LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

1. Abandon - to leave someone or something that never return to them.

She abandoned her baby outside the police station.
2. Abdomen - the part of the body between the chest and top of the legs.
I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen.
3. Abduct - to take someone to a place by force.
Ani believes that her ex-husband may have abducted their daughter.
4. Abnormal - strange or not normal.
The doctors found some abnormal cells in her body.
5. Aboard - going into a ship, plane, train or bus.
Thirty passengers were abroad the plane when it crashed.
6. Abolish - to stop or end something, using the law.
A lot of people think we should abolish fox-hunting.
7. Absorbent - materials that take in water or liquid through its surface.
That towel is very absorbent.
8. Absurd - very silly or stupid.
Dont be so absurd.
9. Abuse - when someone uses their power or authority in a wrong way.
This was an abuse of power as a police officer.
10. Accelerate - make something goes faster.
I accelerated and passed the truck in front.

LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

11. Bacteria - very small living things that can cause disease.
This cleaning product can kills bacteria.
12. Baffle - if something baffles you, you cannot understand it.
Question 4 baffled the whole class.
13. Bait - food that you use to attract fish or animals so that you can catch
them.
We used worms for bait to catch the fish.
14. Banish - to punish someone by making them go away somewhere.
My mother banished me to my bedroom.
15. Bargain - how much you are willing to pay for something.
In Egypt they expect you to bargain over the price you pay.
16. Barricade - an object that is put across a road or door to stop people
from going through.
They put a barricade across the front door.
17. Barrier - a fence that stops people from entering an area.
The police put up barriers to hold back the crowd.
18. Basement - the rooms in a building that are below the level of the
ground.
We park our cars in the basement.
19. Bashful - shy or embarrassed.
Why are you looking so bashful?
20. Berserk - to become very angry and violent.
He went berserk and started hitting Fatimah.

LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

21. Calculate - to find out something by using numbers.
Have you calculated what the cost will be?
22. Calm - to become quiet again instead of being angry, excited or upset.
She was very shocked and it took me a long time to calm her down.
23. Capable - something you are able to do .
He is a very capable teacher.
24. Capacity - the amount that something can contain.
The cinema has a capacity of 500.
25. Captive - someone who is kept as a prisoner.
The captive were released after six hours.
26. Carve - to cut wood, stone into a particular shape.
The statue was carved from marble.
27. Cast - all the actors in a film or drama.
The film has a brilliant cast.
28. Casualty - someone who is hurt in an accident or war.
There have been 20 casualties following an accident on the highway.
29. Category - a group of people or things that are similar in some way.
These animals can be divided into four categories.
30. Creep - to move very quietly and slowly.
The thief crept into the house.

LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

31. Dangle - to hang or swing from something.
Long earrings dangled fro her ears.
32. Darken - to become darker.
The sky darkened very quickly.
33. Dash - to go somewhere very quickly.
When he heard about his fathers accident, he dashed to the hospital.
34. Data - facts about something.
The police gave the data about the accident that occurred along the road.
35. Daunted - afraid or worried about something you have to do.
He felt daunted about the size of the job.
36. Dawn - the time of the day when light first appears.
Many farmers get up before dawn.
37. Daze - unable to think clearly.
When he heard that he had won the first prize, he just sat there in a daze.
38. Debris - pieces of material that area left after a crash or explosion.
After the crash, the road was covered with debris.
39. Decade - a period of ten years.
The building is now four decades old.
40. Decay - something that slowly destroy due to natural process.
The dead body had already started to decay when the police found it.

LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

41. Echo - sound that you hear again and again.
Her voice echoed around the hall.
42. Eclipse - when the sun or the moon seems to disappear.
The eclipse of the sun happens when the moon passes between it and the
earth.
43, Ecology - the relationship between plants, animals, people and the
environment.
The ecology of the forest has been damaged by farming.
44. Ecstasy - a feeling of happiness.
He had a look of ecstasy on his face.
45. Efficient - working well, without wasting time or energy.
You have to find an efficient way of organizing your work.
46. Eligible - the right to do something.
If you are 18, you are eligible to vote.
47. Elsewhere - in another place or to another place.
You will have to smoke your cigarette elsewhere.
48. Embark - to start something new.
She left school to embark on a career as a model.
49. Embarrass - to make someone feel ashamed, stupid or uncomfortable.
My parents always embarrassed me.
50. Emigrate - to leave your own country and go to live in another
country.
All of her children have migrated to Australia.

LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

51. Faith - to believe in something or someone.
The teacher has great faith in his students.
52. Fibre - a material such as cotton or nylon which is made of thin
threads.
Nylon is a man-made fibre.
53. Fiction - books and stories about people and events that are not real.
Most children enjoy reading fiction.
54. Fiddle - to keep touching something or moving it around in your
hands.
Stop fiddling with your knife and fork.
55. Fillet - a piece of meat or fish without any bones.
The old man was served with fish fillet because he has no teeth.
56. Filter - a thing that removes substances that you do not want.
I filter all my drinking water.
57. Filthy - something that is very dirty.
Your clothes are very filthy.
58. Flake - a small flat thin piece of something.
The paint was coming off the door in flakes.
59. Fluid - a liquid.
You need to drink plenty of fluids.
60. Forensic - the use of science to find out who was responsible for a
crime. There is a lot of forensic evidence, including fingerprints.

LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

61. Garage - a building where you keep your car.
I cant take you home because my car is in the garage.
62. Gargle - to clean your throat using water or special fluid but you do
not swallow.
If you have a sore throat, try gaggling with salt water.
63. Garland - a ring of flowers that people wear for decoration.
They put garland of flowers around our necks.
64. Garment - a piece of clothing.
How should you wash woollen garments?
65. Gash - a deep cut in something.
She had a deep gash in her leg.
66. Gauge - an instrument that measures the amount or size of something.
The temperature gauge tells us how hot the engine is.
67. Gene - a part of a cell in a living thing that controls what it will be
like,
Parents pass on genes to their children.
68. Generate - to make something happen or start.
The violence generated a lot of fear.
69. Gimmick - something unusual that is used to make people interested
in something.
The news story was just a gimmick to sell more tickets.
70. Glance - to look at someone or something for a short time.
He glanced towards the door.

LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

71. Halt - to stop or to make something stop.
The car came to a halt in front of the house.
72. Harass - to deliberately annoy or threaten someone.
She was harassed by her neighbors for two years.
73. Haphazard - not planned or organized.
We work in a very haphazard way.
74. Hardship - something that makes your life unpleasant.
The family suffered years of hardship and poverty.
75. Haunted - a haunted place is one where people believe the spirits of
dead people are present.
The old house is haunted.
76. Havoc - a situation in which there is a lot of confusion.
The failure of the airports computer system caused havoc.
77. Heal - to become healthy again.
The cut healed quickly.
78. Hexagon - a flat shape with six sides.
The hexagon car model won the competition.
79. Hilarious - very funny.
Charlie Chaplin is a very hilarious film.

LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

80. Hoax - an attempt to make people believe something that is not true.
He got a phone call saying that he had won RM1000 but it was only a hoax.
81. Identical - exactly the same.
They are identical twins.
82. Idle - someone who is lazy and does not do what he is suppose to do.
They are rich, idle woman.
83. Illustrate - to explain or show something by giving examples.
The graph illustrates what is in the table below.
84. Imaginary - not real and only exist in the mind.
Many children have imaginary friends.
85. Imitate - to do something in exactly the same way as someone else
does.
She can imitate Siti Nurhalizas voice very well.
86. Immerse - something very big.
The problems are immerse.
87. Impose - to force people to accept a rule.
The king imposes his authority on the whole country.
88. Improvised - to make something without preparing first, using what
you have.
If you do not have a screwdriver, you will have to improvised and use the
end of a knife.
89. Inaccurate - not right or correct.
The newspaper report about the accident was inaccurate.
90. Indefinite - where the time is not fixed and you do not know when it
will end.
The flood victims will live at the camp for an indefinite period.

LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

91. Jingle - if metal objects jingle, they hit each other, making a noise like
small bells.
The coins jingle in his pocket.
92. Jittery - worries and nervous.
I get very jittery about going to the dentist.
93. Jostle - to push against other people in a crowd.
We all jostled towards the front of the stage.
94. Judgement - the ability to make sensible or good decisions.
Tracy has very good judgement.
95. Juggle - to keep objects moving through the air by throwing and
catching them very quickly.
He juggled three oranges.
96. Junk - old things that have no value or use,
Lets get rid some of this junk.
97. Juror - a member of the jury.
The jurors must decide whether or not he is guilty.
98. Justify - to give a good reason for doing something.
He keeps trying to justify his bad behaviour .
99. Juvenile - related to young people.
There has been an increase in juvenile crime.
100. Jolt - to move suddenly and roughly.
The car jolted forward.

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LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

101. Kerb - the edge of the pavement, where it joins the road.
You are driving too close to the kerb.
102. Kin - the person in your family who you are most closely related to.
We should inform his next of kin of his death.
103. Knot - a join in two pieces of string or rope.
There is a knot in my shoelace.
104. Kennel - a small outdoor house for a dog to sleep in.
He put the dogs kennel behind his house.
105. Kingdom - a country that has a queen or king.
The king ruled a vast kingdom.
106. Kiosk - a small shop where you can buy things like newspapers or
tickets.
He bought his tickets at that kiosk.
107. Knack - the ability to something well.
P. Ramlee has a real knack for writing songs.
108. Knight - a soldier with a high rank in the Middle Ages.
He was made a knight by the king.
109. Knob - a small handle on a door or drawer that you use to open it.
He cannot open the door because there is no knob.

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LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

110. Lack - when you do not have enough of something.
The school lacks modern equipment.
111. Laden - carrying a lot of heavy things.
The lorry was laden with sand.
112. Ladle - a big spoon with a long handle that you use for putting soup
into bowls.
She use a ladle to stir the soup.
113. Lame - a man or animal that cannot walk properly.
His horse was lame because a stone had injured its foot.
114. Lane - a narrow country road.
The lane leading to his house was full of long grass.
115. Lapse - when someone makes a mistake or forgets something for a
short while.
I have a few lapses in my diet.
116. Lash - if rain , wind or waves lash against something, they hit it hard.
Strong waves lashed the coast.
117. Laundry - clothes, sheets that need to be washed or has just being
washed.
Do you have any dirty laundry?
118. Leisure - time when you are not working and can do things that you
like.
How do you spend your leisure time?
119. Liquor - a strong alcoholic drink such as beer or whisky.
I could smell liquor on his breath.

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LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

120. Magnify - to make something look bigger by putting it under a piece
of special glass.
Once the glass is fitted it will magnify any hairs that are on the skin.
121. maintenance - work that is done to keep something working properly.
Who will pay for the computer maintenance?
122. Manual - done with your hands.
He has always worked on the farm, doing manual work.
123. Manufacture - to make large quantities of goods, using machines.
The factory manufactures plastic goods.
124. Margin - the empty space at the side of a printed page.
The teacher wrote Good in the margin.
125. Marvelous - very good or enjoyable.
I thought it was a marvelous film.
126. Massacre - when a lot of people who cannot defend themselves are
killed.
The whole village was massacred.
127. Massive - very big.
This house is very massive.
128. Meddle - to try to change or influence a situation.
Stop meddling in my affairs.
129. Melt - change from solid to liquid.
The sun had melted the snow.
130. Mercy - kindness and willingness to forgive others.
The hostages pleaded for mercy.

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LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

131. Nave - if someone is naive, they believe that people are nicer and
things are easier than they really are.
I was young and nave then.
132. Narrative - the narrative of a film or book is its story.
The narrative is hard to follow.
133. Nasty - unpleasant or unkind.
The letter gave me a nasty shock.
134. Native - the country where you were born.
Her native language is Bahasa Malaysia.
135. Nausea - the feeling that you are going to be sick.
As I got off the bus, I had a terrible feeling of nausea.
136. Negligence - when someone does not do their job properly, causing
a mistake or accident.
They have accused the doctor of negligence.
137. Next of kin - your closest relative who is still alive.
His next of kin was informed about the accident.
138. Night-mare - a very frightening dream
I had a night-mare that a ghost was chasing me.
139. Nominate - when people suggest that someone should be given a
post or prize.
The team nominated Ali as the captain.
140. Notable - important, interesting or unusual.
This area is notable for its forests.

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LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

141. Obedient - one who is obedient does what a person or rule tells them
to do.
She expects children to be quiet and obedient.
142. Obligation - something that you must do because because it is the
law or it is your duty.
You have an obligation to inform the police of any accident on the road.
143. Obsess - if you are obsessed with something, you think about it too
much, in a way that is not normal.
Julie is obsessed of losing weigh.
144. Obstacle - something that makes it difficult to do something.
Her parents are a major obstacle to her going to university.
145. Occupant - someone who lives in or is using a building or room.
The occupants of the house were away.
146. Odour - a smell especially an unpleasant one.
He noticed a strange odour in the room.
147. Omit - to not include something.
They have omitted his name from the list.
148. Oppose - to disagree with something and try to stop it happening.
Many local people oppose the plan.
149. Optimistic - believing that good things will happen.
She was optimistic about her chances of passing the exam.

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150. Pace - how quickly you do something or how quickly something
happens.
They walked along at a fairly slow pace.
151. Pamper - to treat someone too kindly, by giving them everything they
want.
Some people pamper their children too much.
152. Parade - to walk through the streets in a large group in order to
celebrate something.
The children paraded through the time.
153. Parallel - lines that are parallel gi in the direction and are the same
distance apart all the way along.
The two streets are parallel to each other.
154. Paraphrase - to write or say in different words what someone else has
written or said.
We had to paraphrase what the teacher said.
155. Partition - a thin wall that separates one part of a room from another.
Theres a partition between the two rooms.
156. pedestrian - someone who is walking in the streets.
He almost knocked down a pedestrian.
157. Pendulum - a long object with a weight at the bottom that moves fro
side to side inside a large clock.
The old clock works on a pendulum.
158. Persist - continue to do something or to happen.
Why do you persist in disobeying me?
159. Persuasive - good at persuading people to do something.
Salesman can be very persuasive.

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LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

160. Quadruple - to increase by four times.
The sales of digital televisions have quadruple.
161. Quarantine - when someone with a disease must stay apart from
other people so that other people do not get the disease too.
The hospital kept her in quarantine for a week.
162. Queer - strange and not normal.
His behaviour seemed a bit queer.
163. Quench - to drink something so that you no longer feel thirsty.
I had a drink of water to quench my thirst.
164. Queue - a line of people or vehicles that are waiting for something.
Theres a long queue at the bank.
165. Quit - to leave a place or job permanently.
Dad was furious when he found out that I have quit college.
166. Quiver - to shake slightly, especially because you are angry or
nervous.
His voice was quivering with rage.
167. Quotation - words that come from a book, poem or statement.
This is the best quotation that I can find to support my argument.
168. Quash - to use force to stop fighting or protests.
Troops were sent in to quash the rebellion.
169. Query - a question ask for more information.
Does anyone have any queries?

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LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

170. Racial - relating to colour of someones skin or race.
The company was accused of racial discrimination.
171. Radiant - happy and beautiful.
Sarah you look radiant.
172. Radiator - a piece of equipment that heats a room.
Hang your shirt on the radiator to dry.
173. Radius - the distance from the centre of a circle to the edge.
Police searched houses within a two-mile radius of the crime.
174. Rage - very angry.
She went wild with rage.
175. Random - choosing something or someone at no particular order.
Ten people were chosen at random from the audience.
176. Range - to be between two limits.
The children ranged in age from 5 to 14.
177. Rank - to have a particular position in a list that shows how good
someone or something is.
The team ranks third in the nation.
178. Ransom - the money that criminals ask you to pay before they will
free the prisoner.
The kidnappers demanded a ransom of RM100,000 for the child.
179. Recall - to remember something.
I am afraid I dont recall his name.

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LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

180. Sacred - important and special according to a religion.
To the Ibans, Mount Kinabalu is sacred.
181. Sacrifice - to give up something important in order to help someone
or get something that is more important.
I sacrificed my family for my career.
182. Sake - in order to help or please someone.
I did it for your sake because no one wants to do it.
183. Salary - the pay you receive from the organization you work.
She gets a salary of RM2000.00 per month as a salesman.
184. Sanction - officially allow something to happen.
The college has sanctioned the use of calculators in the examinations.
185. Saturate - to make something completely wet.
The back of his shirt was saturated with sweat.
186. Scarce - something that is not enough.
Fresh water and food were scarce.
187. Schedule - to plan when something will happen.
We have scheduled the competition for March 8.
188. Scrap - to decide not to do or use something.
We have now scrapped this idea.
189. Scrutinize - to examine very carefully and thoroughly.
The customs official scrutinized his passport.

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LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

190. Tale - a story about things that happened long ago, or things that did
not really happen.
We used to listen to his tales of life in the army.
191. Tangle - to become twisted together in an untidy way.
My hairs all tangled.
192. Taste - your sense of taste is your ability to know what sort of food or
drink you have in your mouth.
I dont like the taste of the fish.
193. Taut - stretched tight.
They pulled the rope until it was taut.
194. Tedious - boring and seeming to continue for a long time.
The students were very tired after a tedious lesson.
195. Teenage - suitable for young people, aged between 13 and 19.
She teaches teenage girls.
196. Temporary - existing or happening for a short period of time.
She got a temporary job.
197. Tendency - something you often do.
He has a tendency to shout.
198. Terrified - very frightening.
He is terrified of what happened.
199. Threat - when you tell someone that you will hurt him or something
that may cause harm or damage.
This method of farming is a threat to wild animals.

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LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

200. Ulcer - a painful area on your skin or inside your body.
He has a mouth ulcer.
201. Ultimately - finally .
Ultimately, after a long trial, he was sent to prison.
202. Unanimous - a unanimous decision or vote is one in which everyone
agrees.
The vote was unanimous and Ali was chosen as the President of the club.
203. Unavailable - something that you cannot get or buy.
The new Proton Perdana is unavailable at the moment.
204. Unbearable - very unpleasant, painful.
In the summer, the heat was unbearable.
205. Unconscious - someone whi is not awake and cannot hear, feel, or
see.
The doctor said that she was still unconscious after the operation.
206. Ungrateful - someone who does not thank someone who has been
kind or helpful.
You must write and thank her, or she will think you are ungrateful.
207. Unique - something that is very special because there is no other like
it.
Everyones is unique in their own ways.
208. United - if a group of people or countries is united, they all agree
with each other about something.
The people in the town were united in their opposition to the plans.
209. Unwrap - to remove the paper that is covering something.
The children unwrapped their presents.

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LEARN 10 WORDS A WEEK

210. Vacancy - the room that is available or empty.
I am sorry, we have no vacancies.
211. Vague - not clear.
His plans are rather vague at the moment.
212. Valid - something that is reasonable and likely to be right.
I can think of many valid reasons not to talk to her again.
213. Variable - likely to change often.
The weather is quite variable at this time of the year.
214. Vary - they are different fro each other.
The rules are different from 1 school to the other.
215. Venom - poison produced by snakes or insects.
The snakes venom kills him.
216. Verse - a set of lines that form one part of a poem or song.
We will sing the first verse of the song.
217. Vertical - pointing straight upwards.
He drew a vertical line with his ruler.
218. Vibrant - full of excitement and energy.
New York is a very vibrant city.
219. Vibrate - to shake with small fast movements.
The windows vibrated in the wind.

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220. Wardrobe - a large cupboard where you keep your clothes.
He has the largest wardrobe I have ever seen.
221. Warrior - a very brave person who fought in battles in the past.
In the past, there were many warriors.
222. Wary - careful because you think that someone or something may
harm you.
Children should be wary with strangers.
223. Waterlogged - land that is very wet and full of water.
After the rain, the football field is waterlogged.
224. Waver - to be uncertain about a decision for a short time.
Paul wavered for a few moments before accepting the job.
225. Weary - very tired.
The students were very weary after the long journey.
226. Weep - to cry.
Relatives were weeping outside the church.
227. Weird - unusual and strange.
It was quite a weird experience.
228. Whimper - to make gentle crying sounds.
The dog whimpered and looked at his master.
229. Witness - to see something happen, esaapecially an accident or a
crime.
Did anyone witness the attack?
230. Yell - to shout very loudly.
Come back! he yelled.

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