4000 Essential English Words 5 Unit 21: The Twins
Word List
- astounded [əˈstaundid] adj.
If you are astounded, you are very surprised.
→ I was astounded that Monica won the art competition.
- attribute [ˈætribjuːt] n.
An attribute is a characteristic of a person or thing.
→ He isn’t very clever, but he does have some other positive attributes.
- bilingual [baiˈliŋgwəl] adj.
If someone is bilingual, then they can speak two languages.
→ Since you already know English, after learning French you’ll be bilingual.
- clone [kloun] n.
A clone is an identical copy of a living creature.
→ Scientists recently made a clone of a sheep.
- colloquial [kəˈloukwiəl] adj.
Colloquial describes informal words that are more suitable for speech than writing.
→ I find it difficult to understand people if they use colloquial language.
- cosmetics [kɒzˈmetiks] n.
Cosmetics are substances that make the face and skin more beautiful.
→ Girls often look nicer when they don’t use so many cosmetics.
- dash [dæʃ] v.
To dash means to run or move quickly.
→ Helen dashed up the stairs, so she wouldn’t be late for her appointment.
- disgust [disˈgʌst] n.
Disgust is a feeling of distaste and anger caused by something rude or unpleasant.
→ He felt disgust toward his date because she had such terrible eating habits.
- fluorescent [fluəˈresnt] adj.
If something is fluorescent, it is such a bright color that it seems to give off light.
→ She highlighted the key words in the document with a fluorescent yellow pen.
- furious [ˈfjuəriəs] adj.
If you are furious, you are extremely angry.
→ My father was furious when he read my bad school report.
- gulf [gʌlf] n.
A gulf is a gap between people who do not understand each other.
→ There has been a gulf between James and Tony since their parents died.
- humanities [hju:mænətiz] n.
Humanities are subjects which analyze human ideas, such as history and literature.
→ Jennifer has always been more interested in humanities than science.
- knot [nɒt] n.
A knot is made when you tie the ends of rope or cord together.
→ He tied a knot in his shoelaces, so they wouldn’t come off during the race.
- linguist [ˈliŋgwist] n.
A linguist is someone who studies languages.
→ Tony is a good linguist and speaks four different languages.
- participant [pɑːrˈtisəpənt] n.
A participant is someone who joins in a social event or competition.
→ There were thousands of participants in this year’s marathon.
- plausible [ˈplɔːzəbəl] adj.
If something is plausible, it is reasonable or possible.
→ It is plausible that Jack isn’t here today because he is sick.
- ritual [ˈritjuəl] n.
A ritual is a formal custom that people do regularly.
→ Ken was very interested to learn about the religious rituals of the natives.
- sibling [ˈsibliŋ] n.
A sibling is a brother or sister.
→ Jane has two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister.
- skinny [ˈskini] adj.
If someone is skinny, they are extremely thin.
→ Polly is very skinny. I think she needs to eat more.
- vague [veig] adj.
If something is vague, it is not clear, and it gives very few details.
→ I asked him about his mother’s health, but he was very vague about it.
