lean To lean is to shift the weight of a thing or a person onto something else. Instead of standing up straight, a person who leans moves to the left or the right, forwards or backwards. simple past past participle lean leaned leaned The Tower of Pisa leans a little to one side.Many people refer to it as the […]
active To be active is to be involved in something. A person can be active in the community, active in sports, active in school, or just active in general. How active are you in your community? Do you participate in any organizations? Darnesha is an active member of her church. Vince is a very active person. He
act A person who does something intentionally or with forethought acts or takes action. The word “act” can be used as a noun or as a verb. In these examples, “act” is a verb: Bertha acted quickly when she learned she was in trouble. If you don’t act now, you’ll miss the opportunity to buy that car on sale.
account To account for something is to keep track of it. A person keeps records, takes notes, and maintains information. This word can be used for many different situations: Charles can’t account for his whereabouts last weekend. (He can’t remember where he was.) Did you account for the possibility that all of these extra people might show up
accept To agree to something, say “okay,” or allow something to happen is to accept it. These sentences show how you can use “accept” as a verb: I accept your offer. Your application for a credit card was accepted. (Here the verb “accept” is in the passive voice.) Allen was accepted at Harvard. Christine accepted John’s offer of marriage.
about = almost 1. He looks like he’s about four years old.(He’s almost four.) 2. She’s about 12 years old. 3. When he woke up, there were about ten people waiting for his garage sale to begin. (garage sale: a homeowner sells unneeded, personal items from his or her garage) 4. He’s been on the phone for about ten minutes. 5. He weighs about 240 pounds. 6. Those
abide To abide is to follow rules and obey. If you don’t abide by the law, you might get arrested. Tyrone couldn’t abide by his parents’ rules, so they kicked him out of the house. Helena agreed to abide by the decision made by the judge. Failing to abide by the terms in the agreement will nullify
aid A person who receives aid receives help. To afford college, most students need some kind of financial aid. (financial help) Aid was provided to a woman who lost her husband. People involved in a car accident were given first aid by paramedics. Rescuers came to the aid of a man who was lost in the wilderness.
establish The word “establish” is similar to the words create, build, make, and form. We use “establish” as a verb when describing how, why, where, or when something started: According to this sign, this business was established in 1905. (est. 1905) This group was established in 1967 to help prevent the destruction of this wilderness area. (Notice the use of the passive
envy Use the word “envy” when somebody wants what another person has. This word is similar to “jealous,” but “jealous” is an adjective and “envy” can be used as a verb and as a noun. (The word “jealousy” is a noun.) In these sentences, “envy” is a verb: All the girls envy Rhonda’s long, silky
