debt

An item or money which belongs to another, and which will be repaid (given back) in the future.

She must give the bank £100 to clear (remove) her debt.

If you are in debt, you owe money (normally to a bank).


c

"b" comes before "c"

In some schools, an C is the passing grade.

Albert only just passed the exam; he got a C.


cry

cry (canonical)
cries (third-person singular)
cried (past)
cried (past participle)
crying (present participle)

To shed tears; to let water come from your eyes, usually while making a sound, usually when you feel sad.

He started to cry because he was so upset.

I cried when my brother died.

They cried for us to stop.


cry

She gave a little cry of fear.

He had a good cry.


astronomer

astronomer (singular)
astronomers (plural)

An astronomer is a person who studies stars, galaxies and space; a person who studies astronomy.

The astronomer stayed up all night, but saw nothing because it was cloudy.


million

ordinal millionth) The number 1,000,000.

In 2006, Canada had about 32.6 million people.


million

One thousand thousand is a million.

In the US, there are one thousand millions in a billion.

In the UK, there are one million millions in a billion.


January

January is the first (1st) month in the year.

There are 31 days in January.


umbrella

An umbrella is a tool to keep you dry when it rains. You hold it over your head.

I use my umbrella when it rains.

An umbrella company is an organization that controls other organizations.

The store was under the company umbrella.


doing

do (canonical)
does (third-person singular)
did (past)
done (past participle)
doing (present participle)

What are you doing?

Doing nothing can get you into trouble.


doing

A doing refers to something that someone has done, a deed.

This mess is your doing.


encyclopedia

encyclopedia (singular)
encyclopedias or encyclopediae (plural)

An encyclopedia is a type of book that has information about many things. Often, an encyclopedia is a set of many books and can either be about a specific subject or a range of subjects.

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and is the world's largest.

I went to the library to find an encyclopedia on chemistry.


Antarctica

Antarctica is the most southern continent on the Earth; it contains the South Pole.

penguins live in Antarctica.


done

Who has done their homework?

What have you done?


done

done (positive)
more done (comparative)
most done (superlative)

When something is done, it is completed and finished.

The work is done.

When something is done, it is fully cooked.

How done do you like your steak to be?

When the potatoes are done we can eat.


belong

belong (canonical)
belongs (third-person singular)
belonged (past)
belonged (past participle)
belonging (present participle)

The umbrella belongs to John; it's his.

If someone belongs to something like a club, they are a member.

Mary belongs to Greenpeace.

What does it cost to belong to the library?

English belongs to the Indo-European language family.

If something belongs, it is in the right place.

That dog doesn't belong in the kitchen.

Where does this book belong?

I'm a simple girl; I don't belong in this rich house.


green

green (positive)
greener (comparative)
greenest (superlative)

The grass is green.

A fruit that is not ripe (ready to eat).

The banana was still green.

He was a new journalist and quite green.

She turned green when she saw my dress.

Something that protects the environment.

Saving that tree was a green thing to do.


November

November is the eleventh month of the year.

There are 30 days in November.


she

A female person or animal without identifying or describing her. The person is normally identified or described earlier in the text or sentence.

The woman with the glasses played the trumpet. She didn't play very well.

Agatha Christie was an English writer, but she is now dead.

She is one of the largest ships you can ever find in this port.

I bought this car 5 years ago, but she is still working well.


she

Alice is definitely a she.


does

do (canonical)
do (present)
does (third-person singular)
did (past)
don't (present negative)
doesn't (third-person singular negative)
didn't (past negative)

Your answer does not help me.


does

Who does the washing up? Daddy does.

Annie does her homework in the afternoon.


does

The plural form of doe; more than one (kind of) doe. A female deer.

We saw three does at the zoo.


October

There are 31 days in October.


y

Y is the twenty-fifth (25th) letter of the alphabet.

"y" comes after "x" and before "z"


the

Used when your listener will know which one you mean.

Compare "I went into a room." and "I went into the kitchen."

Used with a stress, to show that the word following is special.

Are you the John Smith that I went to school with?

Used with an adjective that acts like a noun to mean all of the people or things concerned.

The poor need our help.

Used with superlatives forms of adjectives and adverbs.

You are the best.


English

English is a language spoken by around 800 million people. The main places where English is spoken include:

The United States of America

The United Kingdom

India, Pakistan, Australia and all the other countries of the old British Empire.


English

English (positive)
more English (comparative)
most English (superlative)

The English refers to the people who live in England.

The English don't care for people like that.

Something that is English is related to England, its people or its culture.

I prefer the English accent.

I am English.


noun

A noun is a kind of word that is usually the name of a person, place, thing, quality, or idea. In English, nouns can be the subject or object of a sentence. They can be singular or plural.

The words "cat", "home", "bread", "Sue" and "sunshine" are nouns.


am

be (canonical)
am, is, are (present)
was, were (past)
been (past participle)
being (present participle)

A form of the verb be used about the person speaking

I am hungry. Is there any food around?

Am I right?


jelly

fruit juice mixed with sugar, then canned; especially grape.

I like jelly on my toast.

The children celebrated by eating bowls of jelly.

It turned into jelly.


year

A measure of the time taken for the earth to circle the sun - any 12 month period

There are 12 months in one year

There are 365 days in a year and 366 days in leap years.

The 12 month period between one January and the next. In the western world, years are numbered from the birth of Christ, starting at 1.

Simple English Wiktionary was started in the year 2005.


did

Sally did her homework.

Who did this?


did

The past tense of do as an auxiliary verb.

Where did you go for your holiday?

She did not like the movie.


purple

purple (positive)
more purple (comparative)
most purple (superlative)


dictionary

dictionary (singular)
dictionaries (plural)

A dictionary is a book that tells you what words mean, and how to spell them. A lot of dictionaries will also tell you about etymology (where words come from) and pronunciation (how to speak them).

You are reading an online dictionary right now.

The words in a printed dictionary are in alphabetical order.

I looked up the dictionary to find the meaning of the word business.


ant

An ant is an insect that walks and goes in groups.

Don't step on those ants.


blue

The sky was a deep blue above her and golden yellow beyond the village.

The wall was a mix of watery blues and greens.


blue

blue (positive)
bluer (comparative)
bluest (superlative)

He had blue eyes.

He was very blue that day.

It was a blue day at school when he failed the test.


key

A key is a small instrument, usually metal used to open locks.

I put my key in the lock and turned it.

Type your name and hit the ENTER key.

A key is the part of a keyboard instrument you press with your fingers to play a sound.

The piano has a pattern of black and white keys.

The key in music is the tonal centre of a piece of music.

Mozart's Symphony No.40 is written in the key of G minor.


key

key (positive)
more key (comparative)
most key (superlative)

Something that is key, is an important or a main thing.

Accuracy is a key part of playing music.


key

key (canonical)
keys (third-person singular)
keyed (past)
keyed (past participle)
keying (present participle)

To key is to lock something with key, or like using a key.

The locksmith was called in to key the building for better security.

To key is to enter information into a computer.

He keyed in all the data from the survey.


colour

The image caused by light in your eyes, due to light of various wavelengths hitting your retina.

My favorite colour is blue.

The colour of a person's skin, especially as an indicator of their race or ethnicity


colour

colour (canonical)
colours (third-person singular)
coloured (past)
coloured (past participle)
colouring (present participle)

Rose coloured the drawing with a pencil.


z

Z is the twenty-sixth (26th), and last letter of the alphabet.

"z" comes after "y"


measurement

measurement (singular)
measurements (plural)

Measurement is the act of measuring something.

Measurement is the amount of something which is found by measuring it.

The measurement of flour you need is four cups.


again

They didn't understand the answer, so they asked again.


knowledge

knowledge (singular)
knowledges (plural)

He shared his knowledge with you.


was

A form of the verb be used to talk about yourself, or another person in the past.

I was singing in the shower.

Who was that girl you were talking to?


were

A form of the verb be used about the person you are talking to.

Only you were doing it right.

A form of the verb be used about more than one person.

We were going home.

You all were staying late.

They were all playing in the band.

A form of the verb be used with the word if.

If I were rich, I would retire.

A form of the verb be used about things you wish for.

I wish it were the weekend.


domestic

domestic (positive)
more domestic (comparative)
most domestic (superlative)

Domestic issues relate to issues inside one country, not affecting other countries.

He believes the public is ready for change in domestic and foreign policy.

Domestic issues related to the issues inside one home.

He does his domestic chores.

The level of domestic violence against women and children is very high.

Domestic animals are animals usually kept by humans.

Diseases from domestic animals will often kill wild animals.


when

"When did you start learning English?" – "Three years ago."

"When does the film start?" – "At seven o'clock."

When was the last time you went to your local library?

She phoned me when I was in the bath.

It was the year 1996 when I met John.

When I get up, I always drink a cup of coffee.


been

We have been to the Zoo.

We had been there before.

After one more trip, we will have been there five times.


plough

A tool used to cut ground before planting.

He took the plough out of the shed.


plough

plough (canonical)
ploughs (third-person singular)
ploughed (past)
ploughed (past participle)
ploughing (present participle)

He will plough the field by sundown.


desire

She has a desire to win.

Love is my desire.


desire

desire (canonical)
desires (third-person singular)
desired (past)
desired (past participle)
desiring (present participle)

To wish for something, to want something.

I desire your company.


plow

An old plow was stuck in the field.


plow

plow (canonical)
plows (third-person singular)
plowed (past)
plowed (past participle)
plowing (present participle)

Aaron plowed the field in the spring.


arm

One of the upper limbs people have; arms start at the shoulder and go down to the wrist, sometimes the hand is included.


arm

arm (canonical)
arms (third-person singular)
armed (past)
armed (past participle)
arming (present participle)

To give or sell weapons to a person, group, or country.

Our taxes pay to arm the military.

To get a tool or a weapon ready for action; to activate.

Remember to arm the alarm system.


daughter

A daughter is a female child of someone.

I am her father and she is my daughter.


fat

fat (positive)
fatter (comparative)
fattest (superlative)

If a person or animal is fat, it is big and heavy because it has too much fat.

I got really fat when I was in university because I ate every meal at McDonalds.


fat

Fat is animal tissue with a high oil content.

Let's get the light cheese. It only has 15% fat. The regular cheese has 35%.


gray

One of the colors people can see. It is halfway between black and white.

I like the darker color of gray.

They look out into the gray.


gray

gray (positive)
grayer (comparative)
grayest (superlative)

That is a gray whale.


gray

gray (canonical)
grays (third-person singular)
grayed (past)
grayed (past participle)
graying (present participle)

My hair is starting to gray.


grey

I like the darker color of grey.

They look out into the grey.


grey

grey (positive)
greyer (comparative)
greyest (superlative)

That is a grey whale.


grey

grey (canonical)
greys (third-person singular)
greyed (past)
greyed (past participle)
greying (present participle)

My hair is starting to grey.


are

be (canonical)
am, is, are (present)
was, were (past)
been (past participle)
being (present participle)

A present-tense form of the verb be used about the person or people you are talking to.

Hello John, how are you?

Are you all hungry?

A present-tense form of the verb be used about more than one person.

We are all happy.

Are we there yet?

John and Mary are playing.


fact

A fact is a piece of information that is true.

That is not just my idea, it is a fact.

He collects little-known facts.


an

An is used when you don't expect your listener to identify which thing you mean.

I just ate an apple.

It is indeed an honor to have met you today.


bridge

Anything which avoids something which blocks a path, usually water, by going over the top of it.

The Golden Gate Bridge connects the two sides of California.

The bridge let cars go over the road, to avoid the traffic.


bridge

bridge (canonical)
bridges (third-person singular)
bridged (past)
bridged (past participle)
bridging (present participle)

:
 This short section needs someone to add to it.


in

Used to show that something is inside something else.

The cat is in the box.

Used to show that someone is at home, or is available.

Is John in?

The Doctor is now in.

Used to show movement towards the inside.

The rain came in through the window.

Used to introduce an explanation or clarification of the previous statement with a that clause.

Toronto is a little different, in that it's not quite as cold.


kitten

Our cat has just had kittens.

The kitten is playing with its mother.

A kitten is a young rabbit, rat, squirrel, fox or badger.


kitten

kitten (canonical)
kittens (third-person singular)
kittened (past)
kittened (past participle)
kittening (present participle)

When a cat kittens, it gives birth to kittens.


be

This verb tells us that a thing is present, or in a place.

The book is on the table.

There was someone in the room.

Were you at the party?

The party was on Saturday.

The next meeting will be here.

Go somewhere; visit someone (only in the perfect tense).

I've never been to Disneyland.

The book is blue.

They were sad about losing the match.

John is 35 years old this year.

I'm fine.

He'd like to be a doctor.

The film was terrible!

The book is 5 euro.

Look, Mummy! I'm being a dog! Woof, woof!

We use a form of be and a gerund-participle to make progressive aspect.

He is sitting on the chair.

I've been waiting for half an hour.

They will be leaving on Tuesday.


as

A word that is used to compare two things that are equal.

As you know, we need more workers.

I baked the cake as my mother used to.

Nothing is the same as it used to be.

The room looks just as before.

The speech, as he remembered it, was very powerful.

The measures as taken by the government were effective.

The company might end up dragging its feet and leaving the matter unsettled, as it used to be.

A word that is used to show that two things happened at the same time.

Just as I went out, it started to rain.

We sleep as the world turns in darkness.

A word that is used to show why something happens.

As I couldn't understand French, I didn't watch the film.

A word that is used to express concession.

Interesting as it seems, I don't think I'll get it.

The house was reported as being in excellent condition.

The police do not regard him as being dangerous.

Several pupils were designated as having moderate or severe learning difficulties.

I always think of you as one of the family.

She rates his work as creative.


as

You are younger than I am, but nearly as tall.

This is not as good as it was last time.

It remained as much a chimera as ever.


do

do (canonical)
do (present)
does (third-person singular)
did (past)
don't (present negative)
doesn't (third-person singular negative)
didn't (past negative)

Do is an auxiliary verb. It is used in questions, negative statements, short answers, and for emphasis when there is no other auxiliary.

Questions

Short answer

Negative statements

Emphasis (do not use this too much)

We sometimes use do in place of a different verb, such as when we do not know what an activity is, or we do not want to say it again:

What is he doing?

Mary eats more than John does.


do

do (canonical)
does (third-person singular)
did (past)
done (past participle)
doing (present participle)

When you do something, you perform, complete or work on a task.

Mary is doing her homework.

We all did the cleaning together.

I've got a lot to do.

"What do you do?" - "I'm a baker."

"How did John do in the tennis match?" - "He lost."

"How is your leg doing?" - "Oh, it feels much better, thank you."

To write or draw something, usually in a short time

He did a picture of a tree.

He did an essay on Shakespeare.


do

She came to work with a new do.

Correct actions. (almost always in plural and generally with "don'ts")

Willy will tell you all the dos and don'ts.


bad

bad (positive)
worse (comparative)
worst (superlative)

The man who killed his wife was very bad.

Skipping school is a bad thing to do.

Debts can go bad when a debtor has gone bankrupt.

Could things get any worse than this?

This is the worst time I've had all year!


week

A week is a period of time that lasts seven days.

There are seven days in one week.


automatic

/ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk/

/ˌɔtəˈmætɪk/

If something is automatic, it works by itself.

A washing machine is automatic.


automatic

automatic (singular)
automatics (plural)

/ˌɔːtəˈmætɪk/

/ˌɔtəˈmætɪk/

A car that changes the gear by itself is called an automatic.

The car is not manual shift, it is automatic.

A gun that continues to fire while the trigger is pressed is called an automatic.

That machine gun is an automatic.


simple

simple (positive)
simpler (comparative)
simplest (superlative)

A simple task is easy to do and easy to understand.

Baking this cake is very simple as it only has 3 steps.

It's a simple book for learners to read and understand.

Something that is simple is basic and not complicated.

She was poor and only had a simple dress.

Their plan was very simple.

A simple person is not intelligent (we sometimes use this in a bad way)

He isn't a bad boy, he's just a little simple.

In grammar, the simple aspect is used when the speaker sees the situation as complete (compare progressive aspect).

"I run" is the present simple; "I'm running" is the present progressive.


simple

A simple is a medicine that is prepared only from one plant.


simple

simple (canonical)
simples (third-person singular)
simpled (past)
simpled (past participle)
simpling (present participle)

When you simple things (especially herbs), you are trying to gather simples.


and

You use and to talk about two things at once.

I like singing and reading.

Mary and Jane went on a holiday together.

You use and when you are listing a few things and you are now on your last item of the list.

I like singing, reading, cycling and playing soccer.

I used to like this girl from my class as she is pretty, gentle and caring.

And is used when you are putting some sentences together.

She came into the store, shouted at the cashier, and left.

Used to show what happened after something else.

The alarm went off and I woke up.

And is used to join certain numbers together.

Two hundred and thirty-five people went missing after the earthquake.


weather

The weather in a place is the air temperature, the number of clouds, and the amount of wind and rain or snow.

The weather conditions at the airport are bad. I don't think the plane will be able to fly.

The radio says the hot summer weather is going to continue for a few more days.


weather

weather (canonical)
weathers (third-person singular)
weathered (past)
weathered (past participle)
weathering (present participle)

To weather is to be changed by the effects of sun, wind, ice or rain.

The old house had weathered badly.


red

red (positive)
redder (comparative)
reddest (superlative)


cloud

A cloud is a collection of condensed water vapor floating in the sky that sometimes makes rain.

Those dark storm clouds are quickly getting closer.

A cloud is a group or swarm of something.

The cloud of locusts flew closer to the corn.


cloud

cloud (canonical)
clouds (third-person singular)
clouded (past)
clouded (past participle)
clouding (present participle)

If something is clouded, it becomes foggy or gloomy; it becomes blocked from sight.

The sky clouded over.

If something is clouded, it becomes obscure.

Don't cloud the issue.


insect

A type of small animal with an external skeleton and six legs.

I killed a large insect in the bathroom.

crickets, ants, ladybugs, and flies are insects.

The mayor thought of her as a mere insect.


puppy

My new puppy is so cute and playful.


journey

Timothy left on a long journey.


journey

journey (canonical)
journeys (third-person singular)
journeyed (past)
journeyed (past participle)
journeying (present participle)

If you journey to somewhere, you travel there.

We journeyed from town to town.


why

Why did you say that?

Why did you try to steal money from this shop?

Used to talk about the reason for something.

I wonder why he did that.

Used to give more information about the reason for something.

Can you tell me the reason why he did that?


why

Used to show a person's surprise or impatience about something.

Why! Thank you for the present.


why

Whenever you begin to write an essay, please do not forget to talk about the who, the what, the when, the where, the why and the how.

(plural: whies) (UK) A why is a young cow or woman.


fertile

fertile (positive)
more fertile (comparative)
most fertile (superlative)

Fertile land is land on which crops can grow well.

That field is fertile.

A fertile person, animal, or plant is one that can produce children or offspring.

The average fertile female cat gives birth once or twice a year.

If someone has a fertile imagination, brain, or mind, they create a lot of interesting new ideas.


being

Being happy is my favorite state.

I hope you are all being good.


being

You are a human being.


being

You use being to show the reason for something.

The mother is very happy, being that her son has become a college student.


language

A language is all the words used by a group of people, and grammar (the rules for making them into sentences). People who speak the same language can understand each other; people speaking different languages cannot understand each other.

The English language has easy grammar but difficult spelling and pronunciation.

Language is the usage of words in a specific subject, the vocabulary of the subject.

This document is written in legal language, only lawyers can understand it.

There is a special chemistry language that you need to use when answering questions in the chemistry examinations.

Language is the special usage of words in a passage of text.

The language in this document is very offensive and biased.

A language refers to computer language, a group of code that tells a computer or machine what to do.

There are many programming languages out there, it really depends on what kind of software that you are trying to create.

Language is vulgarities and profanities.

Please mind your language! It is very rude to talk to people like that!

A language is a flat plate in or below the flue pipe of an organ, a languet.


language

language (canonical)
languages (third-person singular)
languaged (past)
languaged (past participle)
languaging (present participle)

When you language with someone, you talk to the person using a language.


mammal

A mammal is one member of a large group of animals with warm blood, fur, and milk production abilities.


word

Words are the smallest meaningful pieces of a language that can be used on their own.

Do you even understand the words I am saying?!

Class, if you are not sure on any word, be sure to check the dictionary.

Can I have a word with you, John?

Mr. Gambini, a word with you, please?

She gave him her word that she would pay him the money on Tuesday.

You have my word for it that the work will be finished before the weekend.

Send word to John that Mary is here.

The word is that Mary stole some money from John.

When Christians speak about the Bible, they sometimes call it the Word.


word

word (canonical)
words (third-person singular)
worded (past)
worded (past participle)
wording (present participle)

When you word something, you are trying to say or write it using certain words and to phrase it in a certain way.

The mayor's speech was carefully worded to avoid offending the angry protesters.


kick

I gave the door a kick.

I get a kick out of talking to her.


kick

kick (canonical)
kicks (third-person singular)
kicked (past)
kicked (past participle)
kicking (present participle)

If you kick someone or something, you attack or hit it with your foot.

She kicked the door down.

She was kicked in the face.


door

A piece of a wall that can be opened (leaving a hole in the wall to walk through) or closed (covering the hole). Some doors are on hinges; others slide.

Please open the door for him. His hands are full.


ill

ill (positive)
more ill (comparative)
most ill (superlative)

Sick, not well. If you are ill, you have bad health, you might have a disease.

One boy died and the other is seriously ill in the hospital.

If you are ill you are angry or disturbed.

You are making me ill with your attacks.


ill

:
 This short section needs someone to add to it.


cow

A common farm animal, the female cattle.

milk comes from cows.

The female of several other kinds of animal, such an elephant cow or a whale cow.


financial

A financial problem, issue, activity or other thing is about money or business.

Our sales are down and we have serious financial problems.

The government is giving financial help to people buying houses.


down

What goes up on earth must fall down.

Towards a smaller price, number, amount, etc.

I'm going to buy a computer once prices go down.


down

Down is soft feathers or a covering of soft feathers.

That pillow is full of down.


down

down (canonical)
downs (third-person singular)
downed (past)
downed (past participle)
downing (present participle)

If you down a liquid, normally an alcoholic drink, it means you drink it very quickly.

Harry downed a glass of beer in five seconds.


assistance

assistance (singular)
assistances (plural)

If you give someone or something assistance, you give help or support.

The company may also provide financial assistance to single mothers.


about

You use about to say what subject something is related to.

Let's not talk about her problems.

If something moves about, it moves in many directions.

He walked about the place, looking everywhere.

Having to do with, concerning, regarding.

I will talk about dogs.

They're about the same.

We're here just about every week.

About two years ago, I started skiing.


about

If something is about to happen, it will happen very soon.

Please be seated. We're about to begin.


i

The ninth letter or the alphabet; previous H, next J. I is a vowel.


day

24 hours

Seven days make one week

The time between midnight and the following midnight (or between sunset and sunset in Jewish reckoning)

The time between sunrise and sunset, when it is daylight
Synonym: daytime

Antonyms: night and nighttime

The part of a day spent at work or school
Synonyms: workday and schoolday

He spent two days at work means that on two days he went to work; he did not spend 48 hours at work.


sugar

Sugar is a small white powder. It looks like salt, but it tastes sweet. Some people put it in tea.

This cookie recipe says you should use two cups of sugar, but I think that will be too sweet. One cup is enough.


sugar

sugar (canonical)
sugars (third-person singular)
sugared (past)
sugared (past participle)
sugaring (present participle)


fiction

Fiction refers to things that were made up and are not true.

A story that is invented instead of being based on facts.

The events in that story did not happen so it is fiction.


quite

The dog was quite little.

She was quite good to me.

The evening was quite dark and I saw a small frog jump across the road.


quite

"Is the answer correct?" "Quite!"


vessel

She poured the milk into another vessel.

It was the best vessel in the water.


mountain

A natural rise of the Earth's surface having considerable mass

We visited that mountain last year. The scenery was beautiful.


spell

spelled (past)
spelled (past participle)
spell (canonical)
spells (third-person singular)
spelt (past)
spelt (past participle)
spelling (present participle)

C, A and T spell cat.

To say or write all the letters that make up a word, in the right order.

Jack says: "Spell cat for me, Jill."

Jill says: "C-A-T."

To spell all the words in a language correctly.

Jack says: I thought cat was spelled K-A-T.

Jill says: That is because you cannot spell very well.


spell

He stayed in his house for quite a spell.

We've had a bad spell of weather.

Words supposed to have a magical power, or the effect they are supposed to have.

He cast a spell on us.

The witch cast an evil spell on the princess.


night

Night is the opposite of day. It is the time between sunset and sunrise when the sky is dark.

During the day we usually go hiking in the mountain. Then at night, we come back to the hotel to get some sleep.

We woke up at night because of the thunder.


night

A clipping of good night. It is a shorter way for people who get along well to say "good night".


verb

A verb is a kind of word that usually tells about an action or a state and is the head of a sentence. In English, verbs are the only kind of word that changes to show past or present tense. See verb examples.

In the sentence My father works on a farm, the verb is works.


verb

verb (canonical)
verbs (third-person singular)
verbed (past)
verbed (past participle)
verbing (present participle)

To verb a word is to turn it into a verb.

The word "access" used to just be a noun, but then it got verbed.


home

Where a person lives. Usually, where people keep their things that they are not carrying, and where they sleep.


home

If you go home, you go to the place where you live.

He brought the money straight home to his mother.

If you are home, you are in the place where you live.

I'm home all evening, so give me a call.


q

The seventeenth (17th) letter of the alphabet. Most words with q have a u as the next letter, for example aqua.

"q" comes after "p" and before "r"


specific

specific (positive)
more specific (comparative)
most specific (superlative)

If you talk about a specific idea, person, group, or thing, you mean that it is different from or more interesting than other things like it; you might also mean that you know exactly which one you are talking about.

The interviewer uses a checklist to make sure that specific areas are covered.

If something is specific, it is detailed, clear, and limited.

Last time, he was happy to do anything, but feels this time he has to be more specific.

First I will talk about farming in general, and then I will talk about the specific problems of wheat farming.


food

Food is what people and animals eat for nutrition or pleasure when they are hungry.

We grow our own food.

He eats many foods from other lands.

I'm going to get the children some food from the restaurant because they're hungry.


city

A city is large area where many people live and work, larger than a town.

Tokyo and New York are two of the world's largest cities.

There's too much crime in this city.

The city is the government that has power over a city.

A city usually builds roads and parks, and keeps them in good shape.

The city has its offices in a building called a city hall.

The mayor asked city council to reduce taxes.

The city is the people who live in the city.

The city is afraid of the change.


billion

ordinal billionth) The number 1,000,000,000 (or 1,000,000,000,000 in old British usage).

In 2006, China had about 1.3 billion people.


billion

Billions of dollars have been spent on the war in Iraq.


sail

A sail is a large piece of fabric (cloth) to catch wind, used on a boat or a ship.

They folded the sail.


sail

sail (canonical)
sails (third-person singular)
sailed (past)
sailed (past participle)
sailing (present participle)

If you sail, you move by catching the wind, usually by ship on water.

They sail around the world every year in their boat.

If you sail, you travel on a boat or ship.

We sailed across the Atlantic to reach Spain.

We sailed the ship to the east of the island.


sector

A sector is a part or division of an area, especially part of the economy.

Service sector jobs, such as restaurant jobs, are often low paying.

The government is placing a large number of private businesses in the public sector.

I am going to go patrol the south sector.


secretary

secretary (singular)
secretaries (plural)

A secretary is a person who works in an office, helping with typing letters, filing, and other simple tasks.

I will ask my secretary to write to them.


verse

Words that use rhythm and good sounds, like the words of a song but with no music.

It was a book of verse.

That is found in the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verse sixteen.


verse

verse (canonical)
verses (third-person singular)
versed (past)
versed (past participle)
versing (present participle)

If you verse, then you study a subject in depth.

He has become well versed in the classics.


art

An art is a skill that produces works of creative expression and can be mastered through study and practice. Arts are often contrasted with sciences.

painting, music and writing are arts.

She has making baskets down to an art.

Art is creation by means of an art. common examples of art are paintings and photographs, but songs and even buildings can be art, too.

The gallery has many pieces of art.


is

be (canonical)
am, is, are (present)
was, were (past)
been (past participle)
being (present participle)

A form of the verb be when talking about someone or something else.

He is late for class.

Is it hot in here?


b

"b" comes after "a" but before "c"

In some schools, a B is a fairly high grade.

Charles got a B in his maths test.


a

A is used when you don't expect your listener to identify which thing you mean.

Compare "A book I saw on the shelf" and "The book I gave you yesterday".


a

The letter "a" comes before "b".

In some schools, an A is a very high grade.

Ron got an A on his earth science test.


month

A measure of time, approximately equal to the time taken for the moon to circle the earth.

There are between 28 and 31 days in one month.

There are 12 months in one year.


morning

Morning is the time of day when people wake up to have breakfast and go to work or school. In most cases, it is also the time of sunrise.

It was cold when the Sun rose in the morning, but after lunch it became warm.


morning

A clipping of good morning. Morning can be a greeting, similar to hello. Morning should only used in the morning.

Morning, Kath!


money

money (singular)
moneys or monies (plural)

Money is the coins or notes that are used to pay for things.

Money is a tool that is used to pay for goods or services.

You don't want to spend your money on an ice cream. You can buy something else.


father

The father of a person is the man who is one of that person's parents.

The father of Bill Smith IV is Bill Smith III.


father

father (canonical)
fathers (third-person singular)
fathered (past)
fathered (past participle)
fathering (present participle)

To have children (only applies to males)

He fathered six children in six years.


may

To be allowed to; to have permission to do something

"May I sit here?" "Yes, go ahead. The seat is empty."

You may not smoke, this area is "no smoking".

If you say something may happen or may be true, you mean there is a chance that it is true.

He may be lying, but I'm not sure.

It may rain today.


absolutely

If something is absolutely true, correct, etc., it's 100% so.

I agree. You're absolutely right.

I'm not absolutely sure, but I think it's OK.

If something is absolutely beautiful, brilliant, etc., it's very much so.

"It was wonderful," Martha said. "Absolutely wonderful! The best!"

You say there is absolutely nothing, to emphasise that there is nothing.

I have absolutely no idea why he said that.


his

If you say something is his thing, you mean it belongs to a particular man or boy.

It is his book, not mine.

His is used, instead of the name of an object, to refer to something belonging to a man or boy.

It isn't my book, it is his.


grammar

Grammar is the rules about how to speak and write well in a language. Grammar includes syntax (what order to put words in), morphology (how to make different forms of a word) and conjugation (what form of a word to use).


s

The nineteenth (19th) letter of the alphabet.

"s" comes after "r" and before "t"


tomorrow

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Nattes à chat-tomorrow.wav

Tomorrow is my day off.

I'll see you tomorrow evening.

I will go to school tomorrow.

Tomorrow's meeting should be short.

The city of tomorrow will be much cleaner than cities now.


available

available (positive)
more available (comparative)
most available (superlative)

If something is available, it exists and you can use it.

We can't answer the question with the available information.

These forms are available from the local office.


question

Something someone says to have someone else say an answer.

The question is: "How much money do we have?"

It was a question of right and wrong.


question

question (canonical)
questions (third-person singular)
questioned (past)
questioned (past participle)
questioning (present participle)

To say questions to someone; to ask someone questions.

She questioned him fully.

To have an idea that something may be true or may not be true.

They questioned whether he was right .


heavy

heavy (positive)
heavier (comparative)
heaviest (superlative)

This suitcase is very heavy.


that

Used to show which thing we are talking about; used with things that are not close to the speaker.

Give me that book, not this one.

Give me that, not this.

That dog is hungry.


that

You use that to mark a clause as subordinate.

You said that you liked me.

Give me the book that I dropped.

That it won't work is clear.

Fool that she was, Mary didn't accept John's proposal.


brother

Your brother is another male child of one or both of your parents.

Two sisters and their brother died in a car accident early yesterday.


brunet

He is a brunet.


brunet

(Of a man or boy) Brown or black-haired.

His hair is brown. He is brunet.


family

A family is a group of people with a blood or marriage relation.

My parents and my two brothers are my family.

A language family is a group of languages that is believed to have came from the same language.

The Indo-European language family is a family of languages that is spoken by 3 billion people.


n

The fourteenth (14th) letter of the alphabet.

"n" comes after "m" and before "o"


hour

There are 60 minutes in one hour.

There are 24 hours in one day.


method

If you use a method to achieve a goal, then you use a planned process.

It is quite simple to use the method described in section 7.2 to find the solution.

My preferred method for contacting friends overseas is on the Internet.


h

"g" comes before "h"


albatross

albatross (singular)
albatrosses (plural)

A type of seabird that is usually found in the Southern Ocean and in the North Pacific, with a curved beak and long, thin wings.

The albatross flew over the ocean.

A long amount of time where one is continually worried.

A double eagle, or three under par on any one hole.


cat

A cat is a domestic animal often kept as a pet; it has whiskers and likes to chase mice.

Our pet cat has just had kittens.

Cats refers to the family of many different wild animals that are related to the domestic cat.

lions and tigers are big cats.

A cat refers to a person who is a prostitute.

The cat command, a Unix computer program used to read one or more files and output its contents.


cat

cat (canonical)
cats (third-person singular)
catted (past)
catted (past participle)
catting (present participle)

If you cat an anchor, you lift it onto the cathead.

When you cat, you apply the cat command on a Unix computer.


cat

When something is cat, it is terrible and not good.

The weather these few days has been cat, so we decided to cancel our outing to the beach.


pink

Pink is the color that you get when you mix red and white.

A pink is a type of plant that grows flowers. Pinks are related to carnations.


pink

pink (positive)
pinker (comparative)
pinkest (superlative)


window

A piece of glass in a wall to let people see through it.

He looked out the window.


all

All of something is 100% of it, or the entire amount.

Well, you could stay in bed all day on Friday. And I could take the kids to school.

You know, you can't see all of the moon.

"There was a problem." "Yes, I know all about it."

No! You did it all wrong.

Can you tell me all this tomorrow?

I think we all know we have to change.

The shirt is almost all white.

Is that all you can do?

All of some things is 100% of them, or every one.

And then you can go and tell all your friends about it.

Not all of them are as wealthy as you imagine.


all

If you give your all or put your all into something, you make the maximum effort possible.

He puts his all into every game.


discuss

discuss (canonical)
discusses (third-person singular)
discussed (past)
discussed (past participle)
discussing (present participle)

They discussed the issue.


process

A process is a series of steps that you take for a particular purpose.

Let us look at the factors considered during the formal decision-making process.

A process is an outward extension of bone from a larger bone or piece of tissue.

The xiphoid process is located beneath your sternum.


process

process (canonical)
processes (third-person singular)
processed (past)
processed (past participle)
processing (present participle)

If you process something, you change it from its natural state into something that's ready to use.

The oil companies process much of the crude oil into gasoline.

The processed sugar is now completely white.

There's too much information. I can't process all of it right now.


iron

An element with the symbol Fe and the atomic number 26.

A way to melt iron at very high temperatures to make steel was developed in Sri Lanka in 300 BC.

About 20% of women have low levels of iron in their blood.

An object that has iron in it is attracted to magnets.

That door is made of iron.

A tool which uses heat to remove wrinkles from cloth.

She used the iron on her skirt.


iron

iron (canonical)
irons (third-person singular)
ironed (past)
ironed (past participle)
ironing (present participle)

He irons his shirts.


m

The thirteenth (13th) letter of the alphabet.

"m" comes after "l" and before "n".

This is the Roman numeral for thousand (1,000). It may be written as M or m.


m

The bank reported a profit of $50m this year.


tax

The city is raising taxes again.


tax

tax (canonical)
taxes (third-person singular)
taxed (past)
taxed (past participle)
taxing (present participle)

If you tax someone, you make them pay a tax.

Some people say governments tax poor people too much.

If an activity is taxing, it causes difficulty or makes you tired.


estimate

An estimate is a judgement of a size, value, amount, cost, etc., which is based on incomplete information.

British Telecom will give you an estimate of the cost before doing any work.


estimate

estimate (canonical)
estimates (third-person singular)
estimated (past)
estimated (past participle)
estimating (present participle)

If you estimate the number, size, value, amount, cost, etc. of something, you guess based on incomplete information.

It's difficult to estimate how long it will take to get to London because we don't know how bad the traffic will be.


bitter

bitter (positive)
more bitter (comparative)
most bitter (superlative)

The taste of black coffee and many medicines is bitter. This is the taste of a chemical base.

yuk! That tastes bitter.

A bitter person is angry for a long time.

She still feels bitter towards him because of something he did last year.

A bitter situation, it is very unpleasant and difficult to deal with.

There's a bitter wind.


bitter

"I'd like a pint of bitter please, barman."


daily

used to describe something done every day.

He kept a daily diary.


daily

He showers daily.


French door

French door (singular)
French doors (plural)

A French door is a door with a window in it, often used in the plural.

He left through the French doors.


quick

quick (positive)
quicker (comparative)
quickest (superlative)

Using very little time; moving far in little time.

You are able to run very quickly.

I will wash quickly.

He learns quickly.


quick

quick (positive)
quicker (comparative)
Superlativequickest

He finished quick.


son

I am his son.


u

The twenty-first (21st) letter of the alphabet. It is a vowel.

"u" comes after "t" and before "v"


duck

A duck is a bird that swims and says "quack!". It has a flat bill and webbed feet.

We saw three ducks in the park lake.

Sound of ducks:

Duck refers to the meat that comes from a duck.

We just had duck for dinner.

In a game of cricket, if a person scores duck, they scored zero runs.


duck

duck (canonical)
ducks (third-person singular)
ducked (past)
ducked (past participle)
ducking (present participle)

If you duck, you lower your head so that you do not get hit by something.

Remember to duck when the boat goes under the bridge.

When you duck a task, you avoid doing it.


crop

Our farm's crops are corn, apples and potatoes.


crop

crop (canonical)
crops (third-person singular)
cropped (past)
cropped (past participle)
cropping (present participle)

I cropped the picture to a size of 4 centimetres by 5 centimetres.

To cut off the top of something, often a plant.


early

early (positive)
earlier (comparative)
earliest (superlative)

If something is early, it is sooner than expected.

It was an early end to the meeting.

If something is early, it happens in the first part of a time period.

He didn't like going to the early classes.


early

He was at the meeting early.

She got up early in the morning.


sea

A place with a large amount of salt water.


lines

The plural form of line; more than one (kind of) line.


lines

line (canonical)
lines (third-person singular)
lined (past)
lined (past participle)
lining (present participle)


air

Air is a mixture of gases. It has no color or odor (smell)

We breathe air to live.

You put on airs when you act arrogantly.

The woman put on the airs in front of her friends.


air

air (canonical)
airs (third-person singular)
aired (past)
aired (past participle)
airing (present participle)

If you air something, you broadcast it, either over the radio, or on television.

Hurry! You'll miss the story about homeless children that is about to air on the local news!


same

Two things are the same if the two things have one size, and one shape, and one color, etc.

Sometimes we wear the same shirt.

The one that was talked about before. A thing is the same thing if there are not two things, there is only one.

That man there is the same man I saw yesterday.


baby

A baby is a very young child, less than two years old, who has not yet learned how to speak.

I used to be a baby but now I am an adult.

A baby cat is called a kitten.


baby

baby (canonical)
babies (third-person singular)
babied (past)
babied (past participle)
babying (present participle)

If you baby someone, you treat them like a baby; you treat them gently and pamper them.

Mom, don't baby me - I can do it myself!


strong

strong (positive)
stronger (comparative)
strongest (superlative)

Having big muscles; physically powerful.

Arnold is very strong.

Having a smell or flavor that is easy to notice.

She wore strong perfume.

The taste of cinnamon was strong in my drink.

Having a specified number of people or units.

The enemy's army force was five thousand strong.


narrow

narrow (positive)
narrower (comparative)
narrowest (superlative)

If something is narrow, it is not wide; it is thin.

The bridge was narrow.

She has a narrow waist.

He has a narrow knowledge of math.


narrow

narrow (canonical)
narrows (third-person singular)
narrowed (past)
narrowed (past participle)
narrowing (present participle)

If something is narrowed, it becomes thinner; it becomes narrower.

He narrowed his eyes in anger.

The road narrows near the lake.


v

The twenty-second (22nd) letter of the alphabet.

"v" comes after "u" and before "w"

This is the Roman numeral for five (5). It can be written as V or v.


yellow

yellow (positive)
yellower (comparative)
yellowest (superlative)

The yellow car moves fast.

His yellow hair shines in the sun.

He wants to date her, but he does not ask because he is yellow.


seabird

LL-Q1860 (eng)-The Editor's Apprentice-seabird.wav

The pelican is a seabird.


east

The east is a place that is closer to where the sun rises than another place.

My parents live in the east.


east

One of the four compass directions: 90º clockwise from north. The sun rises in the east.

I drove east from Chicago.


d

"c" comes before "d"

Liam did not pass this exam because he got a D.


o

The fifteenth (15th) letter of the alphabet. It is a vowel.

"o" comes after "n" and before "p"


person

She is a very nice person.

In grammar, the system of person is related to who is involved in the conversation.

The pronoun I is first person, you is second person, and most other nouns are third person.

A person is an individual with a mind and rights.

The court is trying to decide if an elephant is a legal person.


skill

Being able to do something well. Unlike abilities, skills must usually be learned.

I go to a class every weekend to help me improve on my writing skills.


sound

sound (positive)
sounder (comparative)
soundest (superlative)


sound

any noise; something that can be heard by the ears.

There was a loud sound.


sound

sound (canonical)
sounds (third-person singular)
sounded (past)
sounded (past participle)
sounding (present participle)

If something sounds a particular way, you think it is that way when you hear or read about it.

The restaurant sounds great.


dry

dry (positive)
drier (comparative)
driest (superlative)

If something is dry, it has no water or liquid on it.

The Sahara desert is dry.


dry

dry (canonical)
dries (third-person singular)
dried (past)
dried (past participle)
drying (present participle)

The clothes dried in the sun.

I dried myself after my bath.


you

Used instead of the name of the person being spoken to; it is a second-person pronoun.

You are my best friend.

Can I go to the shops with you?

You have to be 18 years old to see that film.

She has problems with her eyes, and can't see you properly.


you

Used before a word that means the person or people someone is talking to.

You guys can leave now.


color

The image caused by light in your eyes, due to light of various wavelengths hitting your retina.

My favorite color is blue.

The color of a person's skin, especially as an indicator of their race or ethnicity


color

color (canonical)
colors (third-person singular)
colored (past)
colored (past participle)
coloring (present participle)

Rose colored the drawing with a pencil.


skin

Her skin is soft.

The outer layer of a fruit or vegetable; a peel.

He ate the onion, but not the onion skin.


skin

skin (canonical)
skins (third-person singular)
skinned (past)
skinned (past participle)
skinning (present participle)

He skinned the bear and froze the meat.


alphabetical order

If something is in alphabetical order, it is in the order of the letters of the alphabet.

I will put the list in alphabetical order.


l

The twelfth (12th) letter of the alphabet.

"l" comes after "k" and before "m"


j

"j" comes after "h" and before "k"


woman

My wife is a good woman.


non-comparable adjective

non-comparable adjective (singular)
non-comparable adjectives (plural)

"Iron" is a non-comparable adjective.


cut

cut (canonical)
cuts (third-person singular)
cut (past)
cut (past participle)
cutting (present participle)

If you make something shorter or divide it in pieces, you cut it.

Jared cut the meat using his knife and fork.

In the lumber mill, the logs are then cut into boards.

I cut my hand.

They cut the electricity.

The film was cut by ten minutes.

If you remove something to put it somewhere else, you cut it.

Ben cut the text from the Word document and pasted it into another.

If the picture changes from one scene to another, the scene cuts to another.


cut

A scratch, opening in the skin or a surface.

She had a cut on her arm.

There was a cut in prices.

A small piece removed by cutting is a cut.

I will take a cut of beef.


w

The twenty-third (23rd) letter of the alphabet.

"w" comes after "v" and before "x"


god

The gods come from several powerful beings, according to some religions.

The Ancient Greeks believed in many gods. They had a god for thunder, a god for love, and many other gods.

When someone is called a god of something, then that person is very skillful and famous for one thing, as in a god of sport

Wayne Gretzky is sometimes called a god of ice hockey.


god

Used when somebody is surprised or unhappy about something. Some people do not like to use this phrase, as they think this is blasphemy (an insult to God).

My god, not that again!


safe

safe (positive)
safer (comparative)
safest (superlative)

If something is safe, it is not in danger.

I feel safe when I am at home.


safe

A metal box, often locked with a combination lock, for guarding valuable things.

She put her jewelry in the safe.


asset

A thing that has value. It may be worth money, but may just be useful.

One asset was his car and another was his house.

Jimmy's skills have been a real asset to the team.


assist

assist (canonical)
assists (third-person singular)
assisted (past)
assisted (past participle)
assisting (present participle)

She assisted the doctor.

Nurses are available to assist the healing process.


assist

In basketball and some other sports, a pass to another player to let him or her score.

He had eight assists in that game.


sixth

The sixth thing is the one that is number six (6) in order.

He ran in the marathon and came in sixth.


sixth

A sixth is one of six equal parts of one whole.

He gave me a sixth of his orange.


town

She went to a town called Beaverton.

People from England call London "town".


data

Data is information, such as facts, numbers, photographs, etc.

A study using experimental data from ten schools found no difference between methods.


brunette

A girl or woman with brown or black hair.

My mum has brown hair and I am a brunette too.


brunette

A girl or woman that is brown or black-haired.

My sister is brunette, but she pretends she is blonde.


farm

A piece of land where people work growing plants and animals. Usually, a farm makes food for its owners to eat or sell.

We grow cows and apples on our farm.

A farm is a group of coordinated servers.

A server farm.


farm

farm (canonical)
farms (third-person singular)
farmed (past)
farmed (past participle)
farming (present participle)

To grow plants or animals on a piece of land.

My father farms on a large parcel of land for a living.

If you farm in an online game, you engage in repetitive activity for a particular item.


zebra

An animal that somewhat looks like a horse, but has black and white stripes.

We saw zebras while we were in Africa.

By extension, any black and white stripe pattern that looks like a zebra.

I want to paint the room with zebra stripes.


individual

individual (positive)
more individual (comparative)
most individual (superlative)

/ˌɪndɪˈvɪʤuəl/

An individual person or thing is looked at separately from others.

This office assists whole families rather than individual family members.

An individual right, need, etc. belongs to one person, not to a group.

The government should protect not only individual rights but also group values.


individual

individual (singular)
individuals (plural)

/ˌɪndɪˈvɪʤuəl/

An individual is a single person, looked at separately from others.

One of the most difficult parts of growing up is learning to form your own ideas--to become an individual.

A country must balance the rights of individuals with the rights of groups.


talk

talk (canonical)
talks (third-person singular)
talked (past)
talked (past participle)
talking (present participle)

to speak; any sound from a person's mouth.

He talks with him daily.


talk

I liked the talk he gave to the students.

His talk is meaningless.


page

A page is one side of a sheet of paper in a book, newspaper, etc.

The picture of the accident was on page one of the morning's paper.

A page is a sheet of paper in a book, newspaper, etc.

This book has one page missing.

A page is the part of a document that you can see at one time on a computer screen.

A web page is a computer document that can be accessed over the internet.

This site has some of the most visited pages on the web.

A page is a young person whose job is to help important people like knights, or members of parliament.

The pages passed out copies of the new law.


page

page (canonical)
pages (third-person singular)
paged (past)
paged (past participle)
paging (present participle)

If you page someone, make an announcement or send them a message asking them to contact you.

Paging Dr. Horvat! Please, contact the nursing station.

If you need me, just have them page me at the restaurant.

If you page forward, back, through, etc. something with pages, you move from one page to another.

I paged through the magazine, just looking at the pictures.

Use the mouse to page down to the next screen.


worm

A tube-shaped animal with no legs that lives underground, under water, or inside another animal.

He found a big worm to use for fishbait.

They found a worm in his stomach.

Worms must be eating him by now.

They found a worm in the tree.

Saint George fought the worm with all his strength.

A worm is a type of dangerous software that can go across networks of computers.


worm

worm (canonical)
worms (third-person singular)
wormed (past)
wormed (past participle)
worming (present participle)

To move like a worm; to wriggle in order to move.

He wormed along the sand.


car

A car is a small passenger vehicle with four wheels, moved by an engine.

I just drive around in my car all day.

The garage was full so she parked her poor little car on the street.

Three fire trucks and two police cars arrived at the scene of the car accident.

Tony got in the driver's seat and started the car.

We flew into Miami and got a rental car.

Her son crashed the family car, but nobody was hurt.

Sheldon had offered to buy Nicki a used car, a Honda or Toyota, something reliable.

They stopped us at a red light and stole our car.

Us kids made $20 washing the cars in the driveway in front of our parents' house.

I loaded my suitcase and bag in the trunk of my car.

The salesperson at the car dealer tried to sell me a used BMW.

Are we going to be driving Chinese electric cars in a few years?

When the car was going 150 km/h, she took her hands off the wheel and closed her eyes.

Mr. Marquez was known for flashy clothes and jewelry, luxury cars and even a few boats.

A car is one large part of a train that can be added or taken away.


p

The sixteenth (16th) letter of the alphabet.

"p" comes after "o" and before "q"


p

Meet me at 4:30pm.

She wrote her homework in her notebook: "read p 60 – 80".

This quote is from Moby Dick by Herman Melville (p119).


less

little
less (comparative)
least (superlative)

He does less of the work than she does.

I want less soup.

It costs less than $10.

As we build new roads, these small ones will become less important.

He wore a dark colour that was less likely to be seen.


less

If you do x less than y, you do not do x as much as y.

I read less than I used to. = "reading now < reading before"

He works less than she does.

My leg really hurts, but my arm hurts less. = "my arm hurts < my leg hurts"

If you do something less often, easily, well, etc., you do not do it as often, easily, well, etc.

I go out less often than before.

He plays piano less than she does.

If something is less likely, expensive, important, etc., it is not as likely, expensive, important, etc.

This book is less expensive than that book. ="the price of this book < the price of that book"

You should go out. Studying is less important.


less

Seven less four is three. (7-4=3)


doubt

A doubt is a question or uncertainty about something.

His mind was full of doubts about the phishing website.


doubt

doubt (canonical)
doubts (third-person singular)
doubted (past)
doubted (past participle)
doubting (present participle)

If you doubt someone or something, you do not believe them completely.

The girl I met at the pub said she would call me, but I doubt she really will.


dries

You can put on my robe while your shirt dries.

She dries her hair with a blowdryer because she doesn't like how her hair looks when she dries it with a towel.


jump

jump (canonical)
jumps (third-person singular)
jumped (past)
jumped (past participle)
jumping (present participle)

If you jump, you leave the ground completely.

He jumped for joy.

She jumped to her death from the bridge.

The children jumped the water to get to the other side.

If you jump something, you make it leave the ground.

He loved jumping his bicycle.

If you jump, you move suddenly because you are surprised.

I scared her and she jumped.

If you jumpstart a car, you use the battery power from another car.

We used his car to jump ours.


jump

A jump is a movement from the ground to the air.

She took a run before the big jump over the water.

He went off the jump at full speed.

A jump is a jolt or shock used to start a car.

He used his car to give me a jump.

A jump is a sudden movement of surprise.

It seems I surprised her, because she gave a little jump.


mouth

a part of the face used for eating and talking

He opened his mouth to speak.


mouth

mouth (canonical)
mouths (third-person singular)
mouthed (past)
mouthed (past participle)
mouthing (present participle)

To silently speak; to form words with your mouth without making a sound.

He mouthed the answers to her.


trinitrotoluene

trinitrotoluene (singular)
trinitrotoluenes (plural)

Trinitrotoluene is a yellow explosive material that is made up of crystals that are gotten through a reaction with nitric acid and toluene.


variable

A variable is something that may not always be the same.

In life insurance, sex is an important variable because men generally die younger than women.

A variable is something used in mathematics for an unknown value.

In "x = 1 + 2 +...n = ((1 + n) × n)÷2", x is the variable.

A variable is something used in computer programming languages that stores data, such as a number or words.


variable

variable (positive)
more variable (comparative)
most variable (superlative)

If something is variable, it changes often.

The temperature in the area is highly variable.

If a group is variable, there are big differences between things in the group.

The expected height of children in 3rd grade is variable.


current

current (positive)
more current (comparative)
most current (superlative)

Something that is current is up to date.

This news is current.

We bought our home 20 years ago, but we wouldn't be able to buy it at current prices.


current

There is a strong current in that water.

It has a current of nine amperes.


sneeze

sneeze (canonical)
sneezes (third-person singular)
sneezed (past)
sneezed (past participle)
sneezing (present participle)

If you sneeze, a feeling in your nose makes you suddenly blow air out of your nose and mouth.

He sneezed until his nose was red.

You'll give everyone your cold coughing and sneezing like that.


sneeze

A sneeze, is a sudden blowing of air out of your nose and mouth because of a feeling in your nose.

She held her finger under her nose to stop a sneeze.


bird

A bird is a warm-blooded animal that has feathers and wings and lays eggs. Most birds can fly.

A sparrow is a bird and so is a penguin, even though it cannot fly.

When you give someone the bird, you give a vulgar hand gesture where only the middle finger is up.

While I was driving along the highway, someone turned into my lane suddenly, nearly causing an accident. I immediately gave him the bird to show my anger.


bird

bird (canonical)
birds (third-person singular)
birded (past)
birded (past participle)
birding (present participle)

When you bird, you try to catch or shoot birds.

When you bird, you look for wild birds in their natural home and try to identify them.


principle

principle (singular)
principles (plural)

Principles are personal rules that tell you what is right and wrong.

It goes against my principles to ignore her.

One principle I follow is not to have regret.

A principle is the general idea that explains or supports something.

The basic principle of his chair is that the knees should be below the hips.

Police must not accept money because it could affect their judgement. The same principle applies if gifts, etc, are offered.


strange

strange (positive)
stranger (comparative)
strangest (superlative)

My brother is so strange that he can turn his eyelids inside out.

Gerald saw a strange car parked in his driveway.


building

A building consists of walls, a foundation and a roof that together close in some space.

I work in the Chrysler Building.


building

build (canonical)
builds (third-person singular)
built (past)
built (past participle)
building (present participle)

He is building a skyscraper.


ship

We sailed by ship from England to Italy.


ship

ship (canonical)
ships (third-person singular)
shipped (past)
shipped (past participle)
shipping (present participle)

They will ship the package by mail.


table

He sat at the table to eat.

A list of information in rows and columns.

He looked at the data table.


table

table (canonical)
tables (third-person singular)
tabled (past)
tabled (past participle)
tabling (present participle)

We will table a new motion.

I vote to table discussion.


he

A male person or animal without identifying or describing him. The person is normally identified or described earlier in the text or sentence.

The man with the beard played the trumpet. He didn't play very well.

William Shakespeare was an English writer, but he is long dead.

A person or animal that we do not know the gender of.

Kill that spider, before he gets away!.


he

He is the name of the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets such as Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others.


white

White is one of the colors people can see

The white or clear colored part inside an egg.

A person with fair (light) colored skin. Usually this means people of the race that began in Europe, especially northern Europe.


white

white (positive)
whiter (comparative)
whitest (superlative)

Of a race with light skin or the race that began in Europe, especially northern Europe.


cold

cold (positive)
colder (comparative)
coldest (superlative)

If something is cold, it is low in temperature.

The wind made her hands cold.

It's going to be very cold today so wear a jacket.

She's always so friendly to everyone, but she's really cold to him.

If you have cold feet, you are nervous about something you planned to and you feel like not doing it.

I almost took the new job, but in the end I got cold feet.

If you give someone the cold shoulder, you ignore them or you are unfriendly towards them.

If you stop cold, you stop very suddenly.

If you are out cold, you are unconscious.

A cold light or colour is a one, often with some blue, that makes you feel cold or empty.

If you do something cold, you do it without any preparation.

Cold cash is coins and bills, not promises to pay.

If something leaves you cold, it doesn't interest you at all.

If someone's or something's trail is cold, you can't find them because they have been missing for too long.


cold

A mild sickness. It gives your trouble with your nose and throat.

He has a cold, so he stayed in bed, kept warm, and took some medicine.


free

free (positive)
freer (comparative)
freest (superlative)

If something is free, it does not cost money to buy.

This loaf of bread is free. It costs $0.

The government provides free healthcare for people who cannot afford it.

If something is free, it is able to go (move) anywhere easily.

A wild bird is free to go where it likes.

If someone or something is free, it is carefree; it does not have any responsibilities.

When she is not at work, she is free.

If something is free, it is not blocked.

The drain was free of anything blocking it.

If something or someone is free, it is not in use.

This chair does not have anyone sitting in it. It is free.

When something is free, it has no conditions or limitations to using or being in it.

This is a free country. You can have your own freedom of speech here.


free

free (canonical)
frees (third-person singular)
freed (past)
freed (past participle)
freeing (present participle)

If you free something or someone, you release it.

She frees the birds because they do not belong in a cage.

We officially free you from jail. You may go.


g

G is the seventh letter of the alphabet.

"f" comes before "g"


g

This can has 150g of corn.


heart

He has a problem with his heart.

You broke my heart.

We get to the heart of the problem.

He has a lot of heart.


of

His name was Simon of Cyrene.

He wants a piece of that pie.

It is a house of cards.

Call the office of the school president.


trousers

Trousers are clothes worn over the lower body, with two legs.

He put on his trousers.


gold

Gold is a metal, which can be used to make coins and rings. It costs a lot of money to buy. Its symbol is Au on the periodic table and its atomic number is 79.

I keep my gold in a safe.

This is a gold ring


west

The direction that the sun sets; from north, 90º to the left.

He is from the west.


west

One of the four compass directions: 270º clockwise from north. The sun sets in the west.

England is west of France.


edge

His speed gives him an edge.


edge

edge (canonical)
edges (third-person singular)
edged (past)
edged (past participle)
edging (present participle)

He edged the grass.

She edged away from him.


alphabet

An alphabet is a list of the letters used to spell words by representing phonemes.

The first 3 letters of the alphabet are A, B and C.


information

information (singular)
informations (plural)

/ˌɪnfəˈmeɪʃən/

Information is facts, details, numbers, names, and other forms of knowledge.

The nurse can provide you with more information about healthy eating.

computers make it easy to save and search for the information you need.


cup

A cup is deep round container open at the top, normally used to drink out of.

I'll bring you another cup of tea.

Please pour the water into the cup.

A cup is a measurement of food or liquid for cooking and baking (about 237 milliliters).

Add 2 cups of sugar.

There are two cups in a pint.

A cup is an award for the winner of a sports competition.


cup

cup (canonical)
cups (third-person singular)
cupped (past)
cupped (past participle)
cupping (present participle)

If you put your hands together in a round bowl-shape, you cup your hands.

Jean cupped her hands under the faucet to catch the water.


t

The twentieth (20th) letter of the alphabet. It is the second most used letter, after e.

"t" comes after "s" and before "u"


abroad

If somebody goes abroad, they leave their home country and go to another country.

They sent their children to school abroad.

He is going abroad to travel in France and Germany.

If somebody lives abroad, they live in another country.

She spent four years abroad before returning to Brazil.


egg

An egg is a common food that is ball-shaped and can have a baby animal inside, such as a chicken, a fish, a snake, etc.

I had a boiled egg for breakfast.

An egg is a cell in the female's body that can become a baby when it is joined by a male cell.


egg

egg (canonical)
eggs (third-person singular)
egged (past)
egged (past participle)
egging (present participle)

On Halloween, naughty children egg houses.


thunder

He heard thunder in the distance.

The thunder of the train was very loud.

The battlefield was full of the thunder of gunfire.


thunder

thunder (canonical)
thunders (third-person singular)
thundered (past)
thundered (past participle)
thundering (present participle)

The bowling ball thundered down the lane.


earth

I planted some roses in this patch of earth.

Anything made up mostly of rock, sand or soil.

Here is some earth.

There is earth in this box.

Earth is the third planet from the sun, where we live.

The Earth is a planet.

He came from a different earth.

Earth is dry and hot.


paper

Paper is a material for writing and drawing on and is made from wood pulp.

A notebook is made from sheets of paper.

She made a paper airplane.

A paper is a newspaper, magazine, newsletter, etc. Something that is used to inform people about the news.

Is there anything interesting in today's paper?

The interview I had with the press was published in today's paper.

Paper is wallpaper, paper that is pasted onto a wall to decorate the place.

We've put up new paper in the dining room to make the place look prettier.

Paper is wrapping paper, paper used to wrap things such as presents.

The parcel was wrapped in brown paper.

A paper is a written document that reports scientific or academic research.

While in university, the professor had written many papers to publish his research in physics.

A paper is a written document. It is usually shorter than a book and is mainly written for the government.

The population white paper was published to explain the government's plan in managing the increase in the population.

Paper is the documents that a person carries when going to another country or crossing borders.

The corrupted officers took away his papers and was held in the airport for 48 hours.


paper

Supermarkets now use paper bags instead of plastic bags to save the environment.

When someone is paper, it means that the person is good in theory (on paper), but bad in practice or reality.

That person is a paper general. Even though he has received many awards, he has never fought a single war before.


paper

paper (canonical)
papers (third-person singular)
papered (past)
papered (past participle)
papering (present participle)

When you paper something, you hang paper (especially wallpaper) onto it.

I shall paper the dining room tomorrow.


not

"Not" makes a phrase have the opposite meaning.

I was not there.

I am not fat!

The item before "not" is more correct or better than the item after "not".

I wanted tea, not coffee!

It's stupid, not funny.


not

Used to indicate the sentence before is sarcastic or ironic. This means that the sentence has the opposite meaning.

I like doing lots of boring homework. Not!


death

Death and destruction are a part of war.

The Bible teaches that death and suffering came into the world because of Adam's sin.

She looked happy, even in death.

The death of my wife was hard to accept.

She has seen many deaths.

My uncle's death made the whole family feel sad.

No one knows where a person will go after death.


reptile

A reptile is a cold-blooded animal with scales (such as crocodiles or lizards).

A gecko is a type of reptile.


taste

Taste is the sense linked to the tongue, usually when eating food. The taste is how people can enjoy their food.

The main tastes are sweet, sour, salty and bitter.

Wow, these chicken wings taste really good, I want some more!.

Someone's taste, is the kind of food, books, clothing, etc. that they like.

She has great taste in clothes, but I don't understand her taste in men.


taste

taste (canonical)
tastes (third-person singular)
tasted (past)
tasted (past participle)
tasting (present participle)

The way something tastes is the sense you get when you put it in your mouth.

This milk tastes strange. I think it's bad.

This meat tastes like chicken. What is it?

If you taste something, you put it in your mouth to see if you like it.

Here, taste this soup and tell me if it needs more salt.


a lot of

A lot of something, is a large number or a large amount of it.

We paid a lot of money for that car.


bed

At night, I go to bed.

The fish was so far down in the water that it was touching the river's bed.


bed

bed (canonical)
beds (third-person singular)
bedded (past)
bedded (past participle)
bedding (present participle)

By the next week, Josh had bedded Tina and Holly.


because

You use because to show the reason for something.

I bought the book because I wanted to read it.

We have to raise our prices because of rising costs.

There's no class because it's Sunday.


identify

identify (canonical)
identifies (third-person singular)
identified (past)
identified (past participle)
identifying (present participle)

If you identify something, you say what it is.

I showed him the picture and he identified the man as his brother.

The management has identified the key areas of concern.

The study identified three options.

If x identifies y, x makes it easy to know what y is.

If you identify with someone else, you understand and share their feelings.

If x is identified with y, it is closely connected to it.


drink

A drink is a liquid that you take in through your mouth.

He served her a hot drink and some cake.


drink

drink (canonical)
drinks (third-person singular)
drank (past)
drunk (past participle)
drinking (present participle)

If you drink something, usually a liquid, you take it in through your mouth.

I drink coffee in the morning.


battery

A battery is a device for storing or keeping electricity. Batteries are used to power flashlights, laptop computers, cell phones, and many other devices.

I put a new battery in the flashlight.

I threw away the old, dead battery.

A battery is a coordinated group of artillery weapons.

Battery is the act of hitting or striking a person.

My brother was sent to jail for assault and battery.


liquid

A basic state of things that is similar to water. Not solid or gas.

She put the liquid in a glass.


liquid

liquid (positive)
more liquid (comparative)
most liquid (superlative)

A thing that is in the form of a liquid.

He added liquid nitrogen.


fork

An instrument for eating, with 3 or 4 sharp points called tines, all in the same direction.

I ate with my fork.

She came to a fork in the road.

A situation where two or more enemy pieces are in danger from the same piece.

He moved his queen and caught me in a fork.


fork

fork (canonical)
forks (third-person singular)
forked (past)
forked (past participle)
forking (present participle)

The road forks there.

He forked food into his mouth.


camera

An object that takes pictures digitally or on film.

I took a picture of the mountain with my camera.

A machine that records or broadcasts moving pictures.

The shooting was caught on camera.

A Latin word meaning room and used in English only for rooms where laws are discussed


pain

He was in pain, because his leg was broken.

He wouldn't go away and was a real pain.


pain

pain (canonical)
pains (third-person singular)
pained (past)
pained (past participle)
paining (present participle)

It pains him to have to say goodbye.


snow

Snow is precipitation (falling water) that is white and frozen.

I like to ski on the snow.

A snow is a time when snow falls from the sky.

The snows of winter will soon come.


snow

snow (canonical)
snows (third-person singular)
snowed (past)
snowed (past participle)
snowing (present participle)

If it is snowing, snow is coming down from the sky.

It snowed last night and everything is white now.


absorption

absorption (singular)
absorptions (plural)

Absorption is taking in a gas or liquid through very small holes.

Good water absorption properties make sponges useful for soaking up water.

Absorption is the state of being completely occupied by something.

Sam's absorption in his book made him forget to eat dinner.


burden

burden (canonical)
burdens (third-person singular)
burdened (past)
burdened (past participle)
burdening (present participle)


education

education (singular)
educations (plural)

Someone gets an education if that person learns something or if somebody teaches that person something, usually at school.

More and more people are starting work with a university education.

He studied German by himself, but he has no formal education.


cook

cook (canonical)
cooks (third-person singular)
cooked (past)
cooked (past participle)
cooking (present participle)

Darren will cook dinner today.


cook

Emily is a cook.


dog

A dog is a domestic mammal, related to wolves and foxes, that is often kept as a pet.

My pet dog is called "Rover".


dog

dog (canonical)
dogs (third-person singular)
dogged (past)
dogged (past participle)
dogging (present participle)

If you dog someone, you follow them while being annoying.

If you dog something or someone, you follow them to try to catch them.


instructions

instruction (singular)
instructions (plural)

The plural form of instruction; more than one (kind of) instruction.

If you do not follow the instructions carefully you will make a mistake.

I'll never figure out how to build this shelf--the instructions aren't in English!


because of

You use because of to show the reason for something.

There's no class because of the holiday.

We couldn't leave the island because of the bad weather.


orange

One of the colors people can see. It is lighter than red but darker than yellow.

A fruit with a thick skin and a juicy inside.


orange

orange (positive)
more orange (comparative)
most orange (superlative)

The construction workers wear orange shirts so that drivers can easily see them.


flashlight

flashlight (singular)
flashlights (plural)

A flashlight is a device for making light. Flashlights are usually small and shaped like cylinders. The electricity for the flashlight often comes from a battery.

It was getting dark, so he used his flashlight.


cylinder

A cylinder is a shape consisting of two circles connected to a tube.

cans, pens, and flashlights are usually shaped like cylinders.


r

The eighteenth (18th) letter of the English alphabet.

"r" comes after "q" and before "s"


nice

nice (positive)
nicer (comparative)
nicest (superlative)

If something is nice, it's good and people probably like it.

I didn't know him, but I hear he was a very nice man.

Thank you, sir; have a nice day yourself, sir.

It's great. It's much nicer than your old place.

Thank you for coming! It was so nice to see you again.


spade

I took my spade to the garden.

He had three spades and two hearts.


spade

spade (canonical)
spades (third-person singular)
spaded (past)
spaded (past participle)
spading (present participle)

She will spade the garden.


golf

Golf is a game where a person uses a club to try to hit a ball into a hole with the fewest strokes.

He played golf with a friend.

Golf represents the letter G in the ICAO spelling alphabet.


golf

golf (canonical)
golfs (third-person singular)
golfed (past)
golfed (past participle)
golfing (present participle)

If you golf, you play a game where a person uses a club to try to hit a ball into a hole with the fewest strokes.


yesterday

Yesterday, I went to the store.

Victor chaired the meeting yesterday.

His clothes are like yesterday's fashion.

I met her yesterday morning.


yesterday

yesterday (singular)
yesterdays (plural)

He remembered all his yesterdays.


definition

definition (singular)
definitions (plural)

/ˌdɛfɪˈnɪʃən/

A definition is an explanation of the meaning of a word.

The sentence before this one is a definition.

ESL students often check definitions in their dictionaries.

Can you give me a definition for "imprisonment"?


attention

attention (singular)
attentions (plural)

If you pay attention to something, you focus your mind on it.

Pay attention to me when I'm speaking to you.

He waved to draw attention to himself.

She couldn't keep her attention on her books.


shop

He bought a hat from the shop.


shop

shop (canonical)
shops (third-person singular)
shopped (past)
shopped (past participle)
shopping (present participle)

If you shop for something, you look for it in a store because you want to buy it.

I need some new shoes, but I've been shopping for them for a week and I can't find any I like.


stick

Gerard picked up a stick.

He gave her a stick of gum.


stick

stick (canonical)
sticks (third-person singular)
stuck (past)
stuck (past participle)
sticking (present participle)

The food stuck to the pan.

You stick your clothes in the dryer.


thought

When you have a thought, you have an idea or concept in your mind.

I have a thought about the answer to that problem.

I will give your words some thought.


thought

think (canonical)
thinks (third-person singular)
thought (past)
thought (past participle)
thinking (present participle)

The past tense and past participle of think.

He thought of his mother.

I have thought of everything.

She thought that you were gone.


swim

swim (canonical)
swims (third-person singular)
swam (past)
swum (past participle)
swimming (present participle)

If you swim, you move through the water using your arms and legs.

Let's go swimming at the beach.

I don't like boats because I can't swim.


swim

We all went for a swim in the lake.


sun

The sun is the star that can be seen during the day from the Earth. In the sky, it looks like a yellow circle.

The sun is very hot.


sun

A star, especially a star that is at the center of a solar system.

Scientists have found other suns with planets around them.


eagle

He saw an eagle perched on top of that tree.

An old gold coin in the United States worth $10.

He showed me his coin collection. He even had an old eagle.

I got a birdy and you got an eagle on that last hole.


eagle

eagle (canonical)
eagles (third-person singular)
eagled (past)
eagled (past participle)
eagling (present participle)

If you eagle a golf hole, you score two under par on it.

I eagled the last hole with 3 strokes on a par 5.


especially

You use especially to say that something is special, or somehow different from others.

Nobody was old, but Paulo was especially young.

I like running, especially in the morning when the air is fresh.

Japanese cities are famous for their size, especially Tokyo.


open

open (canonical)
opens (third-person singular)
opened (past)
opened (past participle)
opening (present participle)

To move something to the side to allow entrance.

I will open the door for our guests.

She opened the store.


open

open (positive)
more open (comparative)
most open (superlative)

The door was open.

The shop is open.

Available for the public to see and change (of code).

This software has open code because it was released under an open-source license.


preposition

preposition (singular)
prepositions (plural)

/ˌprɛpəˈzɪʃən/

A preposition is a member of a group of words, or part of speech, that usually show where something happens. Typically a preposition is followed by a noun.

In the sentence, "I come from Canada," from is a preposition.


preposition

preposition (canonical)
prepositions (third-person singular)
prepositioned (past)
prepositioned (past participle)
prepositioning (present participle)

If you preposition something, you place it in a location before some event occurs.


migration

migration (singular)
migrations (plural)

A migration is a large movement, usually of people or animals, to a new living place.

Every fall, the birds begin their migration from the cold northern areas to the southern regions where they will spend the winter.


any

some or even the smallest amount or number

Do you want any coffee?

There aren't any pencils left, not even one.

Don't tell me. I don't want to hear any more about it.

Are you sure there's some here? I don't see any.

Slow down. I can't go any faster.

It doesn't look any different to me.

Please ask me. I can answer any question.

There was no problem of any kind.

I would say the same thing to any person.

Any information that you have would be helpful.

In any case, it doesn't really matter.

It doesn't matter. I'll take any that's left over.


action

An action is something that you do, or something that happens, especially with motion.

At 3am, just west of the building, the plan was put into action.

There was a huge difference between my thoughts and my actions.

What they did was clearly wrong, but their actions were understandable.

The Health Authority is preparing to take legal action against the restaurants that fail to follow the regulations.


run

run (canonical)
runs (third-person singular)
ran (past)
run (past participle)
running (present participle)

To go quickly, with both feet off the ground at one time.

I must run.

I like to run in the afternoon.

The car runs well.

He ran from the cops.

He ran the hotel together with his beloved wife.

He had run all the way from Dallas.


run

A trip made by a runner; compare to walk.

I’m going for a run.

A run in baseball is when a batter safely touches home plate.

A run in cricket is scored when the batsmen run between the two wickets.

An unbroken course of performances or showings.

The musical had a long run on Broadway.


ice

A gas or liquid, normally water, which has been frozen (made solid)

When water is cooled below 0°C, it freezes into ice.

Ice is the solid state of water.


ice

ice (canonical)
ices (third-person singular)
iced (past)
iced (past participle)
icing (present participle)

If you ice something, you cool it by putting ice or something else very cold on it.

I iced my knee after I hurt it in soccer.

If you ice a cake, you cover with icing.

I iced this cake.


fee

A fee is the money you pay for some kinds of services, such as legal advice, education, or club membership.

School fees have increased again this year.

An inheritable estate in land held of a feudal lord in return for certain services.

He held his lands in fee of the Earl of Chester.


X-ray

X-rays are a type of invisible light beyond ultra-violet. They pass through skin and tissue, but not bone, making it useful in medicine. X-rays are a type of radiation.

When John broke his arm, he had an X-ray taken.

X-ray represents the letter X in the ICAO spelling alphabet.


X-ray

X-ray (canonical)
X-rays (third-person singular)
X-rayed (past)
X-rayed (past participle)
X-raying (present participle)

To X-ray is to take a photograph of an X-ray

The doctor X-rayed the patient's leg


X-ray

Something that is X-ray is something to do with X-rays.

The airport had an X-ray scanner.


wash

wash (canonical)
washes (third-person singular)
washed (past)
washed (past participle)
washing (present participle)

When you wash something, you clean it with water.

I wash my car every day.


wash

He gave the dog a wash.

The items for washing, before, after, or during the washing.

He threw his dirty clothes in the wash.

She brought the wash in from the clothesline.

The program was a complete wash.

His project is a wash.

With up: to be washed up is to be completely discouraged and burnt out.

The Starcraft 2 servers were down and I was all washed up.


amphibian

amphibian (singular)
amphibians (plural)

/ˈæmˌfɪbɪən/

An amphibian is an animal that lives on land and in water.

Frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and gymnophiona are all examples of amphibians, since they can live on land and in the water.


f

"e" comes before "f"

In some schools, an F is a grade that shows that you have failed completely.

This student has not made any attempt in the exam; he only got an F.


beach

A large area of sand (or very small stones), next to an area of water.

People sometimes lie on beaches when they are on holiday, to get a suntan.


beach

beach (canonical)
beaches (third-person singular)
beached (past)
beached (past participle)
beaching (present participle)

If something is beached, it has run onto a beach or sandbar.


vowel

A vowel is one of the letters a, e, i, o and u. All the other letters are consonants. Sometimes y is also considered to be a vowel.

A vowel is a sound in the middle of a syllable. It is louder and longer than consonant sounds.

English has more than 15 vowel sounds, but only five vowel letters!

Your mouth is more open when you say a vowel than when you say a consonant.


discussion

discussion (singular)
discussions (plural)

A discussion happens when two or more people share ideas about something, usually by talking.

The company held detailed salary discussions with all employees.

There have been ongoing discussions about the new rules.


letter

A letter is a symbol which makes up part of a word.

The word fly has 3 letters: f, l and y.

I received a letter through the post.


lie

lie (canonical)
lies (third-person singular)
lay (past)
lain (past participle)
lying (present participle)

If you lie down, your head and whole body are at the same level. You lie down when you want to rest or sleep.

She lay on the bed and went to sleep.

If something lies somewhere, it is there and it is not moving.

His dirty shirt was lying on the floor and old socks were everywhere.


lie

lie (canonical)
lies (third-person singular)
lied (past)
lied (past participle)
lying (present participle)

If you lie, you say or write something that you know is not true.

"How old are you?" he asked. "Twenty-one," she lied. She was actually eighteen years old. Examples given in the old Webster dictionary says, why do you lie to me vs why do you just lie there. In past tense the word "lier" perceived in the new dictionary does not exist. It has been deleted from context to be depicted as "liar" when in fact they are two different existing words that have two different meanings all together. In example, to be a "lier" is to be a noun in context and to be a "liar" would be as a verb form. One depicts a person or being while the other depicts an action.


lie

Something not true, a falsehood, an untruth.

I told a lie.


me

You use me instead of your name, to refer to yourself.

This is my book. It belongs to me.


formal

formal (positive)
more formal (comparative)
most formal (superlative)

If something is formal, it is official and/or public.

He studied German on his own, but he has no formal language education.

Formal behaviour or dress is used in polite situations.

Please wear suit and tie because the restaurant is quite formal.


loan

A loan is money that you borrow and pay back later. Usually, you take a loan from a bank.

We've almost finished paying off our car loan.

We can't afford to buy the new TV without taking a loan.

I'd like to take out a loan for $5,000.


loan

loan (canonical)
loans (third-person singular)
loaned (past)
loaned (past participle)
loaning (present participle)

If you loan someone something, you lend it to them.

Please loan me your lawn mower.

Loan in Hollywood studio speak means an actor is under contract to one studio and loaned to another studio to make one of their films.

He was loaned to MGM to make MGM's newest movie.


instruction

instruction (singular)
instructions (plural)

An instruction is a command or a step that helps you achieve a goal.

Before he died, he gave the hospital instructions about how to deal with his body.

The instructions that come with a new machine, computer, or product tell you how to use the product.

I couldn't figure out how to set the temperature in the fridge, so I read the instructions.


sharp

sharp (positive)
sharper (comparative)
sharpest (superlative)

He has a sharp knife.

That girl is sharp.

That lemonade is sharp.

I would like sharp Cheddar cheese.


sharp

A blade, especially a sword used in fencing, with a sharp tip.

Jesse preferred to practice with sharps.

A sharp is a note that is one half step above the one that is named.

The last note that she sang was a D sharp, not a C flat.


practise

practise (canonical)
practises (third-person singular)
practised (past)
practised (past participle)
practising (present participle)

If you practise something, you do it again and again to improve your ability.

The class was going to practise writing skills for homework.

When I got my first guitar, I practised until my fingers fell off.


during

If you do something during something else, you do it at the same time.

He often reads during dinner.

I'm always tired because I work during the night.


with

With is used to show the other people or things present when something happened.

I went to school with my brother.

With is used to describe something added to something else.

The cat has a collar with a bell on it.

With is used to show what thing is used to do something.

He hit the nail with a hammer.

With the children so sick, we weren't able to get much work done.


stiff

stiff (positive)
stiffer (comparative)
stiffest (superlative)

If something is stiff, it is not able to be bent.

My arm was very stiff this morning after bowling yesterday.

The bar is too stiff; I cannot bend it.


stiff

She went to the morgue and saw some stiffs.


stiff

stiff (canonical)
stiffs (third-person singular)
stiffed (past)
stiffed (past participle)
stiffing (present participle)

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 This short section needs someone to add to it.