4000 Essential English Words

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V f * ■ ^ ' [ r hone [houn] v.

To hone something is to improve it and make it very good.

—► Lisa honed her chess skills by hours and hours o f practice.

r mash [mas/] V.

To mash something is to crush it so that it is soft.

—* We mashed the hard potatoes and served them fo r dinner.

1 c Ornate [omeit] adj.

If something is ornate, it is decorated with a lot of fancy things.

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  • Kim’s prom dress was very expensive since it was so ornate.
  
  
  
  

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r pneumonia [n/umounja] n.

Pneumonia is a dangerous illness causing the lungs to fill with liquid.

-» Elaine g ot pneumonia after playing outside in the rain without a coat.

1 r psychic [saikik] adj.

When someone is psychic, they know what will happen or what people think.

-» / think my grandmother has psychic abilities because she can predict anything.

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r psychotic [saikdtik] adj.

If someone is psychotic, they have a very serious mental illness.

—► The psychotic patient believed he saw things that weren’t real.

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SCOpe [skoup] n.

The scope of something is how many people or things it relates to.

-» Modern history has a wide scope.

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r sinister [sinister] adj.

If something or someone is sinister, they are evil.

—► Bad guys in most movies have sinister laughs.

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1 r Strife [strait] n.
Strife is disagreement or fighting between people or groups.
—► There was a lo t o f strife between Jim and Lisa about what TV show to watch.

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C therapeutic [eerapju:tik] adj.

If something is therapeutic, it helps to cure a disease or makes you healthier.

—► After a stressful day o f working, Phoebe would take a therapeutic bath.

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