appear:  to come into sight, to seem
A motorcycle appeared in his rearview mirror.
She appears to be a little nervous.

claim:  to say as a fact
He claims to be your father’s son from another marriage.
She claims to be telling the truth, but I don’t believe her.

conflict:  to be in disagreement or opposition
His story conflicts with her story, so who’s telling the truth?
Her part-time job does not conflict with her university studies.

debate:  to argue in favor of one thing or of another thing
They debated what kind of government was the best.
The students debated various solutions to the problem of homelessness.

devise:  to create, invent
We devised a plan to trap the mice.
He devised a simple system to purify water.

excel:  to do better than most others
My son excels in math and science.
She got a raise because she excels at work.

flash:  to show quickly
The police officer flashed his badge before entering the room.
She flashed him a big smile as she left the room.

hinder:  to stop (someone) from doing (something)
He went to the library because the noise at home was hindering his studying.
That big tree across the street hinders our view of the ocean.

improvise:  to do without any preparation
She wasn’t prepared, so she had to improvise a speech at her sister’s graduation.
The actor forgot his lines but improvised well enough to continue.

legalize:  to make legal
Canada legalized marijuana for use as a medicine.
There are no plans to legalize gambling in this state.

mourn:  to feel sad (usually when someone dies)
The children mourned the loss of their of their father in the war.
For months afterwards, he mourned the death of his dog.

provoke:  to make (something) happen (often anger)
The crowd provoked the police into taking strong action.
If you talk about politics, it will provoke my brother into an argument.

recruit:  to get (someone) to join (a group)
We need to recruit one more person to join our study group.
He’s trying to recruit me into his gang.

signify:  to represent, mean
The blinking lights in the theater signified that intermission was over.
Those dark clouds signify the coming of a storm.

strive:  to try hard, make a great effort
The airline strives to make sure every customer has a good experience.
He is always striving to better himself.

Study this page and when you think you’re ready, do the following exercise.

There are many expressions in English that have double words.  Here is a partial list with examples of how they’re used:

Time:

hours and hours – many hours

        It took him hours and hours to do his taxes.

days and days – many days

        It rained for days and days.

weeks and weeks – many weeks

       He had been working for weeks and weeks on the project.

months and months – many months

       They’ve been trying to sell their house for months and months.

years and years – many years

       She’s been renting that apartment for years and years.

time after time – every single time

       He keeps helping her time after time.

time and time again – periodically

       He returns to Vancouver time and time again.

hour after hour – one hour after another

       He studied hour after hour with no break.

day after day – one day after another

       It kept raining day after day.

day by day – each day

       She has no future plans; she’s just trying to live day by day.

week after week – one week after another

      Week after week she stays at home and doesn’t go out.

month after month – one month after another

      He would ask his parents for money month after month.

year after year – one year after another

      Year after year the rent on their condo went up.

little by little – gradually

      He started to lose his hair little by little.

again and again – repeatedly

       She called his name again and again, but there was no answer.

on and on – continuously without stopping

       He talked on and on about his adventures in Indonesia.

over and over – repeatedly

       She kept saying over and over how lucky she was.

Comparatives:

more and more – a little more each time

      Every day she likes him more and more.    

less and less – a little less each time [uncountable nouns]

      As time went on, he became less and less interested in art.

fewer and fewer – a little fewer each time [countable nouns]

      As time went on she made fewer and fewer typing mistakes.

better and better – a little better each time

      Every day he’s feeling better and better.

worse and worse – a little worse each time

      My stomachache is getting worse and worse.

harder and harder – a little harder each time

      It seems to be getting harder and harder to find a used CDs store.

bigger and bigger – a little bigger each time

      Vancouver is getting bigger and bigger.

longer and longer – a little longer each time

      The waiting time for a trial date is getting longer and longer.

smarter and smarter – a little smarter each time

      His grandson is getting smarter and smarter every year.

stronger and stronger – a little stronger each time

      By working out, you’ll get stronger and stronger.

Other expressions:

round and round – in circles

The children turned round and round until they fell over.

all in all – considering everything

      All in all, it wasn’t a bad movie.

word for word – each word the same, exactly

      She told him what her girlfriend told her word for word.

step by step – all the steps necessary

      There were step by step directions on the back of the package.

item by item – each and every item

      They had to clean everything item by item.

pound for pound – each and every pound

      He can match his brother pound for pound.

street by street – every street

      The police searched street by street for the missing children.

face to face – facing each other

       Their first face to face meeting was at Starbucks.

shoulder to shoulder – touching the shoulder of the one next to you

The union members stood shoulder to shoulder facing the angry mob.

 

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adequate:   as much or good as necessary but no more.
His $12 tip was adequate, but certainly not generous.
Her knowledge of cooking is adequate.  She’ll learn more as she gets older.

confident:  feeling sure of yourself, feeling able to do something.
I’m confident that you’ll be able to learn 15 new words every 3 days.
She married a confident man who knew how to take care of her.

evident:   easy to see or understand
It is evident that you know a lot about cars.
They cleaned the house well, so last night’s party wasn’t evident.

hectic:   very busy but a little disorganized
I’ve had a hectic day and I’m really tired.
Shopping on Saturday afternoon was a hectic experience.

indifferent:   not interested, not caring
I’m indifferent about where we go for our next holiday.  You decide.
I’m worried about her.  She seemed indifferent about losing her job.

mediocre:   neither good nor bad, of ordinary quality
I won’t go back to that restaurant.  The food is mediocre and the service is terrible.
Unfortunately, he’s just a mediocre student.

numb:   unable to physically or mentally feel anything
After I took off those tight shoes, my toes were numb.
She felt numb after the death of her husband.

ordinary:   common, average, not special
It’s just an ordinary movie.  Don’t waste your money.
His house looked very ordinary from the outside.

permanent:   lasting forever
He has a permanent scar on his forehead from the skiing accident.
If you burn those photos, it’s permanent, you know.

personal:   private, belonging only to you
He was absent from work for personal reasons.
In my personal opinion, they should never have gotten married.

scented:   nice smelling
Those scented candles fill the room with a wonderful smell.
Most air fresheners are scented.

shallow:   not at all deep
The water here is shallow enough for the children to swim in.
The Arctic ocean is the most shallow of all oceans.

traditional:   the same for many generations
It’s traditional in our family to get married in June.
We’re having a traditional Thanksgiving this year.

unmoved:   not feeling emotion
The policeman seemed unmoved by her sad story.
He tried to hide his emotions because he wanted her to think he was unmoved.

wholesome:   healthy to eat
Many people know that bananas are a wholesome food.
I only eat wholesome cereal for breakfast.

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

Audio Player

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

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

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

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ancient:      very very old
The pyramids of Egypt are ancient.
There is an ancient city in Peru called Machu Picchu.

athletic:   physically active and strong, good at sports
His son has  strong athletic abilities.
Juanita is more athletic than her brother Carlos.

attractive:   good-looking, beautiful, handsome
She is an attractive woman.
I don’t think he’s attractive at all.

available: easy to get, ready to use
There are no rooms available at this hotel.
How many chairs are available to us tonight?

Your diamond ring is brilliant.
That was a brilliant idea you had.

defective:   badly made, faulty
This smart phone is defective.  I’ll take it back to the store tomorrow.
The coffee maker doesn’t work.  I think it’s defective.

dim:      with very little light
It’s too dim in this room to read.
Dim lights are much more romantic that bright lights.

enraged:    very angry
Paul was enraged when he found out that his girlfriend cheated on him.
The citizens were enraged at their government’s inaction.

fragile:    easily broken
Be careful.  Those crystal glasses are very fragile.
Spider webs are strong and fragile at the same time.

manageable:   able to be done, doable
That problem is a manageable one.
The work I have to do is manageable.

rigid:    unbending, stiff
My father’s rules are very rigid.
As a  doctor, he has a very rigid schedule.

urban:    of the city
I prefer an urban lifestyle rather than a rural one.
Vancouver has good urban transportation.

valuable:    costing a lot of money, very important
This ring that I got from my grandmother is very valuable.
They learned a valuable lesson when they got arrested.

vast:      very large, of very great size
The Pacific Ocean is vast.
He has a vast knowledge of geography.

weary:    physically or mentally tired
After her 14-hour flight, she was weary.
He stayed up all night studying, so he was weary after the test.

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

Audio Player

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

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

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

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brief:     for a short time, quick
They spent a brief time in Greece last summer.
I hope this meeting is brief.  I have things to do.

common:    general, ordinary, widespread
Black hair is more common that blond hair.
Soccer is a common sport all over the world.

current:    present, happening now
Their current address is 2235 Main Street.
This newspaper is not current.  It’s from last week.

endless:    continuous, without an end
At the beginning of July the summer seems endless to students.
The possibilities are endless.

filthy:    very very dirty
Go wash those filthy hands before dinner.
Don’t use that filthy language in my home.

magnificent:    unusually beautiful or big
We can see magnificent mountains from our living room.
His house on the ocean is magnificent.

moist:     a little wet, damp
I am so nervous that my hands are moist.
Wipe up that spill with this moist sponge.

numerous:    many, a lot, a large number
I’ve seen him at the coffee shop numerous times.
In the courtroom, the spectators were numerous.

rapid:    fast, quick
The skytrain is the most rapid transportation in the city.
The patient has a rapid heartbeat, so he’s taking medication.

rural:    of the countryside
They live in a rural area of British Columbia.
Rural life is much slower than life in a city.

slender:    thin, slim
Miranda is a model, so she has to stay slender.
Her feet are very slender.

stingy:    not wanting to share
Don’t be so stingy.  Share that box of candy.
He’s a stingy old man.

sturdy:        well-built, strong, solid
Don’t stand on that chair.  It’s not very sturdy.
This porch is really sturdy.  The builders did a good job.

uneasy:    feeling that something is wrong
I had an uneasy feeling when I saw the envelope.
She felt uneasy when her friend didn’t come.

wounded:    hurt, bleeding
He picked up the wounded bird and took it home.
His father was wounded in the revolution.

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

Audio Player

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

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

© 2013 Ambien Malecot

 

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artificial:    made by humans, not natural
This candy has artificial colors and flavors.
After the accident, he got an artificial leg.

circular:    in the shape of a circle
Be careful with that circular saw.  You can lose a finger.
He cleaned the windows using a circular motion.

daily:    happening every day
Do you read the daily newspaper?
I always take my daily vitamins .

enormous:    very large
His feet are enormous.
The Rocky Mountains are an enormous range.

entire:    all, whole
I can’t believe I ate the entire cake.
The entire school welcomed the returning war hero.

fancy:    much better than ordinary
She made a fancy dinner for her in-laws.
I think I’ll wear something fancy on my date.

forgetful:    not able to remember
She’s becoming more and more forgetful.
When I’m very busy, I sometimes become forgetful.

hilarious:    very funny
That was a hilarious speech you gave to the students.
It’s hilarious that you can’t remember your own phone number.

miserable:    very uncomfortable or uneasy
It’s been raining for 3 days.  I don’t like this miserable weather.
Everyone feels miserable when they have a cold.

narrow:    thin, not wide
His truck is too wide for these narrow streets.
Her hair is brown and her nose is narrow.

obedient:    doing what you are told to do
I trained my dog well, and now he’s very obedient.
What an obedient child you have!

plentiful:    lots, much, many
The apples on my tree are plentiful this year.
The fish are plentiful in this lake.

reckless:    careless, unconcerned about results
My friend is a reckless driver, and it scares me.
He is reckless with his money.

stubborn:    not wanting to change your mind
When she gets stubborn, she won’t listen to you.
He wants to have dinner at 6:00, and he’s stubborn about it.

wealthy:    rich, having a lot
There are many wealthy people living in Vancouver.
He has a wealthy knowledge of history.

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

Audio Player

Use these flashcards to help you study.

 

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

© 2013 Ambien Malecot