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WordPartofSpeech

Difficulty Definition ExampleSentence

accessnounverb easy

theabilitytogointo(whensomebodyorsomethingmustallowyoutoenter)togointosomethingwhenallowedtoenter

Onlystudentshaveaccesstotheuniversitylibrary.Thereisalargeamountofoilundertheice,butwehavenotbeabletoaccessit.

accurate adjective commoncorrect(aboutinformation,notopinions)ontarget

Thattestisnotanaccuratetestofintelligence.

achieve verb easy toaccomplishagoal

Thebeststudentsknowthattoachievegoodgrades,theyhavetostudyeveryday.

acquire verb easytoget(especiallywhenyouwillcontinuetogetmore)

Janiceisn'tadoctoryet,butfromherstudiesshe'sslowlyacquiringtheknowledgeandskillsshe'llneed

adequate adjective common goodenoughforwhatyouneedAverylightjacketwillbeadequateforLosAngeles'swarmwinter.

adjust verb commontochangeormovealittleandmakebetterormoreaccurate

ThecolorsonthisTVscreenarewrong.I'lladjustthem.

administration noun medium

therunningofsomethingoranorganization(business,school,government,etc)thepersonorpeopleinchargeofrunninganorganization

Theuniversityadministrationcancelledallschooleventsafterabadstormleftmostbuildingswithoutelectricity.

affect verb easytochange,makedifferent,haveaneffect

Whichlanguagewespeakaffectshowwethinkabouttheworld.

alter verb hard tochange,toadjustMagazinesheavilyalterthephotostheypublishofcelebrities.

alternativenounadjective medium

otherpossibilityoroptiondifferent,otherthanthemainoption

Themenuincludesalternativesforstudentswhodon'teatmeat.Manywordsintheseflashcardshavealternativedefinitions.

analyze verb commontotrytounderstandsomethingbetterbycloselylookingatitsdetails

Theaccountantwastoobusywithpaperworktoanalyzethereportthatsaidthecompanyhadnomoney.

annual adjective medium yearlyhappeningeveryyear

EveryoneinManchesterwasexcitedabouttheannualgamebetweenthecity'stwosoccerteams.

apparentadjectiveadjective hard

clearlyseenorunderstoodseeming(butnotdefinitelytrue)

Afteronlyafewmonths,itwasapparentthattheFrenchwouldnotwinthewar.Theshark'sapparentsleepinessisactuallybecauseofhowcoldthewateris.

approachverbnoun common

tocome/goclosertosomethingorsomeoneawaytodosomething

Thesignattheparksaidclearly,"Donotapproachwildanimals!Theywillbite."ThenewCEOhadaverystrangeapproachtomanagement,lettinghisemployeessleepwhenevertheywanted.


WordPartofSpeech


area noun hardarangeofsubjectsorstudies,afield,adiscipline

Researchersworkinginmanydifferentarea,frompsychologytophysics,willbeabletousethenewtypeofplastic.

aspect noun hardafeature,acharacteristic,aparticularpartofsomething

Thethreemostimportantaspectstothinkaboutwhenlearningalanguagearegrammar,vocabulary,andpronunciation.

assess verb commontolookcloselyatandfigureoutthevalueortypeofsomething

Beforebuyingahouse,youshouldalwaysassessthebuildingcarefully.

assist verb easy tohelporaidTheboxwastoobigtocarry,soJohnaskedthestoremanagertoassisthim.

assume verb common tobelievewithoutproof

Ahmedassumedhisforgetfulprofessorwouldn'tremembertheirmeeting,buttheprofessorwasalreadywaitingforhiminheroffice.

attitude noun mediumasetwayofthinkingorasetfeelingaboutsomethingorsomeone

Zachalwayshasapositiveattitudewhenhehastodealwithaproblematwork.

attributeverbnoun medium

togiveaneventorpersoncreditforsomething,likeaworkofartoraspeechaqualityorfeaturethatisanimportantpartofsomething

ThemuseumdirectorattributedtherecentlydiscoveredpaintingtoVanGogh.Allofhismovieshaveafewattributesincommon:forexample,thereislittleconversationandalotofmusic.

authority noun mediumcontrolorresponsibilityoversomething(people,area,laws,etc)

OnlyCongresshastheauthoritytomakeandpasslawsforthecountry.

available adjective easy abletobereached,used,orbought

TheadvisorwasnotavailabletoomeetalldayMonday,sothestudenthadtocomebackonTuesday.

aware adjective medium tohaveknowledgeof

AsHelendroveawayformthegasstation,shewasn'tawarethatherlightswereoffuntilsheturnedontoadarkstreet.

benefit noun mediumsomethinggoodcomingfromanaction,agreement,idea,plan,etc.

Thepresidentflewaroundthecountry,talkingaboutthebenefitsofthenewhealthcarelaw.

brief adjective common short(abouttime,notlength)Beforewebeginclass,letmebrieflyintroducemyself.

capable adjective common abletodoNeartheageoftwelvemonths,childrenarecapableofwalking.

capacitynounnoun hard

theamountorvolumesomethingcanholdability(especiallymental)

Thehotelisfulltomaximumcapacitytherearenoemptyrooms.Fewbirdshavethecapacitytorecognizethemselveswhenlookinginamirrormostactasthoughthereisasecondbirdbehindtheglass.


WordPartofSpeech


challenge

nounverbverb easy

somethingdifficulttosuggestafightorargument,todisagreeortrytofightsomebodytosaysomethingisn'ttrue

Newmedicinesfacemanychallengesbeforetheycanbeputinstores.Inordertogettheattentionoffemales,malesofmanyanimalspecieswillchallengeeachotherindifferentways.Einstein'swritingschallengedmanyideasofthetime.

circumstance noun easythesituation,factsorenvironmentaroundanevent

Myprofessoronlygivesextratimetofinishessaysunderspecialcircumstances.Normallyit'snotallowed.

commentnounverb easy

anobservation,note,orresponsetosayashortresponseoropinionaboutagiventopic

Theprofessorwasangryaboutthenegativecommentsmadeabouthisteachingstyle.Asmartpolitician,theprimeministerrefusedtocommentonthecriticismsofhernewestbudgetplan.

commit

verbverbverb hard

todoorperform(somethingverynegative,likeacrime)topromiseto,tomakeafinalandunchangeabledecision(usually"becommittedto")togiveallofyourenergytosomething

Michikocommittedtoomanygrammarerrorsinheressay,andthathurtherscore.Beforeyoucommittoauniversity,besuretospendsometimeoncampus.I'mcompletelycommittedtoourbaseballteam'ssuccessI'ddoanythingtowin.

community noun mediumagroupofpeoplelivingorworkingtogether

TheSpanishspeakingcommunitywithinNewYorkCityincludesmillionsofpeople.

compensate verb hardtohelpcorrectaproblemwithanother,positivething

ThepayatIan'snewjobwaslow,butthefreedomhisbossgavehimcompensatedforthat.

complex adjective easywithmanydifferentpartsanddifficulttounderstand,complicated

ThesciencebehindtheatomicbombusedinWorldWarIIwashighlycomplexatthetime,butitissimplecomparedtotoday'snuclearscience.

component noun hard apartofawholeManyelectronicsaremadeofthousandsofsmallercomponentsandwires.

concentrateverbverb medium

tofocusattentiononsomethingtocometogetherintoasmallerspace

Youmustlearntoconcentratetobesuccessfulonthetest.Theprotestsconcentratedinthecityparks.

concept noun common anabstractidea

Someconceptswithinadvancedmathematicsarehardtoshowintherealworld.


WordPartofSpeech


conduct verb easytoorganizeandmanage(foraneventthattakecarefulplanningandcontrol)

MyresearchteamisaconductingastudyonhowtheInternetischangingdating.Wearecollectinginformationfromfivecountries.

conflict noun mediumanargument,longbattle,ordifferenceofopinions

TheconflictinSyriahasforcedmanypeopletoleavethecountry.

consequence noun easyresult,effect,whathappensbecauseofanevent

Ifyouhurtthepeoplearoundyou,therewillbeunwantedconsequences.

considerable adjective mediumlargeenoughorimportantenoughtogetspecialnotice

Aconsiderablenumberofpopularsportswereinventedinonlythelast100years.

consist verb hard tobemadeof TheU.S.consistsoffiftystates.

constant adjective commonnotchangingandnotstoppingcontinuous

Theriverflowsconstantlythroughtheyearandneverfreezes.

constitute verb hard tobethepiecesthatmakeawhole FiftystatesconstitutetheU.S.A.

constrain verb hard tolimittheactivityof,restrict

Popularbeliefsaysthatapetfish'ssizeisconstrainedbythesizeofthetankit'sin,butthisisactuallyfalse.

construct verb easy tobuildThelandfloodedeveryyear,soitwasunsafetoconstructbuildingsonit.

consume verb common toeat,touse

NocountryconsumesmoreoilthantheU.S.A.Yeast,whichisusedtomakebeer,consumessugarstocreatealcohol.

contact

nounnounverb easy

touchinghavingpossibleornormalcommunicationcommunicating(asbyemailorphoneespecially)togiveorgetspecificinformation

Anelectricalwireincontactwithapoolofwatercanbeextremelydangerous.Liamisstillincontactwithmanyofhishighschoolteachers,surprisingly.ThewomanatthehelpdesktoldmetocontactthestudentaffairsofficeifIwanttochangerooms.

context noun commontheinformationorsituationaroundanidea,event,orsomethingthatissaid

Whenyouhavedifficultyunderstandinganewword,lookatthecontext.Thesentencearoundthewordmighttellthemeaning.

contrastverbverb common

tobeclearlydifferentfromtolookspecificallyatthedifferencesbetweentwothings

Thezebra'sblackandwhitestripescontrastclearlywiththeyellowgrassaroundit.BycontrastingthevocabularyofFrenchandSpanish,wecanseetheirdifferenthistories.

contributeverbverb medium

togivesomething(oftenmoney),tohelpreachagoaltoaddtothecauseofsomethingbigger

Overthepastthreeyears,myparentshavenotcontributedtomyuniversitytuition.IsmokedalotwhenIwasyounger,andthat'scontributedtomyhealthproblemstoday.


WordPartofSpeech


coordinate verb hard

toworkwithorcommunicatewiththedifferentpeople,groups,orpiecesinvolvedinalargeproduct

Achefatabigrestaurantwillspendhistimecoordinatingalltheworkingsofthekitchen,notcooking.

coreadjectivenoun hard

central,offundamentalimportancethecenterofsomething

Althoughwehavemadeimprovementsinbrainscience,manyofthecoreproblemsremain.Theearth'scoreismadeofliquidrock.

correspondverbverb medium

tobeaclosematchtosendlettersbackandforth

Thisnewpaintfortheroomdoesnotcorrespondtotheoldpaint.Mymotherandfathercorrespondedforalmosttwoyearsbeforemeetinginperson.

criteria noun hardthemeasuresbywhichyoujudgeordecidesomething

AgoodTOEFLessayincludesafewcriteria,includinggoodstructure,clearideas,andnaturalvocabulary.

culturenounnoun easy

thewayagroupofpeoplelivinginoneareanormallyacts,includingarts,style,food,andhowpeopletalktoandactwitheachother

Whenlivinginanothercountry,itcanbeverydifficulttobecomecomfortableinthenewculture.

data noun common information,factsWecollectdataontheoceans'temperatureseveryyear.

debate verb mediumtoargue,usuallyinaformal,politeway

WatchingthepresidentialdebatesonTVdidnothelpmedecidewhotovotefor.

decline

verbverbnoun medium

topolitelysaynotoaninvitationoroffertobecomeless,fewer,orsmaller(usuallyofsomethinggood)aslowcontinuouslossofvalue,power,orstrength

IdeclineddinnerbecauseIhadplanstoeatwithmyfamilyinstead.Fortenyears,thenumberoffishintheriverhasdeclined.ManypeoplesaythatAmericaisindecline.

deduce verb hardtocometoaconclusionthroughlogicandevidence,tofigureout

Byanalyzingthebones,wecandeducewhentheanimallivedand,maybe,howitdied.

demonstrate verb commontoshowanexampleof,toprovewithevidence

Ateightyearsold,MozartdemonstratedhismusicalabilityinLondon.

derive verb hard

togetorcreatefrom(usually"bederivedfrom")tocomefrom,originatefrom

Allplasticsarederivedfromoil.ManyEuropeanlanguagesarederivedatleastpartlyfromLatin.

despite preposition commonevenwith(whenaneventissurprisingbecauseofsomedifficulty) Weenjoyedourvacationdespitetherain.

discrete adjective hardseparate,notthesamethingandwithnopartsincommon

Yourleftarmandrightarmarecontrolledbytwodiscreteareasofthebrain.

distinct adjective medium clearlydifferentfromThereareatleastfivedistincttypesofturtlelivingontheisland.

distribute verb medium togiveoutsomething

Theteacherdistributedteststotheclass,andthestudentswerehappytoseetheydidwell.


WordPartofSpeech


diverse adjective hard havingmanydifferenttypes

ThestudentpopulationisincrediblydiverseatSouthStateUniversity,withstudentsfrom30differentcountries.

element noun mediumapartofsomething,usuallypartofanidea

TheelementofhisspeechthatIdidn'tlikewasattheend,whenhetalkedaboutreligion.

emerge verb hard tocomeoutofAfterawinterspentsleeping,thebearemergesfromitscave.

emphasize verb common toplaceextraimportanceononepartMostmodernartemphasizescreativityandemotion,notskill.

enable verb medium tomakesomethingpossibleTheclassesincollegewillenableyoutofindagoodjob.

enforce verb hard tomakepeoplefollow(aruleorlaw)

Althoughsmokingisnotallowedonschoolcampus,thebanisn'tenforced,andmanystudentssmokefreely.

entity noun hard athingthatexistsoractsasoneunit

Themaleanglerfishwillattachpermanentlytothefemale,andintime,thetwofishwillbecomeasingleentity.

equivalent adjective medium equal

Rashimusedacharttofindthathis6.7GPAinhishomecountrywasequivalenttoa3.2GPAintheUnitedStates.

establish verb common

tobuild,tocreate(ofasystem,organization,orideanotareal,physicalthing)

TheU.S.governmentwasestablishedinthelate1700s.

estimate verb medium

todetermineroughlythevalueornumberofsomething,toguessanumberusingsomeinformation

Becarefultonotforgetanycostsfortheyearwhenyouestimateyourbudget.

evaluate verb easytoformanideaofthetheamount,numberorvalueofsomething

Studentsareevaluatedbytheirgradesontests,homework,essays,andinclassinteraction.

evident adjective easy clearlyseenorunderstood,obviousDogs'feelingareusuallyevidentintheiractions.

exclude verb hardtonotinclude,tonotputinalistorgroup

Ieatalmostanything,excludingspicyfoods.Ihatehotpepper.

expand verb easytomakelargertogivemoredetailonasubject

Blowingairintoaballoonwillcauseittoexpand,butifyoublowtoomuchair,itwillexplode!

expose verb mediumtoshoworrevealsomethingthatwashidden

Thepolitician'scrimeswereexposedandhewasforcedtoleavehisposition.

external adjective hardoutside(especiallyofabodyorsystem)

Uncontrollable,externaleventscancauseevenaverycarefulcompanytofail.

facilitate verb hard tomakeeasyoreasier

Classicalmusic,unlikemanytypesofmusic,willgenerallyfacilitatelearningandimprovememory.


Word

PartofSpeech


factor noun hardafactthatinfluencesorchangesaresult

Twoofthelargestfactorsaffectingchildren'shealthygrowtharefoodandrelationshipswithparents.

featurenounverb common

animportantcharacteristic,apropertytoincludeasanimportantpiece

Thesoundmadeby"r"isoneofthemostdifficultfeaturesofspokenEnglish.Theuniversity'snewstudenthousingfeatureslargerroomsthantheoldbuildingdid.

focusverbnoun easy

tolookat,thinkabout,orgiveattentiontothecenterofattentionthemostimportantpart

Icouldnotfocusonmyhomeworkinthelibrarybecausesomeonewasplayingmusicveryloudly.ThefocusofJustin'sessaywasnotcleartotheprofessor,sohereceivedalowgrade.

framework noun hardastructureforabuilding,system,oridea

Ellen'sbusinessplanmayhavefailed,butitformedtheframeworkforhernext,successfulplan.

functionverbnoun common

toworktodowhatsomethingshoulddowhatsomethingdoes,itspurpose

Idroppedmyphoneintoaswimmingpool,but,amazingly,itstillfunctions.Thehaironthehumanheadhasnoclearfunction.

fundamental adjective common basic,centralextremelyimportant

Alivebelievesthatwomenarefundamentallydifferentfrommen.Thefundamentalbeliefsofmostreligionsarepeaceful.

furthermore adverb common also,inaddition,what'smore

Kenyahasbeautifulweatherand,furthermore,doesnothavelongnightsinthewinter.

generate verb hardtocreate,toproduce(especiallyenergy) Movementgeneratesheat.

grantverbverb hard

toagreetogive(somethingthatwasaskedfor)toadmit,tosaysomethingistrue

Thegovernmenthasrecentlygrantedusaccesstoinformationthatwassecretbefore.Idisagreethatsnakesmakegoodpets,butI'llgrantthatthey'reeasytotakecareof.

hence adverb common therefore,so,asaresultTheevidenceisfalsehence,theconclusionisalsofalse.

hypothesis noun commonanideawhichexplainssomethingbutisunproven

ThehypothesisthattheEarthisgrowingwasshowntobefalse.

identify verb commontoname,toshoworfigureoutwhatsomethingis

Scientistshavenotbeenabletoidentifythelanguagewrittenontherocks.

illustrate verb common toexplainwithanexamplePeterillustratedhispointbytellingashortstory.


WordPartofSpeech


impact

nounverbnoun hard

aneffectthatchangesasituationtoaffectstronglytheforceofbeinghithard

Theendofthewarhadalargeimpactoneconomicgrowth.Myfather'sadvicehugelyimpactedmyuniversitydecision.Theimpactofacarcrashcansendadriverwhodoesn'twearaseatbeltthroughthewindow.

imply verb easy

tocommunicatewithoutsayingspecifically,tohintatanideatoleadtoaclearconclusion

Thepresidentimpliedthathewouldnotsupportthenewlawagainstsellingtobacco,buthedidn'tsayitclearly.

indicate verb common tobeasignof,toshowThewayyouspeakandactindicatesyouremotions.

individual adjective easy singleorseparatedonlyoneof

JoanwassurprisedthatthetenbookssheorderedfromtheInternetcametogether,butinindividualboxes.

initial adjective medium atthebeginning

Myinitialplanwastostudyuntilmidnightandwakeuplate,butthenIfellasleepearly.

instance noun common anexample,acase

TwoanimalsinAustralia(platypusesandechidnas)aretheonlyinstancesofanimalswithhairthatlayeggs.

instituteverbnoun hard

tostart(aruleorsystem)agroupororganizationthatstudiesorworksforsomethingspecific

InJanuary,wewillinstituteaplantomakecaraccidentslessfrequent.TheNationalCancerInstitutewascreatedtolearnmoreabout,andhopefullycure,themanytypesofcancer.

integrate verb hard tobecomeapartof

Itisdifficultorevenimpossibletosmoothlyintegrateasmall,foreigncultureintothemaincultureofacountry.

internal adjective mediumfoundorhappeninginside(abody,organization,etc)

TheUSgovernmenthashadlotsofproblemseversinceinternalmessageswerepublishedonnewswebsites.

interpret verb mediumtofigureoutorexplainthemeaningofsomething

Thestudentscouldnotinterprettheextremelyoldbookbecausethepageswerehardtoread.

invest verb medium

tospendmoney,energy,ortimeonsomethinghopingforgoodresultslatertospendmoneyinthehopesofmakingmoremoney,usuallyinproperty,financialshares,orsomeotheractivity

Ifyouwanttolearnanotherlanguage,youwillhavetoinvestalotofyourfreetime.Jamieinvestedinaneducationcompanythathethoughtwouldsucceedandmakehimrich.

investigate verb commontotrytofindanswerstoquestionsaboutsomething,toresearch

Doctorsareinvestigatinganewlydiscoveredplantthatmighthelptofightcancer.


WordPartofSpeech


involve verb common toinclude,tohaveasapartThestudyofarchitectureinvolvesbothartandscience.

issuenounnoun common

atopicorsituationtotalkaboutaproblem

Inordertodefinewhatjazzmusicis,weneedtolookatafewdifferentissues.Monarchies(governmentswithkingsorqueens)oftenhaveseveralcommonissues.

justify verb hard

togiveagoodreasonforanactionorsituation(especiallyonethatseemsbad)

AlthoughMilosexplainedforalongtime,hecouldnotjustifyborrowinghisbrother'scarwithoutasking.

labelnounverb easy

anameorphrasegiventoagroupofthingstoidentifythem(oftennegative)togivealabeltosomething

Themeaningofthelabel"punk"haschangedgreatlyinthelast30years.Childrenareoftenunkindandlabelotherswholookdifferentasoutsiders.

labor noun medium workeffortJuanwassurprisedathowmuchlaborwasneededtofinishhisprojectontime.

layernounverb medium

somethingthatcoverssomethingelsetoputsomethingontopofsomethingelse

Layersofpaintonthesteelbridgewillprotectitfromrust.Sebastianlayeredthesandwichwithallmyfavoritemeatsandcheeses.

lecturenounverb common

alongspeechaboutonetopic(especiallyinaclassroom)togivealongspeechaboutatopic

ProfessorJackson'slecturesaretoolongIalwaysfallasleep.

linkverbnoun medium

tocreateaconnectionbetweentwoormorethingsaconnectionbetweentwothings

Thenewsstorylinkedthepresident'ssuccesswiththeimprovedeconomy.Whatisthelinkbetweensuccessinlifeandineducation?

maintain

verbverbverb easy

tocontinuetokeepalive,tokeepingoodstateorconditiontocontinuetosayalthoughpeopledisagree

ChinahasmaintainedafriendshipwiththeU.S.,althoughthetwocountriesoftenhavedifferentneedsandideas.Theseroadsaresobadlymaintainedthatthey'redifficulttodriveon.Untilhisdeath,ChristopherColumbusmaintainedthathehadsailedtoAsia,notAmerica.

major adjective easy veryimportant,orlargeinsizeTheexamscoreisamajorpartofthefinalclassgrade.

maximize verb easytomakeasbigaspossibletouseordoascompletelyaspossible

Inordertomaximizethenumberofpeoplethatcanfitontheplane,theairlinetookouttherestrooms.

mental adjective easy ofthemind

Manymentalproblemsarestillnotwellunderstood.Weoftendon'tknowwhatcausesthemnorhowtostopthemfromhappening.

method noun common howtodosomething,aprocessTheSpanishmethodofmakingchocolatecreatedacompletelynewdrink.


WordPartofSpeech


minor adjective easy notveryimportantsmallinsizeTheoldactresswassadshehadonlyaminorroleinthenewmovie.

modify verb commontomakesmallchangesoraddtoinordertomakebetter

Thefirstbicycleswereslowanddifficulttouse,buttheyweremodifiedovertime.

monitorverbnoun hard

towatchthequalityorprogressofsomethingovertimesomethingorsomebodywhichmonitors

Wehavebeencarefullymonitoringtheamountofsaltinouroceansforthelast50years.Heartratemonitorscanbeusedforbothmedicineandexercise.

negate verb hard tomakenottrueornoteffective

Studyinglateintothenightmighthelpyoulearnmore,butsleepinglessnegatesthepositiveeffects.

network noun medium

asystemofconnectedpieces(especiallyfortransportationorcommunication)

Thetyphoondestroyedthenetworkofroads,whichhasmadeithardtobringsuppliesandfirstaidtothetown.

nevertheless adverb common however,regardlessThedecisionwasdangerous.Nevertheless,HitlerattackedRussia.

notion noun medium abeliefanideaIthinktheprofessor'snotionoffunwasdifferentfromthestudents'notionoffun.

objectivenounadjective hard

agoalbasedinfact,notanopinion,notfrompersonalbeliefsorideas

TheobjectiveoftheTOEFListomeasureyourtotalEnglishability.Wecanobjectivelymeasurehowspicyapepperis,buthowwefeelaboutthatspicinessisnotobjective.

obtain verb medium togetorsecuresomethingAfterlotsoflooking,JorgeobtainedajobandapartmentinNewYorkCity.

obvious adjective easy easilyunderstoodorseen

Theresultsoftheelectionweresoclearthattheloseradmitteddefeatbeforevotingwasfinished.

occupy verb easy tobeinoronaspace,tofillaspaceThedentist'sofficeoccupiedtheentirefourthfloorofthebuilding.

occur verb easy tohappenThesinkingoftheTitanicoccurredonApril14,1912.

orientverbverb hard

(usually"tobeoriented")tomoveintoapositioninlinewithsomespecificpoint(usually"toorientyourself")toexploreandbecomecomfortablewith

Thestatuesappeartobeorientedtowardthesunrise.Ittookafewweekstoorientmyselfinthenewjob,butIfeelcomfortablenow.

overalladjectiveadverb common

lookingatorincludingallpiecesorfactorsingeneral,forthemostpart

Somewordsmightbenewanddifficult,buttheoverallmeaningofthesentenceisclear.Overall,Americanseatalotofbeef,especiallycomparedtopeopleinothercountries.

participate verb easytojoinortakepartin(aconversation,agame,etc.)

Theteacherwassurprisedwheneverystudentparticipatedinthemathgame.


WordPartofSpeech


perceive verb hard tobeawareof,tosenseorfeelIfhuntersareskilled,theanimalswillnotperceivetheirpresence.

period noun easy arangeoramountoftime

Computertechnologychangedalotintheperiodbetweenthe1980sandtheyear2000.

perspective noun hard

howyouseesomethingfromaspecificplaceapointofvieworopinion

Youngchildren'sdrawingsdonothaveclearlydefinedperspectiveyoumayseethreewallsofanoutsideofabuilding,forexample.ManyHollywoodmovies,whenwatchedfromawoman'sperspective,haveclearlysexistcharacters.

phase noun hardaperiodoftimeinalongerprocessofchange

Thereareatleastthreedifferentphasesinafrog'sdevelopmentfromeggtoadult.

philosophynounnoun medium

thestudyofknowledgeorasetoftheoriesknowledgeandthoughtabasicideaofapersonororganizationthataffectstheiractions

Philosophyhasalwaystriedtoanswerthequestion"Whatisthemeaningoflife?"Myphilosophyisthatifyoucandosomethingtoday,youshouldn'twaituntiltomorrow.

physicaladjectiveadjective easy

ofthebody(notmental)concrete(notabstract)

Cleaningupthecampusgardenwastiring,physicalwork.Katerinadoesn'tlikepayingformusicwithoutaphysicalcopy,suchasaCD.

policy noun hardarulemadebyanorganization,government,orcompany

Schoolpolicydoesnotallowalcoholoncampus.

potentialnounadjective medium

possibleabilitythatmightbeusedinthefuturehavingtheabilitytodosomethinginthefuture

Windandsolarenergyhavethepotentialtoreplaceoil.Chinaispotentiallythenextworldleader.

precise adjective medium exactcarefullydefined

Becausethepiratesweren'tcertainofthepreciselocationofthegold,theydugholesallovertheisland.

predict verb commontosaysomethingwillhappeninthefuture

CharlieChaplinpredictedthatmovieswouldneverbecomepopular.Hewaswrong,clearly.

previous adjective easyhappeningbeforetheonehappeningnow(ofathing,event,ordate)

Soojinthoughtherscienceclasswasreallyhardafterstudyingonlyliteratureinthepreviousyear.

primary noun easy firstinimportanceTheprimarycauseofunhappinessisnotaboutmoneyitisbadhealth.

principle noun hardaruleorideathatmakesthebaseforasystem(oftenmoral)

TheprinciplesattheheartofthenewreligionarethesameasmanycentralbeliefsofChristianity.

prior adjective medium happeningorbeingbefore

ThenewCEOofYahoocalledthepriorCEOofthecompanytogetabetterunderstandingofthecompany.


WordPartofSpeech


proceed verb medium tobeginorcontinuewithsomeaction

Wewillnotproceedwiththeconstructionuntilsomeonetellsusitissafetobuildhere.

project

nounverbverb common

aplanortasktoreachaspecificgoaltopredictthemeasurementofsomethinginthefuturefrompresentmeasurementstosendout,tothrow(oflight,energy,etc)

Cleaningoutthestorageroomwasabigproject,butit'snicetoseeitempty,now.Basedonthisyear'ssuccess,Appleisprojectingsimilargrowthnextyear,too.Hopingtocommunicatewithaliens,scientistshavebeenprojectingradiomessagesintospaceformanyyears.

proportion noun hardthesizeoramountofsomethingcomparedtothewholeorotherparts

Cartoonsofpeopleoftenhaveexaggeratedproportions,suchasverylargeeyesorhands.

pursueverbverb hard

tofollow,tochasetotrytoachieve(adreamorgoal)

Thebabyelephantran,butthepackoflionspursuedit.Manpursuedthedreamofflightforhundredsofyearsbeforethemodernairplanewasinvented.

rangenounverb medium

thedistancebetweentwothings(likearea,time,orintelligence)tobebetweenasetminimumandmaximum

Therangeofscoresonthetestwasbig.Inthecompany,theageofpeoplerangesfrom25to75.

react verb easy torespond,actinanswertoMothersreactquicklytotheirbabiescries,eveninthemiddleofthenight.

region noun easy anareaofland

AlthoughmostoftheJapaneseexchangestudentscomefromOsaka,inthesouth,AkikocomesfromthenorthernregionofJapan.

registerverbverb common

toputyournameorotherinformationinalistforsomethingtoidentifyandshowonatoolformeasuring

Ifyou'dliketobuyamealplan,youcanregisteratthestudentaffairsoffice.Thebombwassostrongthatfarawayweatherballoonsregisteredtheheat.

regulate verb mediumtohavecontroloveraprocesssothatitfunctionsproperly

Parentsregulatetheamountoftimekidsspendplayinggamesontheirphones.

reject verb easytosaynotosomethingoffered,torefuseordecline

Afterapplyingtotenschools,Lucaswasrejectedbynineofthem.

relevant adjective easycloselyconnectedtothetopicandthereforeimportant

IthinkProfessorMcGarrycangiveyousomerelevantbookstohelpyouwritethatessay.

rely verb easytodependon,toneedinordertocontinuewell

Inmanycountries,childrenrelyontheirparentsforfood,money,andhousinguntiltheyareover20yearsold.

remove verb easy totakeawayortakeout

Thegrocerystoreremovedallofthemilkafterthegovernmentsaiditwasunsafetodrink.

requireverbverb common

toneedforaspecificpurposetosetastheminimum

Alllife,plantsandanimalsincluded,requireswater.


WordPartofSpeech


researchverbnoun easy

tofindorsearchformoreinformationaboutsomethinginformationcollectedaboutsomething(usuallyacademic)

Aftergrowinguponanisland,Malikahopedtoresearchoceantemperaturesingraduateschool.Dr.Stanislauswasfamousforhisresearchonchangesinhealtheducationoverthepast100years.

reside verb medium toliveinaplace IresideinCalifornia.

resolve verb easytoagreetodecidetosolveaproblemorargument

Evenaftermeetingforhours,thegovernmentleadersstillcouldnotresolvetheirargumentovernewtaxes.

resource noun easy

somesavedmaterialthatcanbeusedforapurpose(especiallymoney,anythingusedtomakeenergysuchasoil,orinformationsourcessuchasbooks)

Manyoftherichestcountrieshavesurprisinglyfewnaturalresourcesandmustbuyoilorgasfromothercountries.Neverforgettomakeuseofthelibraryduringyourstudiesit'sfullofgreatresources.

respond verb easy answerreact

Waiterswhorespondtocustomers'questionswithasmilegenerallygetmoremoney.Ifyouscareaturtle,itwillrespondbyhidinginitsshell.

restrict verb commontolimit,tomakesomeactionsimpossible

Accesstothisparkingareaisrestricted:onlyuniversitystudentsmayuseit.

retain verb hard tokeep,continuetohaveorcontainOriginallyfromFrance,JeanretainsahintofherFrenchaccenteventoday.

role noun medium ajoborfunctionapositionStudentclasspresidentisanimportantrole.

scheme noun hard

alargeplanthesystembywhichsomethingisarranged

Microsoft'smarketingschemefortheirnewtabletcomputerwaslessthansuccessful.Themodernschemefornamingdifferenttypesofplantsandanimalsstartedaround1800.

section noun easyoneofanumberofpieceswhichcometogethertocreateawhole

Everyant'sbodyhasthreesections:ahead,athorax(wherethelegsare),andanabdomen(theback).

secure verb mediumtoattachsomethingsothatiswon'tcomeoff

Pleasetightlysecurethesurfboardsontopofthecar.

seek verb hard tolookfor,totrytofindAcrossmanydifferentcultures'stories,heroesseekmorethanjustgoldorfame.

selectverbadjective common

tochoosechosenasthebestfromagroup

Therearefourdifferentmathcoursesyoumayselectfrominyourfirstyear.Harvardstudentsareaselectgroupofveryintelligent,successfulstudentswhoareoftenfromrichfamilies.


WordPartofSpeech


shiftverbnoun medium

tomovesomethingashortdistanceasmallchangeinpositionordirection

Pleasehelpmeshiftthetablesoitiseasierforpeopletositdown.Therecentshiftthatthecoachmadeishelpingtheteamwinmoregames.

significant adjective commonimportantorbigenoughthatyoushouldnoticeorpayattention

Mostanimalsspendasignificantamountoftheirtimelookingforfood.

site noun medium thelocationofsomething

Thepeopleofthecityvotedforasitedowntownasthelocationofthenewsportsstadium.

source noun easy wheresomethingcomesfrom

Donottrustbooksthatgiveinformationwithoutlistedsources.Thefactscouldbefalse.

specify verb easytosaywhichoneorclearlypointtowhichone

Thekingtoldtheherothathecouldmarryoneoftheprincessesbutdidnotspecifywhichdaughter.

stable adjective medium

notlikelytochange,fall,ormovesecure(asinemployment,finances,housing,etc)

Makesuretheladderisstablebeforeyouclimbupit!

status noun medium

therankorsocialclassofsomeoneorsomethingthecurrentsituationthatsomethingisin

Thestatusofwomenhasslowlyimprovedoverthepast100years,anditcontinuestoimprove.What'sthestatusofthenewlibrary?Aretheyfinishedbuildingityet?

strategy noun easyaplanofactiontoreachadesiredgoal

Thedebateteamspenttheeveningdiscussingtheirstrategyfordefeatingtheotherteam

stress

verbnounnoun common

toplaceextraimportanceononepartextraimportanceplacedononepartpressure,strain,tensionworry

IfyoustressthewrongwordsorsoundswhenspeakingEnglish,youmaynotbeunderstood.Finalexamsaresoon,andsostresslevelsarehighamongstudents.

subsequent adjective hard immediatelyafter

Boththewinterandthesubsequentspringweresurprisinglydry,withneithersnownorrain.

substituteverbnoun common

totakeoutandputsomethingelseinthesameplace(usuallysomethingworse)somethingthatgoesintheplaceofthenormalthing

Becausewedidn'thaveany,wesubstitutedthesugarwithjuice.Manycigarettesmokerswhotrytoquitusechewinggumasasubstitute.

sufficient adjective common enoughinamountforwhatyouneed

Becauseofweatherchanges,lastyearfarmscouldn'tgrowsufficientricetofeedthecountry.

sustain verb mediumtohelpsomethingcontinue,tokeepgoing

Noanimalsorplantscansustainlifewithoutwater.


WordPartofSpeech


theory noun commonanideaorbeliefabouthow/whysomethingworks

Therearemanytheoriesaboutwhywedream.

tradition noun medium

asetofbeliefsoraculturethatispassedfromfamilytofamilyoveralongperiodoftime

Chris'sfavoritetraditioniseatinghamonChristmas.

transfer verb easytopassfromonepersonorthingtoanother

SallytransferredallofhermoneyfromAmericanNationalBankwhensheheardtheywereclosing.

trendnounverb common

thedirectionorwayinwhichsomethingischanging

Today'scomputercultureistrendingtowardmoretouchscreentechnology.

underlying adjective hard formingthebasisforsomething

Thereisnosinglewaytoputanendtodrugaddictionsincetherearemanyunderlyingcauses.

valid adjective hard fromareasonableorcorrectbasis

ManypeoplehavesaidtheartistJacksonPollack'sworkdidn'trequiremuchskill,andthatideaissomewhatvalid.

vary verb medium

tobeadifferentsize,amount,orcharacterwhencomparedtosomethingelseinasimilargroup

Therestaurantsinthisareavarygreatlyinquantityandprice.

welfare noun hardhowhealthyandhappyapersonorgroupis

Aperfectgovernmentwouldcaremoreaboutthewelfareofitspeoplethananythingelse.

whereas conjunction commonalthough(usedtocontrasttwodifferentthings)

Lemonsareverysourwhereasmostfruitsaresweet.

AdditionalResources:

MagooshTOEFLOnlineFlashcards:Includesallthewordslistedabove.AlsoavailableasappsforAndroidandiPhone!

MagooshTOEFLBlog MagooshTOEFLOnlinePrep:Lessonvideosandpracticequestionswithvideoexplanations MagooshTOEFLYouTubeChannel

Happystudying!:)