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accent Everyone has an accent of some kind when speaking English. It can identify the part of the world in which you live or from which you have come. The accent is noticed by the person who listens to it. I come from the midwestern part of the United States, so you might notice that I have […]

absurd The word “absurd” is an adjective that’s similar to the words “crazy,” “strange,” and “bizarre.” She said something that was just absurd. That man is behaving in an absurd manner. It’s totally absurd to expect us to wait in this line for over three hours. Todd gave some absurd reason for being late to

able The word “able” is almost always used with “be” and “to.” Together these words form a verb phrase. When a person can do something or has the ability or time to do something, use “be able to” to describe the situation. It’s very similar to “can.” She’s able to speak English. (She can speak English.)

ability The word “ability” is a noun that refers to the skills that a person has. What can he or she do? The word “ability” is related to the word “able.” Describe your abilities. (What are you able to do?) She was hired for her abilities. Tom has the ability to play music by ear. The

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

lousy The word “lousy” is an adjective that you can use to describe something that is really bad: -We’ve had lousy weather lately. -Lousy sales caused the store to close. -Marina divorced her husband because he was a lousy person, and he wasn’t interested in satisfying her needs in the relationship. -Customer service at this

grip To grip something is to hold and control it. This word can be used as a verb or as a noun, but it’s usually in the form of a noun: ●Let me a get a grip on this couch before we move it. ●Do you have a good grip on that? ●Check your grip. ●Don’t

scrape When removing the top layer of something or when cleaning the surface of something, you can use the verb “scrape.” Scrape your plate before you put it in the dishwasher. (This sentence is in the imperative form. The subject is “you.) You have to scrape ice off of your windshield in the winter if you

humid When there’s a lot of moisture (water) in the air, we say it’s humid. The months of June through August are pretty humid in Minnesota. When it rains in the summer, the humidity levels are very high. Many people don’t like humid weather because it makes them feel uncomfortable and sweaty. The word “humid” is