4000 Essential English Words 3 Unit 9: Dalton vs. the Bully
Word List
- ail [eɪl] v.
To ail a person or group is to cause difficulty or pain.
→ My brother went to the doctor to see what was ailing him.
- ally [ˈælaɪ] n.
An ally is someone who agrees to help or support you.
→ I was happy to find many allies who shared the same opinion as me.
- boast [boust] v.
To boast is to talk about how good you are.
→ We all became tired o f listening to him boast about him self all day.
- bounce [bauns] v.
To bounce is to move something up and away from a surface after hitting it.
→ Owen bounced the ball on the ground.
- bully [ˈbulɪ] n.
A bully is a person who is mean to others.
→ The two bullies always picked on the smaller, weaker kids.
- carbohydrate [ˈkɑːrbouˈhaɪdreɪt] n.
Carbohydrates are substances in foods like bread that give you energy.
→ Carbohydrates like rice are a good source o f energy for active people.
- crawl [krɔːl] v.
To crawl is to move slowly on your hands and knees.
→ The baby crawled across the floor.
- defeat [dɪˈfiːt] v.
To defeat someone is to beat them in a game or battle.
→ The champion defeated the challenger in the boxing match.
- dial [ˈdaɪəl] n.
A dial is the front of a clock.
→ I looked at the dial to see what time it was.
- dominant [ˈdɒmənənt] adj.
When someone or something is dominant, they are stronger than others.
→ The gorilla is one o f the dominant animals in the jungle.
- mercy [ˈməːrsi] n.
If you show mercy, you choose not to punish or harm someone.
→ He asked his boss for mercy and to not fire him.
- nod [nɒd] v.
To nod is to move your head up and down.
→ I nodded my head as I listened to the song.
- opponent [əˈpounənt] n.
An opponent is someone who fights against you.
→ On the field, our opponents were too good for us.
- quarrel [ˈkwɔ:rəl] v.
To quarrel is to argue or fight.
→ Billy quarreled with his wife about buying a new house.
- rival [ˈraɪvəl] n.
A rival is someone that is trying to keep you from getting what you want.
→ The three rivals were all competing for the same job.
- sore [sɔːr] adj.
When a part of your body is sore, it hurts.
→ After lifting the heavy box, Mona’s back was sore.
- sting [stɪŋ] v.
To sting is to cause pain by pushing a sharp part into the skin.
→ The needle stung my arm and made me say, “ Ouch!”
- strain [streɪn] v.
To strain is to try very hard.
→ Casey strained to lift the heavy box.
- torture [ˈtɔːrtʃə:r] n.
Torture is something that causes you physical or mental pain.
→ Greg thought that writing the essay was torture.
- wrestle [ˈresəl] v.
To wrestle is to play a game where you try to push someone to the floor.
→ My dad loved to wrestle when he was in high school.
