openMind

level 3 WORD LIST

UNIT seven
Word / Phrase Part of Speech

Phonetic Spelling

Definition

assume

verb

/sum/

to believe that something is

Dont assume that you will play
true, even though you have no on the team, since there are a
proof
lot of good players.

assumption

noun [count]

/smp()n/

something that you think is

likely to be true, although you
cannot be certain

Its important not to make

assumptions until we know all
the facts.

blind

adjective

/bland/

unable to see. Some people

prefer to use the expression
visually impaired.

Blind and sighted children

attend the same school.

brain

noun [count]

/bren/

the organ inside your head that The human brain is divided
into two halves.
allows you to think and feel,
and controls your body

challenge
yourself

verb

/tlnd jrself/ to push yourself to do more

difficult things

child prodigy

noun [count]

/tald prddi/

a child who is extremely skillful His five-year-old son plays the

at something that usually only piano better than most adults;
adults can do
he could be a child prodigy.

coin

noun [count]

/kn/

a flat, round piece of metal

I need some coins for the
with special designs on it, used parking meter.
as money

crucial

adjective

/kru()l/

Hard work is crucial to exam

something that is crucial is
extremely important because it success.
has a major effect on the result
of something

deaf

adjective

/def/

not able to hear anything or not Hes a little deaf in one ear, but
able to hear very well. Many deaf he can cope at school.
people wear a hearing aid to
help them hear. Deaf people
often use their hands to
communicate in sign language
and many can lip-read what
other people are saying.

defining factor noun [count]

/dfan fktr/

a feature or quality that shows

exactly what someone or
something is like

develop an
ability

phrase

/dvelp n
blti/

to become skillful at something We develop abilities in many

things as we grow older.

exceptional

adjective

/ksepn()l/

extremely good or impressive

in a way that is unusual

Only very exceptional students

get into MIT to study.

exist

verb

/zst/

to be real or to appear in the

real world

Shes twelve, and she still

believes that fairies exist!

explore the
possibilities

phrase

/ksplr
psbltiz/

to examine or discuss all the

different options

She has explored all the

possibilities, but she hasnt
found any nice apartments.

figure out

phrasal verb

/fjr at/

to be able to understand
We had to figure out the
something or to solve a problem connection between the
two events.

/fand slu()n/

to think of a way to solve a

problem

find a solution phrase

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Sample Sentence

Shes studying for another

degree to challenge herself.

The defining factor of genius is

originality.

UN leaders are working hard to

find a solution to the conflict.

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech

Phonetic Spelling

Definition

Sample Sentence

genius

noun [count]

/dinis/

someone who is much more

intelligent or skillful than other
people

There are very few geniuses

in the world, but Leonardo da
Vinci was one of them.

gifted

adjective

/ftd/

a gifted person has an

impressive natural ability

My daughters teacher says she

is a gifted child.

glass

noun [noncount]

/ls/

a small container made of glass You should serve champagne

used for a drink
in a tall, narrow glass.

go back over

verb phrase

/o bk ovr/

to do something again from

the beginning, or to check
what you have done

In this online test, you cannot

go back over the questions.
Once you have clicked on an
answer, you cannot change
your mind.

hard and fast

adjective

/hrd nd fst/

fixed, and not able to be

changed, or to be different

Its not a hard and fast rule; its

not true for everyone!

hopeful

adjective

/hopfl/

believing that something will

happen in the way that you
want it to

In spite of our differences, we

remain hopeful that a solution
can be found.

hopeless

adjective

/hopls/

very unlikely to succeed or

improve

Im hopeless at playing tennis.

I always lose.

illustrate

verb

/lstret/

to show what something is like, The following examples

or to show that something is
illustrate our approach to
true
customer service.

incredibly

adverb

/nkredbli/

extremely

intelligence

noun [noncount]

/nteldns/

the ability to understand and

Maria had humor and
think about things, and to gain intelligence, as well as beauty.
and use knowledge

inventor

noun [count]

/nventr/

someone who has invented

something or whose job is to
invent things

IQ

noun [noncount]

/a kju/

intelligence quotient: a number He has a very high IQ, but no

that represents someones
common sense!
intelligence

keyboard

noun [count]

/kibrd/

a musical instrument that has

keys, especially an electric
piano

left-brain

adjective

/left bren/

left-brain thinkers rely more on Left-brain thinkers tend to like

art and music at school.
the part of their brain that is
used for thinking creatively and
intuitively

left-handed

adjective

/left hndd/

someone who is left-handed is

born with a natural tendency
to use their left hand to do
things, especially things such
as writing

lift

verb

/lft/

to move something to a higher I cannot lift the suitcase; it is

position
too heavy.

like

preposition

/lak/

used for introducing an example You should avoid fatty foods

of something or someone that
like cake and cookies.
you have just mentioned

logic

noun [noncount]

/ldk/

Logic is useless in understanding

the way that someone
connects ideas when they are how we fall in love with
explaining something or giving someone.
a reason

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It was incredibly difficult to fit

everyone in because the room
was so small.

Leonardo da Vinci was a

scientist, an inventor, a writer,
and an artist!

I can play the keyboard and

the piano because they are
really similar.

According to studies, lefthanded people are more

artistic than right-handed
people.

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech

Phonetic Spelling

Definition

Sample Sentence

matchstick

noun [count]

/mtstk/

a single match made of wood

He used to build things out of

matchsticks when he was
a child.

of some kind

phrase

/v sm kand/

a type of person or thing

Shes working on a business

deal of some kind in France.

ordinary

adjective

/rd()neri/

normal or average, and not

unusual or special

Most ordinary people need a

calculator to do that equation.

originality

noun [noncount]

/rdnlti/

the quality of being new,

interesting, and different

His writing shows real originality.

overlook

verb

/ovrlk/

to fail to consider someone

or something, or to fail to
recognize success

She was overlooked for the job

because she was considered
too old at 55. The successful
candidate was only 30.

painful

adjective

/penf()l/

making you feel upset,

ashamed, or unhappy or
causing physical pain

I have a sore throat and its

really painful when I swallow.

painless

adjective

/penls/

not causing any physical pain,

or less difficult or unpleasant
than you expected

I was very worried about the

interview, but in fact it was
pretty painless.

perhaps

adverb

/prhps/

used when you are making a

suggestion, giving advice, or
making a polite request

Maybe you should stay home if

you dont feel well?

poor

adjective

/pr/

of low quality

The teacher said his

schoolwork was poor.

powerless

adjective

/parls/

not able to control or prevent

something

She was powerless to stop him.

raise

verb

/rez/

to make people start to think

about or realize something

The accident raises a number

of questions about the safety
of the system.

range

verb

/rend/

to be included in a group of
The scores ranged from
numbers, ages, measurements, 4298%.
etc. with particular fixed limits

reader

noun [count]

/ridr/

someone who reads, especially Readers of our magazine will

someone who reads a particular be familiar with her column.
newspaper, book, or magazine

right-brain

adjective

/rat bren/

Right-brain thinkers are often

right-brain thinkers rely more
on the part of their brain that is good at math.
used for thinking logically and
systematically

right-handed

adjective

/rat hndd/

naturally tending to use your

right hand rather than your
left hand to do things such as
writing

Hes right-handed, but all the

other members of his family
are left-handed.

rock star

noun [count]

/rk str/

a famous singer or musician

who performs rock music

Rod Stewart is a famous rock

star from the 1980s and 90s.

speculate

verb

/spekjlet/

to consider or discuss why

something has happened or
what might happen

We can only speculate on

the reasons for his sudden
resignation.

straight

adjective

/stret/

without a bend or curve

Use a ruler to draw straight lines.

successful

adjective

/sksesfl/

achieving the result that you

want or doing well in your
career

The team has had a very

successful season.

systematically

adverb

/sstmtkli/

in a way that is according to a

careful plan

The collection has not been

systematically updated.

talented

adjective

/tlntd/

someone who is talented is

very good at something

He is a very talented artist;

his paintings are amazing!

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Word / Phrase Part of Speech

Phonetic Spelling

Definition

Sample Sentence

test

verb

/test/

to examine something to find

out if it is satisfactory or if it
has a particular quality

It is only a theory until you

test it.

thoughtful

adjective

/tf()l/

kind, and showing that you

think about what other people
want or need

Thank you; the flowers were a

very thoughtful gift.

thoughtless

adjective

/tls/

not thinking about what other

people want or need

It was thoughtless of Michael

to take the car without asking.

upside-down

adjective

/psad dan/

with the top part at the bottom She made a bench with two
or lower than the bottom part upside-down pots and a plank
of wood.

useless

adjective

/jusls/

not effective in achieving the

purpose that something was
intended to achieve

Why do you keep this

completely useless umbrella? It
doesnt open!

well-known

adjective

/wel non/

known by many people or

by the people involved in a
particular situation

Hes a well-known actor in

Russia, but nobody knows him
here in the U.S.

work of art

noun [count]

/wrk v rt/

something such as a painting

The museum was full of
or sculpture that is of very high priceless works of art.
quality

Useful Expressions
Useful Expressions

Topic / Category

Sample Sentence

be under pressure

Think again!

Children these days are under a lot

of pressure.

It cant be

Think again!

It cant be Jeff; hes away on vacation.

It could be

Think again!

It could be A or B, but its definitely not C.

It looks like

Think again!

It looks like Greg, but I dont think it is him.

way of working

Think again!

His way of working is very different from

mine, so I prefer to work on my own.

Macmillan Publishers Limited 2014