Easy_English_Vocabulary

Easy English Vocabulary Welcome to Easy English Vocabulary, a Living Language audio program created to help you learn hundreds of useful words, phrases, and phrasal verbs in English. This program includes 11 lessons on two CDs and three bonus audio lessons on the internet. You can fi nd these free, extra lessons by going to www.livinglanguage.com. Easy English Vocabulary is an audio-only course, so you don’t need to do any reading or writing to learn all of the vocabulary introduced in this program. Just listen to the program and repeat. It’s as simple as that. But many people learn better when they are able to see what they are being taught. So we’ve also included this free printed book with all of the words and defi nitions from the CDs and bonus lessons. A good way to use the book is to read it over once before you listen to the lesson, and then again afterwards. And most importantly, remember that you can move through this program at your own speed. If you need to listen to sections or lessons 2 | EASY ENGLISH VOCABULARY more than once, just go back in the audio and review as much as you need to until you feel comfortable. Ready to get started? Lesson 1 Adjectives Public. Belonging to or having to do with people as a whole. Open to everyone. Private. Not known to many people. Known to just yourself. Political. Having to do with politics, the science of or actions related to government and people trying to gain and keep control of a government. The government is the ruling body of an area. Official. Approved or decided by a governing, or ruling, group or person. Legal. In agreement with the law. Laws are offi cial rules of a country, state, or other place. The phrase the law often refers to the whole system of laws a place has. The opposite of legal is illegal. Federal. Having to do with a central government. Valid. Correct. Able to be used. Local. Having to do with a city or other small area, instead of a larger area, state, or country. From someplace nearby. Foreign. Different. Not familiar. From another country. Individual. Of one person or thing. Single or separate. Personal. Private. Belonging to or having to do with you or one individual person. Social. Having to do with people’s relationships and society, meaning human beings living together or connected in some way. Having to do with people’s well- being. When describing a person, social can mean “friendly” or “outgoing.” Romantic. Having to do with being in love or with loving treatment between people. Passionate. Having a lot of emotion and love for something. Pleasant. Nice to be around. Enjoyable. Polite. Having good manners. Behaving in a way that is socially approved. Responsible. Can be trusted. Being someone who makes good decisions. Being the cause of something. Being in charge or in command of something for which you must deliver a certain result or explain why you didn’t. Realistic. Having to do with real life or with likely results. Practical. Having to do with everyday life or real actions and results. Realistic. Useful. Hostile. Having an angry or mean attitude toward something or someone. Treating someone or something like an enemy. Suspicious. Not to be trusted. Lively. Happy and full of energy. Elaborate. With a lot of careful detail. Showy or fancy. Special. Being set apart. Having some quality different from the rest. Formal. In agreement with rules and traditions. Being a way of dressing that is fancier than everyday clothing and follows a set of customs. Casual. Relaxed. The opposite of formal, or informal. Designed (to). Planned (to). Made with a purpose or reason in mind. Lesson 1: Adjectives | 3 4 | EASY ENGLISH VOCABULARY Automatic. Happening on its own. Not something you choose or decide to do. A machine can also be automatic. An automatic machine can perform an action on its own without something else or a person directing that action. Electric or electrical. Needing electricity to work. Electronic. Related to or using computers or information on computers. Made using the ideas of electronics, an area of science. Effi cient. Working well and quickly at the job that’s being done. Previous. Happening before. Prior. Having existed in the past. Temporary. Not lasting for a long time or forever. Not permanent. Distinct. Clear. Unique. Different or separated from other things. Defi ned. Explained. Described. Set or fi xed. Defi nite. Exact. Having clearly defi ned boundaries or limits. Sure. Common. Not special. Easily seen or found. Particular. Selected from a group and distinct from the rest. Certain. Sure. Without a doubt. Being a particular instance of something. Specifi c. Related to a single instance or type of something. General. Having to do with what is most common. Not specifi c. Signifi cant. Large. Having meaning or high importance. Being worth noticing. Vague. Unclear. Not specifi c or defi ned. Abstract. Not clear or real. Having to do with ideas that are not easily understood. Complicated. Not simple. Diffi cult or elaborate. Colloquial. Used in everyday or informal speech. Physical. Having to do with the body or with something you can touch and feel. Having to do with contact and activity by the body. Random. Unplanned. Not following a pattern. Regular. Happening over and over again at certain, usual times. Normal. Plain. Typical. Common in a particular place, during a particular time period, or for a particular group of people. Possible. Could happen, but might not happen. Available. Being there for use. Not occupied doing something else. Original. Happening fi rst or in a unique way. Of the start of something. Lesson 2 At Work and School Principal. The head of a school, but not a university or college. Interview. A discussion between two people where one person asks most of the questions and the other person answers. A job interview is a meeting to judge if someone is right for a position at a company. Interview can also be used as a verb. Application. A form you fi ll out to apply, or ask, for something, such as a job or university admission. Résumé. A document that tells someone you want to work for about your education and past experience in a fi eld of work, such as teaching. Lesson 2: At Work and School | 5 6 | EASY ENGLISH VOCABULARY Contact information. This usually means your name, phone number, address, email address, and fax number if you have one. Qualifi cations. The education, experience, and other abilities or skills that make you able to do a certain job or other activity. Strength. A positive quality or ability that you have. Degree. A title from a school that acknowledges that you have reached a certain level of knowledge in a particular area of study. A diploma is the paper you get confi rming the degree. Also, a diploma is the word commonly used to describe what you get when you fi nish high school. The word degree is not used in this case. Credits. Points earned for work accomplished. To evaluate. To judge how well someone has done. Grade. An evaluation you get for your work at school. Grades in the U.S. are often expressed using the letters A, B, C, D, or F. A grade point average, or GPA, is the average of all the grade points in all the classes that you have taken over a certain period of time. An A is worth 4.0 grade points and an F is worth zero points. Grade can also be used as a verb. To pass. To fi nish satisfactorily. To receive a grade or other evaluation high enough to allow you to get credit or move to the next level of study. Grades A through D are passing grades. To fail. To not fi nish satisfactorily. A grade of F is a failing grade. Syllabus. The schedule of work that will be done for a class. To hand in. To give a fi nished assignment or form to someone, such as a teacher. Deadline. The date by which work must be done. To graduate. To get a degree or diploma from a school because you completed a program of study. Internship. A short- term or part- time job meant to help teach you skills for a particular job. Having a part- time job means that you work for less time each day or week than someone who works a full schedule, or full- time. In the U.S., someone who works full- time usually works around forty hours a week at a job, while someone who works part- time may work around twenty hours a week or less. Instructor. Another word for “teacher.” Weakness. A quality that you consider a bit negative, an ability that you don’t have, or something that needs to be changed. The opposite of a strength. Notes. A shorter form of what someone said, or what you read, written down in order to help you remember the information later. The activity of writing notes is called taking notes or note- taking. Quiz. A short test, usually given more frequently than longer tests. Midterm. A test you take halfway through a class. It measures what you have learned from the beginning until that point. Candidate. A person who has applied and is being considered for something, such as a job or other position. A candidate is sometimes also called an applicant. To employ. To bring someone in to do work for money. To hire someone. The word employed is often used as an adjective to talk about your own job (I am employed at a restaurant). A person who is employed is called an employee. The person or business that hires people is called an employer. References. People who know you and can give information to someone else about your qualities and experience in a program or at a job. Boss. The person in charge of employees or workers. Staff. Employees. Another word for staff is personnel. Department. A division that deals with a particular area of knowledge, work, etc. Cubicle. A small work space that is separated from other work spaces by low, often temporary walls. To sign up. To place your name on a list of people interested in doing a certain activity. To register. To sign up for or enroll in something, such as a class. Lesson 2: At Work and School | 7 8 | EASY ENGLISH VOCABULARY Salary. Money paid for a job. Unlike work paid by the hour, salaries are a fi xed amount per year. In other words, your salary is decided ahead of time and generally does not change based on the specifi c number of hours that you have worked. Extracurricular. In addition to regular schoolwork. Lesson 3 In Cities and Towns Transportation. Going from one place to another. The means by which you get from one place to another. Neighborhood. An area of a city that is distinct from other areas in some way. Block. When talking about a city or town, a block refers to a small section of the city surrounded by streets. Each block often contains a row of apartment buildings and stores. A block can also mean the distance between one street and the next parallel street, or street that does not cross it. Pedestrian. A person who is traveling on foot. Someone who is walking. Crosswalk. A space for pedestrians to use when walking across a street. Crosswalks are often at intersections, or the locations where two or more streets intersect, or meet. Chore. A small, routine task of everyday life. Chores are usually tasks that you don’t want to do and are done at home. Errand. A short, necessary trip to do a task. An errand can also refer to the task itself. The phrase to run an errand or to run errands is commonly used to describe the action of doing one or more errands. Tank. The place where gas is stored in a car or other motor vehicle. To fi ll up. To put into a car or other vehicle the greatest amount of gas that it can take. Laundry. Dirty clothing that needs to be washed. To talk about the action of washing the clothing, you can say you are doing laundry. Load. The amount of clothing that fi ts into a single washing machine or clothes dryer. Stop. A place where you stop or stay. A planned place to stop on a transportation route. Station. A building located at a stop on a transportation route. Toll. An amount of money you have to pay to use certain roads, highways, or bridges. A road or highway where you have to pay a toll is known as a toll road or turnpike. A bridge with a toll is known as a toll bridge. Self- service. Must be done yourself. Ride. Transportation to or from a place. You can also get a ride somewhere. This means that someone comes to you with his or her vehicle and drives you to where you need to go. Skyscraper. A very tall building with many fl oors. To cut in line or to cut the line. To enter a line in the middle or at the front when you are not supposed to. Post offi ce. The place where mail is collected, sorted, and organized for delivery. You can also buy stamps and other postage, or money you have to pay to mail something, at the post offi ce. Subway. A train system that is under the ground. Platform. The raised section at a station where you get on or off a train or subway. Delay. Something that causes a stop or lateness in a schedule or itinerary. Lesson 3: In Cities and Towns | 9 10 | EASY ENGLISH VOCABULARY To catch something. To take a form of transportation, such as a boat, subway, or bus. To make it to a form of transportation in time to get on it. Fare. The amount of money you pay to take certain forms of transportation. Children and senior citizens, or people who are around sixty- fi ve years old or older, are often offered a lower price called a child or senior fare. Taxi, taxicab, or cab. A car that drives you around for a fare. Taxis are usually found in larger cities. If you want to use a taxi to go somewhere, you put your hand out. This is called hailing a cab. Driver’s license. The small plastic card with your picture, address, signature, and other personal information that offi cially allows you to drive a vehicle. It is often just called a license for short. Registration. A piece of paper that offi cially acknowledges that you are the owner of your particular car and that you can drive it on public roads. Trunk. The back part of a car divided off from the rest of the vehicle and often used by the car’s owner to store various items. To park. To put your car, or other vehicle, in a stopped position where it will stay for a while. Parking or a parking lot is a place where you can park your car, for free or for money. Traffi c. The movement of cars, airplanes, trains, or other vehicles. When vehicles are not moving, or are moving (together) very, very slowly, you can say that there is a traffi c jam. Detour. Another way of traveling to a place, often different from the way you usually go. Detours are frequently set up when conditions on another road are not safe—for example, because of construction or damage to the road. Lesson 4 Shopping and Money Purchase. This word refers to any item that you’ve bought. Purchase can also be used as a verb. Account. A defi ned relationship with a company, usually involving the exchange, or trade, of money and services. Services are activities provided to you or work done for you, such as tax advice or the maintenance of a bank account. A bank account is a relationship with a bank in which the bank holds and handles an amount of money for a person or company. Fee. An amount of money that you have to pay for a service. To owe. To have to pay a certain amount of money. Payment. An amount of money that is paid. It often refers to an amount of money that is paid regularly for an important item or service. To pay off. To pay the total amount of money that you owe. To make the last payment in a series of payments for something. Debt. Money owed. This word is also used in the expression in debt. To be in debt means that you owe more money than the total amount of money you have available. To be able to afford. To have enough money to buy something. Transaction. A business agreement or exchange, such as an exchange of money. Bank teller. A bank employee who handles transactions from behind the bank’s counter. Balance. The amount of money in your bank account. The amount of money you owe. Lesson 4: Shopping and Money | 11 12 | EASY ENGLISH VOCABULARY Discount. A lowering in the amount of money you have to pay for an item. When a discount is offered for an item, you can say that the item is on sale. Label. The small piece of material sewn into an item of clothing that says what company made the clothing, what it’s made of, how to clean it, and its size. To fi t. To be the correct size. To try on. To put on a piece of clothing in order to see if it fi ts or to see how it looks when you’re wearing it. Dressing room or fi tting room. The place where shoppers try on clothing before they buy it. To browse. To look through something without searching for a specifi c item. To look casually. When salespeople in a store ask you if you need help, you can say: “Just browsing.” This means you don’t need any help at that time. To dress up. To put on formal or fancy clothing, usually for a special event. To dry- clean. To clean something, such as a piece of clothing, with chemicals and not water. Wrinkles. Creases and folds in clothing where they don’t belong. To press or to iron. To remove wrinkles by applying pressure and heat or steam. Bargain. A good value. Accessories. Items, usually small ones, that a person wears in addition to his or her main pieces of clothing. Outfi t. A set of clothing and often accessories that someone wears. Savings account. A common type of bank account. Money held in this account is usually meant to be saved, or set aside, and not used for a long period of time. Money in a savings account also gathers interest. Interest is additional money paid to you by the bank as an annual percentage of the amount of money in your account. To get or take money out. To withdraw. To retrieve money from your bank account. ATM or ATM machine. An automated teller machine. A machine that allows you to use an ATM card or debit card to withdraw money from your bank account, check your account balance, and perform other transactions without speaking to a bank teller. ATM card. A plastic card that lets you take money out of your account by going to an ATM. Debit card. A debit card works the same way as an ATM card except that it also lets you purchase items without using cash money, or paper bills and coins. When you make a purchase with a debit card, the money is withdrawn from your checking account. A store that lets you pay this way is said to take debit. Check. An offi cial slip of paper provided by a bank. You fi ll out a check to request that the bank take a certain amount of money from your checking account and give it to the person or company that you name on the paper. Checking account. This is another common type of bank account. Unlike a savings account, money in this account may be withdrawn using checks or a debit card when making a purchase. Money can also be withdrawn from a checking account, and usually also from a savings account, by going to an ATM or a bank teller. Credit card. A plastic card that lets you pay for things without having money taken out of your bank account right away. The amount paid is added to a balance that you must pay off eventually. If you use a credit card to pay for a purchase, you can say: “I charged it.” Deposit. Money put into a bank account. Deposit can also be used as a verb. PIN or PIN number. PIN stands for personal identifi cation number. This is a secret number you choose in order to identify yourself. Lesson 4: Shopping and Money | 13 14 | EASY ENGLISH VOCABULARY Lesson 5 Food and Cooking Ingredients. The basic food materials used to make a prepared food. Dish. Food that is prepared in a special way with a unique combination of ingredients. Recipe. A set of directions for making a meal or dish. A way of preparing a dish. Fresh. Wh