BEGINNER WORDS (AGES 6 – 8)

abide (a-bide) v bear, stand, tolerate, put up

with, endure
“I can’t abide loud noise”

voice (voice) n sound produced by the vocal organs of a person

or animal
“When the man caught a cold he lost his voice”

jungle (jung ´-ul) n rain forest, wilderness, unexplored territory,

bush, swampy forest
“Tarzan lived in the jungle.”

scramble (skram´- bul) v go forward using the hands and knees

“See the children scramble under the slide.”

welcome (well´-kum) adj causing pleasure, received with pleasure

“The news of the baby’s birth was welcome.”

laugh (laff) v make sounds which show amusement or pleasure

“The girl began to laugh when the clown fell down”

bicker (bick´-er) v squabble, quarrel, argue, spat

“The children constantly bicker over their toys.”

clutter (klut´-er) n pile, heap, mess, litter, disorder

“A clutter of dirty dishes filled the sink.”

location (low-kay´-shun) n position, site, spot, place, situation

“This corner would make a good location for an
ice cream store.”

fitful (fitt´-ful) adj irregular, intermittent, sporadic, now-and-then

“The rain has been fitful all afternoon.”

mountain (moun´-tun) n a very high hill

“The mountain was too high to climb.”

juggle (jug´-l) v practice jugglery, keep aloft, keep objects in play

“He was able to juggle five plates all at the
same time.”

pitch (pitch) v throw

“Can you pitch the ball to the other end of
the field?”

racket (rack´-it) n a bat strung with nylon or catgut used in tennis

or badminton
“The girl took her racket with her to play tennis.”

vowel (vow´-el) n vocal sound shown by the letters a,e,i,o,or u

“The students knew their vowels.”
canteen (kan-teen´) n flask, pocket flask, bottle
“Each Boy Scout took a canteen of water on
the hike.”

quote (kwote) v repeat or write the exact words of another

“The man likes to quote Robert Munsch.”

abrupt (ab-rupt´) adj sudden, unexpected, unforeseen, unanticipated

“The car came to an abrupt stop at
the drawbridge.”

pastel (pass-tell´) adj soft and light in color

“The light colored dress was pastel.”

machine (muh-sheen´) n something made with moving parts to do a

certain job
“A bulldozer is an interesting machine.”

holiday (holl´-i-day) n day when business is suspended to mark an event

“Labor Day is an annual holiday.”

known (no-n) adj recognized, acknowledged, familiar,

popular, famous
“It is a known fact that he is a famous athlete.”

ambition (am-bish´-un) n goal, aim, intent, objective, purpose

“His ambition is to be a fire fighter.”

palace (pall´-iss) n a large house for a ruler

“The queen lives in a huge palace.”

whisper (hwiss´-purr) v speak softly, using only the breath, not the voice
“He would whisper so no one could hear him.”

thimble (thim´-bul) n a small cover put on the finger to protect it when

using a needle
“”The tailor used a thimble when doing
his sewing.”

kingdom (king´-dum) n country ruled by a king, realm, nation, country

“He ruled his small kingdom fairly and justly.”

hectic (heck´-tick) adj frenetic, frantic, furious, wild, mad

“Moving day was rather hectic.”

tailor (tay´-lur) n person who makes clothes

“The tailor made a beautiful suit.”

joyous (joy´-uss) adj happy, glad, joyful, wonderful, merry

“Their 50th anniversary was a joyous occasion.”

knight (nite) n soldier, man-at-arms, warrior, fighter, horseman

“The knight wore his suit of armor to battle.”
fantastic (fan-tass´-tick) adj coming from the imagination or fancy,
illusory, unreal
“The story about the goblins and witches
was fantastic.”

humor (hyoo´-mur) n funniness, comedy, ridiculousness

“The humor of the situation had
everyone laughing.”

junior (joon´-yer) adj younger, minor

“The junior basketball team played well against
the seniors.”

identify (eye-den´-ti-fie) v recognize, know, determine, place, pick out

“You can identify me by my red hair.”

opinion (oh-pin´-yun) n a conclusion that has no positive basis in truth

“The coach had her own opinion.”

vegetable (vej´-uh-tuh-bul) n edible plant

“Broccoli is my favorite vegetable.”

usual (yoo´zhoo-ul) adj often happening or being done, common

“Everything was the same as usual.”

vanilla (vuh-nil-´uh) n substance obtained from a plant used to flavor

food and drink
“I always add vanilla to my chocolate chip
cookie recipe.”

weather (weth´-er) n condition of the air in a particular place at a

particular time
“Take an umbrella today, the weather is rainy.”

legend (ledge´-end) n an unproved story from an earlier period

“The legend tells of dragons and knights.”

diminish (di-min´-ish) v become smaller, lessen, shrink, dwindle, reduce

“Over time the number of sharks will diminish.”

gadget (gaj´-it) n device, tool, contraption, object, gimmick

“This new gadget peels apples in a jiffy.”

natural (nach´-ur-uhl) adj existing in nature, not artificial

“The girl was natural in her behavior.”

liquid (lick´-wid) n matter like water or oil

“The green liquid spilled out of the bottle onto
the floor.”

hesitate (hezz´-i-tate) v pause, stop briefly, halt, falter, be undecided

“I hesitate to enter the marathon.”

wealth (welth) n riches, large amount of money

“A millionaire is a man of wealth.”
minimum (min´-I-mum) n smallest amount or number of something that
is possible
“To form a basketball team, you need a minimum
of five players.”

refrigerator (ri-frij´-uh-ray-tur) n a cold box used for storing perishable food

“It is best to keep milk in the refrigerator.”

luggage (lug´-idj) n a bag that one travels with

“The family had a lot of luggage for their trip.”

lagoon (lug-goon´) n lake joined by a narrow channel to the sea

“The children enjoyed swimming in the lagoon.”

cease (seess) v stop, halt, leave off, quit

“The soldiers were ordered to cease fire.”

patience (pay´-shuns) n willingness to put up with a delay

“The girl showed great patience in waiting so long
in line.”

wreck (reck) n something which has been severely damaged

or destroyed
“Everyone jumped from the wreck before it sank.”

alcove (al´-kove) n recess, niche, nook, corner, bay

“The living room had a dining room alcove at
one end.”

shriek (shreek) n a loud, sharp, cry

“The girl gave a loud shriek when she saw
the mouse.”

burrow (burr´-oh) n hole, den, tunnel, cave

“The squirrel’s burrow is under the flower bed.”

extreme (ecks-treem´) adj severe, intense, very great, excessive

“Extreme sports are very dangerous.”

carnival (kar´-ni-val) n fair, festival, jamboree, celebration

“Every fall there was a carnival at the farm.”

weigh (way) v find out how heavy something is

“I wonder how much that giant
pumpkin weighs.”

gracious (gray´-shuss) adj kindly, courteous, cordial, amiable

“She was the most gracious hostess yet.”

mosquito (muss-kee´-toe) n small flying insect which sucks blood

“The mosquito bit the campers arm.”

squirrel (skwirl) n type of small animal with a bushy tail

“The squirrel sat on a tree eating a nut.”
guidance (guyd´-unce) n advice, counsel, help, information, instruction
“The young man asked for guidance on the
choice of a career.”

exceed (eck-seed´) v go beyond, go over, outrun, overdo

“If you exceed the speed limit you will get
a ticket.”

neutral (noo-truhl) adj not supporting either side in a war or a quarrel

“One country remained neutral and would not
join the war.”

impossible (im-poss´-I-bul) adj out of the question, not possible, unable to

bring about
“It is impossible to get to the airport with
this traffic.”

retrieve (ri-treev´) v get back something which has been lost

“The dog was able to retrieve the ball from
the river.”

leisure (lee´-zure) n time when one is free from work

“The boy enjoys his leisure time after his
homework is done.”

baritone (bare´-I-tone) n male singer of range between tenor and bass

“The singer was a baritone.”

perplex (purr-plecks´) v puzzle or confuse

“I should not let this problem perplex me.”

character (kare´-ack-ter) n qualities, traits, attributes, nature

“Each person should be judged on his or her
own character.”

paragraph (pare´-uh-graff) n a division of a piece of writing

“Always remember to start a new paragraph with
a new idea.”

challenge (chal´-enj) n summons, dare, defiant bid

“He received a challenge to a tennis game.”

historic (hiss-tore´-ick) adj important in history, well known, famed

“The Statue of Liberty is a historic monument.”

liberty (lib´-er-tee) n freedom, permission, leave

“Employees have liberty to use all the
museum facilities.”

language (lang´-gwidg) n medium of verbal communication between people

“They could communicate because they spoke the
same language.”

cherish (chair´-ish) v love, hold dear, care for, nurture

“The boy knew he would cherish his new pet dog.”
lethal (lee´-thul) adj causing or able to cause death
“A gun is a lethal weapon.”

lollipop (loll´-I-pop) n type of candy at the end of a stick

“The girl wanted the purple lollipop.”

morgue (morg) n place where the bodies of dead people are kept
until buried
“The morgue was a scary place for the children.”

government (gov´-ern-ment) n governing system, rule, administration

“Government is essential to our society.”

molecule (moll´-uh-kyool) n a small part of an element

“The scientist looked at the molecule under
the microsope.”

confident (kon´-fid-ent) adj convinced, certain, sure, positive

“The team is confident it will win the game.”

magnificent (mag-niff´-uh-sent) adj presenting an imposing appearance, splendid

“The fireworks were magnificent.”

occupation (ock´-yuh-pay´-shun) n one’s regular job or business

“The man’s occupation was teaching.”

demolition (dem-oh-li´-shun) n destruction, wrecking, levelling

“We watched the demolition of the bridge.”

secluded (si-kloo´-did) adj separated, withdrawn, protected, screened

“The house was on a secluded lot covered
with trees.”

malnutrition (mal-noo-trish´-un) n lack of adequate nutrition, under nourishment

“The sick child showed signs of malnutrition.”

octopus (ock´-tuh-puss) n a sea creature with eight arms

“The diver saw an octopus.”

reluctant (ri-luck´-tunt) adj unwilling

“The horse was reluctant to go into the river.”

sarcasm (sar´-kazz-um) n an ironical or scornful comment, mockery

“The reporter’s voice was full of sarcasm.”

recipe (ress´-up-pee) n instructions on how to prepare a certain kind

of food
“My mom has a great recipe for oatmeal cookies.”

photography (fuh-tog´-ruh-fee) n the process of using light to place an image onto

photosensitive surface
“Photography is a wonderful way of
studying nature.”
pictorial (pick-tore´-ee-ul) adj pertaining to or made of pictures
“The woman had a pictorial history of her family
in the album.”

tentative (ten´-tuh-tiv) adj experimental and subject to change

“The schedule for tomorrow is tentative.”

recluse (reh-kloos´) n one who lives alone in seclusion

“The old man who lived deep in the woods was
a recluse.”

periscope (pare´-uh-skope) n an instrument of mirrors used to

guide submarines
“The captain raised the periscope to see above
the water.”

superstition (soo´purr-stish´-un) n a ritual founded on irrational feelings, especially

of fear
“The hockey player had a lot of superstition.”

chorus (kore´-uss) n refrain, stanza repeated in a song

“Sing the last chorus again.”

sculpture (skulp´-chur) n the art of making figures out of stone, clay, wood
“The artist made a beautiful sculpture out
of clay.”

pesticide (pess´-tuh-side) n a compound used to destroy insect pests

“The gardener sprayed pesticide to kill the bugs.”

fertile (fur´-tul) adj productive, fruitful, vegetative

“Apples grow well in this fertile environment.”

elegance (ell´-e-ganss) n luxuriousness, grandeur, richness

“The old mansion was furnished with
great elegance.”

illegal (ill-ee´-gull) adj unlawful, against the law, not legal

“Parking in front of a fire hydrant is illegal.”

temperature (tem´-purr-uh-cher) n the degree of heat in a body, condition of heat

or cold
“The thermometer showed how cold the
temperature was.”

paddock (pad´-uck) n a small grass field used for keeping horses

“The horse was in the paddock.”

scheme (skeem) n plan, arrangement of things in an orderly way

“The thief had a scheme to steal money.”

tortoise (tore´-tuss) n type of land animal which has a hard shell on

its back
“The tortoise crawled slowly along the road.”

sapphire (saff´-ire) n a clear blue precious stone

“The ring contained a huge sapphire.”
aerial (air´-ee-ull) adj in the air, from the air, by air
“The planes put on a breathtaking aerial show.”

imaginary (im-aj´-in-air-ee) adj unreal, invented, made-up, fantastic

“All characters in this book are imaginary.”

evaporate (e-vap´-or-ate) v disappear, vanish, fade away, dissolve, change

from liquid to gas
“Close the bottle or the water will evaporate.”

nocturnal (nock-tur´-nul) adj of, pertaining to or occurring at night

“Owls are nocturnal creatures.”

leopard (lep´-erd) n large yellow cat with black spots

“I like visiting the leopard at the zoo.”

exhibit (ecks-ib´-it) n exhibition, display, show, public showing

“This month the dinosaur exhibit opens at
the museum.”

umbrella (um-brell´-uh) n light frame covered with a cloth, used as a shelter

from the rain
“The girl opened her umbrella just as the
rain started.”

facility (fa-sill´-i-tee) n ease, fluency, expertness, skill,

readiness, efficiency
“He repaired the computer with amazing facility.”

tuition (too-ish´-un) n fees, act of teaching

“At university you must pay tuition for
your classes.”

nausea (naw´-zee-uh) n feeling of sickness

“Nausea made the girl go lie down.”

fusion (few´-shun) n melting, blending

“Steel is created by the fusion of iron
and carbon.”

hearth (harth) n fireplace, fireside, chimney corner

“Sweep the hearth before building a new fire.”

ignite (ig-night´) v catch fire, catch on fire, burn

“The wood must be dry before you can ignite it.”

trauma (traw´-muh) n a condition of the body or mind caused by

severe injury
“The patient was suffering from a great trauma.”

comedian (kuh-mee´-dee-un) n comic, joker, humorist, clown, jester

“The star of the show was a funny comedian.”

ultraviolet (ul´-truh-vie´-uh-let) adj beyond the violet end of the spectrum and
not seen
“Ultraviolet light cannot be seen but can
be dangerous.”
magician (muh-jish´-un) n one who performs magic
“The magician put on an amazing magic show.”

technique (teck-neek´) n skills necessary to complete a task or

achieve a result
“The dancer had a wonderful technique.”

oxygen (ock´-suh-jin) n a gaseous element of earth’s atmosphere essential

to life
“Plants and people require oxygen to live.”