of blankets and staggered along to the bedroom,

armfuls J a n e took four armfuls of blankets from the cupboard, armour I n olden times, knights

wore steel armour to protect them-selves against t h e swords a n d arrows of their enemies,

arms weapons, such as guns o r swords; • also the two limbs of the body to which t h e hands a r e attached,

army Join the army a n d fight f o r your country !

arose When the alarm sounded, J a n e arose and staggered towards

the door, still half asleep, around All around the house were

beautiful lawns and gardens, arouse It is not easy t o arouse

J o h n when he is asleep,

arrange We will arrange to meet you a t the station. • T h e books will look tidier if you arrange them in order of size,

arrangements Jill m a d e all the

arrangements for the outing, so i t

was a great success,

arrest W e saw t h e policeman

arrest the thief and take him away

to the police-station,

arresting We saw a policeman

arresting a thief. • O n c e a n

avalanche has started t o move down a mountain, there is little h o p e of arresting its progress, arrival W e waited on the

plat-form for the arrival of the train bringing our friends.

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arrive 17 assassin arrive O u r t r a i n leaves L o n d o n a t 8 a . m . , so w e expect t o arrive at D o v e r before 10. arrogant J o h n is so arrogant t h a t h e thinks h e is b e t t e r t h a n every-one else.

arrow T h e I n d i a n fitted a n arrow to his b o w a n d took a i m a t t h e buffalo.

arterial A n arterial r o a d is a n i m p o r t a n t m a i n r o a d .

artery a b l o o d vessel t h r o u g h which blood is p u m p e d f r o m the h e a r t .

artful T h e fox is so artful t h a t h e often outwits t h e people h u n t i n g him.

article T h e r e was n o t a single

article i n o u r lost property c u p

-b o a r d . • I always r e a d the leading

article in o u r daily p a p e r .

artificial A person w h o seems d r o w n e d m a y b e b r o u g h t t o life by artificial respiration. T h e c a p t a i n h a d a n artificial leg, m a d e ' of w o o d . artillery big g u n s a n d c a n n o n . artist T h e p i c t u r e was p a i n t e d by a f a m o u s artist.

asbestos T h e mineral asbestos consists of fibres t h a t will not b u r n , so i t is useful for weaving fire- , proof materials.

ascend W e saw h i m ascend t h e stairs o n his way t o the flat above us.

ascent T h e ascent of t h e m o u n t a i n was difficult so i t was evening b e f o r e t h e y r e a c h e d t h e top. ash T h e b a r k o f t h e ask tree is a

silvery-grey colour. • T h e ash from his cigarette d r o p p e d i n t o m y t e a .

ashamed J a n e was so ashamed of herself for being r u d e t h a t she h i d in h e r r o o m until she t h o u g h t t h e i n c i d e n t h a d been forgotten, ashore As soon as t h e ship's

g a n g w a y s were in place, t h e passengers h u r r i e d ashore, eager t o be o n l a n d again,

aside Pushing aside the people in his w a y , Dick plunged into the b l a z i n g building,

ask I will ask some questions a n d you m u s t write d o w n the answers. askew T h e wind has blown your h a t askew; p u t it straight again, asleep W e always know w h e n

G r a n d f a t h e r is asleep, for h e snores very loudly,

aspect a particular view of some-t h i n g .

aspen T h e leaves of t h e aspen tree t r e m b l e i n t h e slightest breeze.

asphalt a mixture of p i t c h a n d s a n d , p u t o n roads a n d p a t h s t o give t h e m a smooth, h a r d surface. aspire I d o n o t aspire t o b e a

space explorer, b u t I would like a n a i r t r i p r o u n d the world. aspirin a small, white t a b l e t

t h a t some people take w h e n they wish t o cure a h e a d a c h e .

assassin H e was killed b y a n

assassin w h o h a d mixed with t h e

crowds of admirers. arrow

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assault 18 astronomer

assault T o assault someone is t o attack him violently by actions or by words, e.g. J o e was the victim of an assault; hence his black eye. assemble T h e children were told to assemble in the school hall a t 4 p.m.

assembly W e have our morning service in the assembly hall. • T h e morning assembly a t our school is a t 9 o'clock,

assent A bill passed by Parlia-m e n t does not becoParlia-me law until the Q u e e n has given her assent (i.e. her approval),

assert You must assert yourself or they will continue to bully you. • Although no one believed him, J i m continued t o assert that h e

h a d found gold,

a s s e s s We could not accurately

assess the amount of damage done

by the fire, b u t it was certainly over £ i , o o o .

assist Betty was asked t o assist the conjuror by holding his top hat.

assistance Seeing t h e police-m a n in trouble, the boys rushed to his assistance and the thieves were soon handcuffed,

assistant T h e conjurer's assistant held his top h a t for him.

association Three examples a r e : T h e Football Association, the Auto-mobile Association a n d our O l d Boys' Association.

assortment a mixture of differ-ent kinds - especially of sweets or chocolates.

assume I t is unwise t o assume t h a t your friend will enjoy a .practical j o k e ; he might be angry

instead.

assumption We will order tea for twelve people on the assumption that all twelve will come, assurance T h e headmaster gave

his assurance that no one would be punished for speaking the truth. a s s u r e d Billy would not j u m p

into the water though we assured him that it was only one metre deep.

aster a common garden flower, like a very large a n d colourful daisy.

•Mar

asterisk t h e sign * used by printers to mark a special word, •stern at the rear of a ship. asthma a disease which causes a

person t o have difficulty in b r e a t h ' mg.

astonish to surprise very much, e.g. I t will astonish you t o hear what I paid for this ring.

astray We lost our way because we were led astray by a misprint on the map.

astrologer a person who tells fortunes by means of the stars, astrology the a r t of connecting

fortune-telling with the positions of the stars.

a s t i o n o i u c i a scientist whose special study is the stars.

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astronomy 19

astronomy the scientific study of stars, planets and their satel-lites.

astute N o one is likely to out-wit T o m ; he is such an astute boy. asylum a place of refuge o r shelter. • Mental homes used to be called asylums.

Athenian A citizen of Athens is called an Athenian.

Athens the capital city of Greece, athlete This great athlete has oroken world records for both running and jumping,

athletic J o h n was not an athletic boy; he was better at reading than running. O u r school won t h e

athletic sports because we have so

many good runners,

atlas My school atlas contains maps of all the countries in the world.

atmosphere T h e atmosphere us-ually means the a i r round the earth, • but we also talk of the

atmosphere in a room,

atom An atom was thought to be the tiniest possible particle of matter; but atoms can now. be split. • ' W e h a d n ' t a n atom of food' means that we h a d n ' t the tiniest bit of food,

atomic Atomic, bombs, atomic power-stations, ships, etc., all get their power by the splitting of atoms.

atrocious Billy's writing was bad enough, but Fred's was atrocious. attach You a r e supposed t o

attach a rope to the anchor before

throwing it overboard! attached T h e sailor attached a

rope to the anchor a n d threw it overboard.

attack W e made our attack on the enemy as soon as it was light, attempt We shall attempt to break

the record for the relay race. • T h e attempt will be m a d e to-morrow.

attend I shall attend evening classes when I leave school. • Nurses attend to sick people, attendance Brown is sure to win

the prize for the best attendance; he is never absent.,

attendant As the duke appeared, one attendant stepped forward t o open the door, while another took his hat and coat,

attention Pay attention, children 1 • T h e soldiers stood at attention. attentive T h e pupils were most

attentive and didn't miss a single

word of the lesson,

attic a room in the roof of a house.

attire to dress or clothe. • Cloth-ing is sometimes called attire. attitude T h e priest stood with

his head bowed' in an attitude of prayer. • You have the wrong

attitude to your school work,

attract Fred will do anything to

attract attention. T h e i » l « m a n

banged a d r u m to attract a crowd. attraction Seeing the crowd, we

pushed t o the front t o find o u t what the attraction was.

attractive Sally is a most attrac-tive girl; all the boys fall in love with her.

auction At a n auction goods are •old to the person who bids the highest price,

auctioneer a person who sells goods b y auction,

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audience 20 aware

audience A t t h e e n d of t h e concert t h e audience a p p l a u d e d loudly.

audition Before employing a per-former, the B.B.C. gives h i m a n

audition in order to hear w h a t he

can do.

August the eighth m o n t h of the year.

aunt M y aunt Mary is m y mother's sister,

aurora the spectacular area of coloured light in the sky above the earth's poles.

Australia a large island on t h e opposite side of the globe from Britain.

Australian someone whose h o m e is Australia. • T h e kangaroo is a n

Australian animal.

Austria a country in the centre of E u r o p e ; its capital city is Vienna.

Austrian M o z a r t was a famous

Austrian composer,

author T h e author of the book 'Oliver Twist' was Charles Dickens, authority Policemen have

authority t o arrest lawbreakers. •

Fathers should assert their authority a n d n o t let children do as they like. autograph Autograph albums are

books i n which people collect signatures,

automatic A thing is described as automatic if it acts by itself with-out h u m a n aid.

automobile a motor-car or lorry, autumn the season t h a t comes

between summer and winter, available at hand a n d ready for

use.

avalanche An avalanche crashed

down t h e mountainside a n d covered a whole village with snow and rocks,

avenge to pay back someone for an evil he has done to another, avenue a road o r street, b u t

especially one lined with trees, average ordinary, not

outstand-ing, e.g. T o m is an average player. • T h e average mark Of a class is found by adding all the marks together, a n d dividing by t h e n u m b e r of pupils in the class, aversion I have a n aversion t o

getting my feet wet so I wear rubber boots whenever it rains, avert T h e sight was so terrifying

that the boys had t o avert their gaze.

aviary a special place in which to keep birds.

aviary aviation the art of flying, avoid J i m swerved t o avoid the

cat and fell off his bicycle, await W e finished our exams last

week a n d we now await t h e results.

awake M y baby sister pulls open Daddy's eyes to see if he is awake. award I shall award a prize of £ 5

for the best essay,

aware conscious, knowing a b o u t , e.g. I a m aware of the danger.

(27)

awash 21 bacteria

awash T h e deck of a ship is

awash when water is just lapping

over it.

away T h e grocer is giving away balloons today. • Go away\ awe fear, reverence o r wonder,

or a mixture of these feelings, e.g. J o a n gazed in awe a t the judge, awful J a n e felt awful when she

realized t h a t she h a d been the cause of her friend Susan getting into trouble,

awhile You must wait here awhile a n d rest before continuing your journey.

awkward A n awkward person is one who is clumsy. • A thing is

awkward if it is of unsuitable size

or shape for its purpose,

awoke T h e noise of breaking glass awoke t h e sleeper,

awry crooked or out of place, axe H e felled t h e tree with a

dozen blows of his axe.

axe axle axis T h e axis of the earth is an

imaginary line which goes from t h e N o r t h Pole to t h e South Pole, axle T h e rod on which a wheel

revolves is called the axle. azure blue, e.g. the azure sky of

a summer day.

babble meaningless chatter. • A brook is said to babble when the water makes a noise as it flows, babe A b a b y is sometimes called

a babe.

babies Mothers wheel their babies to t h e b a b y show in their prams, baboon large African monkey.

baboon backbone baby M o t h e r was nursing h e r

baby, m A baby lion is called a cub.

bachelor a m a n who is n o t married.

back Always carry a red light on t h e back of your bicycle. • Give m e back t h e book I lent you. • If h e does not believe you, I will

back you up.

backbone T h e bone that runs right from the top of your back to the bottom is called the backbone. backwards D a d p u t t h e c a r

into reverse by mistake, so it went

backwards instead of forwards,

bacon cured meat from the back a n d sides of pigs. We love eggs a n d bacon.

bacteria extremely tiny living things, some of which cause illnesses.

(28)

badge 22

badge T h e r e is a badge e m -broidered o n the pocket of y o u r school blazer.

badger a n English wild a n i m a l which h u n t s a t n i g h t . • T o

badger is to worry o r tease.

badfer badly J e f f w r o t e t h e exercise s o badly t h a t he h a d to d o it a g a i n , baffle T o baffle s o m e o n e is t o deceive o r bewilder h i m c o m -pletely. baggage A p o r t e r c a r r i e d o u r baggage t o the t r a i n , bail t h e m o n e y p a i d t o o b t a i n the release of a n accused person f r o m p r i s o n ; • o n e of t w o small bar s p u t o n the t o p o f cricket stumps.

bailiff A bailiff m a y b e a l a w officer • o r a l a n d o w n e r ' s a g e n t , bait W h e n I g o fishing I use a

w o r m o n m y hook for bait. bake Bakers bake b r e a d i n h u g e

ovens.

baker T h e baker m a k e s b r e a d a n d cakes w h i c h h e sells in his shop, bakery T h e b a k e r m a k e s his

b r e a d a n d cakes in t h e bakery. balance T h e d a n c e r c o u l d

baldnce o n o n e toe. • A balance is

a weighing m a c h i n e . - balcony a n u p p e r floor i n a t h e a t r e o r cinema. • A p l a t f o r m outside a n u p p e r d o o r o r w i n d o w of a n y building is called a balcony. bald A bald m a n h a s n o h a i r o n his h e a d .

bale a large b u n d l e . • T o bait (or bail) o u t a b o a t is t o t h r o w o u t water with cans, etc. • A n a i r m a n is said to bale o u t w h e n h e j u m p s b y p a r a c h u t e ,

balk t o h i n d e r o r t h w a r t . • A

balk is a roughly s q u a r e d l u m p of

t i m b e r (also spelt baulk). ballad a simple song o r a p o e m

t h a t tells a story,

ballast W h e n a ship h a s n o cargo i t m a y be necessary to put h ea v y material, called ballast, i n the hold to steady it.

ballet a stage p e r f o r m a n c e con-sisting of music a n d d a n c i n g only, balloon Bob blew up t h e balloon

until it burst,

bamboo T h e stems of t h e tropical grass called bamboo a r e thick e n o u g h t o b e used as sticks, ban t o forbid, e.g. W e will ban

all smoking i n o u r c l u b . • W e h a v e p u t a ban o n smoking, banana T h e banana is a curious

f r u i t ; it hangs i n t h e shop i n b u n d l e s lilje thick, yellow fingers, band T h e r e is a n elastic band

r o u n d m y diary. • T h e band played while we d a n c e d . • W e were set u p o n by a band of robbers, bandage T h e nurse w r a p p e d a

bandage r o u n d the w o u n d . • D o

you know how t o bandage a n i n j u r e d a r m ?

bandit T h i s bandit is o n e of the g a n g t h a t r o b b e d t h e travellers, bang T h e tyre b u r s t w i t h a bang

(29)

bangle 23 barrel

bangle M y sister wears a gold

bangle on her a r m .

banish W h e n a king banished people they had t o go and live elsewhere. • T o banish a thought is to dismiss it from your mind, banisters Banisters are put beside

stairways for people to hold, not so that small boys can slide down them.

b a n j o b a r o m e t e r banjo a musical instrument

played like a guitar but shaped like a frying pan.

bank We stand on the river bank to fish. • W e keep our money in a bank for safety,

banknotes I have three

bank-notes; two of them are notes

and one is a £ 5 note,

banner T h e t w o boys carried poles between which was a banner bearing the words, 'Down with School'.

banquet At the mayor's banquet there were so m a n y good things to eat t h a t some of the guests felt ill afterwards,

baptism a religious ceremony in which a person is sprinkled with water, or immersed in water, baptize T o baptize the baby, the

priest will sprinkle water on its head.

barbarian an uncivilized person, usually of a backward race.

barber M e n and boys go t o a

barber when they require a

hair-cut.

bard A bard was a wandering poet a n d musician,

bare A person is said to be bare if he has no clothes on. • A cup-board is bare if it is empty - like M o t h e r Hubbard's.

barefaced shameless o r impu-dent,

barely only just,

bargain I bought a coat for only 50p a t the sales; it was a real

bargain.

barge a flat-bottomed boat, used for carrying goods on canals a n d rivers.

baritone a man singer whose voice is higher than a bass but lower than a tenor,

bark T h e bark is the outer cover-ing of a tree. • Dogs bark loudly when they are excited,

barley Barley looks like wheat with hairs growing from the ends of the grains,

barn A f a n n e r stores his crops in a bam.

barnacle a very small shell-fish which fixes itself firmly to rocks, ships' bottoms, etc.

barometer Weather forecasters measure the air pressure with a

barometer.

baron a nobleman entitled to be addressed as 'Lord',

barracks a special building in which soldiers live,

barrel Beer is stored in a specially-made wooden t u b called a barrel. a / T h e metal tube of a g u n is called the barrel.

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