Open Mind

BEGINNER WORD LIST

UNIT THREE
Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence
account noun [count.] /əˈkaʊnt/ an arrangement you have with My email account page is in
a company or internet provider English.
to use a service they provide
actress noun [count.] /ˈæktrəs/ a woman who performs in Julia Roberts is an actress.
plays and films, especially as
her job
advertisement noun [count.] /ədˈvɜː(r)tɪsmənt/ a short film on television or I saw an advertisement for a
short article on radio that is new car on TV last night.
intended to persuade people
to buy something
after conjunction /ˈɑːftə(r)/ when a particular time has First, I read the text. Then,
passed, or when an event or I read it again. After that,
action has ended I check new words in a
dictionary.
age noun [count.] /eɪdʒ/ the number of years that My mum is the same age as my
someone has lived dad. They are both 48.
agree verb /əˈɡriː/ to have the same opinion as ‘I think children watch too
someone else much TV.’ ‘I agree.’
American adjective /əˈmerɪkən/ from the US Jay Z is American.
answer noun [count.] /ˈɑːnsə(r)/ a spoken or written reply Write answers to the questions.
to a question in a test or
competition
Arabic noun /ˈærəbɪk/ the language that most people People in Egypt speak Arabic.
speak in the Middle East and in
most countries of North Africa
article noun [count.] /ˈɑː(r)tɪk(ə)l/ a piece of writing about a I have just read a magazine
particular subject that is article about studying abroad.
published in a newspaper or
magazine
Australia noun /ɒˈstreɪlɪə/ a country in Australia He’s from Adelaide in Australia.
Australian adjective /ɒˈstreɪliən/ from Australia He’s from Australia.
He’s Australian.
bad adjective /bæd/ likely to cause major problems Biting your nails is a bad habit.
best friend noun [count.] /best frend/ the friend that you like best Her best friend is Heather.
She has known her for 10
years.
boyfriend noun [count.] /ˈbɔɪˌfrend/ a man or boy that you are Her boyfriend’s American.
having a romantic relationship She loves him.
with
Brazil noun /brəˈzɪl/ a country in South America He’s from Rio de Janeiro in
Brazil.
Brazilian adjective /brəˈzɪlɪən/ from Brazil Jackie is from Brazil. She is
Brazilian.
British adjective /ˈbrɪtɪʃ/ from the UK Rob is from Scotland. He is
British.
buy verb /baɪ/ to get something by paying I buy English magazines.
money for it

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

check verb /tʃek/ to look at writing or pictures in I always check new words in
order to get information about my dictionary.
something
China noun /ˈtʃaɪnə/ a country in Asia Jet Li is from China.
Chinese adjective /ˌtʃaɪˈniːz/ from China Jackie Chan is Chinese.
Chinese noun /ˌtʃaɪˈniːz/ the group of related languages The new student is from China.
that people speak in China He speaks Chinese.
city noun [count.] /ˈsɪti/ a large important town São Paulo is a city.
clothing noun [uncount.] /ˈkləʊðɪŋ/ clothes in general You need to pack some warm
clothing for the trip.
comic noun [count.] /ˈkɒmɪk/ a magazine for children that I like reading comics. They
contains stories told in a series are fun.
of drawings
country noun [count.] /ˈkʌntri/ an area of land that has its own Japan is a country.
government
dad noun [count.] /dæd/ your father My dad drives me to college.
He’s a great father.
daughter noun [count.] /ˈdɔːtə(r)/ your female child Her daughter’s name is
Hannah.
Egypt noun /ˈiːdʒɪpt/ a country in Africa She’s from Cairo in Egypt.
Egyptian adjective /ɪˈdʒɪpʃ(ə)n/ from Egypt She from Egypt. She’s
Egyptian.
else adverb /els/ used for showing that you Would you like something else
are referring to other things, to drink?
people, places etc, apart from
the particular ones that you
mention or know about
family noun [count.] /ˈfæm(ə)li/ a group of people who live There are five people in my
together and are related to family.
one another
family member noun [count.] /ˈfæm(ə)li someone who belongs to My brother is a family member.
membə(r)/ a family
family tree noun [count.] /ˈfæm(ə)li triː/ a drawing that contains The family tree shows all my
the names of everyone in a family members.
family and that shows the
relationships between them
famous adjective /ˈfeɪməs/ if someone or something is Heidi Klum is a famous person.
famous a lot of people know
their name or have heard
about them
father noun [count.] /ˈfɑːðə(r)/ your male parent My father’s name is William.
He was named after my
grandfather.
football player noun [count.] /ˈfʊtˌbɔːl pleɪə(r)/ someone who plays American Tom Brady is an American
football, especially as their job football player.
France noun /frɑːns/ a country in Europe Pierre is from Paris in France.
French adjective /frɛn(t)ʃ/ from France Marie is from France. She is
French.
French noun /frɛn(t)ʃ/ the language that people Marie is from France.
speak in France, Belgium and She speaks French.
several other countries
fun adjective /fʌn/ enjoyable At home I like to read
something fun, like a comic.

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

German adjective /ˈdʒəːmən/ from Germany Max is from Germany. He is
German.
German noun /ˈdʒəːmən/ the official language of People in Austria speak
Germany, Austria and German.
Liechtenstein, and one of
the official languages of
Switzerland
Germany noun /ˈdʒəːməni/ a country in Europe Lukas is from Berlin in
Germany.
good adjective /ɡʊd/ reasonable or sensible It is good to read in English as
much as possible.
grandfather noun [count.] /ˈɡræn(d)ˌfɑːðə(r)/ the father of one of your My grandfather’s name is Joe.
parents He is my father’s father.
grandmother noun [count.] /ˈɡræn(d)ˌmʌðə(r)/ the mother of one of your Their grandmother’s name is
parents Betty. She is their mother’s
mother.
habit noun [count.] /ˈhæbɪt/ something that you do often Smoking is a very bad habit.
or regularly, often without
thinking about it
house noun [count.] /haʊs/ a building for living in He lives in a house.
how much question word /haʊ mʌtʃ/ used for asking or saying what I read quickly to see how much
the amount of something is I understand.
how old question word /haʊ əʊld/ what age ‘How old is your sister?’
‘She’s 17.’
husband noun [count.] /ˈhʌzbənd/ the man that a woman is My husband’s name is William.
married to We have been married for 12
years.
identify verb /aɪˈdentɪfaɪ/ to recognise something and It’s easy to identify the topic of
understand exactly what it is this reading passage.
if conjunction /ɪf/ used for introducing a situation If you don’t know a word, stop
that always has the same reading.
result, meaning, or effect
international adjective /ˌɪntə(r)ˈnæʃ(ə)nəl/ involving several countries Heidi Klum is an international
top model.
Italian adjective /ɪˈtæljən/ from Italy Maria is from Rome. She is
Italian.
Italian noun /ɪˈtæljən/ the language that people People in Italy speak Italian.
speak in Italy
job noun [count.] /dʒɒb/ work that you do regularly to ‘Has he got a job?’ ‘Yes, he’s a
earn money teacher.’
know verb /nəʊ/ to have learnt or found out Use a dictionary to find the
about something meaning of words you don’t
know.
look at phrasal verb /ˈlʊk ət/ to direct your eyes towards Look at the picture to help you
someone or something so that understand the text.
you can see them
lots phrase /lɒts/ a large number, amount, or I have seen that film lots
quantity of times.
magazine noun [count.] /ˌmæɡəˈziːn/ a large thin book with a paper I enjoy reading music
cover, containing reports, magazines.
photographs, stories etc,
usually published once a
month or once a week

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

map noun [count.] /mæp/ a drawing of an area that This is a map of the world.
shows the positions of things It shows where all the
such as countries, rivers, cities countries are.
and streets
maybe adverb /ˈmeɪbi/ used for showing that you are Maybe other words can help
not sure whether something is you understand what the
true or whether something will unknown word means.
happen
mean verb /miːn/ to have a particular meaning Can you tell me what this word
means?
Mexican adjective /ˈmeksɪkən/ from Mexico She’s from Mexico. She’s
Mexican.
Mexico noun /ˈmɛksɪkəʊ/ a country in North America She’s from Cancún in Mexico.
model noun [count.] /ˈmɒd(ə)l/ a person whose job is to She’s an international model.
appear in magazines or fashion
shows wearing clothes for sale
mother noun [count.] /ˈmʌðə(r)/ your female parent My mother’s name is Mary.
She was named after my
grandmother.
mum noun [count.] /mʌm/ a mother. This word is used by My mum cooks my dinner
people to talk about or talk to every night. She is a great
their mother mother.
nationality noun [count.] /ˌnæʃəˈnæləti/ a group of people who have His nationality is Japanese.
the same race, language, or
culture
native adjective /ˈneɪtɪv/ your native language or native I always translate English words
tongue is the first language into my native language.
that you learn, usually in the
country where you were born
newspaper noun [count.] /ˈnjuːzˌpeɪpə(r)/ a set of large printed sheets of I read a newspaper every day
folded paper containing news, to find out what is happening
articles, and other information, in the world.
usually published every day
old adjective /əʊld/ used for talking about the age ‘How old is your dad?’
of someone or something ‘He’s 47.’
package noun [count.] /ˈpækɪdʒ/ an object or set of objects I’ll send you a package of
wrapped in a box or in paper books and DVDs.
and sent or given to someone
page noun [count.] /peɪdʒ/ the writing or pictures on a This website page is in English.
computer screen that you can
see at one time, for example as
part of a website
paragraph noun [count.] /ˈpærəˌɡrɑːf/ or a section of a piece of writing Read each paragraph in the
/ˈpærəˌɡræf/ that begins on a new line text carefully.
and contains one or more
sentences
parent noun [count.] /ˈpeərənt/ a mother or father Your mother is one of your
parents.
Portuguese adjective /ˌpɔː(r)tʃʊˈɡiːz/ from Portugal Paula is from Lisbon. She is
Portuguese.
Portuguese noun [uncount.] /ˌpɔː(r)tʃʊˈɡiːz/ the language that people People in Brazil speak
speak in Portugal. Portuguese Portuguese.
is also the official language of
Brazil

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

questionnaire noun [count.] /ˌkwestʃəˈneə(r)/ a set of questions that a lot of Can you answer this
people are asked as a way of questionnaire?
getting information about what
people think or do generally
quickly adverb /ˈkwɪkli/ at a fast speed I read quickly to see how much
I understand.
read verb /riːd/ to look at and understand I read magazines in English.
words in a letter, book,
newspaper etc
reading noun [uncount.] /ˈriːdɪŋ/ something that you read What is the topic of this
reading?
same adjective /seɪm/ exactly like another person, My twin brother and I are the
thing, or way of doing same age.
something
see verb /siː/ to notice someone or Do you see English in many
something using your eyes advertisements?
short adjective /ʃɔː(r)t/ expressed in few words, or I read short magazine articles.
containing few pages
silently adverb /ˈsaɪləntli/ a silent action or activity is I read new texts silently to help
done without talking or making me understand them.
any sounds
sister noun [count.] /ˈsɪstə(r)/ a daughter of your parents His younger sister’s name
is Lisa. She lives with their
parents.
some determiner /sʌm/ or /səm/ used for showing that you are I check some words in my
only referring to part of an dictionary, but not all of them.
amount, group, or number and
not all of it
something pronoun /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/ used for referring to a thing, I always read something fun,
idea, fact etc when you do not like a comic.
know or say exactly what it is
son noun [count.] /sʌn/ your male child Our eldest son’s name is
Johnny. He’s five.
Spanish adjective /ˈspænɪʃ/ from Spain She’s from Spain. She’s
Spanish.
Spanish noun /ˈspænɪʃ/ the language of Spain and Many people in Latin America
most countries in South and speak Spanish.
Central America
stop verb /stɒp/ to no longer do something If you don’t know a word, don’t
stop reading.
text noun [count.] /tekst/ a short piece of writing I read and listen to the text at
that you discuss or answer the same time.
questions about
text message noun [count.] /ˈtekst mesɪdʒ/ a written message that you I sent a text message from my
send or receive using a mobile mobile phone.
phone
that pronoun /ðæt/ used when you are referring First, I read and listen to the
to someone or something that text at the same time. That
has already been mentioned helps me understand.
time noun [count./ /taɪm/ a moment I was listening to music and
uncount.] reading a magazine at the
same time.
title noun [count.] /ˈtaɪt(ə)l/ the name of a book, poem, ‘What is the title of this
film, play, or other work of art article?’ ‘It’s “Do you read in
English?”’

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Definition Sample Sentence

topic noun [count.] /ˈtɒpɪk/ a subject that you write or ‘What is the topic of this
speak about article?’ ‘It’s about wild animals
in Africa.’
town noun [count.] /taʊn/ a place where people live ‘What town are you from?’
and work that is larger than a ‘I’m from Doncaster.’
village but smaller than a city
translate verb /trænsˈleɪt/ to change spoken or written I translate sentences into my
words into another language own language.
twin noun [count.] /twɪn/ one of two children born at the My twin sister and I look the
same time to the same mother same.
the UK noun /ðə ˌjuː ˈkeɪ/ the United Kingdom Prince William is from the UK.
understand verb /ˌʌndə(r)ˈstænd/ to know what someone or It’s good to keep reading and
something means try to understand as much as
possible.
the United noun /ˌðə juːˈnaɪtɪd a country in North America Taylor Swift is from the United
States steɪts/ States.
unknown adjective /ʌnˈnəʊn/ if something is unknown, There are a lot of unknown
people do not know about it or words in this reading text.
do not know what it is I need to look them up in
my dictionary.
the USA noun /ðə ˌjuː ˈes/ the United States (of America) President Obama is from
the USA.
website noun [count.] /ˈwebˌsaɪt/ a place on the internet where This is a really good website.
information is available about a I can read it on the bus on my
particular subject, organisation tablet computer.
etc
what question word /wɒt/ which thing What’s her name?
where question word /weə(r)/ in or to what place Where are your parents from?
who question word /huː/ which person Who’s our new teacher?
wife noun [count.] /waɪf/ the woman that a man is He is married and his wife’s
married to name is Julie.

USEFUL EXPRESSIONS
Useful Expressions Topic / Category Sample Sentence
He’s/She’s a ... Making introductions She’s a teacher.
He’s/She’s/They’re from ... Making introductions They’re from Brazil.
He’s/She’s/They’re my ... Making introductions She’s my sister.
How old are you? Making introductions How old are you?
I’d like you to meet ... Making introductions I’d like you to meet Sue. She’s my sister.
I’m/He’s/She’s ... Making introductions He’s 15.
I’m/He’s/She’s ... Making introductions I’m French.
I’m from ... Making introductions I’m from Germany.
I speak/He/She speaks ... Making introductions I speak Spanish.
Let me introduce you to ... Making introductions Let me introduce you to my mother.
My name’s ... Making introductions My name’s Andrew.
This is ... Making introductions This is my brother.
Where are you from? Making introductions A: Hi. Where are you from?
B: I’m from Ireland.

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