UNIT
Word List
alleviate [ali vieit] v.
To alleviate pain or suffering means to make it less intense or severe.
She needed something to alleviate the pain in her back.
astrology [ǝstrálədzi] n.
Astrology is the study of the stars in the belief that they influence people's lives.
→ Jack, who studies astrology, believes that the stars can predict the future.
differentiate [diferenfieit] v.
To differentiate things or people is to show the difference between them.
It was hard to differentiate between the identical twins.
disrupt [disrápt] v.
To disrupt something or someone is to prevent them from working.
→ The loud crash disrupted the class lecture.
equation [i(:)kweizən] n.
An equation is a math operation to determine the value of something.
→ I used the Pythagorean theorem to solve the equation.
err [ǝr] v.
To err means to make a mistake.
The pilot erred in his estimate of the time it would take to make the trip.
erroneous [irouniǝs] adj.
When something is erroneous, it is incorrect or only partly correct.
The child held the erroneous belief that time machines were real.
frantic [fræntik] adj.
If people or things are frantic, they behave in a wild way because they are frightened
The cat became frantic when I tried to give it a bath.
→
hull [hall n.
The hull of a boat or tank is the main body of it.
-
→ After the wreck at sea, the ship's hull was the last part to sink.
inadvertent [inədvá:rtənt] adj.
When an action is inadvertent, it is done without realizing what you are doing.
She made an inadvertent error when she knocked over the nail polish.
TEST
improvise [imprəvaiz] v.
To improvise something is to do it with whatever is available or without planning.
→ There was no meat for the pizza, so we improvised with what was in the fridge.
latitude [lætatjü:d] n.
The latitude of a place is its distance from the equator.
The device was able to tell the traveler his exact latitude.
mariner [mærənə:r] n.
A mariner is a sailor.
The old mariner used his telescope to find the shore.
multitude [mAltitjù:d] n.
A multitude of things or people is a very large number of them.
→
A multitude of people were waiting at the airport.
nuisance [nju:səns] n.
A nuisance is a person or thing that is annoying or causes a lot of problems.
The teenager considered her noisy little brothers to be quite a nuisance.
permanence [pe:rmənəns] n.
The permanence of something is its ability to last forever.
→
Poor results will threaten the permanence of the new teaching system.
revolve [riválv] v.
To revolve around something is to keep it as the main feature or focus.
→ My life revolves around sports.
soothe [suto] v.
To soothe means to calm someone who is angry or upset.
→ The mother soothed her crying baby by rocking him in her arms.
UNIT]
1
stranded [strændid] adj.
If someone is stranded, they are prevented from leaving a place.
When the plane left, my sister and I were stranded in China.
volatile [váletil] adj.
When something is volatile, it is likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly.
The volatile volcano might explode at any moment.