4000 Essential English Words 3 Unit 29: An Interesting Life
Word List
- bomb [bɒm] n.
A bomb is an object that explodes and destroys large areas.
→ The bomb will destroy anything that is near.
- certificate [sərtɪfəkɪt] n.
A certificate is a document that says that something is true or happened.
→ I was given a certificate after completing the computer course.
- circumstance [ˈsəːrkəmstӕns] n.
A circumstance is an event that makes a situation what it is.
→ There were many circumstances behind their success like hard work.
- coffin [ˈkɔ:fɪn] n.
A coffin is a box used to bury dead people.
→ When a person passes away, they are usually buried inside of a coffin.
- cope [koup] v.
To cope with a difficult or stressful situation means to deal with it.
→ He copes with work stress by exercising three or four times a week.
- criticism [ˈkritisizəm] n.
Criticism is the act of saying that you don’t like or approve of something.
→ She had a lot of criticism about their new plan.
- devastate [ˈdevəsteɪt] v.
To devastate something means to completely destroy it.
→ The entire wall was devastated.
- frown [fraun] v.
To frown is to make an unhappy look with your face.
→ Melissa frowned when she found out that the party had been cancelled.
- gaze [geɪz] v.
To gaze at something means to look at it for a long time.
→ We used a telescope to gaze at the stars for over an hour.
- glance [glæns] v.
To glance at something means to look at it quickly.
→ She glanced behind her to see if he was looking at her.
- grief [griːf] n.
Grief is the feeling of deep sadness, usually when a person dies.
→ The grief caused by losing her parents was very difficult for her.
- groom [gruːm] n.
A groom is a man who is going to be married.
→ The groom looked happy as he walked with his new wife.
- license [ˈlaɪsəns] n.
A license is an official document that gives one permission to do something.
→ In the United States you need a driver’s license to drive legally.
- microscope [ˈmaɪkrəskoup] n.
A microscope is a device that makes small objects look bigger.
→ Germs cannot be seen without a microscope.
- nuclear [ˈnjuːklɪə:r] adj.
When something is nuclear, it relates to the division or joining of atoms.
→ Nuclear power plants provide inexpensive energy to cities.
- portray [pɔːrtreɪ] v.
To portray something means to describe it or show it in a picture.
→ Her picture portrayed the house she grew up in when she was little.
- rotate [rouˈteɪt] v.
To rotate something means to turn it around in a circle.
→ An airplane’s propellers rotate quickly to help it fly.
- souvenir [su:vəniə:r] n.
A souvenir is something you buy to remind you of a place or event.
→ I bought a Russian doll as a souvenir from my trip to Moscow.
- submarine [sʌbməˈriːn] n.
A submarine is a boat that can go underwater for long periods of time.
→ The submarine dove under the sea so the enemy couldn’t see it.
- trace [treɪs] v.
To trace something means to follow over it with the eyes or a finger.
→ He traced over the graph with his finger.
