This book is designed as a handbook for use by learners of
English in connection with one of the Basic teaching books (for
example, Basic Step by Step or The Basic Teacher),
and by
teachers with a knowledge of English in connection with Basic
English and The ABC of Basic English. It is, in
addition, quite
necessary for anyone, even if his mother tongue is English, who
is attempting to make use of Basic in writing. What The Basic Words does is to make clear the senses
covered by every word in the Basic list and the ways in which
these words may be used. The General Basic English Dictionary
gives in Basic the senses of 20,000 common English words, and
there the 850 themselves are in their places, with all the senses
possible to them in full English. Here, on the other hand, the
850 Basic words are given with only those senses to which they
are limited in Basic. With them are listed such international
words and names as are made part of the system in Basic
English and The ABC together with a certain number of
complex
words (formed by putting Basic words together) and
‘onomatopoeic’ words (words based on sound-effects)—of which
straightforward additions Basic is free to make use. It is pointed out which words take the -er (n.), -ing (n., a.),
and -ed (a.) endings, and which have forms for more than one,
or for comparison, which are not regular. In addition, those
words in the Basic list which may take
un-1 before them or -ly
after them are noted. But not every possible use of un- or -ly is
covered because a great number of words formed with the -ing
and -ed endings may have these additions as well. Un- and the endings sometimes go only, or chiefly, with the
root sense, sometimes with an expansion or special sense, and
sometimes with all senses. These details are not noted, but attention
to the examples will make them clear. Examples are not
given for all possible forms, but they are given for every one
about which there might be any doubt. A key to the special senses and expansions is given in Basic;
and the sometimes strange effect is a sign of the important
part played in the language by the words whose sense is made
clear in this way. The sign : is put between the different expansions. After these examples of straightforward uses, come the
special word-groups of which the word makes part. * is put before the 250 special uses listed for learners in
The ABC of Basic English. Those inside ( ) are based on
another word in the group, and come under it without ( ).
Those which are numbered are taken from the 130 printed in
The ABC, in lists of 5 and 10, under names of acts and
directions. * is used, in addition, for marking the 50 least important
international words. a. A man;
give the ball a kick;
the selection of a paint;
a bit of;
quite a good book;
he has £100 a year;
an apple;
an hour. n. Basic words.
The letters;
the first steps. a. An able teacher;
an able book;
the work was ably done. *(Able to make). prep., adv. (e) Roughly: On the question of. Trees about the house;
walking about the streets.
There are about enough;
at about 4.
A book about history;
be right about the facts.
The servants are about;
looking about for a place. *The glass is about to be broken.
(How did this come about?) **(Hanging about). n. (s) Money account. Give an account of.
Have an account with;
keep accounts;
put it on the account. *(Take into account). **On no account;
on account of;
goods on account. a., n. (e) Sharp in feeling. The fruit has an acid taste.
She gave him an acid look;
“Don’t be foolish,” he said acidly.
It was burned by an acid. prep. A bridge across the river;
go across the road;
put one stick across another. *(He came across some papers;
put an idea across by advertisement). n. (e) Division of a play. actor, (s) Person acting in a theater. Do a kind act;
he was in the act of taking the money;
acting as a brake.
A good third act.
He is an actor. *Acid acting on material. n. (e) Act of addition. Make an addition to a building;
a good addition.
The addition of water to milk;
do addition;
bad at addition. *In addition to this. n. Make an adjustment;
an adjustment of the amount;
by the adjustment of a screw. n. (e) Public attention:
act of advertisement. Put an advertisement for a secretary in the paper;
the store has an advertisement for soap in the window.
Do it for advertisement;
get good advertisement.
Undertake the advertisement of goods. prep., conj.
Some time after an event;
go after a rat.
I took it after he came. *After all, they were young;
looking after a store. **A picture after Rembrandt. n. Basic words. An effect coming about after a time. n. Basic words. Taste experienced in mouth after taking food or drink. n. Basic words. A later thought. adv.
He did the work again;
then again, he is old;
say it again and again. prep. (e) On opposite side to (in war, feeling, and so on). Resting against the wall;
come up against a stone.
Fighting against an army;
be against change;
have something against a person. n. (e) Condition of agreement. Make an agreement with;
keep (to) an agreement.
Be in agreement with;
there is not much agreement between them. *(Come to an agreement). n. (e) Behavior, look. Out in the air;
take in air;
birds in the air;
airing the room;
go out for an airing;
put on an air of interest;
foolish airs. n. Basic words. Cushion full of air. n. Basic words. Driver of airplane. n. Basic words. Winged machine for flight. a. Basic words. Not letting air in. International word. International name of science. a., adv., pron. All men are the same;
all the day;
at all times.
All in black;
all covered with dust.
All were happy;
all is quiet. *He is not at all interesting;
all day (night).
(All right;
after all). **(For all that;
all the year round;
all the same). adv. Almost ready;
almost there;
the boy is almost a man. International word. See be. International word. prep. Be among one’s friends;
among one’s books;
working among the poor;
among other things;
make a division among;
we have 5s. among us. n. Have a small amount of food;
gold in great amounts;
he made payment of the full amount. n. (e) Pleased interest;
thing causing amusement:
act of causing amusement. Such humor gives me no amusement;
a look of amusement.
Get amusement out of watching trains.
Sailing is a good amusement.
Plays for the amusement of the public. conj. He and I;
I came and he went;
it was round and fat;
and then he said;
I went and saw him. *(And so on). n. (e) Angle of a room:
point of view.
An angle formed by two lines meeting.
Put the table in the far angle of the room.
Looking at the picture from a different angle;
seeing the question from a different angle. *The boxes were at right angles (to one another). a. Be feeling angry;
an angry face;
an angry man;
angry words;
an angry red;
make oneself angry about;
they were talking angrily. *(Be angry with a learner). n. (s) All animals but man. Man is an animal.
Be kind to animals. a., pron. Basic words. A different or further (one). *(They saw one another). n. Give an answer to a question;
answering a letter (bell);
answering for a friend. *(In answer to a question). **Answering to an account. n. There is an ant in the food. a., pron., adv. I haven’t any friends;
have you any wool?;
come at any time.
I haven’t any of that;
take any of them.
He is not any wiser. *(At any rate). pron. Basic words. Any person. adv. Basic words. 1. Whatever takes place.
2. In any way. pron. Basic words. Any person. pron. Basic words. Any thing. adv. Basic words. In (at, to) any place. n. Put up an apparatus;
different apparatuses;
an apparatus of tax-control. n. The apples are still green. n. Give approval to;
say with approval;
have a feeling of approval. *Get goods on approval. n. (e) Archlike form. archer, (e) One using as an instrument of war a curved bit of
wood or other elastic material with a cord stretched between the ends. The arch of a bridge;
the church has pointed arches.
A foot with a good arch;
the cat is arching its back.
The bird was wounded by an archer. n. (e) Line of reasoning. Have an argument with somebody.
A good argument for putting an end to war;
his argument was. International name of science. n. (e) Long structure like an arm. arms = Instruments of war. Working-men get strong arms;
with open arms.
The arm of a machine;
the arms of a coat.
The nation has no arms;
arming for war. **A baby in arms;
nations in arms.
(They went arm in arm.;
the men took up arms). n. (e) A number of persons. The boy is going into the army;
the army has a new chief;
armies were smaller then.
An army of boys went to the house. n. (e) Way of doing. A work of art;
he puts his art first;
a museum of bad arts.
Arts came before Science.
The art of cooking;
I am learning the art of seeming interested. adv., conj., pron. As hard as iron;
he came as slowly as before.
As far as I see;
look on as wrong;
as an example;
please be so good as to come;
as we go higher the air gets colder.
Such things as drink. *It seems as if; as to (for) that.
(So as to get it right; he has horses as well as cows). **As a man; as you are here. International word. prep. At a point;
at Tokyo;
at the top;
at 4; at his request;
at what price. *(Not at all interesting;
be at a loss;
knowledge at first (second) hand;
days at school;
at present;
at any rate;
at right angles to). **At a run;
At a profit (loss).
(Have a go at;
at all events;
three at a time;
get at details;
at table;
at sea;
at pleasure;
make eyes at). n. An attack against his views;
the army made a sudden attack;
a new line of attack;
attacked by a disease;
attacking a question. *An attack on a man. n. Make an attempt to get the news;
wounded in the attempt;
attempting to do. n. (e) Care, looking after. Give attention to;
keep one’s attention on;
great powers of attention.
The baby gets no attention. n. (e) Pleasing quality (thing):
condition of (undergoing) attraction. The attraction of the earth for bodies.
She has no attraction off the stage;
have an attraction for;
the attraction of the idea;
coming attractions.
The attraction of the sea by the moon;
their attraction to one another. n. (e) Person or body in authority:
person with special knowledge. Have authority over the army;
what authority have you?;
be in authority;
be under the authority of the chief.
Go to a higher authority;
come before the authorities.
As authority on the Great War. **(On good authority). International word. a. Get chocolate from an automatic machine;
his behavior was automatic;
an automatic reaction;
he got up automatically. International word. a. The baby is awake very early;
I came awake suddenly. **(Wide awake). adv. Basic words. At (to) some distance; out of view. n. He was ill when he was a baby;
the woman had two babies with her;
the baby cat; my baby brother. **(A baby in arms). n. Basic words. Push-carriage for a baby. n., adv., a. (s) Back of man’s body or like part of other things. (e) Top of animal’s body. The back of the house;
the back of the book;
at the back of the station;
a picture backed with linen;
backing an automobile.
A pain in the back.
The monkey was on the dog’s back.
Come back;
get money back;
a year back.
The back door. *(give back a sound). n. Basic words. Bone down the back of man or animal. n. Basic words. Painted cloth at back of stage. n. Basic words. Back end of person’s body. n. Basic words. Quiet water near a river. n. Basic words. Out-of-the-way place. a. (s) Bad in behavior. (e) No longer good for food. A bad day;
bad weather;
have a bad time;
a bad idea;
a bad bit of wood;
a bad book;
a bad friend;
be badly wounded.
A bad boy.
The milk will be bad tomorrow. *The worse for drink.
(Bad at languages;
he did badly). n. A bag full of wool;
a paper bag;
a porter took my bags. n. Basic words. Music pipe with bag for wind. n. Keep one’s balance;
a balance of forces;
balancing on a wire;
have a well-balanced mind. *(Be off one’s balance). n. (s) Playing-ball. A silver ball;
make butter into balls.
The little girl has a ball. International word. n. (e) Group: music-playing group. Put a rubber band round;
fixed by a band of iron;
a band of red;
banded with red.
A band of young men;
banding together against the police.
Playing in the band. n. Onomatopoeic.
Noise made by burst. International word. International word. n. (e) Base of military operations. The base of a building;
basing opinions on facts.
The wounded are sent back to the hospital at the base. n. Basic words. An American sport in which a ball is used;
ball used in baseball. n. (e) Wide hollow. Food in a basin;
a river basin. n. Eggs in a basket;
a basket of flowers. n. Basic words. Material made like a basket. n. (e) Wash in a bath. Put water in a bath.
Have a bath;
give the baby a bath;
bathing the baby. n. Basic words. Special room with (gen. fixed) bath. v., aux. v. (e) Have existence, take place. been, (e) Gone (or come) to and away from a place. being, (e) Living thing. She is a cook;
he is good;
it is wise to do nothing;
they are talking;
I will be there.
I am; such things have been and will be again;
there is no answer to that question.
Have you ever been to Paris?
A strange being. (*That is to say;
let (a person, thing) be). a. A beautiful woman;
a beautiful day;
a beautiful picture;
the theory is beautifully clear. conj. He was angry because she was late. *(Best because of its rules). v. Basic words. Come to be. **What has become of it?Editor’s note
Guide to the use of the book
The Basic Words
a (an)
ABC
able (unable, ably)
about
account
acid (acidly)
across
act (actor, acting, acted)
addition
adjustment
advertisement
after
aftereffect
aftertaste
afterthought
again
against
agreement
air (airer, airing, aired)
aircushion
airman
airplane
air-tight
alcohol
algebra
all
almost
aluminum
am (are)
ammonia*
among
amount
amusement
and
angle
angry (angrily)
animal
another
answer (answerer, answering, answered)
ant
any
anybody
anyhow
anyone
anything
anywhere
apparatus (apparatuses)
apple
approval
arch (arches, archer, arching, arched)
argument
arithmetic
arm (armer, arming, armed)
army (armies)
art
as
asbestos
at
attack (attacker, attacking, attacked)
attempt (attempter, attempting, attempted)
attention
attraction
authority
autobus*
automatic (unautomatic, automatically)
automobile
awake
away
baby (babies)
baby-carriage
back (backer, backing, backed)
backbone
back-cloth
backside
backwater
backwoods
bad (worse, worst, badly)
bag
bagpipes
balance (balancer, balancing, balanced)
ball
ballet*
band (bander, banding, banded)
bang
bank
bar
base (baser, basing, based)
baseball
basin
basket
basket-work
bath (bather, bathing, bathed)
bathroom
be (am, are, is, was, were, being, been)
beautiful (unbeautiful, beautifully)
because
become
n.
(e) Stretch of material, specially under, forming base of, something: flower-bed.
bedding, (e) Bed-covers.
Put the covers on the bed; go to bed; be in bed. The bed of the river is deep; the discovery of a new coal bed. Put flowers in the beds.; bedding out plants. Soft bedding.
n. Basic words. Special room with bed(s) for sleeping in.
n.
There is a bee on the flower.
International word.
International word.
n. Basic words. The wax made by bees.
prep., conj., adv.
Come before tea; the word before “have” is not clear; go before a judge; the work before us; work comes before play; death before prison! Have a meel before you go. He did it once before.
**(Before long).
n.
His behavior is good; rough in behavior; the behavior of a chemical; the behavior of nations.
n.
(s) Belief in religion.
(e) What one has belief in: feeling that a thing is probable.
Belief is an event in the mind. To be a Christian it is necessary to have belief. They had a number of strange beliefs. It is my belief that we will have snow.
*In the belief that; have belief in a story.
n.
The church bell is sounding; that is the front-door bell.
n. Basic words. Boy servant in a hotel.
a.
Using a bent stick; a bent old man; his arm was bent.
n.
The fruit of this plant is berry; birds take the berries.
See good and well.
prep.
A river between two mountains; time between events; there is no connection between these events; make a comparison (selection) between foods; make a division of the sweets between the two boys.
International name of science.
n.
A bird in the air; going after birds with a gun.
n. Basic words. View from the air.
n.
(e) Position in society by birth; start.
Bentham’s birth took place in 1748. All are given an equal chance, whatever their birth. The birth of a new idea.
*(Mothers give birth to babies).
n. Basic words. The day of the year on which a person's birth took place.
n. Basic words. Mark on the skin from birth.
n. Basic words. Place of person’s birth.
n. Basic words. Number of births for every 1,000 persons in a given time.
n. Basic words. Right given by fact of birth.
n.
(e) Unit of metal money.
Have a bit of bread; bits of news; put the bits together. A two-shilling bit.
*The dress is in bits; the plate has come to bits. (Bit by bit).
**He was a bit sad; I did my bit in the organization.
n.
(e) What is taken at one bite: wound from a bite.
The dog gave him a bite; have a bite at an apple. I took a bite of it. A bad bite in the leg.
a.
(e) Bitter in feeling.
A bitter taste; a bitter drink. A bitter thought; her troubles have made her bitter.
a.
A black night; a black man from Africa; make one’s hand black as coal. Dressed in black.
n. Basic words. Dark berry of the fields and roadsides in England used as food.
n. Basic words. Bird of Europe noted for song.
n. Basic words. Black board for writing on used in school.
n. Basic words. Black polishing substance (for iron fireplaces and so on).
n. Basic words. Keeping of town(s) dark in war-time.
n.
(s) Blade of war.
(e) Flat, narrow, blade-like leaf or part of any thing.
The blade is not sharp; a knife with two blades. Waving his blade in the air. A blade of grass.
n.
(e) Family.
There was blood on the coat. There is Irish blood in him; they are of the same blood; a blood relation.
n. Basic words. Blood pipe in the body.
n.
(e) Motion of air-current: shock.
Give a person a blow. A strong blow of wind; giving one’s nose a blow. The news was a great blow to him.
n. Basic words. 1. Pipe for increasing heat of flame by blowing air into it. 2. Pipe for blowing sharp-pointed, frequently poisoned, sticks through, used in war and so on by certain Indians of America and the West Indies.
a., n.
The sea is blue on a bright day. A dark shade of blue.
n. Basic words. Blue, spring, woodland flower.
n.
(s) Advertisement board.
The floor-boards are cracked; boarding up a window. Put up a board; I saw it on the board outside.
n.
Take a boat on the river; go by boat.
n.
(s) Dead body.
(e) Body without legs, head, or arms: material thing: group (organization) of things or persons.
Have a healthy body. They were on watch by the body. He had a short body and long legs. The attraction of bodies to the earth. The decision of the ruling body; a body of law.
a., n.
boiler (s) Steam-making apparatus.
Put an egg in boiling water; the water is boiling; he is boiling the coffee. Cooking the fish by boiling it. A ship’s boiler.
n.
(e) Bone material.
No bones are broken; boning fish. A spoon made of bone; a bone button.
n.
booking, (e) Taking tickets for.
Writing a book; see it in a book; a book of pictures; noting it in a book; have no more copies of a book. Booking seats for a play.
n. Basic words. Person who keeps accounts.
n. Basic words. Support for books when reading.
n.
Put on one’s boots.
n.
Put wine in a bottle; bottled beer.
n.
(e) Theater-box.
Keep gloves in a box; send the boxes to the station; this part is boxed off. Seated in a stage-box.
n.
The boy is making a noise.
n.
(e) Good quality of brain (freq. brains).
Something wrong with his brain; cooking sheep’s brains; he was brained by a blow. The man has brains; he has no brain.
n.
The brakes are loose; put the brake on.
n.
(e) Branch-like part: branch of business (organization): division.
A broken branch; a tree with low branches. A branch of the railway; branching to the left. The bank has a branch in Hull. A branch of science.
n.
A bit of brass; a brass pot; a brass plate on the door.
n.
Cutting bread; bread and butter.
n.
(e) Soft blow of wind.
The dog’s breath was warm; take a deep breath; not breathing well. Moved by every breath of wind; a day without a breath of air.
*Be out of breath.
a. Basic words. So surprising, beautiful, and so on as to take one’s breath away.
n.
Putting bricks on the wall; a red-brick house; bricking up a hole.
n. Basic words. Bricks joined together forming material of wall and so on.
n.
Make a bridge across the railway; bridging the river.
a.
(e) With a quick brain: happy.
A bright fire. A bright girl; have a bright idea. A bright and smiling face.
a.
(e) Crushed (by loss).
The plate is broken; a very broken sleep; the house was broken into by the police; a bit broken off; the box was broken open; an unbroken line of trees. He is a broken man.
*(The bread is broken up).
n.
She has a brother in the army; the two boys are brothers.
n. Basic words. Brother of man (woman) one is married to.
a., n.
Dark brown hair. There is not much brown in the picture.
n.
(e) Brushing.
Using a brush to get the floor clean; a paint brush; the painter is cleaning his brushes. Give the dog a brush; brushing one’s hair.
n. Basic words. 1. Small, low trees. 2. Thin sticks from brushwood.
n.
Milking into a bucket; a coal bucket.
n., a.
(e) Act of building.
The highest building in London; there was no other person in the building; that is work for a builder. Building is his trade. They are building ships (walls); building up a business.
n.
(e) Thing having the form of a bulb.
These flowers come from bulbs. A rubber bulb.; this electric bulb gives a good light.
n.
burner, (s) Gas burner.
Put oil on a burn; the acid is burning me; the fire is burning brightly; burning with shame; burning a hole; a smell of burning; a burning pain. You will get a better light is you have a new burner.
n., a.
(e) Outburst.
There has been a burst in the pipe. A loud burst of sound; a burst of angry feeling. A burst pipe.
n.
(s) Trading business.
(e) Business house: what has to do with one.
His business is farming. My father is in business; a good business man; do business with. An insurance business; an old family business; the two businesses have no connection. It is not your business.
**You have no business to say it; he came on business; they are going out of business.
conj., prep.
He is old but she is young; I went to the house, but he was not there; I had no desire to go, but he made me; not only rain but snow. All but the foolish have ideas.
*(Men are like animals, but for their brains).
n.
Put the butter on thickly; buttering bread.
n. Basic words. Yellow, cup-like field-flower.
n. Basic words. Liquid from butter-making.
n.
(e) small round structure.
The button has come off my coat; buttoning his shoes. Touching the button of the bell.
*(My overcoat is buttoned up).
n. Basic words. Hole for putting button through.
n. Basic words. Hook for buttoning shoes, gloves.
n. Onomatopoeic. Sound like that of a fly.
prep., adv.
(e) Cause or instrument.
A house by the river; he went by me on the road. Picture by Rubens; go by train; troubled by ants; covered by insurance; punishment by death. Time goes by quickly.
*(Take by surprise; a story by word of mouth; side by side).
**Come by to-morrow. (Playing by ear; by request).
a. Basic words. Long past, no longer in existence.
International word.
n.
(e) Cake of substance.
Make a cake; have chocolate cake for tea. A cake of soap; the wheel is caked with earth.
International word.
n.
Taking pictures with a camera.
n.
Painting on canvas; sleeping under canvas. A canvas cover on the boat.
n.
(s) Playing-card.
(e) Material of which cards are made.
cards, (e) Play with cards.
Send a card to. Put down a higher card. Pictures done on card. The men were playing cards.
n. Basic words. Stiff card.
n.
(e) Feeling of trouble.
Put on the dress with care; the jewels are in my care; take care. The cares of his position.
*((Take) care of).
a. Basic words. Without any feeling of care.
n. Basic words. Person looking after house and so on.
n.
(e) Division of train: transporting: payment for transport.
Driving in a carriage with two horses. A train with six carriages. Undertake the carriage of goods. How much is the carriage? Send the box carriage forward.
n.
A cart came round with coal; carting the earth away.
n.
The cat is on the roof.
International word.
n.
(e) Purpose: question up for decision by law.
Get angry without cause; it has an interesting cause; the cause of the trouble. Give money for a good cause. The hearing of a cause.
*(There is no cause for protest).
a.
(e) Special but unnamed.
Be certain one is right; seem uncertain; they are certainly not here now. He has a certain disease.
*Make certain before you do it.
n.
(e) Things looked on as a chain: range of mountains.
The dog is on a chain; chaining the prisoners together; chained to the railing. A chain of events. A chain of mountains.
n.
(s) Stick of chalk for writing with.
The earth here is full of chalk. My chalk is broken; chalking numbers on a board.
International word.
n.
(e) Possible hope, time when chance is on one’s side.
A question of chance; chance is against us; take one’s chance of getting a seat; a chance meeting. Here is your chance; he hasn’t a chance of getting away; the chances are against him.
*(I cam there by chance).
**Come on the chance that one’s friend is there.
n.
(e) Small money: money handed back after taking payment out of money offered.
Make changes in the book; see a change in him; men are changing; she is changing her dress. Get change at the station. Give the right change.
**(Small change).
International word.
a.
(e) Poor in quality, common.
A cheap meal. Cheap fiction; a cheap trick; be cheaply dressed.
International word.
**A check on the bank.
n.
A great round cheese; cheeses made from goat’s milk; a bit of cheese.
a., n.
A chemical process; chemically, it is unchanged. A strong chemical.
International word.
International name of science.
n.
(e) Box for storing things in.
A pain in my chest. Locked in a chest; a chest of drawers.
a., n.
Fishing is his chief interest. The chief is wounded.
n.
She has a small chin.
International word.
International word.
n.
(e) Organization of which a church is representative, gen. Church.
The church is full; the town has 4 churches; be in church; go to church every Sunday. The opinion of the Church; the Church of England.
International word.
n.
(e) Group of persons.
A circle on the paper; the little girls were in a circle round the teacher; circling round the tree. An interesting circle of friends.
International word.
International word.
a.
(e) Without dirty suggestion.
A clean room; send a dress to the cleaner; my coat has been cleaned. A clean story; unclean thoughts.
**Cleaning up after work.
a.
(e) Clear to the mind: sharply outlined to eye or ear: free.
A clear day; clear water; the sky is clearing. Make a point clear; get clear about something; see his purpose clearly; the sense is unclear. His writing is very clear; the clear sound of a bell. The road is clear.
**Get (keep) clear of.
n.
This clock is right.
*(4 by the clock).
Basic words. Machine like that of a clock.
n.
(s) A bit of cloth.
clothing, (e) Dress.
A roll of cloth. Here is a cloth for drying the plates. Put on clothing; clothing oneself.
n.
(e) Thick mass: cloud of trouble.
Clouds in the sky; the sky is clouding over. A cloud of smoke. A cloud on her face; be under a cloud; clouding their pleasure.
International word.
n.
Burning coal; a coal fire; coaling the ship.
n.
(e) A cover.
A winter coat; put on a coat; a coat and skirt. A new coat of paint; coating the house with whitewash.
International word.
International word.
International word.
a., n.
(e) Cold in behavior (feeling): ill condition marked by coughing and sneezing.
A cold day; the soup got cold. She was cold to her friends; be looking at him coldly. Feeling the cold. Have a cold.
n.
A shirt collar; put on a clean collar; a dog-collar.
International name.
International word.
n.
A bright color; coloring the wall.
n.
(e) Combing.
A brush and comb. Give one’s hair a comb; combing the dog.
v.
Come into the house; thoughts come into the mind; nations come into existence; one page comes after another; his name comes at the end; prices will come down; the sea comes in; he came first in the list; in the coming year; boats come and go; buttons come off; these words come out of a book; the story came to my ears; all these examples come under one rule; flowers come up; the sun comes up; it comes up to my hopes.
*(Your fears may not come true).
**Come to blows; come to grips; come to one's senses; it comes to this; come up for discussion. (Come into line; come into play; come round; men come out).
n.
(s) Comfort to the feelings.
(e) Thing giving comfort.
Resting in comfort; a comforting drink. Take comfort from the fact; comforting a friend. My son is a comfort to me.
n.
Put it before the committee; forming a committee.
*(He is on the committee).
a.
(e) Of low birth, behavior, in bad taste, unpolished: taking place frequently: with more than one owner.
That is the common view. A common person of rough behavior. Quite a common event; an uncommon disease; it is commonly said. Talking a common language.
*Things in common.
n. Basic words. General good sense.
n.
(e) Group, sp. an organization for some purpose, as a business company.
She went to meetings for company; be happy in a person’s company. The business was made into a company; two companies of actors.
*(Keep a person company).
n.
Make a comparison between things; this is small in comparison with that.
n.
(s) Competition with rules.
The groups are in competition with one another; competition is strong between them. The paper is having a competition for cooks.
**Competition in.
a.
Have a complete system; the work is incomplete; who is completing the book?; in complete harmony; you are completely wrong.
a., n.
(e) A system of unconscious desires and so on having an effect on a person’s behavior.
Complex ideas; a complex form. A complex of parts. He has a complex about his father.
n.
(e) Condition of an agreement (act).
Living conditions are bad; a strange condition of mind; horses in good condition; conditioning a dog; a conditioned reaction. He made some conditions; a condition of the distribution.
*On condition that.
n.
(e) Body of persons doing business with a given store and so on (freq. connections).
I do not see any connection between those statements; he has no connection with the business; the train connections are bad. The music teacher has a good connection.
**In this connection.
a.
The conscious mind, a conscious error; be unconscious; not consciously cruel.
*(Conscious of something).
n.
(e) Controlling apparatus.
He has no control over his son; his feelings are well under control; take control; controlling the work (army); a controlling interest; a well-controlled voice. The control is not working.
*(Control of).
n.
cooker, (s) Cooking apparatus.
The cook made a cake; good cooking. A gas-cooker.
n.
(s) Bit of copper money.
Get copper out of the earth; a copper pot; the box is coppered inside. Give the boy some coppers.
n.
(e) Copy of a book.
Make a copy of a table; copying letters; copying someone’s behavior. Printing more copies of the reading-book.
n. Basic words. Right to profits on a book.
n.
A whistle on a cord; the parcel has cord round it; a corded box.
n.
(s) Cork of a bottle.
Covered with cork. Get the cork out; corking the bottle.
n. Basic words. Instrument for pulling out corks.
n.
(s) Cotton thread.
A field of cotton; a cotton dress. Take a needle and cotton.
n. Basic words. Natural cotton before it is made into thread, a soft mass used medically and so on.
n.
(e) Tendency to coughing.
Give a cough; coughing in church. Have a bad cough.
n.
(e) Division of the earth, political or other.
A farm in the country; wooded country. The country is at war; warm countries.
n.
(s) Cover of box or pot.
(e) Something keeping from view.
A cover on the bed; covering his face with his hands; insurance covering damage by fire; hands covered with hair. The cover is off the box. The trees were cover for the army.
**Take cover.
n.
Milk from the cow; the cows in the field.
n.
(e) Noise of cracking.
A crack in the place; cracking nuts. The crack of a whip.
n.
(e) Good name: thing helping this.
Have credit at a bank; give credit; get credit; crediting one’s account. His credit is high with his friends; crediting him with common sense. He is a credit to his father.
*On credit; to one’s credit.
n.
(e) Very bad, shocking, act or condition.
Go to prison for a crime. Wasting your education is a crime.
a.
A cruel man; a cruel death; a cruel thing to say; be acting cruelly.
n.
(e) Mass of persons very near together.
Give the nut a crush; his hat was crushed by someone stepping on it; a crushing blow. In such a crush, there was no room for dancing.
n.
crying, (e) Unhappy crying.
The cry of a street trader; a bird’s cry; give a cry of pain; crying out that all is well. She was crying quietly.
n.
The cup is broken; a cup of tea.
n. Basic words. Box-like structure with doors and gen. shelves inside.
n., a.
(s) Electric current.
Swimming against the current; the current of opinion was against him. Putting on the current. Current events.
n.
(s) Theater curtain.
A curtain over the window; part of the room was curtained off. Be at the theater before the curtain goes up.
n.
The curve of an arm; a price curve; curving in the air; curving the metal; a curved knife.
n.
Resting on a cushion; a cushioned seat.
a., n.
cutting, (e) Bit cut out or off.
The cord is cut; a cut finger; a well-cut dress; cutting a bit off. A cut on the nose. A newspaper cutting.
*(Bread is cut up).
n.
damages = Payment for damage.
Looking at the damage caused by the fire; the window was damaged by a storm; a damaging statement. Payment of damages.
*(Do damage to).
International word.
n.
(e) Thing causing danger.
The danger of walking on thin ice; be in danger of fire. He is a public danger; that machine is a danger to the workers.
a., n.
A dark night; a dark color; dressed darkly. Fear of the dark.
n.
The daughter of a poor man; have three daughters.
n. Basic words. Woman one’s son is married to.
n.
(e) Opposite of night: time in history.
A week has 7 days; day and night; a bright day. In our day.
*(All day; by day; day by day; from day to day; good-day).
**One day; have one's day.
n. Basic words. The light of daytime.
n. Basic words. The time when it is day.
a.
(e) Without feeling: gone out of use.
A dead man; respect for the dead. My foot is dead. That idea is dead; dead languages.a., n.
(e) Loved (one).
The goods are dear. A dear friend; he was dearly loved. Come with me, my dear.
*(Dear to the public).
n.
(e) Condition of death.
His death was a great blow; go to one’s death; come to one’s death; death took him; the death of his hopes. Beautiful in death.
*(Put to death).
n.
(e) Condition of having debts.
A debt of £10; a debt to the past. Be badly in debt.
n.
(e) Power of making decisions.
Make a decision; the decision of this equation. He has great decision.
*(Come to a decision).
a., adv.
(e) Going to the root (of a question).
Deep water; a deep hole; be deep in dept; he was deeply moved. A deep book; a deep interest. Go deep into the earth.
n.
(e) Amount.
Two degrees under boiling-point; marking the degrees in red. A high degree of interest; a question only of degree.
*(By degrees).
a.
(s) Readily made ill.
(e) Giving reaction to small details, using care: needing delicate care.
Delicate glass; the picture was delicately colored. A delicate person. A delicate instrument; delicate tastes; a delicate touch. Delicate work.
a.
A dependent person; the country is now independent.
*Dependent on (some thing or person).
n.
(e) What one has in mind to do.
The design on the curtain; a design for a house; designing a dress. Designs for a new organization; designing to get free.
*Have designs on (a person, his money, and so on).
n.
A desire for food; a desire to go; give the desired answer.
n.
A substance for the destruction of insects; the destruction of one’s hopes; go to one’s destruction; send him to his destruction.
n.
(s) Unimportant detail.
The newspaper gives all the details of the crime; the details of her dress; detailing the events; a detailed account; go into details. That is only a detail. Story in detail.
n.
(e) Outcome.
The development of a new system (idea); the development of man; go through a process of development. Interesting new developments.
See do.
a.
Two different sorts of fruit; a different man; viewing things differently.
n.
He has a good digestion; digestion is a slow process.
a.
(e) With a dirty suggestion.
The tablecloth is dirty; make the floor dirty; dirtying one’s hands. A dirty story.
n.
(e) Thing uncovered by discovery.
He made an interesting discovery; the year of the discovery of America. May I see your discovery?
n.
Have a discussion about; the discussion of details; deep in discussion; the Peace Discussion in London.
*(An idea under discussion).
**(Come up for discussion).
n.
Get a disease; expert on diseases of the ear; a town full of disease.
n.
Have a disgust for a person; go away in disgust ; disgusting facts; a disgusted person.
*(Disgusted (pleased, angry) with).
n.
A distance of four feet; go a great distance; some distance away; in walking (hearing) distance; see from a distance.
*(At a great distance).
n.
(e) How things are placed.
Make a distribution of clothing; an unequal distribution. What is the distribution of the disease (plants)?
n.
(e) Space (wall) between: act of division: division of feeling (opinion).
A division of a school; a division of the book. Put up a division across the room; make a division between the houses. The division of the money; the boys are doing division. A division of opinion among experts.
v., aux. v.
(e) Be right, or enough, for a given purpose.
doings, (e) Acts.
Do a kind act; do the right thing; do the cleaning; do music; do nothing; do wrong. This will do for a curtain. I do not keep dogs; he did not see me; do you go to the theater?; I made an offer and so did he. Give an account of one’s doings.
*The bricks will do damage to the window; they did well (badly) in the test. (Do one’s best; have nothing to do with).
**How do you do? I have done with the paper. (Do one’s bit; do trade in; do one good).
n.
Take a dog for a walk.
International name.
n.
Get the door open; the door into the room; at death’s door.
**Out of doors.
n. Basic words. Person stationed at door of hotel and so on, to oversee incomings and outgoings.
n. Basic words. Opening for a door.
n.
Have doubts about; be in doubt; doubting a man (story).
**No doubt.
prep., adv.
Go down a mountain. The sun goes down; put the pot down; take down words; the story has come down from the past.
*He took a walk down (up) the street (road); if you are good at fighting, that is no reason for looking down on lovers of peace. (He let his friend down).
**(Put one’s foot down about something; put the smash down to the wet road).
n. Basic words. Destruction, end.
n.
draining, (e) Process of making less or feebler.
Put water down the drain; draining a bit of land. Draining away his power.
n.
Put away in a drawer.
n.
(e) Clothing.
dressing, (e) Cover put on wound: substance put on food.
She had a beautiful dress; their dresses were blue. A new form of dress; dressing oneself (the baby). Put a dressing on the leg; dressing the leg. A thick dressing on the meat.
*(Dressing up).
n.
(s) Alcohol drink.
(e) (Amount of drink for) one act of taking drink.
Tea is a good drink. They had some drink; drink is his trouble. Have a drink of water; have a drink to him; give me another drink.
*(The worse for drink).
n., a.
(e) Forcing.
Driving an automobile (cart); a good driver.
Put the nail in by driving it with a hammer; the wind was driving the ship forward; a driving rain; you are driving me to drink.
n.
(e) Fall.
Drops of rain on the window; a drop of blood from the wound. It is a long drop from the top of the wall; a drop in prices; dropping the plate.
a.
(e) Not interesting.
A dry field (tongue, day); get dry in front of the fire; drying the linen; dried fruit. A dry discussion (book).
n.
(e) Powder.
duster, (s) Cloth for taking off dust.
There is dust on the books; get dust in his eyes; dusting the table (room). Chalk dust. Cleaning the table with a duster.
n. Basic words. Man who goes round with cart for house waste.
International word.
n.
He put his ear to the key-hole; news comes to one’s ears.
**An ear for music; playing by ear.
a., adv.
(e) Before the time.
It is early in the day; the early years. Early for the meal. Get up early.
n. Basic words. Ornament for ear.
n.
(e) The ball on which we are living.
Put a seed in the earth. The earth goes round the sun.
**Nothing on earth.
n. Basic words. Earth walls put up in war.
a., adv., n.
The east side; an east wind. Going east; Germany is east of France. The sun comes up in the east; religions of the East.
n.
The edge of the sea (dress); the knife has a sharp edge; the collar is edged with blue.
n.
Give a boy a good education; the education of the young; the experience will be a good education for you.
n.
A strange effect of light; his statement had no effect; get a snow effect by dropping paper; effecting a change.
*(Have an effect on).
**In effect; be of no effect; put into effect; take effect.
n.
This egg comes from the farm.
n. Basic words. Sort of cup used at table for an egg.
a., n.
(e) Readily stretched, changed.
An elastic material. Very elastic views. A bit of elastic.
a.
Electric light (current); get an electric shock; the house is electrically heated.
International name.
International name.
International word.
n.
ending, (e) The end part of a story (word).
Come (get) to the end; the end of the street (story, work); a loose end of thread; the day is ending. The ending ‘-ing.’
*In the end.
**(Put an end [a stop] to).
n.
(s) Railway engine.
The automobile has a good engine. The engine of the train is not strong enough.
International word.
adv., a., n.
It is good enough; go far enough from danger. There is not enough time for the work. Have enough; you have said enough; get enough of.
**Strangely enough.
a., n.
Equal amounts; take an equal pleasure in; the sides are unequal; this is equal to that; they are equally bad. A fight between equals.
n.
Make an error; say in error.
adv.
It is cold even in the sun; even though he was old, they made him go; he has no fear even of death; the box was not even open; he is even happy; even more interesting is the story of; even if you have done it, I will still be your friend.
**Even so.
n.
An event has taken place; these strange events.
**At all events; in the event of.
adv.
If you ever see him, give him my love. Have you ever been?; it was ever the same; no man will go on living for ever.
*It is as true as (truer than) ever.
**(For ever saying the same thing).
n., a. Basic words. Plant or tree which is green all the year.
a.
Every word was true; he comes every day; every time he comes, I go; every one of them became ill.
**There is every reason why. (Every other day).
n. Basic words. Every person.
a. Basic words. Common.
pron. Basic words. Every person.
n. Basic words. Every thing.
adv. Basic words. In (at, to) every place.
n.
(e) Thing (or person) rightly to be copied.
An example of her work, an example of false reasoning. He is an example to us all.
n.
(e) Money exchange between countries: money market.
The exchange of goods for money; exchanging hats (words). The exchange is against us. The Exchange is doing no business.
*(In exchange for).
n.
(e) Condition, way, of living.
Be in existence; the existence of a gas; come into existence. An unhappy existence.
*(Have existence).
n.
The expansion of gases; the expansion of a business; the expansion of a theory; an expansion of the sense of the word.
n.
(e) Event experienced.
He has no experience; get some experience; experiencing a new feeling; an experienced person. My experiences in Russia.
n., a.
He is a great expert in that field; he put his questions expertly; her hair had been inexpertly waved. Expert knowledge; expert work.
*(Expert at doing; expert on a question).
n.
Keep one’s eyes shut; eyeing the food; blue-eyed.
*Keep an eye on; have an eye for form.
**Make eyes at.
n. Basic words. The ball-like part of the eye.
n.
(e) Front.
facing, (e) Looking straight at, meeting without fear.
Covering his face; a smiling face. The face of the clock (building); facing the church. Facing the facts.
*Have the face to; make a face (at). (Face to face).
**To one's face.; on the face of it. (Full face).
n.
The facts about; it is a fact that.
*(In fact).
n.
(e) Time of dropping leaves.
Have a fall; a fall of 10 feet; a fall in prices; a fall from power. Come to England in the fall.
a.
(e) Not true in feeling (acts).
A false story; a false idea of the place; false teeth; he was falsely said to be away. Be false to a person; a false friend.
n.
(e) Offspring, son(s) and/or daughter(s): group like a family, specially naming a division of plants, animals.
One of that family; he is of good family; a family hotel. She has a family of three, two boys and one girl. A family of languages; these plants are of the same family.
adv., a.
Do not go far; be sent far away; I went no farther that day. This town is far from London; the farthest star.
n.
Working on a farm; a good farmer; farming in Wales.
a., n.
(e) Thick.
A fat pig. A fat stick. Put some fat on the plate.
n.
The father of six boys; become a father; my father gave it to me.
n. Basic words. Father of man (woman) one is married to.
n.
Country of one’s birth.
n.
Fear is a cause of hate; be in fear of punishment; have fears for him; fearing the future; he is feared by all.
*(For fear of).
n.
A bird without feathers; a feathered hat.
a.
(e) Without effect.
A feeble support; a feeble mind; he was feebly crying out for help. Make a feeble answer.
n., a.
(s) Hate, love, and so on.
feeler, (s) Feeling part of insect.
A feeling of pain. Angry feeling. Be feeling unhappy. The insect has two feelers.
a., n.
A female voice; a female animal. The cat is a female.
a.
A fertile field; a fertile woman; infertile land.
*Be fertile in (ideas and so on).
n.
(s) Stories as branch of letters.
Fact or fiction; the fiction that all men are equal. Hardy was a writer of fiction.
n.
(e) Range.
Cows in a field. Field of thought (work).
n.
(s) Fight in a war.
Make a fight for equal rights; the two men had a fight. A fight between two armies.
*(He put up a fight).
n.
A cut finger; fingering the goods; a two-fingered hand.
n. Basic words. Mark made by a finger.
n.
(e) Mass of wood, coal, and so on (placed ready for) burning: event of destruction by fire: the going off of guns: free, moving quality of feeling.
Destruction by fire. The fire is not lighted. On the night of the fire; firing the house. A burst of fire from the wood; firing his gun. His writing is without fire.
*(On fire; under fire; firing at a bird).
**Take fire.
n. Basic words. Gun.
n. Basic words. Engine used to put out a fire.
n. Basic words. Sort of intect giving out light in the dark.
n. Basic words. Man who puts out fires.
n. Basic words. Place for fire in room.
n. Basic words. Space round fireplace.
n. Basic words. Plaything made of gunpowder.
a., n., adv.
(e) Best.
The first house in the street. Be first in the school. The first to come. Get there first.
*(At first; for the first (second, last, and so on) time; at first (second) hand).
a. Basic words. Very good, of the best.
n.
(s) Fishes as food.
Get a fish; birds and fish(es); fishing in the sea. Cooking fish.
n. Basic words. Man who gets fish from the sea and so on.
a.
(e) About which a decision has been made.
The rod is fixed; fixed to the wheel; eyes fixed on the floor; a fixed smile; looking at him fixedly. The day has been fixed.
*(Get fixed up).
n.
Put up a flag.
n.
The flame of the match was blue; a house in flames.
a., adv., n.
(s) Flat and parallel with earth.
A flat wall. Flat country; keep the tray flat. Put it flat down. Be living in a flat.
n.
(e) Quick going (away).
A flight over London. His flight from the country.
*(The army is in flight).
**(Put to flight).
n.
(e) Level of a building.
Put the bags down on the floor; the room is floored with stone. His bedroom is on the second floor.
n.
Get some flowers; the flowers have come out; the tree is flowering; a flowering plant; a flowered material.
**(In flower).
n.
A fly on the wall; the flies are biting the horse.
n.
folder, (e) Printed material for distribution: folded cardboard cover for papers.
Put a fold in the metrial; folding the paper; a folding seat. Send them a folder. Put the papers in a folder.
n.
(e) Something acting like food.
Take food; have some food. A good nerve food; food for thought.
a.
Say a foolish thing; a foolish person; be laughing foolishly.
n.
(e) Base.
Put one’s foot forward; be on one’s feet. The foot of the mountain.
*On foot.
**Under foot.
n. Basic words. Form of sport in which a ball is kicked; ball used in football.
n. Basic words. Lights edging theater stage.
n. Basic words. Man servant for carriage, door, table.
n. Basic words. Note at the end (or foot) of page.
n. Basic words. Mark made by a foot.
n. Basic words. Sound made by a foot.
prep.
A place for dancing; desire for food; time for thought; go for the letters; put up for offers; payment for goods; acting for another; A is for apple; check for £10; ready for bed; need for acting; noted for wines; good enough for him; timed for to-morrow; be for a person; waiting for someone; sailing for America; hoping for peace; looking for a letter; send for him.
*(We took him for an expert; he had a name for keeping on the right side of the law; in exchange for; as for that; have an eye for; the worse for drink).
**For all that; for ever saying the same thing; for it was untrue. (For my part; for the most part; go in for; for short; come up for discussion; an ear for music; make things warm for a person; put in for; in time for).
n.
(s) Violent force.
(e) Army (freq. forces) or band of man: a power working for.
The force of a blow; the force of his arguments. Force will be necessary. Landing more forces; the police force. A force for good.
**Laws in force.
n.
(e) Point of branching, division into two arms. Take food with a fork; a garden fork; forking the beds. A fork in the road; forking to the left; a forked stick.
n.
(e) Sort: fixed way of doing.
The form of the table is round; forming a ring. A new form of art. Going through the necessary forms.
adv., a.
Go forward; put forward a suggestion; from this time forward. The forward part of the ship; a forward boy; forward behavior.
*(They sent their boxes carriage forward).
**(Looking forward to the event).
n.
The farmer keeps fowls.
n.
(e) Supporting structure.
framing, (e) Giving form to.
A frame for a picture; framing the painting. The frame of a building (body). Framing an answer.
**Frame of mind.
n. Basic words. Supporting structure.
a.
(e) Free from payment.
Make him free; get free; free thought; you are free to go; the prisoners have been freed. The drinks are free; free trade.
**Be free with.
a. Basic words. (Of picture, outline) done without the help of instruments.
a.
A frequent event; his infrequent attempts; be frequently ill.
n.
(e) Person who is kind to.
He is John’s friend; I have no friends. A friend of the poor.
**Make friends with.
prep.
Go from a place; come back a year from now; 10 miles from London; letter from a friend; away from the point; free from danger; get profit from a business; a mark from a blow; from 10 to 20; it is clear from the facts.
*The future will be different from the past; his ideas took form from day to day (year to year).
n., a.
(s) Front lines of an army at war.
(e) Walk, road, gardens, on edge of town facing the sea.
The front of a house; fronting the road; fronted with brick. News from the front. A walk on the front. The front person; a front view.
*In front of.
n.
(e) Outcome.
Take fruit off the tree; have some fruit. The fruit of our work.
a.
(e) Complete.
A full vessel; get it full. The full story; make full use of; the full moon; be fully conscious.
*(Full of).
**Full face; in full; full up.
a., n.
My future work. No hope for the future; be interested in the young man’s future.
**In future.
n.
A beautiful flower-garden; in the back garden is an apple-tree and produce for the table; he is a gardener; my father is gardening.
International word.
n. Basic words. Place where gas is made.
a.
(e) Wide in distribution, common.
A general rule; a general idea of things; talking generally. The general opinion is; blue eyes are very general; he is generally right.
International name of science.
International name of science.
International name of science.
v.
(e) Become.
Get money; get work; get a disease; get control (help); talk gets about; get facts into one’s head; get a tooth out; get a secret out of a person; get over a disease; get through money; he will get the tree up with a spade; he got up a tree; getting up in the morning is hard for some; get food ready; did he get his book printed? Get married (tired).
*(Get on one’s nerves; get the better of).
**Get at the facts and so on; get to work (on the work named). (Get clear of; get off one’s hands; get a line on; get up stream).
n.
A good little girl; have two girls; a girl to do the housework.
v.
Give milk to the cat; give time (attention) to work; give the bell a push (pull, shake); give an answer; the horse gave a kick; give a talk; give support; give trouble; give news about; give away money; give away a secret; give off steam; give out light; food was given round; the income for a given year.
*(Don't let them give way to bad impulses).
**(Give place to).
n.
(e) Drinking vessel.
glasses = eye-glasses.
Windows are made of glass; a glass eye. A glass of water. Put your glasses on.
n. Basic words. Heated glass structure for plants.
n.
(s) Fighting-glove.
Get one’s gloves off; his father was a glover; a gloved hand. A fight with the gloves.
International word.
v.
Go away from a person; go after a rat; times goes by; they went for a swim; he did not go into details; go over accounts; go through a room; go through a story; roads go to London; go to work; the clock is going; the song goes like this; the books go here; go far; go fishing; go free; go without food; everything has gone wrong.
*(Gone to seed; go without food).
**Let oneself go; go on a system; have a go at; as far as it goes. (Go in for; go out of business; go smash).
n.
Milking a goat.
n., a.
(s) gold money.
(e) The color of gold.
Mining for gold; the exchange of goods for gold; a gold cup. A pocket full of gold. The gold of the sun. Gold paper.
n. Basic words. Small fish the color of gold.
a., n.
goods = Things for marketing, property.
A good day; the milk is good; have a good time; a good idea; a good bit of wood; a good book; good for the eyes; a good man; good weather. There is much good in him; it is for your good; do good. Transport of goods.
*Good morning (day, night); do one’s best; get the better of. (Good at languages).
**It’s no good talking; you had better go; do one good; 5s. to the good. (Make good).
a. Basic words. Person of little value.
a. Basic words. Beautiful, pleasing the eye.
n.
(e) Those in political authority: act of government.
A new form of government. One of the government; the British Government made peace after a long war. Responsible for the government of the country.
n.
(e) Food grain.
A grain of sand. Grain for the birds.
n.
Long grass; seated on the grass.
**Put out to grass.
a., n.
A gray sky. The gray of her eyes.
a.
(e) Noted.
A thing of great size; a great dog; a great amount; be greatly troubled. A great man; living among the great.
a., n.
A green coat; grass is green. Green is a good color.
n.
(e) Clear idea.
gripping, (e) Keeping the attention.
He gave my hand a grip; the cord was slipping from his grip; gripping his arm; in the grip of a disease. He has a good grip of the political position. A gripping story.
**(Come to grips).
n.
A group of friends; the men were waiting in little groups; the houses are grouped in fours.
n.
(e) Thing produced by growth: diseased growth.
The growth of plants (ideas); the growth of the town has been very quick. A thick growth of low trees. A growth on his face.
n.
(s) Person acting as a guide.
The light is a guide; guiding the men. A guide on the mountain.
n.
He has a gun on his back; the ship’s guns; firing a gun.
n. Basic words. Small, well-armed boat.
n. Basic words. Wheeled support of great gun.
n. Basic words. Man using a gun in crime.
n. Basic words. Metal at one time used for guns.
n. Basic words. Firing material for guns.
n.
(e) Hairs covering head or body.
Take out a hair. Be brushing one’s hair; the dog has long hair.
n. Basic words. Very thin spring in watch.
prep. Basic words. Half an hour past (some hour).
adv. Basic words. At or to half the distance (between).
n.
Using a hammer; hammering a nail; hammered metal.
n.
(e) Handwriting; pointer.
Take a book in one’s hand; put one’s hand on; hands up!; handing round the plates; a note was handed to him; left-handed. Writing a good hand. The hand of the clock.
*On the one (the other) hand; at first (second) hand; take in hand; make by hand.
**Have one’s hands full; get off one’s hands; ready to hand; be in someone’s hands; on hand. (Hand in hand).
n. Basic words. A woman’s bag for money and so on.
n. Basic words. A guide book.
n. Basic words. Small cart pushed by hand.
n. Basic words. Writing done by hand.
a., n.
(s) Putting to death by hanging.
hanger, (s) Dress-hanger.
Be hanging on a cord; hanging up a curtain; a hanging thread. Be hanging a man. Give help in hanging a picture. Put the dress on a hanger.
**Be hanging about.
a.
(e) Well placed (timed, said).
Make a person happy; a happy ending; she is very unhappy; they are happily married. A happy saying.
n.
Come into harbor; harboring a friend (unkind feelings).
a., adv.
(e) Using much force; opposite of simple: not kind.
A hard wood. Hard work; he gave the boy a hard blow. A hard question. A hard man. It is raining hard.
*Be hard on a person.
**Hard at work.
n.
(e) Harmony in music.
Harmony in the family; living in harmony. The harmonies of music.
n.
Put on a hat; he is a hatter.
**(A touch of the hat).
n.
(e) Strong feeling against.
Hate is a bad feeling; he is hated by all. Have a hate for work.
v., aux. v.
Have property; have arms; have a friend; have a desire; have a thought; have control (of something); have a drink; have arguments ready; have one’s leg broken. He has done it; it has been done; I had done nothing.
*(I have a good mind to make; have the face to; have a name for).
**(Have a go at; have one’s day; you had better go; have one’s hands full; have the heart to; have reason to; have in mind).
pron.
He is kind; I saw him yesterday; this is his house; it is he. She is his mother; give her this; her hat is black; the book is hers. It is a bird; its wing is broken; it is raining; it seems to me to be late; it may be so. They are wrong; take them away; their father has come; this may be theirs.
n. Basic words. Something for covering the head.
n., a.
(e) Head-like part, top, front: chief.
heading, (e) Writing at the top.
Turning my head. The head of the bed (line); a silver-headed stick; headed by the guide. He is the head of the business. The head cook. The heading of a page.
*(They were almost off their heads).
**Keep one’s head.
n. Basic words. High land going out into sea.
n. Basic words. Heading of a newspaper story.
n. Basic words. Stone on resting-place of dead.
n. Basic words. Forward development (motion).
a.
(e) Making or keeping healthy.
A healthy person; make the wound healthy; they were healthily tired after their sport. A healthy place; an unhealthy winter.
n., a.
(e) Sense, power, range of hearing: hearing for purspose of judging: law hearing.
Our ears are for hearing with; his hearers were moved. His hearing is bad; come into hearing; be out of hearing. At the meeting they wouldn’t give him a hearing; after a hearing the actor was given a part. The second hearing. Be hearing a sound.
n.
(e) Seat of the feelings.
His heart is not strong. Have a kind heart.
*(Have his interests at heart; get words by heart).
**have the heart to; take heart; take to heart.
n.
(s) High degree of heat.
(e) Heat of feeling.
A degree is a unit for measuring heat.
Be overcome by the heat; heating food; an electric heater. In the heat of the discussion; a heated argument.
n. Basic words. Male goat.
n.
(e) That which gives help.
Give help to a person; helping the cook; have helpers. The suggestion was a great help.
*(Of help).
See he.
adv.
He is here; come here; here is a book.
*(There are houses) here and there.
**(Here’s to him!)
Basic words. 1. adv. After this. 2. n. Existence after death (frequently the Hereafter).
adv. Basic words. With this.
pron. Basic words. She, her (not any other person).
n. Onomatopoeic. Sudden automatic jumping of throat muscles, with coughing sound.
a., adv.
(e) High on a scale.
A high mountain; it is a mile high. A high degree of heat; a high position in the business; a high opinion of himself. Go high up.
**On high.
n. Basic words. Mountain country.
n. Basic words. (Chief) road.
See he.
pron. Basic words. He, him (not any other person).
n. Onomatopoeic. Noise (like that) of snake.
n.
(s) History of man or nations.
The history of the earth’s development; this house has a long history; the histories of the two families have much in common. They are learning history; the teachings of history.
n.
Make a hole in the wall (tooth).
a., n.
The ball is hollow. Trees in a hollow; the hollow of his hand.
n.
Put his coat on a hook; the hooks on the dress; fishing with a hook and line; hooking up the curtain; a hooked nose.
n.
(e) That on which hopes are fixed.
Have no hope of seeing her; go in the hope that she will be there; hoping for the best; the agreement which had been hoped for. He is the hope of his side.
n.
(e) Horn substrance: music-horn.
The cow’s horns. A vessel made of horn. Playing on a horn.
n.
Go on a horse.
n. Basic words. Only ‘on horseback,’ seated on a horse.
n. Basic words. 1. Man who goes on a horse. 2. Military man on horseback.
n. Basic words. Rough behavior.
n. Basic words. Measure of engine power.
n. Basic words. The iron put on the foot of a horse.
n.
Go to a hospital; be in the hospital; a hospital bed.
International word.
n.
(e) Time (at which).
An hour from now; he did not work in two hours. In the hour of his need; at what hour will you come?
n. Basic words. Glass instrument for measuring time with sand.
n.
(e) Speical building or sort of building.
Let a house; a room housing a family of six; the housing question. A house of religion; a store-house; a fowl-house.
*(Keep house).
n. Basic words. Boat used as house.
n. Basic words. Woman looking after a house.
n. Basic words. Work of keeping a house clean and so on.
adv.
(e) To what degree; in what condition (sp. of persons).
This is how it is done; how did you get in? We saw how pleased he was; how far (much) is it? I am going to see how the wounded man is; how are you, Mrs. X?
**How good (kind, bright) and so on) of you!
adv., conj. Basic words. In whatever degree (way); but.
n.
(e) Quality causing amusement.
Be in a bad humor; a person with strange humors; humoring an angry man. Say with humor; have a sense of humor; see the humor in.
International word.
International word.
International word.
pron.
I am a boy; I am ill; it is I; give me your hand; that is my book; the other is not mine. We are ready; take us to the house; here are our bags; they are all ours.
n.
(e) Iced sweet.
Put food on ice; icing wine. Make an ice.
n.
Have no idea of a thing; be full of ideas; get the idea that; my idea of the animal is not very clear.
conj.
There will be room if you come early; if I am right, then you are wrong; see if it is there; if only I had a chance!; if it is possible, come now; 10, if not more, went.
*(It seems as if).
**(If possible).
a.
He is ill in hospital.
International name.
a.
Be in an important position; an important discovery; unimportant detail.
n.
(e) Push forward.
Have a sudden impulse to do. The agreement gave a new impulse to trade. Acting on impulse is sometimes foolish.
prep., adv.
(s) In or into power, the position in question.
inner, a.
In the pot; in the water; in the field; in space; in the year; in trouble; in the mind; be in business; in danger; in doubt; in thought; in the summer; in the light; dressed in black; experienced in crime; in this book; in China; in bad condition; in my opinion; in my hearing; in the hope that; in comparison with; in relation to; in bed; in church; in prison; he is in authority here; the dog is shut in; a work in prose. A new government got in. The inner room.
*He got into bad ways; let her into a secret; in addition to this; the cloth was made into trousers; a coat in bits; a story in detail; in the end; in front of; in memory of him; in time he got well; have in mind; put (a person) in mind of; papers in order; right in part; take part in; the accounts in question; things in the way (of); take in hand; take into account; a cord in knots; in store for; something in common; fertile in ideas; in the belief (hope) that; in one's interests; have belief in a story; he in his turn.
**Arm in arm (hand in hand); come in a week; make an error in addition; slow in doing; in flower (leaf); go in for; tricked (surprised) into. (In keeping with; put in (words); put words into person’s mouth; a baby in arms; competition in; in this connection; in effect; put into effect; in the event of; laws in force; story in full; in future; be in someone’s hands; be in someone’s light; come into line; in one’s line; long in coming; in the mass; in some measure; come in numbers; in order to; come in person; in the first place; in place of; come into play; do in play; get in position; letter in the post; anything in reason; in receipt of a letter; in the long run; a place in the sun; do trade in; put in for; in time for).
n. Basic words. Amount of money a person has coming in every year.
n.
(e) Amount by which thing is increased.
An increase of money (interest); an increase in power; increasing the rate; on an increasing scale; an increased income. The increase was small.
a. Basic words. (Placed, done) in the house and so on.
n.
(e) The producing of goods; a branch of producing. A person of great industry. The development of trade and industry. Trouble in the boot and shoe industry; the industries of the country.
International word.
International word.
n.
Writing with ink; inking a line.
adv., a. Basic words. To or on land away from sea.
n. Basic words. Small arm of sea.
a. Basic words. Farthest in.
n.
A fly is an insect with wings.
n., a., adv., prep. Basic words. (Of, in, to) the inner part.
n. Basic words. Top of person’s foot.
n.
(s) Instrument of music.
(e) Thing or person used as an instrument.
A recording instrument; using a sharp instrument. Playing on an instrument; a stringed instrument. He made use of his friends as instruments for his purpose.
n.
Get insurance for one’s house; go to an insurance company; he was late with his insurance money.
n.
(e) Quality of causing interest: that which is to one's profit (freq. interests): right to part of profits of a business: payment for use of money.
Take an interest in history; be interested in others; an interesting play. It has no interest for me. The agreement is against his interests. He has a small interest in the business. Get no interest for a year.
*Foolish acts are not in one’s interests. (The interest on his money is high; these facts are of interest).
International word.
prep. Basic words. To a position in.
n.
(e) Act of invention.
The radio is a great invention; the story was an invention. Working on the invention of a new process.
n.
(e) Iron for linen.
The railing is made of iron; an iron rod; the iron industry. Using an electric iron; ironing linen.
See be.
n.
Living on an island.
See he.
pron. Basic words. It (not any other thing).
International word.
n.
(e) Any jelly-like substance.
Making jelly from fruit; there were jellies and cakes on the table. Crushed to a jelly.
n. Basic words. Sea animal like a jelly.
n.
(e) Jeweled ornament.
A green jewel in a ring; take a broken ring to a jeweler; a jeweled coat (hand). A jewel with a blue stone.
n.
joiner, (s) Woodworker.
joining, (e) Taking one’s place with, becoming one of.
The join between the two boards; the join of the arm; make a join in the wood; joining two threads; with joined hands. Her son is a joiner. He is joining his friends in Paris to-morrow.
**Joining up.
n.
Take a long journey; the journey there and back; journeying from place to place.
*(Go on a journey).
n.
(s) Law judge.
Be a good judge of horses; judging the distance; judging by his face. Come before a judge.
n.
Give a jump over the wall; make a bad jump; jumping from stone to stone.
v.
(e) Have (take) care of (animals, sp. for profit), or be responsible for looking after (a place): go on (doing), do again and again.
Keep one’s money; keep a secret; keep a person from doing; the rubber band keeps the pencils together; keep off the grass; keep to the point; he kept his thoughts back; they are keeping the fire burning. He keeps fowls; keep dogs; keep a store; one of the keepers in the museum (park); the keeper went out with a gun. He keeps coming to see me; the two girls kept talking.
*(Keep one’s word; keep an eye on; keep on (doing)).
**Keep something to oneself; in keeping with. (Keep clear of; keep one’s head; keep one’s mind on; keep time (with)).
n.
Put the kettle on the fire; a kettle of water.
n.
(e) Scale of sound: guide to something: any of the parts of a piano, writing machine, or other instrument by which the fingers put it into operation.
Turning the key in the lock. This song is in a different key; keying a piano. The key to the question; go through the book with the key. The keys of the piano are dirty; playing on the black keys only.
n. Basic words. Hole in lock for key.
n. Basic words. Note on which key (in music) is based.
n. Basic words. Middle stone in an arch.
n.
(e) Jump of an engine, gun.
Give the thing a kick; kicking the ball. The engine gave a kick when I was starting it.
a.
Be kind to animals; have a kind friend; unkind words; smiling kindly.
*(That was very kind of you).
International name.
n.
Give her a kiss; kissing his mother.
n.
(e) Knees as seat.
Go down on one’s knees. A little boy seated on his father’s knee.
n.
Cutting meat with a knife; all the boys had knives; knifing a man.
n.
(e) Knot in wood.
Put a knot in the thread; the wool is all knotted; knotting the cord. Planing down the knots in the board.
*(A fishing line in knots).
n.
(e) Condition of having knowledge.
I have no knowledge of it; talking with knowledge; a new bit of knowledge; a good knowledge of French. In the knowledge that; do it without their knowledge.
**To my knowledge he is not here.
n.
(s) the country.
landing, (e) Floor at top of steps.
Land and sea; land for building on; landing at Dover; landing a fish. Go back to the land; working on the land. A bedroom opening onto the landing.
n. Basic words. Something marking a point (on the land or in history).
n. Basic words. Person who is an owner of land.
n. Basic words. The fall of a mass of land down a slope.
n.
Suggestions for a new language; talking a strange language; using strong language; dead languages; the language question; the power of language.
a., n., adv.
(e) Latest up to now.
This is my last chance; his last words. Last year he came earlier; at our last meeting; the last time I was there. He was the last to go; that was the last I saw of him. This comes last.
*(He came at last; I have seen him for the last time).
a., adv.
(e) After the right time: now dead.
It is getting late; late in the day. You are late for the meeting. The late George Smith. He came late.
*Come at 6 at the latest.
n.
Have a good laugh; he gave a loud laugh; laughing about it.
*(laughing at the boy).
n. Basic words. Gas used medically for making person unconscious of pain\ when having teeth out and so on.
International word.
n.
(e) Natural law: system of laws: men of law.
Make a new law. The law about the attraction of bodies. In Roman law; goto law. The opinion of the law.
n.
(e) Black substance used in pencils.
A ball of lead; lead pipes; leaded windows. The lead of my pencil is broken.
n.
(e) Flat bit: leaf of paper forming 2 pages of book.
A leaf off a tree; the time of the fall of the leaves. A thin leaf of wax. A leaf has come out of the book.
*(Trees in leaf).
n., a.
(e) Book-knowledge.
He’s not good at learning facts; a simple book for the learner. A person of great learning. You are learning Basic English.
n.
The smell of new leather; a leather coat.
a., n.
(e) Political group(s) desiring change, supporting workers (the Left).
The left arm. On the left; to the left. A government of the Left.
a. Basic words. Using left hand more than the right.
a. Basic words. Politically of the Left.
n.
(e) Support or other thing like a leg.
My left leg; the legs of the table; one leg of his trousers.
v., aux. v.
(e) Give use of (building and so on) for payment.
I will let the boys go to the woods to-day; she has let down her hair; he came to the door to let me in; let the dog loose (free); let it be done! I have let my house for the winter. Let us go and see a play.
**Let me see. (Let oneself go).
n.
(e) Words in writing sent to a person.
letters = books, writing.
Learning the letters; lettering the cards. Send a letter to a friend. A man of letters.
n., a.
The level of the water is lower than that of the field; a high level of discussion; these are on a level (with one another); leveling the road; a leveling tendency. Level country; keep the camera level.
n.
(e) Group of books.
Building a new library; the town has three libraries. He has a good science library.
n.
(e) Lifting apparatus.
A lift of the hand; lifting boxes; the clouds are lifting. Go up in the lift.
n., a.
(e) Apparatus giving light; anything used as a match: new knowledge.
The room is full of light; the shutters keep out the light; lighting the theater. Have electric light; a wax light. Give him a light for his pipe; lighting a match. The book gives new light on the question. A light color.
*(Facts come to light; the light is on).
**You are in my light.
n. Basic words. Tall structure with light for guiding ships.
a., prep.
It is like a flower; the two boys are very unlike (one another); they have like tastes; I had a like experience yesterday; fish-like. You are acting like a baby.
**Not anything (nothing) like as good (as).
n.
limited, (e) Narrow.
The town limits; the limits of our knowledge; his hate has no limit; limiting the amount; their power is unlimited. Limited views.
n.
(e) Line of things: rails for train: a cord.
A line on paper; a straight line from A to B; a lined face. A line of houses; a line of men; a line of thought; lining the streets. The train came off the line. A fish on a line.
**Come into line; something in one’s line; out of line; get a line on.
n.
(e) Linen or cotton things for house.
A square of linen; a linen dress. Send the bed linen to the wash.
n.
(s) Lip-like part.
Biting his lip; she puts paint on her lips. The lip of the pot.
n. Basic words. Stick of paint for the lips.
International word.
n., a.
Milk is a liquid. Liquid air; the butter has become liquid in the heat.
n.
A list of words; listing the names.
a., adv., pron., n.
(e) Small in size: young.
There is little food; please make less noise; this boy gave the least trouble. A little house. When I was a little boy. He is little more than a boy; be a little angry; he is less noted than his brother. I am able to do little; he has the least. A little goes a long way.
*(Make little of a thing; little by little he got well again; there were at least 1,000 persons there.
a., n.
A living person; he is living in a house (town); living on a small income; put the living before the dead. Get a living by working; good living.
n.
The door has no lock; locking the door.
*(The house is locked up).
n. Basic words. The shutting of a works by the owners for the purpose of forcing the workers to an agreement.
n. Basic words. Specially strong sort of stitch made by machine.
a.
(e) (As) measured from end to end. A long distance; long hair; a long time. A snake 3 feet long; long measure.
*He no longer has peace.
**Before long; long before; be long in (coming); so long as he goes. (So long!)
n.
(e) How a thing seems when looked at.
Give a look under the seat; looking for the book. A look of regret came over his face; the look of the house; looking sad.
*(Looking at the stars; looking after the house; looking down on teachers).
**On the look-out; looking forward to an event; looking on; looking up to.
n. Basic words. Glass backed with quicksilver for looking at oneself in.
n.
(Person, place for) keeping watch.
a.
(e) (Of person, behavior) not controlled, having no respect for right rules: without care for facts, details.
A loose tooth; loose papers; her hair was loosely pinned up. A loose person. A loose statement.
n.
(e) Being unable to come across.
The loss of a position; his death was a great loss to her; he has had serious losses in business. Troubled by the loss of one’s papers.
*He was at a loss for words. (A loss on the business).
**(He kept the works going at a loss).
a.
(e) In bad taste, forcing attention. Give a loud cry; a loud voice; say loudly. He is loud in his dress.
*(Say out loud).
n.
(e) Thing for which one has love; pleasure in.
Love for one’s son; loving a baby; he is her lover. She is his love. A love for food; loving to do.
*Make love to a person. (His love of animals; be in love with someone).
a., adv.
(e) Placed far down; low on a scale; not upright.
A low seat; a low wall. The moon was low; a low branch. A person of low birth; a low opinion of. A low trick. The airplane came low.
International word.
n.
That work is now done by a machine; machining a dress.
International word.
v.
maker, (s) Owner of business making goods.
Make cloth; make a law; make a person go; make money; make a living; make history; make use of; make an adjustment; make observations; he is making trouble; make an invention; that made him seem foolish; these walls make a prison. The trade-mark of the maker is on the camera.
*(Made of wool; make a face; make certain; make love to).
**Make good; made up of. (Make up for a loss; make war on; make eyes at; make friends with; make one's mark in society; make a point of; make things warm for a person; make one's way).
International word.
a., n.
A male voice; a male point of view. The cat is a male.
n.
(e) Group name for men and women: one having strong qualities natural to a man.
A man with a future; a group of men; manning the boats. The history of man. The army will make a man of him.
n.
He is in the position of manager; the manager of the sports.
n. Basic words. Hole in floor (street) for man to go through to place under it.
International word.
n.
A map of the country; mapping a journey.
n.
(s) Mark as sign.
(e) School mark.
marked, (e) Noted down for punishment: strong, clear, readily noted.
A mark on a dress; a page marked by a dirty finger; she is marking the linen with her name. A mark over the letter; his last resting-place is marked by a stone. Get good marks. Become a marked man. A marked interest in.
**A man of mark; be wide of the mark; make one’s mark.
n.
(e) Persons or organizations ready to give money in exchange for certain goods.
There is a market in the town square; take pigs to market. There’s no market for pictures; the cotton market; marketing produce.
a.
He is married to my sister; we are going to get married; a married woman; an unmarried girl.
n.
(e) Amount of material in a body.
masses = the workers.
A mass of jelly; a mass of persons; a mass meeting; massing the things together. The mass of a body is not the same thing as its weight. Government by the masses.
**Good in the mass.
n.
Lighting a cigarette with a match; a box of matches.
a., n
(e) With thoughts on things of the earth.
A material substance. A very material view. Using good material.
*(Make the material into trousers).
International name of science.
aux. v.
(s) Be free to, be let (do and so on).
It may be true; if that took place, you might be worse off than you are; they said they might come. He may have my seat; you may go now.
See I.
n.
(e) Powdered grain.
Have a good meal. Meal mixed with water.
n.
(e) Measuring-scale or instrument.
Get its measure; measuring the top. Using a steel measure; a measure of heat.
**In some measure.
n.
Get the meat cut up.
a.
Go to a medical man; a medical substance; a medical school; the plant is used medically.
n., a.
(s) Group meeting.
(e) Persons at a meeting.
Have a meeting with a friend. A meeting of a society. Put it before the meeting. I am meeting the train.
n.
(e) Memory picture.
I have a bad memory. Have happy memories of Rome.
*In memory of his father.
n.
Silver is a white metal; a metal plate.
*(The picture was done in metal).
n. Onomatopoeic. Sound of a cat.
n., a.
(e) Position between.
The middle of a circle; the middle of the day. I was in the middle, with a man on my right, and man on my left. The middle point.
See may.
a., n.
A military event; military dress; his air is quite unmilitary. The military.
n.
Have a glass of milk; milking a cow.
n.
(e) Memory.
He has an interesting mind; the idea is still in her mind. It went out of my mind.
*I have in mind the picture; it puts me in mind of you; I have a (good) mind to get it.
**Keep one’s mind on. (Frame of mind).
n.
(e) Place and so on which has great store (of something): mine used in war.
Get gold out of a mine; mining coal; be a miner. A mine of knowledge. Put down mines; the ship was mined.
n.
(e) A very short time.
Put it in water for two minutes; it is five minutes to one; at that minute someone came into the room. I will come in a minute.
International name.
n.
There was a mist over the town; a mist came up from the sea.
a.
(e) Of different sorts: not clear.
Two powders mixed together; get the paints well mixed; pleasure unmixed with regret. A mixed group of women. He has got his ideas very mixed.
**Mixed up.
n.
Give money to; make money; put money into a business.
n. Basic words. Post-office check.
n.
The monkey took a nut.
n.
(e) A space of 4 weeks.
March is the third month. Come a month from now; the work took three months.
n.
(e) Body going round a moving star.
There is no moon tonight. Jupiter has 4 moons.
See much.
adv. Basic words. In addition to this.
n.
(e) Early part of the day.
After 12 at night it is morning. The morning has gone quickly.
*(Good morning).
n, a.
She became a mother; a mother bird; English is my mother tongue.
n. Basic words. Mother of the man (woman) one is married to.
n.
(s) Motion of part of the body as a sign.
(e) Suggestion put to a meeting.
The quick motion of the airplane. Make a motion with the hand; motioning him to come. Put a motion to the meeting.
*(The train is in motion).
n.
Go up a mountain; a mountain range.
n.
(e) Opening: mouth of a river.
His mouth was open; the cat has a bird in its mouth; he has a way of mouthing his words. The mouth of the bag. Near the mouth of the river.
*(By word of mouth).
**(Put words into someone’s mouth).
n.
(e) Step, act.
moving, (e) Causing strong feeling.
Make a move; moving the train forward. Make a foolish move. A moving play; the hearers were much moved.
International name.
International name.
a., adv., pron.
Have much food; she took more trouble than her brother. Fruit is much cheaper here; this book is more interesting than that, but this other is the most interesting of the three; it isn’t raining much. Have much to do; he gave more than I did; most of what he said is true.
*(Make much of a fact; there were at most 100 persons).
International name.
n.
The eye is moved by 6 muscles; this work makes one’s arm muscles strong.
n.
(e) Pleasing group of sounds: pages of music.
They were playing beautiful music. The music of the wind in the trees. He came without his music.
pron. Basic words. I, me (not any other person).
n.
(e) Finger or toe nail.
Hammering a nail into the wood; nailing a board across the window. Cleaning her nails.
n.
(e) Name for being (or doing).
Give the name of a person (thing); naming the day. The business has a good name.
*Have a name for kind acts. (Done in the name of religion).
a.
(e) Limited.
A narrow opening. Take a narrow view; be narrow-minded.
n.
Italy was made into a nation; an agreement between nations.
a.
(e) Not surprising: not self-conscious, straightforward.
We have to keep our natural impulses under control; he has a natural love of music; have an unnatural desire for food; the girl is naturally good-humored. Make a very natural error; his interest in the boy is quite natural; naturally he was angry. She is very natural in her behavior.
adv., prep., a.
Come near; they got nearer and nearer to him. They are near here; we are near the time of the test. The town is quite near; the nearest hospital.
a.
Food is necessary for all; take the necessary steps to get him free; a necessary effect; your trouble was quite unnecessary; his statement is not necessarily true.
n.
(e) Narrow (joining) part.
Have a collar round one’s neck; turning one’s neck; a dress with a square neck. The neck of a bottle; a neck of land.
n.
(s) Being without what is necessary for existence.
(e) Thing needed.
There is need for him to go; needing help. A person in great need. His needs are simple.
**Have need of.
n.
Stitching with a needle; threading the needle.
n. Basic words. Stitching done by hand.
n.
A pin in the nerve of a tooth; nerving oneself to do.
*Get on one's nerves.
n.
(e) Net material.
Put a net over one’s hair (the trees); a fishing-net; netting fish. A hat made of net; a net bag.
n. Basic words. Complex system of lines and so on like the threads in a net.
adv. Basic words. N(ot) ever.
a.
(e) Newly got or made.
These new houses are interesting; go to a new country; a new form of art; that is new to me. She had on a new dress; new bread is bad for the digestion; is that old table in your living-room new? They are newly married.
n.
Give them the news; get into the news.
n. Basic words. Boy with newspapers for distribution.
n. Basic words. Printed paper giving news and so on regularly.
International word.
International word.
n.
(e) The early part of the night.
Some were working all the day, others all the night; have a good night’s rest. A night at the theater.
*(All night; come by night; go to bed at night; good night).
n. Basic words. End of daylight.
a., adv., int.
There is no money; I have no knowledge of the crime; I saw no one; this is no time for talking; that is of no use; it’s no trouble. No less than 100; say no more. No, I will not go.
*(No longer).
**(It’s no good talking; no doubt).
pron. Basic words. No person.
n.
(e) Sound.
They made a noise when the teacher went out; the papers are making a great noise about his play. The noise of a rat.
a.
A normal person; a normal number; he is not acting normally.
a., adv., n.
A north window; a north wind. We went north; France is north of Africa. The north of the island is flat; the cold North.
n.
Breathing through the nose; the dog’s nose is cold.
adv.
I do not see it; he was ordered not to go; not one of them went; the play was not good; she did not say if she would come or not.
*(He is not at all interesting).
n.
(e) Short letter: unit of sound in music: sign for a music note: bit of paper money.
noted, (e) With a public name.
Make a note of it; noting down ideas. Send him a note. Hearing the notes. Playing without looking at the notes. The money was all in notes. A very noted man.
*(Take not of).
n. Basic words. Writing paper.
n. Basic words. No thing, not anything.
adv.
I will go now; now is the time; we are now going; they have done nothing up to now; from now on he will come every day.
**Now, my point is.
adv. Basic words. In (to, at) no place.
n.
(e) Amount of units: group of units: one printing of a paper.
Writing down a number; numbering the doors. That was the number present. A number of books. A new number of the paper.
**Come in numbers.
n.
(e) Nut for screw.
Their food is nuts. Put the nut on tightly or the screw will come out.
n. Basic words. Instrument for cracking nuts.
n.
(e) Statement: power of observation: power of observation.
He got his facts by observation; keep a man under observation. Make an interesting observation about. He has no observation.
prep.
A bit of cake; a day of the month; a representative of the government; a group of friends; a copy of a picture; a noise of voices; a waste of time; an example of art; the power of doing; take any of these; be of good family; words of love; a tin of milk; a cake of soap; a house of wood; shoes of the same size.
*(Makef much of; make sport of; in front of; in memory of; put in mind of; take note of; point of view; in support of; in view of these facts; in the name of the King; be in the way of the horses; by word of mouth; get the better of; get tired of; get out of doing; be out of touch with).
**A touch of the hat. (Made up of; on account of; get (keep) clear of; be of no effect; in the event of; on the face of it; frame of mind; a man of mark; wide of the mark; of some size; have need of; on the part of; make a point of; in receipt of; be short of; send word of something; what has become of it?; stopping short of; going out of business).
prep., adv.
(e) Away, at or to a distance.
Take a cover off a box; you are getting off the point; a street off the square; put a person off doing. Take your coat off; there is a bit cut off; the table leg was broken off. Keep the dogs off; the men went off whistling.
*It was clear from their strange behavior that they were almost off their heads; his experience in the war did not put him off his balance. (The gun went off; he put off the meeting; the teacher let the boy off [punishment]).
**Badly off; time off. (See a person off; get off one’s hands).
n.
(s) Price offer made in competition.
offering, (e) Something given.
Make an offer to do the work; offering him a cigarette; no help was offered. What offers? He gave an offering to the Church.
n.
Working in an office.
n. Basic words. Sons and daughters.
n.
Put oil in the machine; oiling a gun.
n. Basic words. Man trading in oil.
n., a. Basic words. (Coat of) cloth put through oil process to keep out water.
a.
(e) Of, coming down from, the past.
He is an old man now; my coat is old. That\’s an old story; in the old days; we are old friends.
*I am 20 years old.
International word.
International name.
prep., adv.
(e) On the line of a given direction, forward.
On the top; on a certain day; be on one’s feet; on the list; on a line; hanging on the wall; goods on the market; put shoes on one’s feet; they were all on my side; the sailors went on land; put a tax on goods; trouble on his mind; the story is based on facts; put a value of jewels. The house is father on. Put a record on; put a hat on.
*(Keep the manager on; put money on a horse; get on (well, badly) with a person; have an effect on; looking down on; acid acting on material; goods on approval; on condition that; goods on credit; designs on her money; acting on impulse; put on record; take on one side; working on a book; keep an eye on; go on foot; on the one (other) hand; get on one’s nerves; on watch; be dependent on; be hard on a person; and so on; an attack on a man).
**On coming here; have it on good authority; make war on. (Go on a system; take on a servant; goods on account; on no account; on account of; come on business; come on the chance that; a check on the bank; nothing on earth; on the face of it; work on hand; on high; on the look-out; looking on; keep one’s mind on work; on the part of; play on words; on the radio; a run on the bank; smiling on; on the telephone; on second thoughts; trading on one’s name; make a statement on one’s word; on receipt of; get a line on).
a. Basic words. Which is coming on.
a., n., pron. Basic number-word. 1.
(e) Any person.
Have only one sock. One is the lowest number. The blue one is cheap. Butter makes one fat.
*(One another; on the one hand).
pron. Basic words. Anyone himself or herself.
n. Basic words. Person watching, not taking part in, an event.
adv., a.
I have only one pencil; he is only a boy; he came only one time; I was only playing; it was not only dark but raining; if only you were here. He is an only son.
prep. Basic words. To a position on.
a.
(e) Not shut in: keeping nothing secret: about which no decision has been made.
opening, (e) Hole: start(ing).
An open door; get the tin open; opening a letter; the box has been opened. Open country. Please be open with me; he said openly he would not go. It is still an open question. Go through an opening. I am opening the discussion; the play has a good opening.
*(Question open to argument).
**Opening up a country.
n. Basic words. Design with openings as in net.
International word.
n.
(s) Medical operation on the body.
Bank operations; the operation of milking; two men are needed fo the operation of the machine. Do an operation on a person; he had an operation on his leg.
*(The lift is in operation).
n.
Give us your opinion; I have no opinion about it; in my opinion you are wrong.
International word.
a., prep., n.
Opposite points of view; on the opposite side of the street; they went in opposite directions. We are opposite the house. Green is the opposite of red.
conj.
You or I will go; living or dead; two or three; is it true or not?; the foot, or base, of a mountain; or, you may say.
n., a.
(e) Orange color.
Take an orange off the plate. The door is painted light orange. The book has an orange cover.
International word.
n.
(e) Word of authority: hightest division but one of plants, animals: organization of persons living together in the name of religion: public reward.
Put the letters in a certain order. The chief gave an order; send an order to the store for goods; he was ordered to go; ordering a coat. Ants and worms are in different orders. She is joining an order. He was rewarded with an order.
*Accounts kept in order. (No smoking, by order).
**Goods made to order; in order to; the lift is out of order.
n.
(e) Persons grouped together by organization; act of organization.
The school has no organization. An organization for helping persons who have been in prison. The organization of an army is a very complex business.
n.
An ornament on the shelf (hat); ornamenting the room with flowers.
a., pron.
He came to a stop and the other man did the same; have you any other suggestion?; come some other time; was anyone there other than you. Others may see us; take one or the other of the books.
*Talking to one another. (I, on the other hand, went to Paris).
**Every other day; the other day.
See I.
n. Basic words. We, us (not any other persons).
adv.
outer, a.
Let us go out; flowers come out; breathing out; I had a tooth out today. An outer cover; the outer door is open.
*Say straight out; be reading out loud; get worked out. (Get out a book; the light (fire) went out; let out the skirt; make out the sense; go out of the room; be out of breath; out of touch with; put out of the way; get out of doing).
**Stamping (rubbing) out; men come out. (Go out of business; out of doors; put out to grass; out of line; be on the look-out; out of order; out of pocket; out of the question; walking out of step; tired out; out of turn; turning out well; washing out clothing.
n. Basic words. A sudden burst of feeling.
n. Basic words. What comes from events.
n. Basic words. Loud noise, protest.
a. Basic words. In the open air, not in a house.
a. Basic words. The farthest out.
n. Basic words. Which or who is or are going out.
n. Basic words. Building in connection with a house but separate from it.
n. Basic words. Person who is put outside the care of the law.
n. Basic words. Way out for force or substance.
n. Basic words. Line round a form; a statement of chief points to give a general idea of something.
n. Basic words. Way of looking at things; view.
n. Basic words. Amount of work done in a given time.
n., a., adv., prep. Basic words. (Of, in, to) the outer part.
n. Basic words. Person outside, not one of, a given group.
n. Basic words. The outer edge (of town).
a. Basic words. Fully unfolded, (of arms and so on) put out.
n.
Put meat in the oven.
prep., adv.
(e) More than: at an end: down from edge or upright position.
A cover over the meat; have authority over a person; there is a window over the door; the airplane is over a house; get over a disease. Go over to the other side; and apple for everyone and two over. He is over 21. The war is over. The boy was pushed over.
*The page is turned over; say the words over.
**(Straight over there; turning it over in one’s mind).
n., a. Basic words. Overdoing the acting (on the theater stage).
n. Basic words. Work dress put on over other clothing.
n., a. Basic words. Undergoing loss of balance.
n. Basic words. Coat put on over other clothing.
v. Basic words. Get the better of.
v. Basic words. Do more than is wise or necessary.
a. Basic words. Loud in one’s dress.
a. Basic words. More than full.
a. Basic words. (Of roof, part of mountain and so on) coming out over.
a., adv. Basic words. Up, in the sky (air).
a. Basic words. Secretly hearing the talk of others.
a., adv. Basic words. (Going) by or over land, not sea.
adv. Basic words. On the other side of the page.
a. Basic words. Looking over; not seeing; not taking into account.
a. Basic words. Over-great in degree.
a., adv. Basic words. Across the sea.
n. Basic words. Person in authority over workers.
n. Basic words. Rubber shoe put on over others.
n. Basic words. Statement in which more is said than is true.
v. Basic words. Come up with (and go fater than).
a. Basic words. Taxed more than is right.
n., adv. Basic words. (Work) after normal working hours.
a. Basic words. Pushed over, upside-down.
n. Basic words. More use than is right (necessary).
a. Basic words. Given more than right value.
n., a. Basic words. More than the right weight.
n. Basic words. More work than is wise.
n.
He is the owner of a newspaper (a dog).
n.
(e) Leaf of book or writing-paper.
A book of 100 pages; paging the book. Writing on one side of the page only.
n.
pained (paining), (e) Wounded in one’s feelings.
His tooth gives him pain; he is in pain; my hand is paining me. She has a pained look on her face.
n.
(s) Face-paint.
painting, (e) Painted picture.
Put paint on the wall; a box of paints; painting the house (a picture); an interesting painter; a pointer and builder. She puts paint on. A painting of ships.
n.
(s) Newspaper.
(e) Bit of writing about some question.
Put paper round the meat; put down on paper; papering a room. Writing for a paper. Reading a paper on Basic English.
n. Basic words. Knife for cutting pages.
n. Basic words. A weight for keeping loose paper in place.
International word.
International word.
a., n.
(e) Of like sort, value.
Parallel lines. The questions are not parallel. There is an interesting parallel to this in history.
n.
Make a parcel of the shoes; put the food into a parcel; send it by parcel post.
International word.
n.
(e) Part in a play (or undertaking).
parting, (e) Division in hair: separating.
He gave me part of the field; go part of the way; the heart is a part of the body; 2 parts of acid and 5 of water; parting the animals. Be acting a small part. Your parting is not straight. A sad parting.
*In part because he was ill; take part in a play.
**I, for my part; for the most part; on the part of.
International word.
a., prep., adv., n.
His past crimes; my past experience; my best years are past. It is ten minutes past six; I was taken past my station. They went past slowly. Events in the past.
*The train goes at half (a quarter) past one.
n.
(s) Sticky paste.
The paste is ready to go in the oven. Put the paper on the walls with paste; pasting two pages together.
International word.
n.
(e) Giving of a payment.
The first payment is \pounds;5; his payment was a kind word. Attempting the payment of his debts; he made payment of the full amount.
n.
(e) Condition of rest.
Make peace with a country. The peace of night; peace of mind.
*(The nations are at peace).
n. Basic words. One who makes peace.
n.
Writing with a pen; penning a long letter.
n. Basic words. Name used by a writer.
n.
The point of my pencil is broken; a penciled note.
International word.
n.
Every person in the room; an important person; young persons.
**Come in person.
International word.
a.
(s) To do with the body.
Our knowledge of physical things. Have great physical force; physically he is like his father.
International name of science.
International name of science.
International word.
n.
(s) Motion picture.
(e) Picture in words or in the mind.
Painting a picture of the girl. The picture takes 2 hours. Give a picture of events; picturing things to oneself.
*(Take a picture with a camera).
n.
He keeps pigs.
n. Basic words. Hair on head twisted together and hanging down like a tail.
n.
(e) Something pin-like in form or purpose.
Put a pin in the cloth; pinning two bits together. A strong metal pin in the machine.
n. Basic words. Small cushion for pins.
n.
(s) Music-pipe.
(e) Smoker&rqsuo;s pipe.
Send water through the pipe; piping the house. Playing notes on a pipe. He has no tobacco in his pipe.
n.
(s) Space.
(e) Position (as worker).
This is the position where I saw the animal; go from one position to another; take one’s position; the position where the story gets sad; placing the cake on the table; we are well placed here for seeing the stage. Here is a position for you. She has a good position in a store.
*(Events) take place.
**In the first place; give place to; in place of. A place in the sun.
n.
(e) Flat level stretch of space or substance, for example that forming 2 wings of airplane: level of development or existence.
Make the board smooth with a plane; planing the wood. The points A, B, and C are all in the same plane; a circle is a plane form; the tail plain of the airplain came off. A different plane of thought.
n.
(e) Workds and/or machines for industry.
A garden plant; planting trees. An electric-light plant; needing new plant.
n.
(e) Flat bit.
Put food on a plate. Making steel plates; on the door was a brass blate; some cameras take pictures on glass plates. A silver-plated tray.
International word.
n.
(e) Stage play.
playing, (e) Playing a music instrument.
The boy’s play was rough; he is playing with a ball; playing football. Put a play on (the stage). Playing a piano.
*(Get a play up; at play).
**Come into play; do in play; a play on words; playing a trick.
n. Basic words. Thing for playing with, sp. for small boys and girls.
int.
Please give me some money; may I please come?; yes please do; I was pleased by the play; a pleasing face.
*(Be pleased with).
n.
(e) Thing giving pleasure.
There is no pleasure in getting wet; take a pleasure in gardening; the pleasure of doing good work. Writing is a pleasure to him; the pleasures of the town; simple pleasures.
**Come and go at pleasure.
n.
The plow is pulled by a horse; plowing a field; the ship was plowing through the waves.
n. Basic words. Man who does plowing.
n.
(e) Hollow, bag.
Take money out of one’s pocket; a drain on one’s pocket; pocketing the profits. A pocket of poison gas.
**He is out of pocket through this business.
n. Basic words. Small leather folder for notes and papers.
n. Basic words. Money for small needs.
n.
(e) Small mark as made by a point on paper; position in space or time looked on as such a point; chief purpose or idea. The point of the pencil; a pointed end; pointing to the man; the pointer of the instrument. Four point five (4.5); boiling-point. Put a stick in at this point. My point in coming; the point of the argument; make a good point. A point in space.
*A point of view. (Your answer is not to the point; pointing at the men).
**Make a point of.
n.
Give the rats poison; poisoned by taking bad meat.
n. International word.
n.
(e) Bright, smooth quality; smooth quality of behavior, writing and so on.
Rubbing with polish. Get a good polish on the shoes; polishing with a duster. A person with polish; polished writing.
a.
The two countries have different political systems; his outlook is quite unpolitical; politically he is very expert.
a.
(e) Of low quality: unhappy.
The family is very poor; the country is poor in water. The ink is poor; the table is poorly made. The poor man has been sent to prison. Food for the poor.
n.
(e) Door-keeper at hotel and so on.
The porter took the bags. The porter’s place is by the door.
n.
(e) Place as worker: position of body.
This is the position of my house; the coal-owners are in a strong position. I have a position at the bank. Seated in a strange position.
**In position.
a.
A possible event; it is possible to get there today; I may possibly go; such a thing is impossible.
**Come if possible.
International word.
n. Basic words. Card for sending by post.
n. Basic words. Man whose work is taking the letters to and from the post-office.
n. Basic words. Mark stampled on letters giving name of post-office and time of posting.
n. Basic words. Organization or building to do with post.
n.
potter, (e) Maker of earth pots.
Put the pot on the fire; potted meat; potting a plant. The potter’s wheel.
International word.
n.
Give me one potato with my meat, please; get potatoes up with a spade.
n.
(s) Medical powder.
She put powder on her face; powdering one’s hair; powdered sugar. He took a power for his cold.
n.
(s) Work force produced by muscles or machines.
(e) Authority over: important country. Have the power to do; great powers of mind. I have no power in my arm; water-power is used for driving the machine; electric power. Have power over; be in power. One of the great powers.
n. Basic words. Works making electric or other power.
a., n.
(e) At the place and so on in question.
The present position of the country. All were present at the meeting. Living in the present.
*Happy at present.
a. Basic words. Of the present time.
International name.
n.
The price of the house is high; get it at a low price; the dress is priced at £10; we are pricing goods.
International name.
International name.
n.
(s) A printed picture.
(e) Mark made by a thing; print of camera picture.
The picture is very small; his verses are in print; printing a book; directions for the printer. An old print of London. There is a print in the sand. Give me a print of that picture.
n.
psisoner, (e) Person kept (as) in prison.
Be kept in a dark prison; prison made him bitter; be sent to prison; be in prison; prisoning her hand. The prisoners are happy.
**Take (a person) prisoner.
a.
(e) Safe from observation.
Send a private letter; one’s private views; this is not a store, it is a private house. The garden is very private; they saw one another privately.
adj.
A probable event; it seems probable that he will come; you are probably right; the story is improbable.
n.
(s) Law process.
(e) Process used to give goods some special form.
Waving hair is a delicate process; the processes of growth; go through the process of being washed. There will be a long law process if the agreement is broken. The discovery of a new process; processed cheese.
n.
producer, (s) Theater producer.
The produce from the farm; producing goods for the market; this effect is produced by the sun. The producer of the play.
n.
(e) Value, help.
The business made a small profit. What profit was it to him?; profiting by his knowledge.
*(The profit on the business was high).
**(At a profit).
International word.
International word.
n.
(s) Land property.
(e) Quality.
That book is my property. He has a property in the country. It has not the properties of an acid.
n.
Writing good prose is as hard as writing verse.
n.
protesting, (e) making a statement with force.
He made a protest against the noise; the teachers were protesting about what had been done. He went to prison protesting that he had not done the crime.
**He did it under protest.
International name of science.
a., n.
(e) Open to general observation.
He gave a public talk in a public place. Let us go where it is less public; he made the statement publicly. He has a small public for his books; putting ideas before the public.
n.
(e) Better chance than others have.
Give the cord a pull; have a pull at the boot; pulling the cat’s tail. He had a pull with the authorities.
n.
Get water from the pump; pumping air into a cushion.
n.
(e) Act of giving punishment: anything looked on as punishment.
He was sent to be bed as punishment for crying. The punishment of the men took place at night. His punishment was the loss of his friends.
n.
He had a purpose in coming; he was purposing to do it.
*(He came on purpose to see you).
**He did it to no (some) purpose.
n. Onomatopoeic. Sound made by a happy cat.
n.
(e) Driving-power.
Give the table a push; their pushes had no effect on the door; pushing a hand-cart. Good businessmen have push.
n. Basic words. Cart for pushing by hand.
v.
Put water in a bottle; put a story into words; put an idea forward; put a man in prison; he has put money into the business; if the government puts a tax on land; I am putting such thoughts out of my head; put a person out of doubt; put away doubts; put things together; put a question; put the clock back an hour; put work before play; put others against him; put him off doing.*(put up with troubles; put in mind of; put a stop to).
**Put one's foot down about something; put in (words in talk); put in for; put words into person’s mouth; put to the test (to flight); put it down to; put an undertaking through. (Put into effect; put out to grass).
International word.
International word.
n. Onomatopoeic. Sound of water-bird.
n.
(e) Quality of a person.
(e) Degree of value.
The hard quality of the stone. He has a number of good qualities. The cloth is of the best quality; a good quality shoe.
International name.
n.
(e) Something for decision or discussion: doubt.
Put a question to him; questioning a person. The question of what to do now; it is a question of organization; the peace question; I am not questioning his word; there is no question that he took the money.
*The accounts in question.
**Out of the question.
n. Basic words. Mark put at end of a question in writing.
a.
(e) Quick to see or make a point.
A quick train; have a quick journey; a quick move; talking quickly. He has a quick tongue (mind).
*(Quick at languages).
n. Basic words. Hg.
a., n.
(e) Not violent.
A quiet place; the night is quiet; make them be quiet; she was crying quietly. A quiet horse; have a quiet day; a quiet color; an unquiet mind. In the quiet of the night.
International word.
adv.
(e) To a somewhat high degree.
I am quite ready; not quite the right color. He is quite kind; quite a good book.
International word.
**On the radio.
International word.
n.
(e) (One rail of) train line.
railing, (e) Wall of rails.
A rail round the tree; railing off the flowers. The train came off the rails; go by rail. A railing round the field.
n. Basic words. 1. Rails for train. 2. Train system.
n.
Wind and rain; it is raining; blows were rained on him.
n. Basic words. Amount of rain in a given time.
n.
(e) Group fromed of different sorts, degrees: field of operations.
Across a range of mountains; ranging the books on the shelf; the boys were ranged before him. A range of goods; ranging from black to white. A narrow range of thought; the range of a gun.
n.
Put down poison for the rats.
n.
(s) Rate of motion.
The rate of interest is 5%; the birth-rate is going down; the rate of exchange is low; rating her qualities high. The rate of the train was increasing.
*At any rate.
n.
(e) Form like a ray.
Sending out a ray of light; rays from the fire; raying its heat in all directions; a ray of hope. The rays of a flower.
n.
(s) Sudden change of feeling.
(e) Tendency, specially political, to go back to old ideas: chemical effect.
The natural reaction to a loud noise is to give a sudden jump. He had a reaction against his old way of living. A time of political reaction. The reaction of the acid with the metal is violent.
n., a.
(s) A public reading.
(e) Sense given to words.
reader, (e) Book for teaching reading.
She is getting on well with her reading; a note to the reader. He gave a reading of his verses. My reading of that line is different. I am reading an interesting book. Readers with colored pictures.
a.
(e) Quick.
Get ready to go out; the meal is ready; he was ready to do whatever was necessary. Give a ready answer; have a ready tongue; be unready to give his approval; they readily made room for us.
**(The book is ready to hand).
n.
(e) Power of thought.
I have a reason for going. Do animals have reason?; reasoning about a question; reasoning with a boy; a reasoned answer.
*(He went away for this reason).
**Anything in reason. Have reason to. (There is every reason why).
n.
Give a receipt for the goods (payment); receipting an account.
**I am in receipt of your letter; I will do it on receipt of your check.
n., a.
(s) Phonograph record.
(e) Best recorded attempt.
Make a record of the agreement; his past record is good; recording one’s experiences. Make a record of his playing. He made a record for the high jump; the record is broken again. Do it in record time.
*The facts are on record.
n. Basic words. A machine by which sounds recorded on records may be given back as sound.
a., n.
Waving a red flag; getting red in the face. Red is the wrong color for this.
International word.
n.
Feeling regret that one was unkind; have no regret about the past; regretting the loss of his watch.
*(He has no regret for his acts; to my regret it is still there).
a.
(e) Taking place regularly.
The lines are regular; a regular rhythm; her teeth are very regular. Get regular work; a regular event; he sees her regularly.
n.
(e) Family relation.
The relation between being good and being happy; this is small in relation to that; our relations with that country have never been good. She is one of his relations.
**Have sex relations with.
n.
(e) Thing taken as seriously as a religion.
Take up a new religion; they are not interested in religion. They make a religion of sport.
n., a.
(e) Person acting for others.
This may be taken as a representative of the group. Send a representative to the meeting. A representative selection; representative of all shades of opinion.
n.
Make a request for some more; requesting him to come.
*His books were much in request.
**The song was given by request.
n.
The boy has no respect for his teachers; the old man is respected by all; respecting the opinions of others.
a.
(e) Looked on as having the care of something: who may safely be made responsible; needing such a person. If the meat is bad, the heat is responsible. The law makes the owver responsible. Put it in the hands of a responsible person; she is quite irresponsible; he will do his part responsibly. A responsible position.
*(He was responsible for her death).
n.
(e) The other things (parts, persons).
resting, (e) Being supported.
Have a rest on the bed; take a rest from work; resting one’s eyes. The rest of the books will come later. His arm is resting on the table.
*(His mind was at rest).
International word.
n.
(s) Special reward offered.
He got no reward for the trouble he took; rewarding him with a smile. A reward is given to the person who does best in the competition.
International word.
n.
Dancing to the rhythm of the music; the rhythm of the heart.
n.
Put rice in the pot; working in the rice fields.
a., n.
(e) Opposite of in error: good, opp. bad, wrong: (angle) of 90°: what one may do or have in agreement with law or right (freq. rights).
The Right Political group opposite the Left. His right eye is smaller than his left. That answer was right. Do what is right; he was rightly angry. A right angle. Keep to the right; a knowledge of right and wrong. Have the right to do something. He has gone over to the Right.
*Everything seems all right. (The prisoner was in the right).
**Right! I will come; cut right through.
a. Basic words. Using the right hand more than the left.
n. Basic words. Of the Right politically.
n.
(s) Finger ring.
(e) Business ring.
Put rings on the curtain; the house is ringed with trees. She has rings on her fingers; a ringed hand. A ring formed by the ship-owners.
n.
(e) Mass of moving liquid.
Have a swim in the river. A river of blood.
n.
Walking in the road; go by road.
n.
Put a rod up for the curtain; a fishing rod.
n.
(e) Act of rolling: roll of bread: rolling motion.
roller, (s) Turning structure of roll-like form.
Take down a roll of cloth. Give the ball a roll; the cart was rolling down the slope; rolling up the paper. Have coffee and rolls. The roll of the sea; the ship is rolling. Go over the earth with a roller; be rolling the grass.
n.
(e) Top of room: roof of mouth.
Put a roof on the house; a building roofed with tin. The room has a low roof. Put your tongue against the roof of your mouth.
n.
(e) Space.
A house with five rooms. There is room for another box.
n.
(e) Cause, base.
The tree has deep roots; rooted in the earth. The root of the trouble.
*The tree took root in the earth.
a.
(e) Incomplete, not polished: rough in behavior.
Rough cloth; a rough road. A rough copy; a roughly cut stone. A rough man; be rough with the boy.
a., adv., prep.
A round button; a round ball. The wheels of the cart go round. The girls are going round the tree.
**All the year round; round the other side; come round after an operation.
a. Basic words. Not going straight to the place (point).
International name.
n.
rubber, (e) (Bit of) substance of that name.
rubbed, (s) Damaged by rubbing.
Give the table a rub; give his back a rub; rubbing the silver. A bit of rubber; a rubber sponge. Take the marks off the paper with a rubber. The horse got badly rubbed by the leather.
**(Fubbing (stamping) out).
n.
(e) Straight-edged or measuring rule: control of a ruler.
ruler, (s) Ruler of a country.
Make new rules for the society. Make your lines with a rule; ruling lines. Under the rule of John. The ruler of the country; ruling a country well.
**As a rule.
International word.
n.
Have a run; go for a run.
**A run on the bank; in the long run. (At a run).
n., a. Basic words. 1. (Person) running away from authority. 2. (Horse and so on) out of control.
a.
Have a sad face; a sad story; a sad man; he said it sadly.
a., n.
Put the money in a safe place; keep the jewels safe; it is unsafe to go; they got back safely. The safe has been broken open.
n.
(e) Journey in sailboat.
sailor, (s) Seaman.
Put up the sail; sailing a ship in the North Sea. Go for a sail. The sailors are cleaning the ship.
International word.
n.
(e) Chemical salt (feq. salts).
Put salt in the food; salting the meat. When you have stomach trouble, take salts; the salts of copper are blue.
a., pron.
The two friends went to the same place; they have the same walk; these pictures are the same. He ways the same.
**All the same. (At the same time).
n.
sands = stretch of sand by the sea.
Put sand on the floor. Playing on the sand(s).
International word.
See see.
v.
saying, (e) Thing commonly said.
Say words; say something to the man; say to oneself; say no to his suggestion; it says in the book that it is so; “Yes,” he said; the book says. An old saying.
*(Say the words over; that is to say).
n.
(s) Music scale.
scales = Apparatus for measuring weight.
The first degree on the scales; the scale is an inch for a mile. She is playing scales on the piano. Put another weight on the scales.
*(The design is on a great (small) scale).
**Little ships made to scale.
n.
(e) Group united by an idea.
The school by the church; go to school; schooling oneself to undergo pain. A new school of thought (painting).
*The boys were at school.
n.
(s) The physical sciences taken together.
Art and science; botany is a science; the new science of psychology; there is no science of government. New discoveries in science are changing these industries completely.
n.
Cutting with scissors; this store keeps scissors.
n.
The board is fixed to the wall with screws; screwing a top on a bottle.
**he was screwing up the box.
n. Basic words. Instrument for putting in screws.
n.
A ship on the sea; go to sea in a boat.
**The boats are at sea.
n. Basic words. Sailor.
n. Basic words. (Place) by the sea.
n.
(e) Where something has its place.
A hard seat; take a seat by the fire; the seat of his trousers; seating oneself on the floor. The seat of the trouble.
a., adv., n.
(e) 1/60 of a minute.
The second man in the line; give it a second thought. Put him second. He was the second to get there. I was a second late.
**(Facts at second hand).
a. Basic words. Not new, used.
a., n.
A secret store of gold; have a secret agreement; they are meeting secretly. It was a secret between them.
*(Let him into the secret).
n.
The work has been done by my secretary; the secretary of an important organization; he has three secretaries.
v.
I see the sun; if he sees you there he will be angry; she saw me; have you seen the point?; please go and see who is at the door; I have to see the manager about my account.
**See a person off; see to a thing.
n.
(e) Start (of idea).
Put a seed in the earth; plants come from seed(s); the plants are seeding; a black-seeded flower. The seeds of the new learning.
*These flowers have gone to seed.
n. Basic words. Person trading in seeds.
v.
You seem to be angry; he seems uncertain; it seemed right to ge; it seems to me that there is no hope.
n.
(e) Group got by selection.
Make a selection. They were a good selection.
n.
Some say that all knowledge is only of the self; we all have our worse and our better selves.
*(Be by oneself).
a. Basic words. Conscious of the effect one is having on others, not natural in behavior in company.
n. Basic words. Keeping control of oneself.
n. Basic words. Care for one’s private profile.
n. Basic words. Respect for oneself.
n. Basic words. Electric apparatus for starting an automobile.
v.
Send a letter by post; send goods by train; send him news; send out a smell; the plant is sending out roots; the girl was sent away; war sends prices up; give the sender’s name.
*Sending a stone at (firing a gun at) the window.
**(He sent word of his doings).
n.
(e) Sense which words have: common sense: feeling.
The use of one’s five senses; sense experience. Your words have no sense. She had the sense to get a medical man. A sense of right and wrong; sensing danger.
*(It was hard to make out the sense of what he said).
**(Come to one’s senses).
a.
Get the stones separate from the sand; the boys have separate rooms; the gas is separated from one liquid by a special process; separating the two dogs; the farmer has a separator; he saw them separately.
a.
(e) Giving reason for serious thought (feeling).
A serious person; take a serious interest in art; be talking seriously. Serious news; a serious wound.
n.
(e) Person working for another.
An old family servant. The manager is a servant of the commpany.
**(Take on a servant).
n.
(e) Sex group.
A talk about sex. What is the sex of the newest baby?; the relations between the sexes.
**(Have sex relations with).
n.
(e) Shade of color: dead person walking on earth.
In the shade of the tree; shading his eyes with his hand. A shade of blue. His shade is walking.
n.
Give oneself a shake; give his hand a shake.
n.
(e) Thing which is wrong, a cause of shame. He had a feeling of shame for what he had done; shaming them with his words. It was a shame to take the money.
a.
(e) With a quick mind: narrow (angle), sudden (turn, slope): angry (words): sudden, violent (pain).
The pin had a sharp point; get the knife sharp. He’s a sharp boy. A sharp turn in the pipe; the road goes sharply up at this point. She said something sharp. A sharp pain in the head.
See he.
n. Basic words. Female goat.
n.
The man had a sheep in his arms; the sheep were together in the field.
n.
Put the book on the shelf; there were shelves for cups and plates.
n.
Get on a ship; shipping the goods to Canada.
n.
He was dressed in a shirt and trousers.
n.
(e) Thing acting like a shock to one’s feelings, sense of right and wrong.
shocked (-ing), (e) Shocked by something as in bad taste.
The shock of steel meeting steel; the shock of getting into cold water; an electric shock. The news gave me a shock; I was shocked to see him crying; a shocking crime. Her mother was shocked by her short skirt.
n.
(e) Curved iron for horse’s foot.
Put your shoes on. The horse’s shoe came off; shoeing a horse.a.
(e) Opp. tall.
A short line; go a short way; take a short time. He is a short man.
*Be short of food; be short with a person; £ s. d. for short; stopping short of.
n. Basic words. Bad quality or point.
n. Basic words. Short way of writing.
a., n.
shutter, (s) Outer cover for window.
The door is shut; shutting her eyes. The shutters are down.
*(Then house is shut up).
n.
(s) Side of the body.
(e) Angle, view of a thing.
At the side of the house; a side view; siding with the army. A wound in his side. A different side of the question.
*Walking side by side (with her); take on one side.
n. Basic words. Side-table for plates.
n. Basic words. Light on some question and so on got in connection with some other thing.
n. Basic words. Side of road for persons on foot.
adv. Basic words. In a side-to-side direction.
n.
(s) Language sign.
(e) Something pointing to a fact.
signing, (e) Writing one’s name at the end of, putting one’s name to.
He made a sign with his hand; a road sign; signing to the automobile to come on. This is the sign for a stop. There’s no sign of it. *Signing a check (a newspaper story, one’s name).
n. Basic words. Board on the outside of country hotel (beer house, store) giving its name.
n.
(s) Silk thread.
A dress made of silk; silk gloves. Stitching with silk.
n.
(s) Silver money.
(e) Color of silver.
A ring made of silver; silvering a tea-pot; a silver tray. Give me silver for this note. Clouds touched with silver. A silver sea.
a.
(e) Needing little trouble: without art or airs, inexperienced.
A simple animal; simply dressed. It is quite simple to make; the answer is simple. A simple country girl.
International word.
n.
She is John’s sister.
n. Basic words. Sister of the person one is married to.
n.
What is the size of the box?; the size of the house is important; we have different sizes of socks.
**Of some size.
n.
A man with a dark skin; take the skin off the fruit; dressed in skins; skinning an animal.
n.
Lifting up her skirt in the wet; skirting the town.
*(Let out a skirt).
n.
There are clouds in the sky; Turner is noted for his skies.
n.
Talking in his sleep; have a good sleep.
*(He had gone to sleep).
n.
(e) Error.
Her foot gave a slip; they were slipping on the ice; the note was slipped into his pocket by someone. Make a slip in writing.
n.
(e) Sloping lang.
The slope of the roof is sharp; a sloping line. The house is on the top of a slope.
a.
(s) With a slow brain.
It is a slow journey; they are slow workers; the train was going slowly. The slowest boy in the school.
*(He is slow at learning).
**(Slow in doing).
a.
(e) On a small scale: unimportant.
A small girl; a small amount; say in a small voice. A small trader. A small error.
**He has some small change for the porter.
n.
(s) Smash caused by running into something.
(e) Downfall (of business).
The sound of a smash of cups; smashing the stones. There were two smashes on the railway today. The business had a smash.
**The business went smash.
n.
(e) Act of smelling.
There was a strong smell of cooking; the nose is for smelling with; a sweet-smelling oil. The dog had a smell at the meat.
n.
A smile on her face; he gave a quick smile; they were all smiling.
**Smiling on everyone.
n.
(e) Act of smoking tobacco.
smoking, (e) Getting meat, fish, and so on dried in smoke.
A cloud of smoke came from the fire; the fire is smoking. Let us have a smoke; smoking a pipe; this carriage is for smokers. His business is smoking fish; a tin of smoked meat.
a.
(e) Untroubled.
The walls are smooth; the ship was sailing smoothly over the sea; smoothing his hair. The way is smooth for her; all has gone smoothly up to now. A smooth way of talking.
n.
There is a snake in the grass.
n.
Give a sneeze; sneezing violently.
n.
There is snow on the roof; it is snowing.
adv., pron., conj.
I am so tired that I am going to bed. If it is so; quite so; I was wrong and so were you; he says so; please do so. I will come, so you may go.
*So as to get it done; eggs, fruit, and so on; so that in the end he was right.
**So long; be so tired. (Even so).
n.
There is water here for washing but no soap; soaping his hands.
n.
(s) Those with a high position in society.
(e) Organization.
Crime is a disease of society; different societies have different ways. She is not in society. Forming a university society.
n.
He had a hole in his sock.
a.
(e) With a little force: not loud.
Resting on a soft bed. A soft touch on his face; a soft wind. A soft voice; the band was playing softly.
a., n.
(e) With much substance.
Wood is a solid substance. A solid well; a solid book; the snow was solidly massed against the door. The geometry of solids.
a., pron.
Here are some apples; I have some butter; he went away some time back; some cows have no horns. He was with some other person; some day I will come and see you. Some of these are ready; have some more.
**Of some size. (In some measure).
pron. Basic words. Some person.
adv. Basic words. In some way.
pron. Basic words. Some person.
n. Basic words. Some thing.
adv. Basic words. At some times.
adv. Basic words. To some degree.
adv. Basic words. In (at, to) some place.
n.
They are sons of the same father.
n. Basic words. Man one’s daughter is married to.
n.
(e) Sounds like a song: words (as) of song.
The sound of a song came through the window; he gave a song. The song of a bird. These verses are a song to spring.
n.
A strange sort of fruit; sorting letters; sorted into groups.
n.
A sound of laughing came to her ears; the sound of feet; sounding a bell; sounding happy.
n.
Take soup with a spoon.
a., adv., n.
A south wall; a south wind. Go south; Spain is south of the Pyrenees. In the south of France; the ice wastes of the South.
n.
(s) Room (for).
(e) Where there is no substance.
Come to an open space; a space of time; there is a space between the beds spacing the houses well. There is space for another person here. The earth is moving in space.
n.
Get roots up with a spade.
n. Basic words. Hard work with attention to details, sp. as necessary at the start of an undertaking.
a.
He has no special reason for going; a special drink; a special train; be specially interested in art.
n.
Get the sponge full of water; sponging the wound.
n. Basic words. Cake of a sponge-like substance.
n.
Put the spoon in the pot.
International word.
n.
(e) Spring of water: time of year between winter and summer. The spring of the watch is broken. Water from the spring. Birds come in the spring.
n. Basic words. Elastic jumping-off board from which to take a jump into the water.
n., a.
(s) Square open space with houses round.
(e) Of a number, x, the amount produced by x×x.
A square of cloth; a square has 4 equal sides; squaring the edges; squared paper. Living in Russell Square. The square of 2 is 4; 5 squared is equal to 25. A square box. Square measure.
n.
(s) Theater stage.
(e) Point of development.
The painters put a stage round the house. Put a play on the stage; staging a play. At a later stage. An interest in the stage.
n. Basic words. Person who oversees the putting on of a play.
n.
(s) Post Office stamp.
(e) Instrument for stamping: stamp of foot.
The maker’s stamp is on the metal; stamping the form. The letter has no stamp. A rubber stamp. Put one’s foot down with a stamp; give a stamp.
**(Stamping (rubbing) out).
n.
(e) Star-like form.
Moon and stars; flowers starring the grass. A printer’s star; a starred word.
n. Basic words. Sea-animal of star-like form.
n.
Make a start now; at the start of my talk; starting a book.
n.
(e) Making a statement.
Make a statement about. The art of clear statement.
n.
(e) Place used as a branch by army or other organization. The train came into the station. Be sent to a station in Africa; a police station; be stationed in Malta.
n.
steamer, (s) Steamship.
steaming, (e) Cooking by steam.
The water gave off steam; the pot is steaming. Go by steamer; steaming into harbor. Steaming fish.
**Get up steam.
n. Basic words. Ship moved by steam-power.
n.
A rod made of steel; a steel ship; steeling oneself to go.
n.
(e) Long, thin, stem-like part of anything.
The flower has a long stem; the tree has a straight thick stem with no low branches. The stem of his pipe is broken.
n.
(e) Stage; structure for stepping from one level to another: act.
steps, (e) Structure formed of steps which may be taken from place to place.
Take a step forward; a dance step; stepping into a carriage. We are a step farther forward with the work. Go down a stone step. Steps will be taken to put the apparatus right. Put the steps near the window.
*Walking in step (with).
**He was out of step (with the man at his side).
n.
(e) Thin stick-like bit of anything.
Walking with the help of a stick; make a fire of sticks. A stick of sugar.
a.
Liquid sugar is sticky.
a.
(e) Stiff in behavior: (of body) giving pain when moved: not moving freely.
Put the picture on card or stiff paper; a stiff collar; the jelly is not stiff enough. He was very stiff with me. I am stiff after such a long run. The lock is stiff; he is walking stiffly.
adv.
He is still a boy.
**Still, it’s not bad.
n.
stitching, (e) Line or design of stiches used as ornament.
Make a stitch; take out the stitches; stitching a skirt. A brown bag with white stitching.
n.
Have shoes and stockings on.
n.
He has no food in his stomach; a man with a fat stomach.
n.
(e) Thing hard like a stone, sp. a jewel or a fruit-stone.
A house of stone; stone steps; a road covered with stone; seated on a stone; the dog was stoned by boys. A stone has come out of her ring; take the stones out of the fruit; stoning fruit.
n.
(s) Being, living, in place for a time.
(e) Sign for a stop.
stopper, (s) Cork.
stopping, (e) Substance put in a hole in a tooth.
Working without a stop; stopping work; stopping the machine. Make a stop in New York; she is stopping with the baby. There is a stop after the word. Put a stopper in the bottle. The stopping has come out of my tooth.
*Put a stop (end) to this talking. (The train came to a stop; drains get stopped up.
n. Basic words. Watch which may be started and stopped as desired for timing runs and so on.
n.
(e) Amount of anything kept for use when needed.
Get goods at a store; keep a store. A store of oil; storing wine.
*Trouble was in store (for him).
n. Basic words. Person keeping a store.
n.
(s) Work of fiction.
The story of his experiences in the war. A writer of short stories.
a., adv.
(e) Straightforward.
Make a straight line. He’s a straight person. Go straight to the point.
*He got tired of it straight away. (Say straight out).
**It's straight over there.
a. Basic words. 1. Open, true (of person, behavior). 2. Simple (of process).
a.
(e) Of which one has no knowledge.
His behavior was very strange; she was looking at me strangely. The writing was strange to me.
**(Strangely enough).
n.
A narrow street; there are no houses on that side of the street; a street fight.
*(Go up (down) the street).
n.
(e) Expansion.
stretcher, (e) Bed for transporting ill persons.
A wide stretch of sea; she saw nobody for long stretches of time. Give the elastic a stretch; a stretch of sense; stretching himself. Take him away on a stretcher.
a.
(e) With force: having great effect on senses.
Have strong muscles. Make a strong protest; they were pulling strongly. Strong tea; a strong smell.
n.
(e) Organization of parts.
Put up a structure of wood. The body has a complex structure.
n.
(e) Solid quality, true or material existence.
Put a rubber substance on the road. Shades have no substance, there is no substance in these stories.
a., adv., pron.
Such stories as these make me angry; there is no such thing as a winged snake; such an event is very uncommon; he had such a shock that it made him ill. We had such happy hours together; this is not such a bad book as that. Such is the story.
n., a. Basic words. Such as these.
a.
I was surprised at the sudden change of opinion; the end came suddenly.
n.
I do not take sugar in my tea; sugaring the cake.
n.
(e) Power of controlling a person’s mind.
Make a suggestion about the work; the suggestion was that I had done it. Make a person do things by suggestion.
n.
We have fruit in the summer; a summer dress.
n.
(e) Any fixed star with stars moving round it.
The sun is covered by clouds; sunning oneself on a wall. There are suns of which we have no knowledge.
**He was given a place in the sun; nothing under the sun was good enough for him.
n. Basic words. Burn or brown color of skin caused by the sun.
n. Basic words. Time when the sun goes down.
n. Basic words. The light of the sun.
n. Basic words. Umbrella to keep off the sun.
n. Basic words. Time when the sun comes up.
n.
(e) A living: help.
supporter, (e) Person on the side of.This is a support for the roof; supporting a great weight. Do nothing for one’s support; supporting one’s mother. Give support to an organization. A supporter of the view.
*In support of this statement.
n.
(e) Thing causing surprise.
I had no feeling of surprise; a surprise event; surprising his friends. The news was a surprise.
*(He was taken by surprise; there was surprise at their words; to my surprise he was not there).
**(Surprised into).
a., n.
(e) Pleasing.
Sugar is sweet. A sweet song; be smiling sweetly. Have a sweet at the end of the meal; a box of sweets.
n. Basic words. Lover.
n.
Have a swim; go for a swim.
n.
(s) The body as a working system.
(e) Reasoned, ordered, way of doing.
The railway system of the country; a system of ideas; a system of pipes. Get poison into the system. A system of farming; he has no system in his work.
n
(e) Ordered list.
The food is on the table. A table of weights and measures.
**They were at table when the news came.
n. Basic words. Level country higher than country round it.
n.
(e) Anything like a tail.
Cats have long tails. The tail of the airplane.
n. Basic words. Man’s coat cut away in front with long back parted in the middle.
v.
(e) Have certain reaction to (event and so on).
Take money; the dog will not take food; building takes time; take a chance; take a look at the picture; I took down his words; take a dog for a run; take 5 from 35; take a pleasure in helping others; take off clothing; take over a business; take trouble with one’s work; take a breath; take a position; take a suggestion; take a walk; take a house; take a rest after a day of hard work; the play has taken his mind off his toubles; did you take in the sense of what he said? He took the bad news well.
*(Take note of; take care of; take part in an event; the meeting takes place at 4; I took him on one side; take in hand; the tree had taken root there).
**I take that you are coming; take on servants (work); he took it on himself to go; the nations took up arms; be taken up with one’s thoughts. (Take cover; take effect; take fire; take to heart; take heart from my words; take (a person) prisoner; take turns at the wheel; take the trouble to go).
n.
(e) Public talk.
Hearing their talk in the train; talking about his invension. Give a talk about the latest developments in science; an interesting talk.
*(I had a talk with him about it; be talking of doing).
**(It’s no good talking).
a.
(e) Measured from feet to head.
A tall person; tall buildings. He is 6 feet tall.
International word.
n.
(e) Act of tasting: sense of taste: direction of feelings of approval: small amount of food (for tasting).
The fruit has a good taste. Give the meat a taste; tasting the soup. There is something wrong with his taste. Bad taste in pictures. Give me a taste of your soup.
*The words were (not) in good taste. (The music is not to my taste).
**Put in salt to taste.
n.
Put a tax on beer; they say nothing is certain but death and taxes; taxing amusements (storekeepers).
International word.
International word.
n., a.
(e) View put across by person or group (freq. teachings).
Be good at teaching the young. The teachings of the early Christians. He is teaching in a school; a history teacher.
n. Basic words. Restaurant for tea and small meals.
International word.
International word.
n.
Have a tendency to be late; the development of early tendencies.
International word.
n.
(s) Knowledge test.
Put a machine through a test; testing his statement. Be given a science test.
**(Put to the test).
conj.
I am a better man than he is; she came more readily than her sister; he does less work than he might.
*(The weather is better than ever).
a., pron., conj.
That man there. That is a tree; that is not true; who was that? He was so angry that he gave me a blow; I said that he was wise.
*That is to say. (So that).
**(For all that).
a
The man in the black coat; the gold question; the one thing needed; the poor are ever here; London is on the River Thames.
**The quicker he goes the better for him.
International word.
n. Basic words. They, them (not any other persons).
adv., conj.
(e) After that.
It was different then; he was then 10 years old. Then I will see you tomorrow. Then he got angry; we came first to a field and then to a wood.
**Do it, then.
n.
Put forward a theory of how the crime was done; a theory of values; Einstein’s two theories.
*(In theory).
adv.
He was not there at the time of the smash; there is the place; are you there? I am in agreement with you there.
*There is time for a meal. (Here and there you come across a man with money).
**There!
See this.
See he.
a.
(e) Measured from front to back or from top to under side: having great number of units in a small space: (of liquid and so on) not clear, thick in substance.
Building a thick wall. The board is 2 inches thick. Your hair is very thick; country thickly covered with trees. A thick mist; thick soup.
a.
(s) (Of person, animal) without much fat.
(e) Widely spaced: thin in substance.
A thin book. A thin person. The grass is thin. Thin blood; thinly clothed.
n.
It is quite a small thing; a thing for making holes; get things for the house; do a number of things; the thing is on my mind; how are things going?; take control of things.
**The great thing is to be healthy; poor thing!
a., pron.
This house here is mine; this time we will go together; come this week. This is my room; who is this?; this makes us equal; my point is this.
See this.
conj.
The road is wet though it is not raining; though old, he is strong.
n.
(e) Act of thought.
Put thoughts into words; have no thought of going; troubled by the thought of death. Give thought to the question; be deep in thought.
**On second thoughts, I will not go.
n.
(e) Line of connection.
There is a thread on your coat; get some red thread; threading a needle; threading one’s way through the trees. The thread of the argument.
n.
Have a dry throat; take food down one’s throat; he put his hands round her throat.
prep., adv..
(e) With the help of.
Go through the hole; come through the door; all through the day; breathing through one’s nose; a hole through the wall; see through a trick; get through money (work). Do it through a representative. Get through.
n.
Gripping it between his finger and thumb; thumbing the pages.
n.
(e) Loud noise.
There is thunder about; it is thundering. The thunder of the guns; the police were thundering on the door.
n.
Get a ticket for the journey (theater); the price ticket; ticketing the books.
n. Basic words. Place where one gets tickets.
a.
(e) Stretched.
In a tight grip; his hands were chained tightly together; a tight dress; a tight knot. Get the cord pulled tight.
prep., conj.
Waiting till tomorrow; she did not come back till 10. He was unhappy till they came.
n.
(s) A point of time (as by the clock).
(e) One taking place of an event: music time.
We have no time for a meal; give time to work; the process takes a long time; at one time the sea came up here; in the time of Caesar; the meeting is timed for 10; timing an event. The time is 4:30. I went three times; four times three is 12. The band’s time was wrong.
*In time his wound became serious. (At times he seemed quite well).
**He came in time for the meeting; they came three at a time; at the same time this may be said; keep time (with). (Time off).
n. Basic words. Ordered list giving times of trains or doings.
n.
(s) Tin box or pot.
A flat bit of tin; a tin plate. Keep cake in a tin; tinning fish; tinned milk.
n. Basic words. Instrument for opening tins.
a.
(e) Having had more than enough of. He gets tired quickly; after dancing till 2, she was quite untired; they were walking tiredly down the road. The music makes me tired.
*I get tired of his talk.
**She was tired out after the walk.
prep.
Go to the theater; an addition to the family; give it to me; give attention to details; he has a right to the property; an answer to a question; a help to the memory; the street is parallel to the river; that is equal to this; a danger to the public; in debt to; she is married to an American; be kind to animals; a wound to one’s feelings.
*(They came to an argument; the train came to a stop; facts come to light; he got into bad ways; she gave birth to a son; newspapers are given to printing wrong facts; she had gone to sleep; I am going to come; I have to go; I have nothing to do with her; she let us into her secret; I made the material into a dress; she said that in answer to his question; this may be of use to you; he’s about to go; it was changing from day to day; that is to say; so as to get it right; in addition to this; his coat had come to bits; it was to his credit; have a good mind to say so; he made ships to scale; I put a stop to it; he gave way to his feelings; I kept my word to him; the boxes were at right angles to one another; he had the face to say; the flowers had gone to seed; as to that).
**Here’s to him! (They came to blows about it; come to grips; she came to her senses again; it comes to this; get to work on; he kept the secret to himself; she put the words into my mouth; they were put to the test (to flight); I will see to the food; he was tricked into doing it; she was walking up to him; a person answering to your account; you have no business to do it; put the design into effect; he said it to my face; 5s. to the good; the horse was put out to grass; have ready to hand; have the heart to; take it to heart; to my knowledge it was not so; I am looking forward to the meeting; looking up to authority is right; these boots were made to order; I came in order to see you; I gave place to a younger man; it was all to no purpose; I have reason to say so; put in salt to taste; soft to the touch; put it down to).
International word.
International word.
n., adv. Basic words. (On or in the space of) this day.
n.
(e) Toe-part.
His toes have come through the sock. The toe of his shoe.
adv.
We went out together; they all did it together; put things together; let us get together; this together with that is very surprising.
adv., n.
I will go tomorrow. Tomorrow is the day of the test; the day after tomorrow.
n.
(e) Language: long tongue-like bit.
Put out your tongue. Talking a strange tongue. The tongue of the shoe has come off; they are out on that tongue of lang; tongues of flame.
n., adv. Basic words. (On or in the space of) this night.
n.
(e) Toothlike form.
I have a hole in a tooth; she has very white teeth. The tooth of a wheel.
n. Basic words. Brush for cleaning the teeth.
n. Basic words. Paste for cleaning the teeth.
n.
(s) Cover.
(e) Best position.
Go to the top of the mountain; the top of the table; the top card; there is a church topping the slope; a snow-topped wall. Put the top on the bottle. He is at the top of the business; topping a list.
International word.
n.
(s) Way of touching.
(e) Quality experienced by touch.
touching, (e) Moving the softer feelings.
She gave her hair a touch; learning by touch; touching the flowers; the wires are touching. A good touch on the piano. The smooth touch of the polished wood. A touching story.
*He was out of (not in) touch with the authorities. (The camera picture was touched up).
**A cat is soft to the touch. (A touch of the hat).
n.
Have a house in the town.
n.
(e) Industry: way of making a living.
Taxes are bad for trade; do trade with a country; trading with one another. The linen trade. His trade is making shoes.
**He does trade in horses; he was trading on his name.
n. Basic words. Special mark of maker on goods.
n. Basic words. Storekeeper.
n.
(e) Line of things.
traning, (e) Education.
Take the train to Durban; go by train of carriages. Give him a good training as a builder; training a horse; a trained secretary; he is an animal trainer.
n.
A ship for the transport of goods; the transport business; damaged in transport; transporting machines from Birmingham to India.
n.
Put the drinks on a tray.
n.
(e) Family tree or other such map.
The tree gives shade; an apple tree. Make a tree of the family.
n.
(s) Stage-trick.
(e) False behavior.
This is the trick of opening it. He does tricks with cards; the dog does a balancing trick. He got the money by a trick; tricking his friend.
**(Tricked into; playing a trick).
n.
(s) Trouble of mind.
(e) Thing causing trouble.
There is trouble in India; have trouble with the boys; get into trouble with the authorities; he took no trouble with his work; troubling the teacher with questions. A person in great trouble; troubling news. The flies are a trouble to him.
**Take the trouble to go.
n.
He put on his trousers; some of his trousers have holes in them.
a.
(e) With unchanging feelings.
A true story; it is not a true monkey; what he says is quite untrue. Be true to a person; have a true heart; yours truly.
*Her fears came true.
n.
(e) A person’s time to do something in order after another person or other persons.
turning, (e) Changing.
Give the key a turn; make a turn to the right; she is turning her face away; his trousers are turned up; turning the wheel. Waiting for one’s turn. The milk is turning into butter; the men were turned into pigs.
*He, in his turn, became ill. (The page is turned over).
**The card was played out of turn; they took turns at going; turning it over in one’s mind; turning out well (badly).
n. Basic words. Amount of business done, measured by money taken.
n. Basic words. Any table-like part or apparatus which goes round, used, for example, for turning train-engines.
n.
(s) Twist damaging muscle.
(e) Turn of sense.
twister, (e) Person who is not straightforward.
The pig’s tail has a twist in it; twisting the threads together; a twisted mouth. Give one’s leg a twist. You give a twist to everything I say. The man is a twister and full of tricks.
n.
She put her umbrella up in the rain.
prep.
(e) Less than.
Under the table; the water under the earth; be under a cloud; he has the machine under control; under his rule the nation became great; he is under the head teacher. She is still under 21.*An idea under discussion; an army under fire.
**(Wet under foot; the book is there under your nose; under protest; nothing under the sun will make me different).
n. Basic words. Clothing put on under dress.
a. Basic words. Not cooked enough.
v. Basic words. Have the experience of.
n. Basic words. Low growth of plants, trees.
a. Basic words. Damaged from the base.
n., a. Basic words. (Person) whose name is signed at the foot (of the paper).
a. Basic words. Smaller than normal.
n. Basic words. Statement in which amounts or facts are made to seem less, or less important, than they are.
v. Basic words. 1. Take in hand (work). 2. Say one will do (something).
n. Basic words. 1. Work, business (to be) undertaken. 2. Statement that one will do something, word (e).
a. Basic words. With less than the true value put on it, viewed as of less value than it is.
v. Basic words. 1. Get open or loose (parcel, coat). 2. Do something to take away the effect of what has been done.
n.
united, (uniting), (e) Joined together.
A note is a unit of sound; a second is a unit of time. United by their interest in education; a united family; make a united attempt.
International word.
prep., adv.
Go up a mountain; up a scale; up a river; get up a tree. Get a tree up; go up to the top; come up to one’s hopes; building up a business; get up from one’s seat; get up in the morning.
*(He got up the play in a week; the manager gave up hope completely; the actors kept up their interest; I kept up with the developments; he made up the play himself; they took it up seriously; he was walking up (down) the street; put up an argument).
**He saw someone walking up to him; he had been making up for a loss. (The question came up for discussion; getting up stream; made up of men; they did not take up arms; they were taken up with thoughts about trade; they were cleaning up the prisons; full up; there were men joining up at the army-station; the army is much looked up to; mixed up in your ideas; opening up a country; screwing up boxes is simple; washing up).
n. Basic words. (Price of) keeping in good condition.
n. Basic words. The process of getting thoughts lifted to higher things, or teaching and so on which does this.
a. Basic words. 1. Straight up. 2. Good (in behavior).
a., adv. Basic words. Turned over with the under side up.
n. Basic words. (Power of) getting the idea (point) of something.
See I.
n.
(e) Use-value.
used, (s) Used up.
Before the use of electric power; using one’s brains. This apparatus has an important use; make use of. A used match; all the butter has been used.
*(The machine is in use; these facts may be of use; you will get used to them; my force is used up).
n.
(s) Market-value.
His opinion has no value; that is the value of his writing; valuing one’s friends. The picture has a value of £1,000; valuing the spoons at a very high price.
*(Of value).
International word.
n.
(e) Division, unit of verse.
He is writing verse. That line is in the second verse.
adv., a.
I am very happy; do very badly. You are the very person I am looking for; this drink is the very thing for a warm day.
**Very well.
n.
(e) Ship.
Get the milk in a vessel; one group of blood vessels takes the blood to the heart, the other group takes it from the heart. The harbor is full of vessels.
n.
(s) Wide, sp. beautiful, view of country.
(e) Range of seeing; opinion.
You will get a better view of the stage from here; viewing the room from the door. A house with a beautiful view; the view from the bridge. The town was at last in view; the tree kept him from my view; the men came into view. I am in agreement with your views; viewing the question differently.
*In view of these facts. (On view; point of view).
n. Basic words. Point of view.
a.
Give a dog a violent blow; a violent man; be violently angry.
International word.
International word.
International word.
n.
(s) Voice for song.
There was a note of pleasure in his voice; voicing the opinions of others. He has a very good voice.
*He has a voice in his friend’s business.
International word.
a., n.
waiter, (e) Man acting as table servant in hotel and so on.
I am still waiting here. I am tired of waiting for her. The man is a waiter in a restaurant; waiting at table is hard work.
n.
(e) Place where one goes for a walk; way of walking.
Go for a walk; take a walk; we were walking in a wood; walking the horse on the road. A walk between trees. She has a strange walk.
**Walking up to a person.
n.
Get over a wall; a wall of ice; a walled garden.
n.
(e) Fight.
Go to war with; have a long war. The war against disease.
*(The country is at war).
**(Make war on).
a.
(e) Keeping one warm: strong (of feeling).
A warm day; be feeling warm; get warm; be warmly dressed. Warm clothing; a warm fire. A warm love for his daughters.
**Make things warm for a person.
n. Basic words. Armed ship used in war.
See be.
n.
(e) (Place of) washing clothing: waves from moving ship.
Have a wash; washing the baby. Send a dress to the wash. In the wash of the ship; a stretch of sand washed by the waves.
*Washing out the clothing; washing up the tea things.
n. Basic words. Woman who does washing.
n. Basic words. Soft leather which may be made wet and used for washing windows and so on.
n.
(e) Waste material: waste land.
waster, (s) Good-for-nothing.
wasting, (e) Getting less in size.
Going to the pictures is a waste of time (money); you are wasting the wine. Put all the waste in the bucket. A waste of sand; waste land. The boy is a waster. A wasted arm; she is wasting slowly away.
n. Basic words. Basket (or other vessel) used for dropping waste paper into in office and so on.
n.
(e) Observation: persons watching.
What is the time by your watch? Watching the house; watching the play. He is one of the night watch.
*He was on watch by the fire.
n.
There is not much water in the river now; a drink of water; watering the flowers; my eyes are watering.
n. Basic words. The water of a river and so on falling over a sudden drop in the land.
n. Basic words. Trade-mark in writing paper.
a. Basic words. Not letting water through.
n.
(s) Sea wave.
(e) Wave of the hand: hair-wave.
The wind makes waves in the grass. The ship goes through the waves. He gave a wave of his hand; waving to her friends. A wave in her hair; she is having her hair waved.
n.
Put wax on the parcel; waxing the thread.
n. Basic words. Copy of a person made in wax.
n.
(e) Way of behavior (doing): regular behavior.
This is the way to New York. The best way to make it clear is to give a picture of it; the school is now better in some ways. The dog has a way of not looking where it is going; the men in that country have strange ways.
*He gave way to his impulse; he got in (out of) the way of the law. (She got into bad ways; by the way, what did she do?; she went straight away).
**He made his way to the house; he was working his way through school.
See I.
n.
weathering, (e) Getting safely through (trouble and so on).
We are having good weather; the weathering of mountains; weathered stone. We saw a ship weathering the bad sea.
n. Basic words. Apparatus for seeing what the weather is going to be.
n.
Get the work done in a week; have a week of rain; do nothing for a week.
**(Come in a week).
n. Basic words. Any day but Sunday.
n. Basic words. Saturday and Sunday.
n.
(e) Thing for measuring weight: something touching: quality of being important.
The weight of the ball is 2 lbs.; weighting the cart down. Put a weight on the scales. It’s a weight on his mind. A person of weight on the committee; his opinion has no weight.
*(This system has weight with the authorities).
adv., a.
Do a thing well; you may well say so; a well-polished table; well over 40. Get well; be quite well.
*He has horses as well (as cows). (He did well in the test).
**Very well then; well, why not?
n. Basic words. A condition of comfort, happy feeling.
a. Basic words. Having a great amount of moeny.
See go.
a., adv., n.
The west door; a west wind. Sailing west; America is west of England. The sun is low in the west; the science of the West.
a., n.
The grass is wet; wet weather; wetting the material is part of the process. Go out in the wet.
See who.
pron., a. Basic words. All or any which.
n.
The wheels are going round; wheeling a small cart; the baby was wheeled out in its carriage; a 4-wheeled carriage.
conj. adv.
I was in bed when the news came; when I am ready I will go; the days when we were young; he did not say when the meeting was. When did he come?
adv. Basic words. At whatever time, every time that.
conj., adv.
The street where his house is; this is where you went wrong; I don’t see where the dog has gone. Where is the house?; where did you come from?
n., adv. Basic words. Roughly where a thing is, about where?
adv. Basic words. In (at, to) whatever place.
See who.
pron., a. Basic words. The one(s) or any which.
conj.
He is happy while he is here; do it while there is time.
n.
Give the horse a blow with the whip; a whipped dog; whipping eggs for a cake.
n. Basic words. Thin, tightly twisted cord.
International word.
n.
(e) Sound made by a whistle or like sound made with the mouth.
Playing on a wistle. Give a long wistle; whistling for the dog.
a., n.
The paper is white. White is a good color fo summer clothing.
n. Basic words. Chalk and water used as paint.
pron., a.
The boy who came; I did not see who went; the girl whom you saw; who is there? whose son is he? which of them is right?; the river which is there; a play in which I took part; this is what you said; what did you see?; do what is possible; what is he to me? Which way do we go?; what time is it?; what books did you get?; I did not see which way he went.
**What a strange thing!; what’s more.
pron. Basic words. Any one or every one who.
adv.
There is a reason why it is necessary; she is ill, that is why. I am here; why did you come?
a.
(e) Measured from side to side: not limited.
The door is wide; his writings are widely noted. A band 2 inches wide. A person with wide views; a wide education.
**She was wide awake at 4. (Wide of the mark.)
aux. v..
I will go tomorrow; they will not be ready; he said he would be there; you would be happier if you had a better position; I put the money where nobody would see it.
n. wind.
The sound of the wind in the trees; at sundown a wind got up.
n. Basic words. 1. Fruit sent down by the wind. 2. Unlooked for profit.
n.
Get the window open; be looking through the window.
n. Basic words. Pipe in throat through which air goes.
n.
Put wine in the glass; a bottle of red wine.
n. Basic words. Glass for wine.
n.
(e) Wing-like structure: wing of a building.
The bird is moving its wings. An airplane with two wings. The building has a new wing.
n.
Winter is the coldest time of the year in England; they have fires in the houses in the winter.
n.
A hat with a wire round the edge; telegraph wires; a roll of copper wire; wiring the house for electric light; a wire net.
a.
A wise man; a wise suggestion; he wisely said nothing; your outburst was very unwise.
prep.
The apples are with the oranges; a man with a hat; a woman with wide interests; wine mixed with water; have an argument with; be rough with; the table is covered with flies; he gave it a blow with his hand; what do you do with this instrument?; he got away with the help of a friend; be experienced with dogs.
*A simple system has weight with experts; be angry (pleased, disgusted) with persons. (That color does not go with your hair; I had a talk with him; I have nothing to do with her; walking in step with; I was in touch with them; animals with young are violent; put up with).
**(He was taken up with his thoughts; make friends with; be short with (a person); he has done with school for ever; be free with).
prep., adv. Basic words. Not having (any).
*Go without (food and so on).
n.
The woman has three sons; he has no women friends.
n.
(e) Number of trees together (freq. woods).
Get wood for the fire. A house in the woods.
n. Basic words. Print from picture cut in wood.
a., n. Basic words. (Of) land covered with trees, woods.
n. Basic words. (Making) things, parts, of wood.
n.
(s) Wool thread.
Sheep give wool; a wool coat. Get some wool for making stockings.
n.
(e) Serious statement that one will, or will not do (has, or has not done) something.
wording, (e) Words used.
He put his thoughts into words; his request was worded strangely. His word was doubted. The wording of the letter is important.
*I had the story by word of mouth; I kept my word to him. (She gave her word she would go; he said the same, word for word).
**He sent word of it; he made the statement on his word. (He put the words into her mouth; a play on words).
n.
(s) What a man does for a living.
(e) Thing produced.
working, (e) in operation, in order.
works = Working parts of a machine: work-place in industry.
It was hard work to get the house clean; farm work; brain work; working for an hour; working a machine. What is his work? The picture is a great work. The machine is working; the system is working well. The works are in need of oil. Send goods back to the works; a gas works.
*I am working on a book. (The men are at work; there is no need to get worked up about it; the details have been worked out; working at languages).
**(He is working his way through school; get to work (on). Make up the work you did not do; take on new work).
n. Basic words. Public place where the poor are housed and given work to do.
n. Basic words. Man working with his hands.
n.
There are worms in the garden; my dog has worms; worming one’s way into a secret.
See bad.
See will.
n.
Have a wound in the hand; her words were a wound to his feelings; the gun went off, wounding a man; a wounded animal.
n., a.
(e) Putting stories, ideas, and so on into words in writing: book, work of letters: marks made by writing.
She is teaching him writing; a quick writer. Writing for the newspapers is hard work; good at letter writing; a noted writer. All his writings have been put into a book. The writing is very clear. I am writing letters.
a., n., adv.
(e) Bad.
Go the wrong way; say the wrong thing; give the wrong answer; he was wrongly sent to prison. They had wrong desires. There is a clear line between right and wrong; a wrong had been done to him. Go wrong.
(The judge said he was in the wrong).
n. Basic words. Person who does wrong.
n. Basic words. Röntgen ray.
n.
The work will take a year; in the year of my birth; I was there for some years.
*A man of 50 (years); (I am 20 years old).
**(All the year round).
n. Basic words. Book of facts put out every year.
a., n.
Butter is yellow. The yellow on the walls is not dark enough.
int.
Yes, I will come; she will say yes.
adv., n.
I went yesterday. Yesterday is gone; the day before yesterday.
pron.
(e) Any person.
You are a young man; you are foolish; it was you whom I saw; this is your pen; the other one is not yours. If you go north you come to Iceland.
a. n.
(e) Young family, offspring (of animal).
The young tree is bent by the wind; keep young by working hard. The young have more need of sleep than the old. The bird is getting food for her young.
*When these animals are with young they make a bed of leaves and grass for the coming family.
pron. Basic words. You (not any other person).
International word.
International word.
International name of science.
In Basic as in other international languages no attempt is made at covering a complete system of measuring, such as would be necessary for complex work in science or mathematics. The simpler forms for numbering, however, and the chief divisions of time are given their place in Basic English, in a separate list of 50 words. Of these, 12 are the names of the months in the year, 7 are for the days of the week, and the rest are Basic number words. These last words are not necessary in writing, because the number signs, for which most of these words are sounds, are themselves international.
Here are the 50 words:
The months of the year: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
The days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Number-words: One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen (16) ... twenty (20), twenty-one ... thirty (30), forty (40), fifty (50) ... hundred (100), thousand (1000), million (1,000,000).
once (one time), twice (two times).
half (1/2), quarter (1/4).
third (number 3 in order), fourth (number 4), fifth (number 5).