4000 Essential English Words 5 Unit 18: The Soldier’s Decision
Word List
- aggressive [əˈgresiv] adj.
If someone is aggressive, then they constantly want to fight.
→ Nobody liked to play games with him because he was always too aggressive.
- amnesty [ˈӕmnəsti] n.
Amnesty is a pardon given to prisoners of war.
→ She was denied amnesty for her involvement in the war.
- arena [əˈriːnə] n.
An arena is a building where people can watch sports and concerts.
→ The new arena was all set to hold the championship match.
- auditorium [ˌɔːdiˈtɔːriəm] n.
An auditorium is a large building used for public events.
→ People have gathered at the school auditorium to watch the play.
- captive [ˈkæptiv] n.
A captive is a prisoner.
→ The guards told the captive that there was no way he could escape the prison.
- combat [ˈkɒmbæt] n.
Combat is fighting between two people or groups.
→ The two warriors were locked in combat.
- commonplace [ˈkɒmənpleis] adj.
If something is commonplace, then it is ordinary.
→ There is nothing commonplace about the way Morris dresses.
- compound [ˈkɒmpaund] n.
A compound is an enclosed area such as a prison or factory.
→ The workers waited outside the compound for the gates to the factory to open.
- corps [kɔːr] n.
A corps is a division of a military force.
→ The army had a corps of archers who trained apart from the regular soldiers.
- distract [disˈtrækt] v.
To distract someone means to stop them from concentrating on something.
→ The phone call distracted him so much that he forgot all about his homework.
- dumb [dʌm] adj.
If someone is dumb, they are unable to speak.
→ She did not share the secret. She remained silent as if she were dumb.
- foe [fou] n.
A foe is an enemy or opponent.
→ It was hard to believe that anyone could be his foe.
- hack [hæk] v.
To hack something means to cut it into uneven pieces.
→ My uncle used the ax to hack the tree into many logs.
- meditate [ˈmedəteit] v.
To meditate means to focus or think deeply in silence.
→ She liked to meditate for several hours of each day.
- nick [nik] v.
To nick someone means to cut them slightly with a sharp object.
→ While cutting the carrots, the cook nicked his finger with the edge of his knife.
- provoke [prəˈvouk] v.
To provoke someone means to annoy them on purpose to cause violence.
→ The older boy provoked Paul by calling him mean names.
- realm [relm] n.
A realm is any area of activity or interest.
→ He was not very active in the realm of business.
- reign [rein] n.
A reign is the period of time in which a ruler rules.
→ The emperor’s reign lasted for only two years.
- rust [rʌst] n.
Rust is a red and brown coating on iron objects caused by water and air.
→ The old metal gate would not swing because the hinges were covered in rust.
- sacred [ˈseikrid] adj.
If something is sacred, then it is worshipped and respected.
→ One religion in India will not harm cows because it believes that they are sacred.
