dreadful
It was a dreadful shame: all Baraks hard work disappeared as the blaze took hold.
grave
A spokesperson announced the grave news that the king was dying.
serious
The artists illness was too serious for him to continue painting.
terrible
Our goalkeeper was terrible today. She let in four easy shots!
ANTONYM: good
bad (2) ADJECTIVE
A bad person is naughty or unkind.
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.
corrupt
The corrupt politician had taken money from all sorts of people.
cruel
I cant stand people being cruel to children or animals.
disobedient
The disobedient boy ignored the warning notice and fell into the quarry.
evil
The evil villain plotted how to ensnare the handsome knight.
mischievous
Tying Kerrys shoelaces together was a mischievous prank.
naughty
Youre a naughty girl, Cassandra, said her mother angrily.
wicked
The wicked witch lived alone.
ANTONYM: good
Names for bad people include rogue, villain and scoundrel.
bad (3) ADJECTIVE
Bad can also mean of poor quality.
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.
abysmal
Such abysmal work will have to be redone, said Mr Malone severely.
atrocious
The reporter admitted that his spelling was atrocious.
faulty
Engineers soon fixed the faulty telephone line.
inferior
The paint Dad bought was of inferior quality it was hard to use and didnt last long.
shoddy
Owing to shoddy workmanship, the house had to be redecorated.
unsatisfactory
The head teacher wrote that my school report was unsatisfactory.
ANTONYM: excellent
badly (1) ADVERB
If you do something badly, you do it in an inferior way.
inadequately
He had been inadequately trained for the job.
poorly
The event was poorly organized.
shoddily
This house has been shoddily built.
unsatisfactorily
I feel the whole business has been handled unsatisfactorily.
ANTONYM: well
badly (2) ADVERB
If something affects you badly, it affects you in a serious way.
deeply
I am deeply hurt by these remarks.
gravely
He was gravely ill following a heart operation.
seriously
Four people have been seriously injured.
bad-mannered ADJECTIVE
Bad-mannered people are rude and thoughtless.
disrespectful
It is disrespectful to interrupt people when they are speaking.
inconsiderate
It was inconsiderate of Meg to take a second helping when others had not had their first.
rude
We decided not to leave a tip for the rude waiter.
bad-tempered ADJECTIVE
Bad-tempered people often lose their temper.
grumpy
Dad is always cheerful in the mornings. Its me that is grumpy.
irritable
Some people get irritable when you read over their shoulder.
moody
When people are moody, you never quite know how they will greet you.
quarrelsome
The two quarrelsome brothers were always looking for a fight.
sulky
If youre going to be sulky, miss, you can go to your room, Dad replied.
sullen
The sullen waiter snatched my plate and stalked off to the kitchen.
bag NOUN
A bag is a container for carrying things in.
Some types of bag:
backpack
briefcase
carrier bag
duffel bag
handbag
holdall
rucksack
sack
satchel
shopping bag
shoulder bag
suitcase
ban VERB
If you ban something, you forbid it to be done.
make illegal
The government proposes to make illegal the sale of imitation guns.
prohibit
Using all sorts of barricades, the landowner prohibited walkers from crossing his land.
bang (1) NOUN
A bang is a hard, painful bump against something.
blow
Kirstin suffered a blow to her head when the door opened suddenly.
knock
When I slipped on the stairs, I got a sharp knock on my funny bone.
bang (2) NOUN
A bang is a sudden, short, loud noise.
blast
The blast echoed round the quarry.
thud
With a thud, the encyclopedia hit the floor.
bare (1) ADJECTIVE
If your body is bare, it is not covered by any clothing.
in your birthday suit INFORMAL
I dreamt I was walking down the high street in my birthday suit.
naked
Lady Godiva rode naked on a horse through the middle of town.
nude
For many centuries, the nude body has been a popular subject for artists.
undressed
The nurse asked me to get undressed, ready for the medical examination.
without a stitch on INFORMAL
And there I was, without a stitch on, Mrs Lee, our neighbour, told me.
bare (2) ADJECTIVE
If something is bare, it is not covered with anything.
barren
The Grand Canyon, although magnificent, is a barren wilderness.
bleak
The Brontë sisters lived on the edge of a bleak, windswept moor.
desolate
The abandoned town was desolate.
See empty (1)
barrier NOUN
A barrier is a fence or wall that prevents people or animals getting from one area to another.
barricade
The protesters erected a barricade across the main street.
obstacle
There are lots of obstacles to get over and under in an obstacle race.
obstruction
The roadworks were an obstruction and drivers had to be diverted around them.
base (1) NOUN
The base is the lowest part of something.
bottom
The lost cat mewed at the bottom of the well.
foot
Please would you stand on the foot of my ladder to stop it slipping? Dad asked.
foundation
The foundations of New Yorks skyscrapers rest on solid rock.
base (2) NOUN
A base is the headquarters of an organization.
centre
A humble office in a run-down district was the unlikely centre of a huge corporation.
headquarters
We arranged to meet at our scout headquarters at four oclock.
HQ
HQ calling Tank 5, the colonel snapped.
bat NOUN
A bat is a specially shaped piece of wood with a handle, used for hitting a ball in some games.
You play with
a bat in baseball, cricket, rounders, softball and table tennis.
a club in golf.
a cue in pool and snooker.
a racket in badminton, squash and tennis.
a stick in hockey.
battle NOUN
A battle is a fight between armed forces, or a struggle between two people or groups with different aims.
action
It was the first time that the young soldier had seen action.
conflict
There was a conflict of opinions: the red party on one side, the greens on the other.
struggle
The struggle for power between the king and the government was a long one.
beach NOUN
The beach is an area of sand or pebbles beside the sea.
sands
The lifeguards sprinted down the sands and plunged into the waves.
seashore
After the tanker disaster, much of the seashore was coated in an oily sludge.
seaside
Aaron loved to spend his holidays at the seaside.
shore
We walked along the shore, looking for attractive shells.
waters edge
The waters edge was a seething mass of turtles.
beat (1) VERB
If someone or something beats someone or something else, they hit them hard and repeatedly.
batter
The burglar had battered down the door.
flog
In Nelsons day, sailors who stole would be flogged with a whip called a cat-o-nine-tails.
pound
Waves pounded the shore as the wind rose to screaming pitch.
thrash
The bully threatened, Tom Brown, I shall thrash the living daylights out of you.
beat (2) VERB
If you beat someone in a race or game, you defeat them or do better than them.
conquer
William, Duke of Normandy, conquered England in 1066.
lick INFORMAL
Abdel really licked me in the 100 metres sprint race.
run rings round INFORMAL
Our speedy attackers ran rings round their lumbering defenders.
thrash INFORMAL
Its a safe bet that well get thrashed when we play you, said Tim.
wipe the floor with INFORMAL
Our school team wiped the floor with kids much bigger than they were.
beautiful ADJECTIVE
You say someone or something is beautiful if they are very pleasing to look at.
attractive
People say my sister is attractive.
gorgeous
I overheard Dad telling Mum she looked gorgeous.
lovely
The photograph, I had to admit, even made my aunt look lovely.
pretty
Even some garden weeds can look pretty at certain times.
stunning INFORMAL
The sunset over the mountains was nothing less than stunning.
ANTONYMS: ugly or unattractive
beauty (1) NOUN
If a person has beauty, they have the quality of being beautiful.
elegance
Every movement the duchess made had an elegance about it.
good looks
The actor possessed rugged good looks.
loveliness
The opera singers loveliness was not matched by her selfish behaviour.
beauty (2) NOUN
If a place has beauty, it has the quality of being beautiful.
charm
This country cottage has tremendous charm and character.
loveliness
I think the loveliness of Athens is somewhat spoilt by the pollution.
splendour
Rome is famous for the splendour of its ancient buildings.
ANTONYM: ugliness
because CONJUNCTION
Because is used with other words to give a reason for something.
as
As youve been so helpful, Ill treat you to an ice cream.
owing to
Owing to work on the track this Sunday, trains will be delayed.
since
Since Fred is here, why dont we build a tree house? my sister suggested.
thanks to
I got no pocket money, thanks to my brother telling tales on me.
bed NOUN
A bed is a piece of furniture that you lie on when you sleep.
Some types of bed:
bunk beds
cot
cradle
double bed
futon
hammock
inflatable bed
single bed
sofa bed
water bed
Some things that are put on a bed:
bedspread
blanket
duvet
eiderdown
mattress
pillow
pillowcase
quilt
sheet
sleeping bag
before ADVERB
If something happens before, it happens earlier than something else.
formerly
Formerly, Mrs Patterson was a teacher at my dads old school.
previously
Previously, Mr Cruickshank had always let us off homework, but not today.
sooner
If I had got the invitation sooner, I would have come to the party.
Something that goes before something else precedes it.
begin VERB
If you begin something, you start it.
commence
The king shouted Let battle commence! and the two knights thundered towards each other.
embark on
As soon as wed embarked on our journey to the park, it started to rain.
set about
We set about digging the vegetable garden.
start
Dad told me to start my homework soon.
ANTONYM: end
beginner NOUN
A beginner is someone who has just started to learn something.
learner
Swimmers use the big pool, while learners use the shallower pool.
novice
Although a complete novice, Britney showed a flair for ski jumping.
ANTONYM: veteran
beginning NOUN
The beginning of something is when or where it starts.
introduction
In the introduction, the author explains how she came to write the book.
opening
The band played at the opening of the fête.
origin
The origin of the universe is still a mystery.
ANTONYM: end
behave VERB
If you behave in a particular way, you act that way.
act
Emir is acting like a spoilt child.
function
The girls are finally functioning as a team! exclaimed the coach.
operate
Sally operates in a certain way to get what she wants.
work
Anoup worked methodically in order to get the work done.
believe (1) VERB
If you believe someone, you accept that they are telling the truth.
accept
It took some people a long time to accept that the world was round.
be certain of
We have to be certain of your story before we can take action, warned the sergeant.
have faith in
It is important to have faith in your own ability, Grandad says.
trust
I trust my sister, even if she is rotten to me sometimes.
ANTONYMS: disbelieve or doubt
Something that you cannot believe is unbelievable or incredible.
believe (2) VERB
If you believe that something is true, you think that it is true.
feel
How do you feel the match will go? asked the interviewer.
presume
Mr Jackson said, I presume you will all be handing in your homework tomorrow.
suppose
I suppose that the school sports day will be in July as usual.
bell NOUN
A bell is a cup-shaped metal object with a piece inside it called a clapper that hits the side and makes a ringing sound.