greater than
The number of visitors to the museum this year is greater than last year.
higher than
The cost of the repairs was higher than Mum had expected.
ANTONYM: below
absolutely ADVERB
If you are absolutely sure about something, you are completely sure of it.
completely
Anoop was completely satisfied with his new computer.
thoroughly
I am thoroughly fed up of washing dishes, moaned Cinderella.
totally
We sat totally enthralled by the magicians amazing tricks.
utterly
The instructions to the board game left me utterly confused.
abuse (1) Said ab-yooss NOUN
Abuse is the cruel treatment of someone.
cruelty
Sadly, many animals are injured through cruelty or neglect.
harm
Fortunately, the two lost children were found with no harm done to them.
ill-treatment
Oliver Twist suffered much ill-treatment in the workhouse.
abuse (2) Said ab-yooz VERB
To abuse someone is to treat them cruelly.
harm
Now the dog was at the rescue kennels, no one could harm it any more.
ill-treat
People who ill-treat their animals should face heavy fines.
mistreat
Cinderella was constantly mistreated by her two ugly sisters.
misuse
The dictator misused his power by giving jobs to his relatives.
accident NOUN
An accident is something that happens suddenly or unexpectedly, causing people to be hurt or killed.
collision
Eight vehicles were involved in a collision during the heavy rain.
crash
The police advised that the airport should be closed because of the plane crash.
mishap
Falling off my bike was a minor mishap, but luckily I wasnt hurt.
See disaster
accidental ADJECTIVE
Something that is accidental has not been planned.
unexpected
The sails tearing in the wind was a totally unexpected problem.
unintentional
I didnt mean to stand on the flowers. It was quite unintentional, I apologized.
unplanned
Although our beach volleyball tournament was unplanned, it was a great success.
ANTONYM: deliberate
accurate ADJECTIVE
If something is accurate, it is absolutely correct.
exact
In order to set my watch, I need to know the exact time.
factual
Non-fiction books are factual accounts of real people and events.
faithful
The French version of the book is a faithful translation of the English original.
precise
Tightrope walkers must be very precise in their movements.
spot-on INFORMAL
Your guess about the trains arrival time was spot-on.
true
Is this statement a true record of where you were? queried the police officer.
ANTONYM: inaccurate
ache VERB
If a part of your body aches, you feel a continuous, dull pain there.
be sore
Janes leg muscles were sore after aerobics.
hurt
Ouch! said Devendra as the nurse cleaned his cut knee. That hurts!
throb
My knee really throbbed after I fell over on the uneven pavement.
action (1) NOUN
An action is something you do for a particular purpose.
act
Rescuing the baby from the burning house was an act of great courage.
deed
Theseuss bravest deed was the slaying of the dreaded Minotaur.
exploit
The explorer, Sir Archie Pounder, told the school of his exploits in the jungle.
feat
To build Stonehenge without modern equipment was a great feat.
move
I think resting after dinner is a sensible move.
action (2) NOUN
An action is a physical movement, such as jumping.
activity
Our classroom was a hive of activity as we got ready for the concert.
motion
The up-and-down motion of the boat made me feel queasy.
movement
The movements of the conductors baton guided the orchestra.
actual ADJECTIVE
Actual can mean something is real, rather than imaginary or guessed at.
genuine
This table is a genuine antique, said Gran.
real
The film is based on a real story.
true
Is this a true record of what you said? the judge demanded to know.
very
The guide told us Ann Boleyn was beheaded on the very spot where we stood.
add (1) VERB
If you add something to a number of things, you put it with those things.
combine
Orange juice combined with lemonade makes a refreshing drink.
include
Dont forget to include a sentence about what your friends think, Mr Bishop reminded us.
Remember that you add something to something else, but combine something with something else.
add (2) VERB
If you add numbers together, or add them up, you work out the total.
count up
I counted up the spoons, and found there were three missing.
total
Miss Dobson told us to total the figures at the bottom of each column.
tot up INFORMAL
It took me ages to tot up how many hours I had worked that week.
ANTONYM: subtract
adjust VERB
If you adjust something, you change its position or alter it in some other way.
change
I changed the time on my new watch so that it was correct.
correct
Fortunately, the pilot corrected the planes course before it hit the storm clouds.
modify
The racing cars tyres had been specially modified for wet weather.
tune
Dad tuned the radio to a different station.
tweak INFORMAL
Mrs Tordoff asked me to tweak my story to include more dialogue.
admit VERB
If you admit something, you agree that it is true.
acknowledge
Good drivers acknowledge when they have made a mistake.
confess
The prisoner confessed that she had lied.
grant
I grant that its not a great meal, my brother said, but at least I cooked it myself.
own up
The head teacher asked whoever had broken the window to own up to it.
adult ADJECTIVE
An adult is a mature and fully developed person.
grown-up
Dad asked another grown-up for directions.
man
Jim is now a man of 42.
woman
A woman was seen leaving the building.
adventure NOUN
An adventure is something that is exciting, and perhaps even dangerous.
escapade
Entering the Sheriff of Nottinghams chamber was perhaps Robin Hoods boldest escapade.
exploit
Several films have been made of the brave exploits of the Three Musketeers.
feat
To abseil down a skyscraper would certainly be a daring feat.
venture
The expedition proved a dangerous venture.
advice NOUN
Advice is a suggestion from someone about what you should do.
guidance
Larissa needed guidance from her teachers about which college to apply for.
recommendation
Mum followed the doctors recommendation, and gave up smoking.
suggestion
My friends suggestion was to do our work first and play later.
tip INFORMAL
A good tip is to test the water with your toe before you jump in.
advise VERB
If you advise someone to do something, you tell them you think they should do it.
recommend
Mrs Singh recommended that I should sit nearer the front of the classroom.
suggest
I suggest we go home, said Mum.
urge
In his speech, the MP urged people to vote for him in the election.
affect VERB
If something affects someone or something else, it influences or changes them.
concern
The issue of global warming concerns everybody on the planet.
have an effect on
The moons gravity has an effect on the oceans, creating high and low tides.
influence
The judges sentence was influenced by the prisoners previous good behaviour.
involve
The accident happened nearby, but fortunately our car was not involved.
Be careful not to confuse the verb affect with the noun effect.
afraid ADJECTIVE
If you are afraid, you are frightened.
alarmed
Dont be alarmed, Mum said calmly. Its only the wind rattling the windows.
anxious
As I had not revised my spellings, I was anxious about the test the next morning.
fearful
Faiza is fearful of the dark.
frightened
Dont be frightened, said the giant. I wont hurt you.
nervous
Alim was nervous before his driving test.
petrified
My brother is petrified of going to the dentist.
scared
I told my brother there was nothing to be scared of.
terrified
I used to be terrified of injections, but now that Ive had one Im not scared any more.
timid
I was quite timid on my first day at school.
ANTONYM: unafraid
To be afraid of something is to fear or dread it.
after (1) ADVERB
After can mean later than a particular time, date or event.
afterwards
We had our lunch and afterwards went out to the school field.
following
Following the professors talk on birds, we had the chance to ask her questions.
later than
It was later than six oclock when we finally finished shopping.
subsequently
The injured driver was taken to hospital, but was allowed to go home subsequently.
ANTONYM: before
after (2) PREPOSITION
If you come after someone or something, you are behind them and following them.
behind
Behind the royal procession came the jester, prancing about and waving some sort of wand.
following
Off went the removal van, with Dad following.
again ADVERB
Again can mean happening one more time.
afresh
The couple moved abroad to start life afresh.
a second time
The traveller waited before knocking at the door a second time.
once more
Once more Dad tried to put up the deckchair, and once more it collapsed.
against PREPOSITION
Something that is against something else is in opposition to it.
anti INFORMAL
Our entire family is anti hunting. We think its cruel.
opposed to
I was opposed to the idea of moving house.
versus
In our playground game, it was Rachel and me versus the rest of the class.
If something is against the law, it is illegal.
aim (1) VERB
If you aim to do something, you are planning to do it.
intend
One day, I intend to own a chocolate factory.
mean
The player meant to hit the ball down the line, but it flew into the crowd.
plan
Dad had planned to work abroad, but then he was offered a job in Britain.
propose
Mr Potter proposes to put on a school play this year.
set your sights on
Louis had set his sights on becoming an artist, but became a photographer instead.
aim (2) NOUN
Your aim is what you intend to achieve.
goal
Cassandras goal is to make a million dollars before she is 25.
object
The object of the game is to throw the ball in your opponents basket.
objective
Men, barked the Major, our objective is to cross that river before the enemy sees us.
purpose
The purpose of the meeting was to decide what our class would do for the school concert.
target
The target for this years bring-and-buy sale is to raise a thousand pounds.
aircraft NOUN
An aircraft is any vehicle that can fly.
Types of aircraft:
aeroplane
glider
hang-glider
helicopter
hot-air balloon
microlite
alike ADJECTIVE
Things that are alike are very similar in some way.
comparable
The two boys had had comparable experiences at primary school.
identical
The twins were identical except for the way they styled their hair.
indistinguishable
The forgery and the original painting were indistinguishable.
similar
Phoebes house is like ours, and Justins is similar too.
ANTONYMS: different or unlike
all right (1) ADJECTIVE
If something is all right, it is satisfactory, but not especially good.
acceptable
Your work is acceptable, Watts, but by no means outstanding.
adequate
The nurse thought her temporary bandage would be adequate to stop the bleeding.
average
My exam marks were average, but Im sure I can do better, said Ron.
fair
Leo made a fair attempt at the test, considering he had felt so ill earlier.
satisfactory
The car was in a satisfactory condition to pass the safety test.
all right (2) ADJECTIVE
If someone is all right, they are safe and not harmed.
safe
Youll be quite safe provided that you wait here, the police officer said.
unharmed
After getting lost in the hills, the boys were returned unharmed to their parents.
unhurt
The stunt rider escaped unhurt after his bike cartwheeled into the air.
uninjured
I was shaken but uninjured after falling during the race.
almost ADVERB
Almost can mean very nearly.
just about
We were just about ready to go, when Mums phone bleeped.
nearly
It was nearly five years since Hanif had seen his aunt and uncle.
not quite
I had not quite finished the test when Mr Halliday said the time was up.
practically
Practically all the sandwiches had been eaten.
virtually
Despite having virtually no time to practise, Darius played the piano piece perfectly.
alone (1) ADJECTIVE
Someone or something that is alone is not with other people or things.