superstition A superstition is a belief in something that is not based on fact or evidence or science. Human beings create superstitions in order to explain to themselves the mysteries of the natural world. Superstitions also explain why a person is lucky or unlucky, fortunate or unfortunate: The number thirteen is an unlucky number. This is an […]
guy A guy is a man. This is a very informal yet popular word used for men and, sometimes, women. We need a couple of guys to help us lift this table into the truck. I know a guy who can help you with your computer. He’s a computer guy. My friend, Mark, is a car guy.
audience An audience is a group of people who observe a performance or a game. A television audience watches a TV show. A radio audience listens to a radio show. Some television shows feature a live audience. This means that the show is produced in front of people who clap and cheer. Oprah Winfrey works with a
argue To argue is to disagree, debate, or fight with words. This is a good word to use when people are upset with each other and communicate their feelings: simple past past participle argue argued argued Our neighbors constantly argue with each other. You can always hear them yelling. David argued with the teacher after class because
nanny A nanny is a person who takes care of other people’s children. It’s similar to the job of babysitter except that a nanny usually lives in the home of the children who are cared for. Mary works as a nanny. She has been working as a nanny for the last ten years. Would you like to
mumble Use the word “mumble” when a person speaks softly or unclearly. It’s not a good idea to mumble, but some people do it when they don’t want another person to hear what they’re saying. The teacher told the students to stop mumbling and finish their work. A lot of people in the office were
mild If something is mild, it is not strong. It might be kind of weak. Whether or not something is mild has a lot to do with the perception of an individual person. This word is an adjective. Temperatures this week have been mild. Last year we had a mild winter. The audience’s reaction to
late A person or a thing that is late is not on time. Jane was ten minutes late to work this morning. She woke up late. She went to sleep late last night. She was late to a meeting. This is an easy word to use because it can be both an adjective and an adverb: John is late. (adjective)
lapse Use the word “lapse” when there is a failure, a stop, or a decline. A temporary lapse in judgment caused Laura to make a bad decision. Terry decided to allow her auto insurance policy to lapse by not making payments, but now she can’t drive her car. (The insurance company stopped providing coverage. That’s bad!)
lame A person or a thing that is lame is weak, unoriginal, or just not very good. Dan came up with a lame excuse for why he was late. (His excuse was bad, or it was obviously false.) That movie was lame. (It was a bad movie. Overall, it was unoriginal and the acting was terrible.) Mr. Smith’s teaching
