mate When two animals, male and female, come together for the purpose of reproduction, they mate. This word can be used as a verb, a noun, and as an adjective. These birds mate in the spring. (verb) Spring is the mating season. (adjective) They’re mates. (noun) The word “mate” can also refer to a person’s spouse. Pamela is a good mate. Jeff tries his […]
appeal To appeal is to be attractive. When something is appealing, a person likes it: I like this car. This car appeals to me. Do you like those shoes? Do those shoes appeal to you? He likes that girl. She appeals to him. She doesn’t like that boy. He doesn’t appeal to her. You can also use
expense An expense is something that a person spends money on. Bills, rents, mortgages, and purchases are examples of expenses. The word “expense” is different from the word “expensive.” Use the word “expense” as a noun: Vanessa’s monthly expenses are too high. She should cut back on spending. There are many extra expenses that go along with owning
exclude To exclude is to prevent a thing or a person from doing something or being a part of a group. The word “exclude” is the opposite of “include.” simple past past participle exclude excluded excluded She was excluded from the club. (passive voice) The club excluded her. (active voice) The company insists that it doesn’t exclude people based
anonymous Use the word “anonymous” when a person chooses to donate, comment, work, or contribute without being identified. A person who is anonymous wishes to remain nameless. An anonymous donor gave a $100,000 contribution. No one knows who the donor was. People who call in to the radio show are not permitted to be anonymous. They must give
blend The word “blend” can be used as a verb or as a noun to describe things that are mixed together: blender You can blend food in a blender or a food processor. Carrie Underwood is known for blending country music with rock and other popular styles. Thai food blends spicy and sweet flavors together.
sore How do you feel today? Did you do any exercising or play any sports yesterday? If so, your muscles might feel a little sore. When your body moves quickly or with great effort, the muscles tear a little and are then rebuilt when at rest. This feeling of sorenesss is actually a good thing, even
manner Use the word “manner” when referring to the way in which a person does something.”Manner” is a noun: She has an unusual manner of playing golf. The manner in which they do business is quite impressive. The manner in which the people of that country live is interesting. His manner of speaking is easy to
ancient If something is ancient (ain shint), it’s really old. We use this adjective for civilizations, buildings, machines, and sometimes we use it for people who are still living. Ancient civilizations built many interesting things out of stones and rocks. The ancient city of Damascus has been inhabited for thousands and thousands of years. (inhabit = to have people
expire When something expires, it’s out of date or it has reached some limit that makes it unusable. If your driver’s license is about to expire, you have to renew it. You can’t drive on an expired license. If a package of food has an expiration date, you must check it to see if the package
