basic:  simplest, first, most important
The basic colors are red, yellow and blue.
This course teaches the basic history of Europe.

clumsy:  not able to use your hands or feet well.
She’s a clumsy person who drops things all the time.
He’s a clumsy dancer with two left feet.

damp:  a little bit wet, moist
Just wipe that table with a damp cloth, and it’ll be clean enough.
It’s very damp in this basement.

friendly:  like a friend, welcoming and supportive
Let me give you a little friendly advice.
Don’t worry about the natives.  They’re generally friendly.

giant:  unusually large, huge
At the concert there were giant speakers on either side of the stage.
Apple has become a giant corporation that employs over 115,000 people.

hollow:  with nothing inside, not solid
He found a bear sleeping in a hollow log in the forest.
Although the chocolate bunny looked solid, it was hollow inside.

lonely:  feeling all alone, sad because of no friendships
He was a lonely boy who had very few friends.
She felt lonely without her family close by.

plain:  with nothing added, without pattern or decoration
Her favorite snack was plain yogurt.
He had on jeans and a plain T-shirt.

rude:  impolite, not concerned about others’ feelings
Everyone was shocked by his rude behavior.
I left the store angry because the salesperson was rude to me.

slippery:  unable to walk on or hold
She fell on the wet and slippery floor.
He couldn’t hold on to the slippery fish.

tough:  difficult to do or experience
Because they were so small for their age, both children had a tough time at school.
With his father losing his job, it was a tough year for the family.

wild:  uncontrolled, of nature
On their hike in the mountains they found bushes of wild blueberries.
When their parents were out of town, the kids threw a wild party.

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

Use these flashcards to help you study.

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