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boring:   not interesting or exciting, full of sameness
The children had a boring time during their field trip to the library.
Some people liked the movie, but I found it very boring.

calm:  relaxed, with good weather
If there’s a fire, the most important thing to do is to stay calm.
They had a calm, sunny day for their wedding.

criminal:  doing illegal activities, very wrong
The boys are members of a criminal organization.
They sell illegal drugs and do other criminal activities.

crowded:  with too many people close together
The bus to school is always very crowded.
When she arrived, the room was crowded with people.

eager:  wanting to do something a lot, excited
She is eager to meet her boyfriend’s parents.
The children are eager for the holidays.

helpless:  not able to do anything to help
The fire was so strong, the firefighters were helpless.
The fishers were helpless against the storm.

legal:  obeying the law, about the law
Everyone has the legal right to defend themselves.
In many places it is now legal to use marijuana for medical purposes.

pale:  without much color
You look pale.  Are you feeling alright?
They painted their house a pale green.

satisfied:  feeling happy with a result
Although he didn’t get an A, he was satisfied with his mark.
The boss was satisfied with the work we had done.

sneaky:  done so no one will see or know, in a secret way
My sneaky son pretends that he’s asleep and then plays video games in bed.
Offering something for free online is a sneaky way to get people’s email addresses.

tense:  not able to relax, nervous
Some students get very tense before a big test.
She felt tense when she walked into her boss’s office.

wise:  intelligent because of experience
You should listen to your grandmother.  She’s a wise person.
The wise thing to do is to wait and see what happens.

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

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

The file you specified does not exist.

careful:  doing nothing that could cause a problem
Be careful when you cross the street.
She’s a very careful driver.

confused:  not knowing what to do
I’m confused about what time we should be at the airport.
Two people gave him two different directions, which confused him.

direct:  straight from a source, without turning or stopping
He took a direct flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver.
This plant will die in direct sunlight.

generous:  giving or sharing of money or time
Her generous grandparents gave her a car for her graduation.
He was generous with his time, helping anyone in need.

incredible:  unbelievable, hard to believe, amazing
Making a good website takes an incredible amount of work.
It’s incredible that everyone survived the plane crash.

mild:  gentle, not strong or harsh
I had a mild case of the flu last week.
You should use a mild soap on your face.

physical:  of the body, with a lot of movement
Ice hockey is a very physical sport.
He doesn’t get enough physical exercise.

selfish:  caring only about yourself, not caring about others
Although he seemed generous, he did it for selfish reasons.
Don’t be so selfish.  Share that candy with your sister.

single:  only one, not married
When he finished, there wasn’t a single cookie left in the jar.
She’s thirty-three and still single.

skinny:  very thin, too thin
She likes to wear her skinny jeans whenever she goes out.
In high school he was a skinny little guy.

thick:  wide from one side to the other side, not thin
He put the meat between two thick slices of bread and ate it.
Because the lake had a thick layer of ice, they could go ice skating.

upset:  with an angry, worried or unhappy feeling
Please don’t be upset with me, but I lost your ring.
When you two broke up, it really made her upset.

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

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

The file you specified does not exist.

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.

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

The file you specified does not exist.

angry:  feeling like hurting someone

She was angry at her brother for breaking her doll.
I’m still angry with you for taking my bike without telling me first.

blank:  with nothing on it
He tried to write her a letter, but after an hour the page was still blank.
The room seemed cold because all the walls were blank.

delicious:  tasting really good
Thank you for the meal, Mrs. Johnston.  It was delicious.
She made a delicious apple pie for dessert.

empty:  with nothing inside
There were several empty bottles on the floor after the party.
At 2:00 in the morning all the streets were empty.

favorite:  most liked
Uncle Henry is my favorite uncle.
I know his favorite sport is soccer.

honest:  truthful
I want you to be honest with me and tell me the truth.
He wasn’t being honest when he said he was home last night.

kind:  good and helpful
Her husband is a kind and loving man.
You’re always kind to animals.

nervous:  afraid of doing something
He’s nervous about meeting his girlfriend’s parents.
The idea of speaking in front of a large crowd makes me nervous.

polite:  showing good manners towards other people
The polite thing to do is to hold the door open for the lady.
You need to learn to be more polite and say please and thank you.

silent:  making no noise
This dishwasher is more silent than my last one.
The teacher wanted all the students to be silent while she was talking.    

sour:  tasting similar to a lemon or vinegar
This milk is sour, so we should throw it out.
If you don’t like the sour taste, add more sugar.

wide:  big across
This street is very wide.
The doorway isn’t wide enough to get the sofa in the room.

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.

 

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

The file you specified does not exist.

aggressive:  forceful, attacking
Nobody likes an aggressive  salesperson.
He’s very aggressive when he plays poker.

automatic:  able to happen or operate independent of any person.
A machine that saves us a lot of time is our automatic dishwasher.
The loyalty of his team is not automatic; he must earn it.

dedicated:  100% committed to something
I’ve never know someone so dedicated to his family as my father.
Mother Teresa was dedicated to helping the poor and sick.

frequent:  happening often
Because of his business, he’s a frequent flier to China.
The most frequent comment was that the movie was too long.

gloomy:  sad, hopeless, depressing
The prison was a gloomy place where the inmates hardly talked.
The hooting of the owls made the forest seem gloomy.

ingenious:  very smart and creative
The iPhone was an ingenious product that helped Apple get to the top.
He’s had several very good ideas, but this one is ingenious.

possible:  able to be or happen
It’s possible that he got really busy and forgot about our meeting.
Losing our company is one possible result.

racial:  of different kinds of people of different races
The Chinese are a racial minority in North America.
It’s against the law for him to deny you a room for racial reasons.

silly:  not serious, amusingly playful
She knew he had a surprise for her because of the silly grin on his face.
Don’t be silly.  You can’t eat that whole pie by yourself.

transparent:  see- through, clear
This plastic is almost transparent.
She wore a blue transparent blouse to the party.

united:  acting as a single group, all together
There was a united effort by all the neighbors to clean up the park.
The school was united in their support of the principal.

voluntary:  done out of free choice
The job as a teacher’s helper is a voluntary position.
The museum is free on Tuesdays, but you can make a voluntary donation.

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.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

The file you specified does not exist.

absolute:  100 percent, complete
No teacher has absolute control over her students.
He pushed his body to the absolute limit to win the race.

awesome: excellent, outstanding
That movie was awesome; I think I’ll go see it again.
The view from the top of the mountain was awesome.

desperate:  having an urgent need
She was desperate to find a summer job before school ended.
The fireman gave a desperate attempt to save the life of the child.

firm:  solid, unchanging
He had a firm belief that people would help when asked.
The seller was firm in his asking price.

illegal:  against the law
It’s illegal to smoke in any public building in Canada.
Gambling is illegal in that country.

nutritious:  having good food value, healthy
They always start their day with a nutritious breakfast.
Junk food is not very nutritious.

patriotic:  loyal to your country
The soldier feels a patriotic sense of duty.
They played patriotic music at his funeral.

romantic:  very loving, passionate
They had a romantic dinner by candlelight.
On a summer’s evening you can see many romantic couples walking hand in hand.

sore:  hurting a little
His legs were sore after a long hike in the mountains.
Lemon tea is a good cure for a sore throat.

thrifty:  not wasting money
Both she and her sister are thrifty shoppers.
Since he lost his job, they’ve had to be more thrifty.

tidy:  neat, clean, organized
Everything in her bedroom is tidy, including her closet.
I’m afraid my work space is not very tidy.

widespread:  happening in many places, over a wide area
There is widespread poverty in that part of the world.
Tsunamis can cause widespread destruction.

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.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

The file you specified does not exist.

allergic: making the body react badly
He had an allergic reaction to his medication.
Many people are allergic to nuts.

awful: very bad, terrible
When he entered the room, he smelled something awful.
That’s an awful restaurant; the food is terrible and the place is dirty.

cruel: hurting (someone) physically or mentally
Saying she was fat was a cruel thing to say to your sister!
Don’t be so cruel to your dog. Bring him inside on this rainy night.

dizzy: feeling like falling down
This medication can make you feel dizzy, so don’t drive.
I have to sit down; I’m feeling a little dizzy.

fierce: wild and dangerous, violently strong
The fights that couple has are sometimes fierce.
A fierce storm battered the coast for three days.

heroic: done without regard for your safety, bold
Saving that drowning child was very heroic of you.
Firemen often do heroic deeds bringing people to safety.

humble: having a feeling of not being important.
In my humble opinion, I think you should go to the police.
In the presence of these famous writers, I feel quite humble.

inevitable: certain to happen
If he continues to drink and drive, an accident is inevitable.
No matter how long we manage to live, death is inevitable.

insane: not mentally normal, crazy
It’s insane to think that you’ll be a millionaire by the end of the year.
The jury found the man insane and therefore not responsible for the crime.

popular: liked by many people
She’s the most popular girl in school.
I mostly listen to popular music.

responsible: having the duty (to do something)
Nobody else is responsible for the way you feel.
He is responsible for buying the boss a birthday present.

temporary: for a short time
She got a temporary job for the summertime.
The aspirin gave him only temporary relief from his pain.

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.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

The file you specified does not exist.

abnormal:     not usual, not typical, exceptional
This past winter there was an abnormal amount of snowfall.
Some cats have an abnormal six toes on their paws.

adaptable:     able to change when the situation changes
She’s very adaptable and will have no trouble living in Spain for a year.
My grandparents are not adaptable to new technology.

annual:     happening every year, yearly
The school holds an annual fund-raising event to raise money for sports equipment.
He got a good job out of college with an annual salary of $65,000.

anonymous:     nameless, unknown
He received an anonymous phone call telling him to stay away from work tomorrow.
The donors for the new hospital wing want to stay anonymous.

audible:     able to be heard
The eruption of the volcano was audible for thousands of miles.
Her last words to him were not audible because of the train whistle.

decent:     right and good
The decent thing to do is to apologize to her and promise never to do it again.
That was very decent of you to help the girl find her mother.

improbable:     probably not happening, unlikely to occur
It is improbable that the earth will get hit by a large meteor anytime soon.
Mechanical failure is an improbable cause of the crash.

ineffective:     not causing the expected result
On the second day his deodorant became ineffective, and he started to smell bad.
Her efforts to stay above the water were ineffective, and she drowned.

infectious:     spreading from one person to another
Anita’s laughter was so infectious that everyone started to laugh with her.
AIDS is an infectious disease that is spread through sexual contact.

inseparable:     always together, not separating
She met her boyfriend three months ago, and since then they’ve been inseparable.
My iPhone and I have been inseparable since I bought it over a year ago.

minor:     not important, small
In her first movie, she had a minor role as a waitress in a diner.
He was lucky that his injury was minor; it could have been much worse.

premature:     happening too soon, before the right time
Many people die a premature death because of smoking.
My niece was born four weeks premature, but she’s doing well.

recent:     just happening, not long ago
In recent years real estate prices have fallen all over the world.
The police needed a recent photograph of the woman’s daughter.

toxic:     poisonous, very negative
The company had to pay the costs of cleanup after dumping toxic waste in the lake.
There’s a person at my club who is so toxic that I want to leave the room when he enters.

unconcerned:     not worried
He seemed unconcerned that his girlfriend hadn’t arrived yet.
My doctor seemed unconcerned about the dark spots on my skin.

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 exercises.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

The file you specified does not exist.

accurate:     with no mistakes
I don’t think my watch is very accurate; it has a different time than my computer.
Are you sure the number of homeless people is accurate?

antique:     made a long time ago
She wants nothing but antique furniture in her apartment.
That vase may seem antique, but it’s a modern copy.

compact:     a lot in a small space, packed
They had to dig up the compact soil to make a garden area.
He drives his compact car to work every day.

fantastic:     unbelievably imaginative, exceptionally good
That was a fantastic meal we had at your house last Friday night.
He drew up fantastic plans for a settlement on the moon.

fascinating:     very interesting, holding your attention
The professor’s talk about his experiences in Sudan was fascinating.
I saw a fascinating photo of the Crab Nebula in astronomy class today.

foreign:     from another country
He has a love for foreign cars, especially those from Italy.
They’re going on a trip to six foreign countries in South America.

frustrated:     angry when unable to do something
She was frustrated that she couldn’t remember where she parked her car. 
His inability to pass the entrance exam made him frustrated.

imminent:     going to happen very soon
It looks like rain is imminent; I see thunder clouds coming this way.
When the professor walked in, the students knew that a quiz was imminent.

impulsive:     done without thinking
Many people do impulsive buying when shopping at the grocery store.
His proposal of marriage seemed impulsive to her.

The public washroom was not sanitary, so she went back to her hotel.
The nurses knew everything had to be sanitary in the operating room.

secluded:     far away from other things, alone
They live on a secluded island off the coast of British Columbia.
John and his sister Joanne felt secluded in their new school.

tolerant:     accepting of other people
Canadians are generally tolerant of foreigners.
He was tolerant of his neighbor’s parties because they were only once a month.

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.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

 

The file you specified does not exist.

approximate:  general, a good guess, not exact
Those numbers are approximate; nobody knows exactly how many people saw it.
I can only give you an approximate time; I didn’t have my watch on.

counterfeit:  not real, made to look like a real one
The police seized $2.4 million in counterfeit $100 bills.
They bought several hundred counterfeit CDs in Singapore.

courteous:  polite
She has always been courteous when I’ve been with her.
It’s important to be courteous with others, especially those in your neighborhood.

efficient:  getting a good result in a short time
I know he’s expensive, but he’ll do the job in half the time; he very efficient.
That’s not the most efficient way to deal the cards.  Here, let me show you.

imperfect:  having something wrong with it, not perfect
He’s had imperfect vision since he was a child.
All systems of government are imperfect in some way.

magical:  as if produced by magic, fantastic
The change from the person she used to be was magical. 
His proposal to her was a magical moment she will never forget.

massive:  really really big and heavy
It took four of them to move the massive sofa to the other side of the room.
Your grandmother had a massive stroke and died within minutes.

patient:  able to wait or do boring things without getting upset
She runs an excellent daycare because she’s patient with the children.
She’s in a coma now, so we must be patient.

priceless:  unable to be bought for any amount of money
My daughter’s joy on her wedding day was priceless.
The Mona Lisa is a priceless work of art.

prompt:  on time, not late
The meeting starts at 8:30, and the manager wants us to be prompt.
His reply was prompt; he refused the man’s invitation and walked away.

ridiculous:  really really stupid
You’ve just been arrested; wipe that ridiculous smile off your face!
Don’t be ridiculous; I would never lie to you.

strict:  following the rules exactly, without choice
She is on a strict diet of fruits and vegetables.
There are strict laws against smoking in any public building.

trivial:  of very little importance
It is no trivial matter that she got accepted at Yale University.
The brothers are always arguing over trivial things, like which channel to watch.

vital:  absolutely necessary for life
It is vital that you tell your brother to come say goodbye to his father.
Her surgery is near some of her vital organs, including the heart.

worthy:  deserving, as good as or better
She has worked hard and she’s worthy of your support, so please vote.
I don’t know if Peter will win today; he’s up against a worthy opponent.

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.

© 2013 Ambien Malecot