ACTION he process of doing something, especially when dealing with a problem or difficulty This problem calls for swift/prompt action from the government ALGEBRA a part of mathematics in which signs and letters represent numbers ARMY a particular country's fighting force When did you join the army ATOM the smallest unit of any chemical element, consisting of a positive nucleus surrounded by negative electrons. Atoms can combine to form a molecule A molecule of carbon dioxide (CO2) has one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. AUDIENCE the group of people together in one place to watch or listen to a play, film, someone speaking, etc. She lectures to audiences all over the world. BALANCE a state where things are of equal weight or force; equilibrium The toddler wobbled and lost his balance (= started to fall sideways BATTLE a fight between armed forces the Battle of the Somme BLIND unable to see She's been blind since birth BREADTH the air that goes into and out of your lungs Her breath smelled of garlic. CAPTAIN the person in charge of a ship or an aircraft, or the leader of a sports team This is your captain speaking. We expect to be landing at London Heathrow in an hour's time. CHIEF most important or main The chief problem we have in the area now is the spread of disease CHLOROPLAST one of the parts in a plant cell that contain chlorophyll and where the energy from sunlight is turned into food by photosynthesis CHROMOSOME any of the rod-like structures found in all living cells, containing the chemical patterns which control what an animal or plant is like X and Y chromosomes CIRCLE a continuous curved line, the points of which are always the same distance away from a fixed central point, or the area inside such a line Coloured paper was cut into circles, squares and triangles. CRACK to break something so that it does not separate, but very thin lines appear on its surface, or to become broken in this way A stone hit the window and cracked the glass CURVE a line which bends continuously and has no straight parts a curve in the road CYTOPLASM one of the parts in a plant cell that contain chlorophyll and where the energy from sunlight is turned into food by photosynthesis DIMENSION a measurement of something in a particular direction, especially its height, length or width Please specify the dimensions (= the height, length and width) of the room. DIRECTED going in a straight line towards somewhere or someone without stopping or changing direction a direct route/line DISTRICT an area of a country or town which has fixed borders that are used for official purposes, or which has a particular feature that makes it different from surrounding areas South Cambridgeshire District Council DNA deoxyribonucleic acid: the chemical at the centre of the cells of living things, which controls the structure and purpose of each cell and carries the genetic information during reproduction DOZEN twelve a dozen eggs DUST dry dirt in the form of powder that covers surfaces inside a building, or very small dry pieces of soil, sand or other substances The furniture was covered in dust and cobwebs. ENEMY a person who hates or opposes another person and tries to harm them or stop them from doing something He's made a few enemies in this company ESSENTIAL necessary; needed Government support will be essential if the project is to succeed. There is essential work to be done before the building can be re-occupied. EXCELLENT extremely good The food was excellent FOGGY with fog a cold, foggy day FORCE physical, especially violent, strength or power The force of the wind had brought down a great many trees in the area FRAME a border which surrounds and supports a picture, door or window a picture frame GAS a substance in a form like air that is neither solid nor liquid Oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen are all gases HEIGHT the distance from the top to the bottom of something, or the quality of being tall The sheer height of New York's skyscrapers is so impressive HISTORY the study of or a record of) past events considered together, especially events of a particular period, country or subject I studied modern European history at college. HUMAN a man, woman or child The greatest damage being done to our planet today is that being done by humans. INDUSTRY the companies and activities involved in the process of producing goods for sale, especially in a factory or special area trade and industry INTERSECTION when two lines cross, or the point where this happens The intersection of the lines on the graph marks the point where we start to make a INTRODUCE to put something into use, operation or a place for the first time The smaller 10 pence coin was introduced in 1992. KNEE the middle joint of the leg, which allows it to bend The baby was crawling around on its hands and knees LABEL a piece of paper or other material which gives you information about the object it is fixed to Remember to put some address labels on the suitcases LAND a country a land of ice and snow LAW rule, usually made by a government, that is used to order the way in which a society behaves, or the whole system of such rules There are laws against drinking in the street LEAD to control a group of people, a country, or a situation I think we've chosen the right person to lead the expedition LENGHT the measurement of something from end to end or along its longest side The boat is ten metres in length MASTER a person who has control over or responsibility for someone or something, or who is the most important or influential (= having most influence) person in a situation or organization a slave and his master MATERIAL physical substance which things can be made from building materials, such as stone MEASURE to discover the exact size or amount of something, or to be of a particular size "Will the table fit in here?" "I don't know - let's measure it MEMBER a person, animal or thing which is part of a group a family member MICROSCOPE a device that uses lenses to make very small objects look larger, so that they can be scientifically examined and studied They looked at the blood samples under the microscope MIND the part of a person that makes it possible for a person to think, feel emotions and understand things Her mind was full of what had happened the night before, and she just wasn't concentrating. MYSTERY something strange or not known which has not yet been explained or understood How the massive stones were brought here from hundreds of miles away is/remains a mystery. NATION a country, especially when thought of as a large group of people living in one area with their own government, language, traditions, etc All the nations of the world will be represented at the conference NATIVE relating to or describing someone's country or place of birth or someone who was born in a particular country or place She returned to live and work in her native Japan NEİGHBOURHOOD someone who lives very near to you Some of the neighbours have complained about the noise from our party. NERVE group of long thin fibres (= structures like threads) that carry information or instructions between the brain and other parts of the NUCLEUS the part of a cell that controls its growth DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell PALE describes someone's face or skin if it has less colour than usual, for example when they are ill or frightened, or if it has less colour than people generally have You're looking pale - do you feel ill PARENTHESIS a remark which is added to a sentence, often to provide an explanation or extra information, and which is separated from the main part of the sentence by commas, brackets or dashes PHYSICAL connected with the body physical exercise/fitness/strength/disabilities POINT an idea, opinion or piece of information that is said or written I'd like to discuss the first point in your essay. POPULATION all the people living in a particular country, area or place Ten per cent of the population lived in poverty. PRESIDENT the person who has the highest political position in a country which is a republic and who, in some of these countries, is the leader of the government President Kennedy PRODUCT something that is made to be sold, usually something that is produced by an industrial process or, less commonly, something that is grown or obtained through farming They do a range of skin-care products PROPER belonging to the main, most important or typical part It's a suburb of Manchester really - I wouldn't call it Manchester proper. QUANTITY the amount or number of something, especially that can be measured or is fixed Police found a large/small quantity of drugs in his possession RACE competition in which all the competitors try to be the fastest and to finish first Do you know who won/lost the race REALIZE to understand a situation, sometimes suddenly They didn't realize the danger they were in. RECLANGLE a flat shape with four 90° angles and four sides, with opposite sides of equal length REFUSE to say that you will not do or accept something He asked me to give him another loan, but I refused REGULAR D:HAPPENING OR DOING SOMETHING OFTEN/ E:TOP FOOTBALLERS MAKE REGULAR APPEARANCES ON TV SCALE a set of numbers, amounts etc., used to measure or compare the level of something the Centigrade/Fahrenheit scale SCREEN a flat surface in a cinema, on a television or a computer system on which pictures or words are shown Our television has a 19-inch screen. SIGNAL an action, movement or sound which gives information, a message, a warning or an order When she gave (them) the signal, they all cheered SIZE one of the standard measures according to which goods are made or sold a size 14 dress SKETCH simple, quickly-made drawing which does not have many details My mother made a (pencil) sketch of my brother reading a book SOCIETY a large group of people who live together in an organized way, making decisions about how to do things and sharing the work that needs to be done. All the people in a country, or in several similar countries, can be referred to as a society a classless/multicultural/capitalist/civilized society SOLDIER a person who is in an army and wears its uniform, especially someone who fights when there is a war Soldiers were patrolling the streets SOLID hard or firm, keeping a clear shape solid ground SOLUTION the answer to a problem There's no easy solution to this problem. SOUL the spiritual part of a person which some people believe continues to exist in some form after their body has died, or the part of a person which is not physical and experiences deep feelings and emotions She suffered greatly while she was alive, so let us hope her soul is now at peace. SPECIMEN something shown or examined as an example; a typical example He has a collection of rare insect specimens. STAFF the group of people who work for an organization There is a good relationship between staff and pupils at the school STAGE the area in a theatre which is often raised above ground level and on which actors or entertainers perform Hamlet is on stage for most of the act STAIN to leave a mark on something which is difficult to remove Tomato sauce stains terribly - it's really difficult to get it out of clothes STARCH a white substance which exists in large amounts in potatoes and particular grains such as rice Corn starch is used as a thickener in stews STORE large shop where you can buy many different types of goods a department store SWEEP to clean especially a floor by using a brush to collect the dirt into one place from which it can be removed sweep the floor TAX to make someone pay a tax Husbands and wives may be taxed independently/together TEMPERATURE the measured amount of heat in a place or in the body Preheat the oven to a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius. TIME that part of existence which is measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, etc., or this process considered as a whole He wants to spend more time with his family. TITLE the name of a film, book, painting, piece of music, etc The title of Evelyn Waugh's first novel was 'Decline and Fall' TRANSPORT when people or goods are moved from one place to another the transport of live animals TRIAL the hearing of statements and showing of objects, etc. in a court of law to judge whether a person is guilty of a crime or to decide a case or a legal matter trial proceedings VEHICLE a machine usually with wheels and an engine, which is used for transporting people or goods on land, especially on roads A truck driver died last night when his vehicle overturned VOLUME the amount of space that is contained within an object or solid shape Which of these bottles do you think has the greater volume WATERPROOF not allowing water to go through Canvas boots are all right but they're not as waterproof as leather WAVE to raise your hand and move it from side to side as a way of greeting someone, telling them to do something or adding emphasis to an expression I waved to/at him from the window but he didn't see me. WEAPON any object used in fighting or war, such as a gun, bomb, sword, etc a lethal weapon WEIGHT the amount that something or someone weighs What weight can this lorry safely carry? WIDTH the distance across something from one side to the other It is 5 metres in width WINE an alcoholic drink which is usually made from grapes, but can also be made from other fruits or flowers. It is made by fermenting the fruit with water and sugar a wine cellar/connoisseur/cooler/glass YOUTH the period of your life when you are young, or the state of being young I was a fairly good football player in my youth.