detached
The elephant was detached from the herd.
isolated
The old man lived in a cottage on the cliff top. He felt quite isolated.
solitary
Robinson Crusoe was solitary on his desert island home.
alone (2) ADVERB
Something that happens alone, happens without other people or things.
independently
Sian did her homework independently.
separately
The teachers came with us on the bus, except for the head who came later, separately.
solo INFORMAL
The pilot now flew solo for the first time.
also ADVERB
Also can mean in addition to something that has just been mentioned.
as well
Mum had just bought the lettuce when she remembered to get some tomatoes as well.
besides
The competition winner received a sports bag, and a signed bat to go in it besides.
furthermore FORMAL
Youve worked well, the teacher said, and furthermore youve worked quietly.
in addition
My prize was free tickets to the show. In addition, it included a meal afterwards.
moreover FORMAL
It was cold, and moreover it was getting dark.
too
William is nine, and Rina is too.
although CONJUNCTION
Although can mean in spite of the fact that.
even though
Jessica managed to win the marathon, even though shed had flu earlier that week.
while
While the work on an oil rig is tough, the pay is good.
altogether ADVERB
Altogether can mean in total and is used when talking about amounts.
all told
There were over two thousand people at the show, all told.
everything included
Everything included, the fête raised enough money for the new equipment.
in total
In total, the auction raised well over five thousand pounds.
always (1) ADVERB
Always can mean all the time.
consistently
Andy is consistently the best player on our hockey team.
constantly
We are constantly receiving junk e-mails.
continually
My mum is continually nagging me to keep my room tidy.
continuously
The generator chugged away continuously throughout the night.
invariably
Aissa is invariably late for school.
regularly
Stars are regularly asked for their autographs.
repeatedly
Im repeatedly telling you not to speak with your mouth full! Dad said crossly.
time after time
Time after time, my little brother asked me to play with him.
ANTONYM: never
always (2) ADVERB
Always can mean forever.
endlessly
I shall be endlessly grateful to the woman who saved my life.
forever
Madam, I am forever in your debt, the musketeer said as he swept from the room.
perpetually
The Olympic flame burns perpetually.
ANTONYM: never
amazing ADJECTIVE
If something is amazing, it is very surprising.
astonishing
It is astonishing that we breathe, on average, 500 million times in our lives.
astounding
The marathon runner kept up an astounding pace for the whole 26 miles.
breathtaking
Seeing Niagara Falls was a breathtaking experience.
sensational
The show was sensational, with superb music and dancing.
staggering
It is staggering to realize that 60 per cent of our body is water.
among or amongst PREPOSITION
Among or amongst can mean surrounded by.
amid
Workers searched amid the wreckage for any sign of survivors.
amidst
Amidst all the weeds, a single rose bloomed.
in the middle of
In the middle of the herd of cows was a newborn calf.
surrounded by
Mum and I found ourselves surrounded by inquisitive sheep.
If there are more than two things, you should use among(st). If there are only two things, you should use between.
amount NOUN
An amount is how much there is of something.
mass
There was a great mass of tadpoles in our garden pond.
quantity
For sale: a quantity of unused garden tools, read the advert.
sum
The house was sold for an undisclosed sum of money.
total
Our little sideshow raised quite a total at our school fête.
volume
A huge volume of water cascades over the waterfall every minute.
amphibian NOUN
An amphibian is one of a group of animals that live both on land and in water.
Some amphibians:
frog
newt
salamander
toad
anger NOUN
Anger is the strong feeling you get about something unfair or cruel.
annoyance
You could see the annoyance on the little boys face when he couldnt have any sweets.
fury
Her face purple with fury, the duchess stormed from the room.
indignation
Our dog, Jim, stared in indignation as I ate the last biscuit.
irritation
Sissy stormed out in irritation.
rage
The wizard flew into a rage and instantly turned the king and queen into toads.
temper
In a fit of temper, I flung my sisters hairbrush into the garden.
wrath Said roth
The player incurred the wrath of the referee for committing a foul.
angry ADJECTIVE
Someone who is angry is very annoyed.
annoyed
Mr Danesh was annoyed that Anna hadnt handed in her homework.
apoplectic
The team manager was apoplectic, dancing with rage when the referee disallowed the goal.
beside yourself with anger
The head teacher was beside herself with anger when the money was stolen.
cross
You could tell Mum was cross. Her forehead had turned red and wrinkly.
displeased
Smithers, Im displeased with the poor spelling in this report, Sir Hector boomed.
enraged
The bull, enraged, came charging, head down, towards the matador.
fuming
Mrs Stevenson was fuming when she realized Peter was absent yet again.
furious
Furious at such a messy piece of work, Mr Ross flung my book back on my desk.
hot under the collar INFORMAL
Many motorists were getting hot under the collar as the traffic jam built up.
indignant
You could see by her face that our terrier, Tess, was indignant that we had left her behind.
infuriated
The stressed commuter was infuriated to find that the train had left seconds earlier.
irate
It made Mrs Mawdsley irate to find the staffroom key missing.
irritated
I was irritated to find that Alex had borrowed my pencil.
livid
Father was livid that I had broken his favourite fishing rod.
outraged
Many townsfolk were outraged that the lovely old cinema was to be torn down.
seething
I knew from his gritted teeth that the boss was seething.
animal NOUN
An animal is any living being that is not a plant.
beast
The thoroughbred horse was a beautiful but temperamental beast.
creature
creature
The platypus is a strange-looking creature.
General names for animals are fauna and wildlife.
Types of animal:
amphibian
bird
fish
insect
mammal
reptile
annoy VERB
If someone or something annoys you, they make you angry or impatient.
aggravate
My gran is often aggravated by noisy motorbikes late at night.
bother
Please dont bother me now. Im really very busy, said Dad.
drive someone up the wall INFORMAL
Some of these stupid TV adverts drive me up the wall! said Grandad.
get on someones nerves INFORMAL
Mitchis whiny voice really gets on my nerves.
harass
Many famous people are harassed by reporters and photographers.
irritate
My mum was irritated by the constant dripping of the tap in the night.
needle INFORMAL
The soccer player tried to needle his opponent by muttering insults.
provoke
My sister provoked me into an argument by saying I was no good at singing.
answer (1) VERB
If you answer someone, you reply to them in speech or writing.
answer back
When spoken to by the judge, the defendant was foolish enough to answer back rudely.
reply
If you receive an invitation, its polite to reply promptly.
respond
The captain asked for volunteers, and two crewmen responded.
retort
Id love to go to the ball, said Cinderella. No chance! retorted her ugly sister.
return
Yes, Id love to come to the theatre, Genevieve returned.
answer (2) NOUN
An answer is the reply you give when you answer someone.
acknowledgment
The palace sent a brief letter as an acknowledgment to my request.
reaction
The mayor received an angry reaction to his scheme to sell off the sports field.
reply
The salesman rang the door bell, but there was no reply.
response
There was a terrific response to the famine appeal.
retort
Ouch, that hurt! I said. Serves you right! came the retort.
appear VERB
When something appears, it moves from somewhere you could not see it to somewhere you can see it.
come into sight
A woolly mammoth came into sight, lumbering from behind the rock.
come into view
A triceratops came into view, its serrated back appearing over the ridge.
emerge
Emerging from his bedroom, my lazy brother rubbed his eyes.
loom
The gigantic airship blotted out the sun as it loomed nearer.
See arrive
area (1) NOUN
An area is a particular part of a place, country or the world.
community
We live in a friendly community, with lots going on.
district
It was a poor district, where litter and street crime were a problem.
neighbourhood
In our neighbourhood, everybody helps one another.
region
This region of Italy is famous for its pizzas.
zone
That zone is open only to airport staff.
area (2) NOUN
Area can mean the measurement of a flat surface.
extent
From the top of the tower, Jamie could see the extent of the city.
size
What size of paper shall I use? Dani asked.
area (3) NOUN
The area of a piece of ground or surface is the amount of space it covers.
expanse
When Noah looked from his ark, all he saw was a huge expanse of water.
patch INFORMAL
The police officer said he would miss the people in his patch when he retired.
plot
My parents bought a plot of land, hoping to build a house there.
stretch
You can see otters on this stretch of the river.
argue (1) VERB
If you argue with someone about something, you disagree with them about it, sometimes in an angry way.
bicker
My sisters are always bickering at the table.
disagree
Simon and Sanjiv disagreed passionately about which team would win.
fall out
Hazel and I fell out when she broke her promise to keep my secret.
have a difference of opinion
The two neighbours had a difference of opinion over who owned the fence.
have an argument
Dad and Mum had an argument about whose turn it was to get up and see to the baby.
quarrel
Jack and Wilbur quarrelled over land, and their two families have not spoken since.
row Rhymes with cow
The couple next door were always rowing. Now theyve gone well get some peace!
squabble
Stop squabbling, you two! Mum said, exasperated. Youll both get a turn.
argue (2) VERB
If you argue that something is true, you give reasons why you think that it is.
assert
The prisoner continues to assert his innocence.
claim
Mervyn claimed he was the lost King of Albania, but nobody believed him.
debate
I think well be debating this issue forever! joked Mrs Evans.
hold
Before 1492, many people held that the earth was flat.
maintain
Columbus always maintained that the earth was round, and proceeded to prove it.
put the case
In the debate, Scarlet put the case for hunting and I opposed it.
reason
Mum tried to reason with my little brother, but it was a waste of time.
argument (1) NOUN
An argument is a talk between people who do not agree.
barney INFORMAL
Kayla and I had a bit of a barney, but we soon made up.
difference of opinion
Panna and Liz had a difference of opinion over which team would win.
disagreement
The tennis players had a disagreement about whether the service was in or out.
dispute
The long-running dispute between the two neighbours ended in a court case.
feud
Occasionally, the feud between the Campbell clan and the MacDonald clan erupted into violence.
fight
Two girls in our class got into a fight over a missing purse.
quarrel
The quarrel started when Colin was left out of the team in favour of Barry.
row Rhymes with cow
I was upstairs in my room when the row between Dad and Grandad started.
squabble
It was a silly squabble over who would sleep in the top bunk.
A formal talk between people who do not agree is a debate.
argument (2) NOUN
An argument is a point or set of reasons you use to convince people about something.
case
The barrister set out the case for the prosecution.
grounds
The judge decided there were no grounds on which to find the defendant guilty.
reason
Guy Fawkes was asked to give his reasons for wishing to blow up Parliament.
armour NOUN
Armour is special metal clothing that soldiers wore in the past for protection.
Pieces of armour:
breastplate
gauntlet