Essential Words 1

Study these words carefully and do the following exercises to remember them. Try to use them in different situations in your daily life.

1. afraid (adj) /əˈfreɪd/ – feeling fear; frightened because you think that you might be hurt or suffer.
• I’m afraid of heights.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

2. agree (verb) /əˈɡriː/ – to have the same opinion as somebody; to say that you have the same opinion.
• I totally agree with you!
• They agreed to meet at the park.

3. angry (adj) /ˈæŋɡri/ – having strong feelings about something that you dislike very much or about an unfair situation.
• She was angry with herself for making such a stupid mistake.
• The comments provoked an angry response from union leaders.

4. arrive (verb) /əˈraɪv/ – to get to a place, especially at the end of a journey.
• We arrived at the airport early.
• The train arrived at the station 20 minutes late.

5. attack (verb) /əˈtæk/ – to use violence to try to hurt or kill somebody.
• The players were attacked by an angry mob.
• A child is recovering in hospital after a serious attack by a stray dog.

6. bottom (noun) /ˈbɒtəm/ – the lowest part of something.
• The bottom of the pan was all sticky.
• I found some coins at the bottom of my bag.

7. clever (adj) /ˈklevə/ – quick at learning and understanding things.
• He’s always been clever at crosswords.
• She’s clever at getting what she wants.

8. cruel (adj) /ˈkruːəl/ – having a desire to cause physical or mental pain and make somebody suffer.
• I can’t stand people who are cruel to animals.
• It was a cruel irony that he, being gravely ill, would survive his family.

9. finally (adv) /ˈfaɪnəli/ – at the end of a period of time or a series of events.
• Our flight eventually left five hours late.
• Finally, I’d like to thank my parents for their support.

10. hide (verb) /haɪd/ – to put or keep somebody/something in a place where they/it cannot be seen or found.
• He hid the letter in a drawer.
• We hid from our pursuers in an empty house.

11. hunt (verb) /hʌnt/ – to chase and try to catch and kill wild animals.
• He loves to hunt deer.
• They went on a hunting trip in the mountains.

12. lot (noun) /lɒt/ – a large number or amount.
• I’ve got a lot of work to do.
• She has a lot of friends.

13. middle (noun) /ˈmɪdl/ – the central point, position or part.
• He sat in the middle of the room.
• The book fell open at the middle.

14. moment (noun) /ˈməʊmənt/ – a very short period of time.
• I’ll be back in a moment.
• I had a moment of doubt.

15. pleased (adj) /pliːzd/ – happy about something that has happened or something that you have done.
• I’m pleased to hear that you’re feeling better.
• She was pleased with the results of the test.

16. promise (verb) /ˈprɒmɪs/ – to say that you will certainly do something.
• I promise I won’t be late.
• She promised to help me with my homework.

17. reply (verb) /rɪˈplaɪ/ – to say or write something as an answer to somebody/something.
• I’m still waiting for him to reply to my email.
• She replied that she was too busy to come.

18. safe (adj) /seɪf/ – not in danger; not likely to be harmed or lost.
• The children are safe in bed.
• Is it safe to drink the water?

19. trick (noun) /trɪk/ – something that you do to deceive somebody.
• He played a trick on me.
• She fell for his trick.

20. well (adj) /wel/ – in good health.
• I’m not feeling very well today.
• She looks well after her illness.

Practice:

Exercise 1

Choose the correct answer for each sentence.

Exercise 2

Exercise 3