4000 Essential English Words 3 Unit 21: The Old Man with a Bump
Word List
- accustomed [əˈkʌstəmd] adj.
When you become accustomed to something, you are in the habit of it.
→ Grandfather is accustomed to reading the newspaper every morning.
- affirm [əˈfəːrm] v.
To affirm is to say that something is true.
→ Using a graph, Malcolm affirmed the success o f the company.
- astonished [əstɒnɪʃt] adj.
If someone is astonished, they are very surprised or shocked.
→ I was astonished when he pulled the live rabbit out of his hat.
- bang [æŋ] v.
To bang is to hit something to make a noise.
→ The drummer banged on his drum as he marched in the parade.
- clan [klæn] n.
A clan is a group of relatives or friends.
→ The Lee clan meets every year to celebrate the New Year.
- dim [dɪm] adj.
When something is dim, it does not give out much light.
→ Working in a dim room is bad for your eyes.
- emphasis
Emphasis is special attention or importance.
→ The students put special emphasis on chapter 4 because it will be on the test.
- fable [ˈfeibəl] n.
A fable is a short story that teaches a lesson.
→ In the fable about the tortoise and the hare, the lesson is consistency.
- feast [fiːst] n.
A feast is a large meal for many people.
→ At Thanksgiving, I enjoy a wonderful feast with my family.
- glow [glou] v.
To glow is to make a soft light.
→ The small flame glowed softly.
- hollow [ˈhɒlou] adj.
When something is hollow, it has an empty space inside.
→ Straws are hollow, so liquid can flow through them.
- instinct [ɪnstɪŋkt] n.
Instinct is the natural way that people behave without thinking about it.
→ Cats hunt mice because of instinct.
- joint [dʒɔɪnt] n.
A joint is a place of the body where the bones meet, such as the knee.
→ Two important bones in your leg meet at a join t in your knee.
- leak [liːk] v.
To leak is to let a liquid or gas pass through a flaw.
→ The pipe leaks from many places.
- physician [fɪzɪʃən] n.
A physician is a doctor.
→ The physician said I would feel better if I took my medicine.
- sacrifice [ˈsækrəfaɪs] v.
To sacrifice something valuable is to give it up to get something else.
→ Her parents sacrificed a lot of money in order for her to go to college.
- stiff [stɪf] adj.
When something is stiff, it is hard to move.
→ The bird was standing on the tree’s s tiff branch.
- stroke [strouk] v.
To stroke is to move a hand over something or someone.
→ She stroked her cheek to see if there was something on it.
- tragic [ˈtrædʒɪk] adj.
When something is tragic, it is connected with death and suffering.
→ The airplane crashed in a tragic accident.
- tune [tjuːn] n.
A tune is a song.
→ The students played a familiar tune for the audience.
