Verbs that express the sound of bells:
chime
clang
jingle
peal
ring
sound
strike
tinkle
toll
belongings NOUN
Your belongings are all the things that you own.
possessions
Almost all their possessions were destroyed in the fire.
property
Make sure your property is labelled, insisted Miss Carter.
stuff
The firefighters grabbed their stuff and jumped in the cab.
below PREPOSITION OR ADVERB
If something is below something else, it is in a lower position.
beneath
Beneath the trees, bluebells were waving in the breeze.
under
With the help of a torch, I could read secretly under my duvet.
underneath
Underneath the streets are hundreds of miles of sewers.
ANTONYM: above
bend (1) VERB
When something bends, it becomes curved or crooked.
buckle
The car buckled when the elephant sat on it.
curve
After the village, the road curves to the left.
twist
The ornament was made of glass twisted into patterns.
warp
My DVD warped when I left it in the sun.
ANTONYM: straighten
bend (2) VERB
When you bend, you move your head and shoulders forwards and downwards.
crouch
Lyra crouched behind the bushes, waiting for the policeman to turn away.
duck
Duck, or youll hit your head on the beam!
stoop
Farouk stooped to pick up a coin from the path.
beside PREPOSITION
If one thing is beside another, it is next to it.
adjacent to
Adjacent to the station was an old signal box.
alongside
The lifeboat rowed up alongside the stricken yacht, and the crew jumped across.
next to
The boy sitting next to me kept prodding me with a ruler.
besides PREPOSITION
Besides can mean in addition to.
apart from
Apart from some shorts and a T-shirt, Im taking very little with me.
other than
Other than our family, there was hardly anybody on the beach.
best ADJECTIVE
Best is the superlative of good and well.
finest
Wuffles is the finest dog food money can buy.
foremost
This is the foremost house in the area, the agent began.
leading
The operation will be performed by the worlds leading surgeon.
outstanding
Our birthday presents from Grandma are always outstanding.
supreme
The judges thought that our dog Crumpet was the supreme entrant in the competition.
ANTONYM: worst
better (1) ADJECTIVE
Better is the comparative of good and well.
higher quality
Steak is usually higher quality than other cuts of meat.
more suitable
The lightweight tent proved more suitable for the expedition.
preferable
Of the two designs, I think the red is preferable.
superior
Usually, superior products cost more than inferior ones.
ANTONYM: worse
better (2) ADJECTIVE
If you are better after an illness, you are no longer ill.
healed
The doctor told Sheila that her broken leg was completely healed.
improved
Gran was much improved after her operation.
recovered
Ali is now recovered after a bout of flu.
beware VERB
If you tell someone to beware of something, you are warning them that it might be dangerous or harmful.
be careful
Be careful, child, for there are wolves in the forest! said Red Riding Hoods mother.
guard against
With exams, its important to guard against being over-confident.
look out
Look out! Here comes another avalanche.
watch out
Watch out, or that sail will hit you when the boat turns!
bicycle NOUN
A bicycle is a vehicle with two wheels that you ride by using your legs to make the wheels turn.
Parts of a bicycle:
bell
chain
crossbar
handlebars
mudguard
pedal
saddle
wheel
big (1) ADJECTIVE
Something or someone big is large.
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.
colossal
To an ant, an elephant must seem colossal.
enormous
Why do singers always get presented with enormous bunches of flowers?
extensive
View our extensive range of furniture today!
giant
Get the new giant pack of Whizzo miracle washing liquid.
gigantic
The section of bridge required a gigantic crane to lift it.
huge
Gran gave me a huge hug.
immense
The floods had covered an immense area of the county.
infinite
Outer space is infinite, with no known limits.
mammoth
Barnum and Baileys mammoth circus had two separate rings.
massive
Astronomers believe a massive asteroid is heading for earth, said the newsreader.
mighty
Mighty Tarzan flexed his muscles, then swung off through the trees.
roomy
Youll find this is a roomy loft, the estate agent said.
sizable
Our house has a sizable garden.
spacious
The living room is spacious, but the kitchen is cramped.
vast
The Sahara Desert is a vast area of rolling sand dunes.
big (2) ADJECTIVE
Something big is important.
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.
important
It was an important day in Sophies life her first at her new school.
momentous
The Prime Minister made the momentous decision the country was going to war.
serious
A serious accident had blocked the road.
significant
Having an injured soldier to carry made a significant difference to their progress.
bird NOUN
A bird is an animal with feathers and wings.
Some birds:
blackbird
crane
crow
cuckoo
dove
duck
emu
finch
flamingo
goose
heron
hummingbird
jackdaw
kingfisher
kiwi
kookaburra
lark
magpie
nightingale
ostrich
owl
parrot
peacock
pelican
penguin
pigeon
puffin
raven
robin
rook
sparrow
starling
stork
swallow
swan
thrush
woodpecker
bit NOUN
A bit of something is a small amount of it.
chunk
Sam broke off a chunk of chocolate and gobbled it up.
fraction
I arrived a fraction of a moment too late. The bus was just leaving.
fragment
I arrived a fraction of a moment too late. The bus was just leaving.
fragment
Fragments of the wrecked aircraft were found all over the field.
morsel
Kind sir, please spare me a morsel of food, begged Oliver.
part
A part of me wanted to stay and yet I was also desperate to leave.
piece
Marina cut the cake into pieces and took the largest one for herself.
scrap
My dad writes reminders to himself on scraps of paper.
bite VERB
If you bite something, you use your teeth to hold, cut or tear it.
champ
The horse champed at the bit as it waited impatiently for the race to begin.
chomp
Dad says that I chomp my food like a waste-disposal unit.
gnaw
Mice had gnawed through the electric wires.
nibble
Some creature had nibbled at the chair leg.
bitter ADJECTIVE
A bitter taste is sharp and unpleasant.
sour
If you leave milk in the sun, it turns sour.
tart
The lemon cake was slightly tart.
blame VERB
If someone blames a person for something bad that has happened, they believe that person caused it to happen.
accuse
The woman was accused of kidnapping the young child.
charge
Police charged the man with being drunk and disorderly.
hold responsible
At the enquiry, the bus company was held responsible for the accident.
block (1) VERB
If someone or something blocks a road or channel, they put something across it so that nothing can get through.
bar
Access to the back road was barred by a police checkpoint.
bung up INFORMAL
I could hardly breathe, my nose was so bunged up.
choke
The traffic jam choked the road into town for many hours.
clog up
Dont pour liquid fat down the sink as it clogs up the drains when it sets.
dam
Beavers dam streams with logs to create a pool which will not freeze solid in winter.
obstruct
Uncle Pete tried to obstruct the door as I went through, but I ducked under his arm!
block (2) VERB
If someone tries to block something, they try to stop it happening.
hinder
Our dog, Jim, hinders Mum by attacking the vacuum cleaner.
impede
The walkers progress was impeded by an angry goat on the path.
obstruct
The protesters were arrested for obstructing the police.
prevent
Residents prevented a nightclub from being built near their houses.
thwart
The wicked baron was thwarted in his evil plans by a quick-thinking boy.
block (3) NOUN
A block is something put across a road or channel so that nothing can get through.
barrier
For the parade, barriers were erected to keep the crowds back.
blockage
Theres a blockage in the drain under the sink, the plumber said.
obstacle
Alpa had to overcome many obstacles on his road to success.
obstruction
If you swallow chewing gum, it may cause an obstruction in your stomach.
block (4) NOUN
A block is a large, rectangular, three-dimensional piece of something.
bar
The robbers put the gold bars in the back of the getaway van.
chunk
A chunk of metal fell off the back of the truck as it left the scrap yard.
lump
With the help of a wheel, the potter formed the shapeless lump of clay into a vase.
blue ADJECTIVE
If something is blue, it has the colour of the sky on a sunny day.
Shades of blue:
aquamarine
azure
indigo
navy
sky blue
turquoise
boast VERB
If you boast, you talk proudly about what you have or what you can do.
brag
Alison couldnt resist bragging about her new DVD player.
blow your own trumpet
I prefer modest people to those who blow their own trumpet.
crow
Paulo was so busy crowing about his marks, that he didnt see Mrs Walker behind him.
show off
Brian is always showing off about the amount of pocket money he gets.
boat NOUN
A boat is a floating vehicle for travelling across water.
craft
At that distance, it was hard for the coastguard to identify the craft.
ship
Sir Francis Drake sailed in a ship he named the Golden Hind.
vessel
The tiny tug was nevertheless a sturdy vessel, capable of pulling much larger boats.
Leisure boats:
canoe
catamaran
dinghy
kayak
powerboat
raft
rowing boat
sailing boat
speedboat
yacht
Working boats:
barge
ferry
galleon OLD-FASHIONED
hovercraft
hydrofoil
liner
steamboat
tanker
trawler
tug
Boats used in war:
aircraft carrier
cruiser
destroyer
frigate
galleon OLD-FASHIONED
submarine
body NOUN
Your body is all of you, from your head to your feet.
build
Although flyweight boxers only have a slight build, they are powerful for their size.
figure
My sister maintains her figure by practising yoga regularly.
form
A shadowy form hovered at the end of Nikkis bed, but it was only her mum, tucking her in!
physique
Most sportspeople lift weights in the gym to improve their physique.
The upper body is the trunk or torso.
Some parts of the body:
ankle
arm
calf
chest
elbow
eye
eyelash
finger
foot
genitals
head
hip
knee
leg
lips
mouth
neck
shin
shoulder
teeth
thigh
toe
tongue
wrist
bog NOUN
A bog is an area of land that is always wet and spongy.
marsh
The marsh is full of wild flowers at this time of year.
morass
After the agricultural show had finished, the field was a morass.
quagmire
Thanks to the pouring rain, the fairground became a quagmire.
swamp
Be careful of that swamp, Holmes warned.
boil VERB
When a liquid boils, or when you boil it, it starts to bubble and give off steam.
bubble
The witch cackled as she stirred the potion bubbling in the cauldron.
steam
The geyser steamed for an hour before erupting violently.
bone NOUN
A bone is one of the hard white parts inside your body.
Some bones:
backbone
cheekbone
jawbone
kneecap
rib
skull
book NOUN
A book is a number of pages held together inside a cover.
A word for all books is literature.
Some other words for a book:
edition
hardback