3E EL Vocabulary List

Secondary Three Vocabulary List

Vocabulary List 1 Aback (adv) M to be shocked or surprised S 2 Abase (v) M behave in a way that makes other people respect you less S made a mistake. 3 Abate (v) M gradually become less serious or extreme S 4 Abdicate (v) M stop accepting a particular responsibility that you have S 5 Abet (v) M help or encourage someone to do something illegal or immoral S 6 Abort (v) M stop something before it is finished S 7 Abound (v) M to be present in large numbers or amounts S 8 Aboveboard (adj) M honest S 9 Abscond (v) M escape from a place where you are being kept as a punishment S 10 Absolve (v) M state officially that someone is free of any blame or responsibility in a particular matter S He was taken aback by her actions. The President was willing to abase himself before the nation, and admit that he The fighting showed no sign of abating. The government cannot abdicate responsibility for national security. They claimed that the riot had been abetted by the police. The mission had to be aborted because of a technical problem. Rumours abound about the breakup of her marriage. The deal was completely open and aboveboard. He was put into jail but absconded within a few days. The report absolves the pilot from any blame for the crash.

11 Abstain (v) M deliberately avoid doing something that is likely to cause serious problems S pregnancy. 12 Abysmal (adj) M extremely bad or low in quality S started to work harder for the O Level exams. 13 Acclaim (n) M public praise for someone or something S improve the country's economy. 14 Acclimatise (v) M become familiar with a new place, different weather conditions or new situation S condition. 15 Accolade (n) M an expression of praise and admiration S 16 Accost (v) M stop someone and speak to them, especially in a way that could annoy them S 17 Accustom (v) M gradually start to feel that something is normal or natural S 18 Acquit (v) M state officially that someone is not guilty of the crime S 19 Acrid (adj) M causing a burning feeling in the throat S 20 Acrimonious (adj) M describing an unpleasant situation because people feel angry towards each other A high percentage of women said they had abstained from alcohol during He was disappointed by his abysmal results in the preliminary exams and In a recent poll, the President won acclaim for introducing effective strategies to She arrived in Germany one week earlier to acclimatise to the new living She was full of accolades for his work. Wherever he goes he is accosted by young people asking for his autograph. She had to accustom herself to eating later in the evening. He was eventually acquitted of all the charges. Clouds of acrid smoke issued from the building.

S 21 Acuity (adj) M accuracy and effectiveness (of eyesight, hearing and thought) S 22 Acute (adj) M1 very serious or severe S1 M2 describing the senses and abilities of someone who notices things very quickly S2 23 Adhere (v) M obey a rule, law, agreement etc S 24 Admonish (v) M advise someone to do or not do something S 25 M the introduction of a new product, idea, custom, etc S 26 Adversity (n) M a difficult period in your life in which you have many problems S 27 Affirm (v) M state that something is true or you agree with it, especially in public S after graduating from an overseas University. 28 Affluent (adj) M having an abundance of wealth, property, or material goods; prosperous; rich S 29 Affront (v) M insult someone or make them shocked and angry S 30 Afoot (adj) The whole issue provoked an acrimonious debate which lasted all afternoon. Tiredness also affects visual acuity. The volunteers could not do anything to help the victims because there was an acute shortage of medical supplies. He gave an acute analysis of the situation. We must strictly adhere to the terms ot the contract. He was admonished by his teacher for making too much noise. Advent (n) Before the advent of computers, not many people know how to type. We struggled on in the face of adversity. He affirmed his loyalty to his country by returning to work for the government He comes from an affluent family as his father is a successful businessman. Ben was deeply affronted by the curt remark made by his friend.

M being planned or starting to happen S 31 Aftermath (n) M the effects and results of something bad or important S 32 Aggrieved (adj) M unhappy, hurt and angry because of unfair treatment S 33 Aghast (adj) M struck with overwhelming shock or amazement S 34 Airy-fairy (adj) M not practical or sensible S company any money. 35 Akin (adj) M similar to something S 36 Alienate (v) M make someone feel that they do not belong to a place or group S 37 Alleviate (v) M make something less painful, severe or serious S 38 Altruistic (adj) M willing to do something which benefit other people even if it results in disadvantage for yourself S probably looking for publicity. 39 Amass (v) M collect a lot of something such as money or information over a period of time S 40 Amateur (n) M someone who does not do something very well Plans are afoot to build a new leisure complex. How would they cope with the aftermath of the war? He felt aggrieved at not being chosen for the team. They stood aghast at the sight of the plane crashing. He spent his time dreaming up airy-fairy schemes that would never make the They speak a language akin to French. That handicapped boy was alienated by his classmates. The doctor has prescribed some drugs to alleviate the pain. I doubt whether her motives for donating the money are altruistic - she is They had amassed a fortune of $51 billion over a few years.

S six months ago. He is just an amateur on the golf course because he only just started learning

Vocabulary List 1 Babble (v) M speak quickly in a way that other people cannot understand easily S 2 Backfire (v) M if a plan or idea backfires, it has the opposite effect to the one you wanted S 3 Backlash (n) M a strong, negative and often angry reaction to something that has happened S 4 Badger (v) M make someone do something by asking them many times S 5 Banal (adj) M boring S 6 Bane (n) M something that annoys someone very much or causes them a lot of problems S 7 Banter (n) M friendly conversation in which people tell jokes and laugh at each other S 8 Barge (v) M move in a fast careless way, often hitting people or things S 9 Beckon (v) M signal to someone to come towards you S 10 Befuddled (adj) M confused S 11 Begrudge (v) M feel annoyed that you have to do something; resent S In his haste, he babbled something about witnessing an accident. His plan backfired when his wife discovered the hidden present. They feared a backlash against the new laws. The children kept badgering their father to take them to the show. I am so tired of watching another banal TV sitcom. Noisy and disobedient children are the bane of many mothers. The two good friends like to engage in a friendly banter once in a while. He barged past me without looking. He beckoned the waiter to ask for another bottle of wine. Befuddled by drink, he could not remember where he had left his bike. I begrudge paying so much just to park the car here for one hour.

12 Beguile (v) M persuade or trick someone into doing something, especially by saying something nice to them S 13 Belligerent (adj) M very unfriendly and angry S 14 Bemoan (v) M complain S 15 Benign (adj) M1 a benign disease is not cancer and will not kill you M2 kind and nice S 16 Berate (v) M talk to someone in an angry way because they have done something wrong S The discipline master berated the students for being late. 17 Beseech (v) M ask someone for something in an urgent and sincere way S 18 Bicker (v) M argue about things that are not important S 19 Binge (v) M do too much of something you enjoy, especially eating S 20 Blare (v) M make a loud and unpleasant noise S She was beguiled by that swindler's charm and lost all her money. I do not know why she is always so belliger