Unit 1

Word

Definition

Example

creative

relating to or involving the use of the imagination or original ideas to create something

Tina's quite creative – she loves making things out of plastic bottles.

curious

eager to know or learn something

Fans of gangsta rap tend to be curious about the world.

dependable

able to be trusted to do what you need or expect

Amira's totally dependable – if she says she'll be there, then she will.

friendly

kind and pleasant

Our new teacher is very friendly, she always tries to help everyone.

generous

willing to give money, help, kindness, etc., especially more than is usual or expected

A person who likes giving people things is generous

negative

harmful, unpleasant, or not wanted

A lot of sun has a negative effect on your skin

polite

behaving in a way that is socially correct and shows understanding of and care for other people's feeling

Jill's so polite – she always says 'please' and 'thank you' and never says rude words.

popular

liked or admired by many people or by a particular person or group.

Dance music is very popular nowadays

serious

a serious problem, situation, etc. is very bad and worrying

Drugs are a serious problem here.

shy

nervous and embarrassed about meeting and speaking to other people, especially people you do not know

A person who is nervous and uncomfortable meeting new people is shy.

unreliable

not able to be trusted or believed

Gareth's a bit unreliable, so he'll probably be late tomorrow.

look after

take care of

A babysitter usually looks after us on Friday evenings.

look forward to

be excited about something in the future

I'm really looking forward to my birthday!

look into

investigate

The police are looking into the cause of the accident.

look up

(try to) find information in a book, dictionary, etc.

If you don't know the meaning of the word, look it up in a dictionary.

turn into

change from one thing into another

It takes many years for a tiny acorn to turn into a big oak tree.

turn off

make a machine (e.g. a TV or computer) stop working temporarily

Turn off the computer when you've finished with it.

turn on

make a machine (e.g. a TV or computer) start working

Turn on the laptop, then enter your password.

turn over

proceed to the next page of a book or magazine

If you turn over the page, you'll see a map of Egypt.

a long time

considerable amount of time

Have you lived in that house for a long time?

fast asleep

sleeping very deeply

The cat was fast asleep in its basket when we got home.

in big trouble

having problems

You'll be in big trouble if you don't tidy your bedroom soon!

wide awake

not being sleeping

When I heard a noise downstairs, I went from being fast asleep to being wide awake in about one second!

create

to make something exist that did not exist before

Due to job losses, there's a need to create more high-quality jobs in the EU.

depend

to need (someone or something) for support, help, etc

I'm depending on him to organise everything.

friend

a person who you know well and who you like a lot, but who is usually not a member of your family

All my friends like rock music.

person

a human being, especially considered as someone with their own particular character

He's a very important person.

rely

depend on with full trust or confidence

I'm asking you because I know I can rely on you.