English Words From Voice of America (Charles Kelly)
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cabineta group of ministers that helps lead a government | |
callto give a name to ("I call myself John."); to ask for or request ("They called for an end to the fighting.") | |
calmquiet; peaceful; opposite tense | |
cameraa device for taking pictures | |
campa place with temporary housing | |
campaigna competition by opposing political candidates seeking support from voters; a connected series of military actions during a war | |
canto be able to; to have the right to; n. a container used to hold liquid or food, usually made of metal | |
cancelto end; to stop | |
cancera disease in which dangerous cells grow quickly and destroy parts of the body | |
candidatea person who seeks or is nominated for an office or an honor | |
capitalthe official center of a government; the city where a country's government is | |
capitalisman economic system in which the production of most goods and services is owned and operated for profit by private citizens or companies | |
captureto make a person or animal a prisoner; to seize or take by force; to get control of | |
cara vehicle with wheels used to carry people; an automobile; a part of a train | |
careto like; to protect; to feel worry or interest | |
carefulacting safely; with much thought | |
carryto take something or someone from one place to another | |
carry outto do; to put into effect ("Please carry out the plan.") | |
case (court)a legal action | |
case (medical)an incident of disease ("There was only one case of chicken pox at the school.") | |
cata small animal that often lives with humans | |
catchto seize after a chase; to stop and seize with the hands | |
causeto make happen; n. the thing or person that produces a result | |
ceasefirea halt in fighting, usually by agreement | |
celebrateto honor a person or event with special activities | |
cella small mass of living material that is part of all plants and animals | |
centerthe middle of something; the place in the middle; a place that is the main point of an activity | |
centuryone hundred years | |
ceremonyan act or series of acts done in a special way established by tradition | |
chairmana person leading a meeting or an organized group | |
championthe best; the winner | |
chancea possibility of winning or losing or that something will happen | |
changeto make different; to become different | |
chargeto accuse someone of something, usually a crime; n. a statement in which someone is accused of something | |
chaseto run or go after someone or something | |
cheatto get by a trick; to steal from | |
cheerto shout approval or praise | |
chemicalselements found in nature or made by people; substances used in the science of chemistry | |
chemistrythe scientific study of substances, what they are made of, how they act under different conditions, and how they form other substances | |
chiefthe head or leader of a group; ad. leading; most important | |
childa baby; a boy or girl | |
childrenmore than one child | |
chooseto decide between two or more | |
chromosomea line of genes; most human cells contain 46 chromosomes | |
circlea closed shape that has all its points equally distant from the center, like an "O" | |
citizena person who is a member of a country by birth or by law | |
cityany important large town | |
civil rightsthe political, economic and social rights given equally to all people of a nation | |
civiliannot military | |
claimto say something as a fact | |
clasha battle; v. to fight or oppose | |
cleanto make pure; ad. free from dirt or harmful substances ("clean water") | |
cleareasy to see or see through; easily understood | |
clergya body of officials within a religious organization | |
climatethe normal weather conditions of a place | |
climbto go up or down something by using the feet and sometimes the hands | |
clocka device that measures and shows time | |
closeto make something not open; ad. near to | |
clotha material made from plants, chemicals, animal hair and other substances | |
clotheswhat people wear | |
clouda mass of fog high in the sky | |
coala solid black substance used as fuel | |
coalitionforces, groups or nations joined together | |
coastland on the edge of the ocean | |
coffeea drink made from the plant of the same name | |
coldnot warm; having or feeling great coolness or a low temperature | |
collectto bring or gather together in one place; to demand and receive ("collect taxes") | |
collegea small university | |
colonyland controlled by another country or government | |
colorthe different effects of light on the eye, making blue, red, brown, black, yellow and others | |
combineto mix or bring together | |
cometo move toward; to arrive | |
commandto order; to have power over something | |
commentto say something about; to express an opinion about something | |
committeea group of people given special work | |
commonusual; same for all ("a common purpose") | |
communicateto tell; to give or exchange information | |
communitya group of people living together in one place or area | |
companya business organized for trade, industrial or other purposes | |
compareto examine what is different or similar | |
competeto try to do as well as, or better than, another or others | |
completehaving all parts; ended or finished | |
complexof or having many parts that are difficult to understand; not simple | |
compounda substance containing two or more elements | |
compromisethe settlement of an argument where each side agrees to accept less than first demanded | |
computeran electronic machine for storing and organizing information, and for communicating with others | |
concerninterest, worry ("express concern about"); v. to fear ("to be concerned") | |
condemnto say a person or action is wrong or bad | |
conditionsomething declared necessary to complete an agreement; a person's health | |
conferencea meeting | |
confirmto approve; to say that something is true | |
conflicta fight; a battle, especially a long one | |
congratulateto praise a person or to express pleasure for success or good luck | |
Congressthe organization of people elected to make the laws of the United States (the House of Representatives and the Senate); a similar organization in other countries | |
connectto join one thing to another; to unite; to link | |
conservativeone who usually supports tradition and opposes great change | |
considerto give thought to; to think about carefully | |
constitutionthe written general laws and ideas that form a nation's system of government | |
containto hold; to include | |
containera box, bottle or can used to hold something | |
continentany of the seven great land areas of the world | |
continueto go on doing or being | |
controlto direct; to have power over | |
conventiona large meeting for a special purpose | |
cookto heat food before eating it | |
coolalmost cold | |
cooperateto act or work together | |
copyto make something exactly like another; n. something made to look exactly like another | |
corna food grain | |
correcttrue; free from mistakes; v. to change to what is right | |
costthe price or value of something ("The cost of the book is five dollars."); v. to be valued at ("The book costs five dollars.") | |
cottona material made from a plant of the same name | |
countto speak or add numbers | |
countrya nation; the territory of a nation; land away from cities | |
courtwhere trials take place; where judges make decisions about law | |
coverto put something over a person or thing; n. anything that is put over a person or thing | |
cowa farm animal used for its milk | |
crashto fall violently; to hit with great force | |
createto make; to give life or form to | |
creatureany living being; any animal or human | |
creditan agreement that payments will be made at a later time | |
crewa group of people working together | |
crimean act that violates a law | |
criminala person who is responsible for a crime | |
crisisan extremely important time when something may become much better or worse; a dangerous situation | |
criticizeto say what is wrong with something or someone; to condemn; to judge | |
cropsplants that are grown and gathered for food, such as grains, fruits and vegetables | |
crossto go from one side to another; to go across | |
crowda large number of people gathered in one place | |
crushto damage or destroy by great weight; to defeat completely | |
cryto express or show sorrow or pain | |
cultureall the beliefs, traditions and arts of a group or population | |
cureto improve health; to make well ("The doctor can cure the disease."); n. something that makes a sick person well ("Antibiotics are a cure for infection.") | |
curfewan order to people to stay off the streets or to close their businesses | |
currentmovement of air, water or electricity; ad. belonging to the present time ("She found the report in a current publication.") | |
customa long-established belief or activity of a people | |
customstaxes on imports | |
cutto divide or injure with a sharp tool; to make less; to reduce | |