Pieces of armour:
breastplate
gauntlet
helmet
visor
army NOUN
An army is a large group of soldiers who are trained to fight on land.
Military means connected with an army.
Here are some more words associated with the military, or armed forces:
air force
battalion
brigade
cavalry
commando
company
garrison
legion
marine
navy
paratrooper
platoon
regiment
reinforcements
squad
squadron
around (1) PREPOSITION
You can use around when something is surrounding or encircling a place or object.
on all sides of
On all sides of the camp, a barbed-wire fence rose menacingly towards grim watchtowers.
on every side of
The word Fragile was written on every side of the box.
around (2) PREPOSITION
Around can mean at approximately the time or place mentioned.
about
Ill meet you at about three oclock, Kamilah whispered.
approximately
The train will be approximately five minutes late, said the announcer.
in the region of
The government spent in the region of 30 billion pounds on new roads.
roughly
The new garage will be roughly ten metres in length.
around (3) PREPOSITION OR ADVERB
You say around when things are in various places.
all over
Papers were scattered all over Mums office.
everywhere
In the wind, fallen leaves flew everywhere.
here and there
I always find the odd bargain here and there, said Gran cheerfully.
arrange (1) VERB
If you arrange to do something, or arrange something for someone, you make plans for it or make it possible.
fix
Mr Pearson fixed our soccer game for next Tuesday afternoon.
organize
Mum said she would organize a trip to the zoo during the holidays.
plan
Dad planned a secret birthday surprise for Mum.
prepare
Most good chefs prepare their menu well in advance.
settle
The old lady settled her affairs before she left town.
arrange (2) VERB
If you arrange objects, you set them out in a particular way.
group
For the photograph, all the wedding guests were grouped in front of the hall door.
organize
For the tournament, players were organized into teams of five.
place
The artist carefully placed the objects she was going to paint.
position
Guards were positioned outside the palace.
arrest VERB
If the police arrest someone, they take them to a police station because they believe they may have committed a crime.
capture
A search party captured the escaped prisoner in an isolated shack.
nick INFORMAL
The bloke next door got nicked for burglary the other day.
take someone into custody
Police officers cautioned the suspect and took her into custody.
arrive VERB
When you arrive at a place, you reach it at the end of your journey.
appear
The film star finally appeared, an hour late.
show up INFORMAL
Jeremy showed up just in time.
turn up
If you turn up late, the coach will have gone, warned the driver.
ANTONYM: depart
artist NOUN
An artist is a person who draws or paints, or produces other works of art such as novels or music.
Types of artist:
artist
film director
musician
novelist
painter
playwright
poet
potter
sculptor
writer
ashamed ADJECTIVE
If you are ashamed, you feel embarrassed or guilty.
embarrassed
Karen was embarrassed to find that the rain had streaked her make-up.
guilty
I hadnt done anything, but I still felt guilty about the missing money.
humiliated
Jade felt humiliated after the coach had publicly blamed her for losing the game.
sorry
Misha was sorry that his stupid comment had caused so much upset.
ask (1) VERB
If you ask someone something, you put a question to them.
enquire or inquire
If you want more information, enquire at the desk over there, the woman said.
interrogate
Secret police interrogated the spy about his mission, but he told them nothing.
query
Mr Blake queried the bill, saying hed been overcharged.
question
The suspicious-looking stranger was stopped and questioned about what she was doing.
quiz
My mum quizzed me about where I was going, and who with.
ask (2) VERB
If you ask for something, you say you would like to have it.
appeal
Our church appealed for money to help repair the roof.
apply
If you are travelling abroad, you must apply for a passport.
beg
I begged Mum to let me go to the party, but she said no.
beseech
Have mercy on me, I beseech you! the frog prince cried to the princess.
demand
The angry diner demanded to know what a beetle was doing in his pudding.
implore
I implore you to think twice before running away, said Emma.
plead
The princess pleaded to be set free by the wicked witch.
request
The soccer player requested a transfer to another club.
ask (3) VERB
If you ask someone to come or go somewhere, you invite them there.
ask someone round
The vicar asked us round for a cup of tea.
bid OLD-FASHIONED
His lordship bade me enter and enquired if I would drink wine with him.
invite
Whoopee! Della has invited me to her party.
summon
King Arthur summoned his knights to an assembly at the Round Table.
asleep ADJECTIVE
If you are asleep, your eyes are closed and your whole body is resting.
dead to the world INFORMAL
Dad was dead to the world in the armchair.
fast asleep
Jim, our dog, was fast asleep with his legs in the air.
sound asleep
I was so sound asleep that my little brother had to sit on me to wake me up.
ANTONYM: awake
See sleep (1)
Animals that hibernate spend the winter in a state like a deep sleep.
attack (1) VERB
If a person or an animal attacks another person or animal, they use violence in order to hurt or kill them.
assault
The muggers assaulted the man, then tried to steal his wallet.
charge
The Light Brigade charged the enemys guns at full tilt.
mug
Unfortunately, some people are mugged on dark city streets.
raid
Police raided the house where the escaped criminal was living.
storm
Troops stormed the cliffs and succeeded in silencing the machine guns above.
ANTONYM: defend
In sport, to attack is to move forward.
attack (2) NOUN
An attack is a violent, physical action against someone or something.
assault
This was a serious assault, for which you must pay, said the judge grimly.
charge
The Light Brigades charge was brave but doomed.
invasion
The 1944 D-Day landings in France formed the biggest invasion in world history.
raid
The air raids continued night after night.
strike
The missile strike destroyed the buildings.
ANTONYM: defence
automatic ADJECTIVE
An automatic machine is programmed to do a task without needing a person to operate it.
automated
The new automated answering service kept Dad waiting for half an hour.
computerized
Most photocopiers are computerized these days.
robotic
In car factories, robotic arms put most of the parts together.
self-propelling
My self-propelling model glider worked by twisting an elastic band.
avoid (1) VERB
If you avoid someone or something, you keep away from them.
dodge
We dodged our nosy neighbour by hiding behind a tree as she went past.
elude
By going out of the back door, the celebrity eluded the photographers.
evade
The criminal managed to evade the police for several days, but was eventually caught.
shun
The shy film star shunned publicity, preferring a quiet family life.
steer clear of INFORMAL
If I were you Id steer clear of that quarry, my dad said sternly.
avoid (2) VERB
If you avoid doing something, you make an effort not to do it.
dodge INFORMAL
My lazy brother tried to dodge cleaning the car, but Dad made him do it.
duck out of INFORMAL
I tried to duck out of unpacking the dishwasher, with no success.
escape
The prisoner tried to escape, but the police officer stopped him.
get out of
Its no use trying to get out of it. Youll have to mow the lawn, said Dad.
shirk
The farmer tried to shirk responsibility for the pollution in the river.
away ADVERB
If you are away from somewhere, you are not in that place.
absent
With such a high temperature, Edward was forced to be absent from school.
elsewhere
I searched the house for my gran, but she was obviously elsewhere.
on holiday
Our family is going on holiday to Florida this summer.
To be away from school when you should be there is to play truant.
awful ADJECTIVE
Something awful is very unpleasant or very bad.
appalling
The karaoke singers voice was appalling he sounded like a dog howling!
dreadful
We had a dreadful time in Venice. All the streets were flooded.
fearful INFORMAL
Mr Bellamy had a fearful cold and sneezed all the way to London.
frightful
The house was in a frightful state after it had been burgled.
ghastly INFORMAL
Mum made a ghastly mistake, and put salt in the cake mixture instead of sugar.
gruesome
The room where the murder had taken place was a gruesome sight.
harrowing
The film was harrowing to watch.
hideous
The monsters head was truly hideous: bloated, scarred and covered in scales.
horrendous
It was a horrendous meal, with half of the food burnt and the other half undercooked.
horrible
For one horrible moment, I thought my wallet had been stolen.
horrid
William, that was a perfectly horrid thing to say, said Mrs Brown.
horrific
Unless this fog goes, Im afraid therell be a horrific accident, the police officer said.
shocking
I think its shocking, put in Dad, that those refugees should be left without shelter.
terrible
The sun rose on the scene of the earthquake, a terrible sight to behold.
unpleasant
Shingles is a very unpleasant disease to have.
ANTONYM: lovely
awkward (1) ADJECTIVE
If a situation is awkward, it is difficult to deal with.
delicate
It was a delicate situation: to ask Julie about her exams or not to mention the subject.
embarrassing
It was very embarrassing to be stuck outside in my pyjamas in the pouring rain!
tricky
Now this bit could be tricky, muttered Bond coolly. Which wire should I cut?
uncomfortable
The spy had an uncomfortable moment when the guards stared in through the car window.
awkward (2) ADJECTIVE
If a person or animal is awkward, they are difficult to deal with.
hard to handle
Donkeys have a reputation for being hard to handle.
stubborn
My brother can be very stubborn when it comes to helping me wash up.
troublesome
On the journey to Scotland, the car proved troublesome, but eventually we got there.
uncooperative
The lady at the enquiries desk was uncooperative and didnt help at all.
Bb
baby NOUN
A baby is a child in the first year or two of its life.
infant
The shepherds found the infant in a stable, lying in a manger.
newborn child
The mother proudly gazed at her tiny newborn child.
toddler
Waddling on bandy legs, the toddler was off round the corner in a flash.
tot INFORMAL
Dont tease your brother, said Mum. Hes only a tot.
The babies of animals and humans are their offspring. Together, the babies of an animal are sometimes called a litter.
back NOUN
The back of something is the part behind the front.
end
At the end of the queue, people were setting up tents for the night.
rear
I could see smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle in front.
reverse
Genevieve wrote her answers on the reverse of the worksheet.
ANTONYM: front
The back part of an animal is its rear, rump or hindquarters. The back end of a ship is the stern.
bad (1) ADJECTIVE
Bad things are harmful or upsetting.
WORD POWER: This word tends to be used a lot. To make your writing more varied, try to use some of the alternative words suggested here instead.
appalling
The weather for our sports day was appalling.
damaging
The fumes emitted by jet aircraft can be highly damaging to the environment.
dangerous
Building sites are dangerous places which should be avoided.
distressing
Melinda found it distressing to see pictures of starving children.
dreadful
It was a dreadful shame: all Baraks hard work disappeared as the blaze took hold.