LESSON ONE

Definition is an explanation of what a word means. What is the definition

of the word stern? Stern means the same as strict or severe. For example:

The sergeant is a stern soldier. He wants his men to carry out his orders
promptly and exactly. Soldiers must obey their sergeant. We say, that strict
is a synonym of stern because both words almost mean the same thing.
Severe is another synonym of stern.

Indulgent means the opposite of stern. An indulgent person is one who pardons easily. For example:
Toms mother is very indulgent with him, when he does something bad, she pardons him easily. We
say that the word indulgent is an antonym of the word stern because it means the very opposite, just
as good is the antonym of bad

Bricks are used in order to build a house. Without bricks or other similar
construction material, it is impossible to build a house. Words are the
bricks that make up a language. In order to know a language you must
build up a vocabulary of words and know their meaning. The more words
you know, the larger will be the construction of your language.

We find the meanings of words in a dictionary. You must learn how to use the dictionary because it is
a very handy tool in building up your vocabulary. A dictionary will also teach you how to pronounce a
word correctly. Any good English dictionary will have a pronunciation key. A key is a tool or an
instrument with which you can lock and unlock a door. You have the key to your house because you
are the owner or boss of your house. A key is the symbol of possession of something. Once you know
the pronunciation key of an English Dictionary, you have possession of the pronunciation of any
English word. If you know the pronunciation key well, you will be able to pronounce any word in the
dictionary.

English pronunciation is more complex than other languages, for example Spanish. The reason for
this is because the English vowels can be pronounced in different ways.
For example: The vowel A has at least four different sounds:

A as in the word: make.

A as in the word: ask.
A as in the word: arm.
A as in: ago.

In Spanish every letter in the alphabet has a fixed sound. That is why it is easier to pronounce. In any
good English dictionary the different sounds of the vowels and consonants are indicated by a symbol
or sign over the letter. For example the word make, pronounced /mik/ the letter a has a line over
it. This means that the letter A is long. A vowel is long when its sound is the same as in the English
alphabet. The long vowels are: // // // // //, as found in the words: make, eat, ice, Joe,
cube.

The pronunciation key will give you special symbols, which are equivalent to the sounds of each of the
letters of the English alphabet.
This is the symbol for an apostrophe (). (a) This is the symbol of a schwa. It represents the sound of
the vowels found in the words: alone, silent, unit, control, uncle, etc. This sound is not found in
Spanish but it is frequently used in English, French, and other languages. Listen closely to the pronun-
ciation of these words: asleep, silent, cut, but, done, run, fun, gun, circus, Agent, system, bud, and
buddy.

_______________________________________________________________________________

What is the meaning of the word definition? _____________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
What is a synonym? ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
What is an antonym? _______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
What are the bricks that make up a language? ____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Where can you find the meaning and pronunciation of a word? ____________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
What is a key? ____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Do you know the English pronunciation key? ____________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Why is the English pronunciation harder than other languages? ______________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
What are the long vowels in English? ___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
What is a schwa? __________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________.
What is a dictionary? _______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
What is an indulgent person? _________________________________________________________
 LESSON TWO

Lean Adj. I. Thin: not fat. Bears are lean in the spring because they
hibernate all winter long. Do you like lean meat?
2. v. To rest against something in an angle. I am leaning against the wall
because Im tired.
3. v. To bend over. The man leaned over to pick up the broken clock.
The word lean has at least three different meanings. That is why we say it
is a homonym. A homonym is a word that has the same
pronunciation as another word but with a different
meaning. Sometimes a homonym also has a different spelling like the words deer and
dear. A deer is a wild animal that lives in the mountain and can run very swiftly. The
male or he-deer has long horns. Dear is an adjective, which means loved. When we write
friendly letters, we put the word Dear before the name of the person to whom we are
writing. For example: Dear Pat.

The word lean can be used as an adjective or as a verb. An adjective is a part of speech or a word that
is used to describe the quality or characteristics of a person, animal or thing. Adjectives are also used
to classily things; limit their extension, and separate one thing from another. For example: you have a
box of eight pencils. Each pencil has a different color: a green pencil, a red pencil, a yellow pencil, and
so forth. Each pencil is classified by the colors red, yellow, green, etc. The word pencil is common to
all eight pencils and, as a matter of fact, to all the pencils of the world, but not all of pencils have the
same color. In this sense adjectives limit the extension of words. Likewise, if we say: The red pencil is
long but the green pencil is short, the adjectives long and short tell us that the red and green pencils
not only have different colors but also different sizes. The more adjectives we add on to a word the
more specific the word becomes and the less extension it has.

A language, like a car, has many parts. These parts are called parts of speech. Each part of
speech has many words that make up a language. In English there are eight parts of speech,
which are called: adjective, noun, verb, adverb, conjunction, interjection, pronoun and
preposition. Each part of a car has a different purpose: the motor makes the automobile move; the
steering wheel keeps it on the right direction, the windshield protects the driver
from the wind, and so on. The same thing can be said about the parts of
speech. Each one has a different function as we have already seen about the
adjective. We will learn more about the parts of speech as we go along.

The word lean is also a verb with two different meanings. A verb is a very important part of speech. It
is like the motor of a car. We say that the engine or motor is essential to the automobile because
without it the car wont move. Verbs express action, they tell us what the subject does and when he
does it. In the sentence: I am taking the book. I is the subject, am taking is the verb, and the book is
the direct object. Since the verb tells us what the subject does or is doing, we can ask the question:
What am I doing? And will come out with the answer: I am taking the book.

Verbs also express time. They tell us when the action took, is taking or will take place, as if I say: I was
born. I am living, and I will die. This is the reason why we say that verbs have different tenses, namely,
the past, the present, and the future.
 Now compare these two sentences: The mouse ate the cheese; the
mouse was caught in the trap. In the first sentence, the mouse,
subject, did the acting, namely, he ate the cheese. We say that the
mouse is active, because it performed an action, which is eating the
cheese. But in the second sentence the mouse is definitely not active:
it is passive. The words passive and active are antonyms. You have probably heard the expression. He is
a very active man. It means that this person does many things. The contrary to an active person is a
passive person. A passive man is one who likes things to be done for him: he prefers to get rather than
to give.

One thing is to knock out and another thing is to be

knocked out. The prizefighter who knocks his opponent
out wins the match. The boxer who is knocked out loses.
A verb not only expresses an action done by the subject,
but also an action suffered by the subject. That is why they
are classified into active and passive verbs. Passive verbs go
with the verb to be, to get, and to become. These three sentences practically mean the same things. He
was hurt. He got hurt. He became hurt.
 LESSON THREE

Jaw: noun. The bone in the lower part of the face that holds the teeth, and is used as
a hinge to open and close the mouth. Hinge n. Two pieces of metal, that turn on a
pivot, used on doors to make them swing open and closed. A door usually has two
hinges. Some boxes, suitcases, and trunks have hinges.

Every person, animal, and thing in the world has a name: Shirley rabbit,
needle, Acapulco are names. The name is not the person, animal, or thing but
it is so closely united to it, that we can hardly separate one from the other.
Each language has a deficient name for different things. Take the word bird,
for example: People all over the world know what a bird is. Yet, in Italy it is
called uccello, in Mexico pjaro, in France oiseau. If an object and its name
were one and the same thing, the object would have the same name all over
the world. But it doesnt, and that is why we say that a name is not the person,
animal, or thing

The world and the Universe are made up of many things. Each thing is called by a name in order to
distinguish it from all the other things. Almost every nation has a different name for one thing as we have
already seen in the word bird. This makes things more complicated. Things would be more simple if all
people spoke the same language.

The different languages have developed because humans have been separated from each other
geographically. This means that the world is so big that people have not become acquainted
with each other. Things are named conventionally. This means that certain people get
together and decide to call a bird uccollo in one part of the world, and other people,
separated by land and mountains, decide to call it "pajaro.

But the different nations are coming more and more in touch with each other because the world is
becoming smaller. Not that the world is becoming smaller geographically, but that man is now able to
travel quicker and to communicate with other parts of the world with much more speed than before. In
time, the entire world will be speaking just one language. But first men must learn to get along with each
other.

A name is called noun in grammar. There are two kinds of nouns, which are called common nouns
and proper nouns. Common is anything that can be said of many things. The word bird, for example, is
applied to all animals, with feathers, that have wings in order to fly. That is why bird is a common noun.
A proper noun is the name of one specific person, place, or thing. Harry, New York, the Mississippi
River Are proper nouns. Common nouns tend to become more specific by adding adjectives to them.

Nut: noun. 1. The fruit of certain trees. Nuts have a hard covering which is called a shell. 2. A
piece of metal with a round threaded hole which fits on a bolt. Shell n. A hard covering found
on the outside part of nuts, fish, animals and other things. Shells protect what is inside. The
shell of an egg is called an eggshell.

The words nut and shell are nouns, because they are names we give to two different things. However, if
we put the word nut in front of the word shell, we get this combination: nutshell, which means the shell
of a nut. In this case the word nut becomes an adjective, even though, used by itself, it is a noun. Nouns
become adjectives when they are placed before other nouns. The word shell is common to many shells.
The combination nutshell is common only to particular kinds of shells. The meaning of the word shell is
limited by placing another word before it.

In languages there are certain expressions called idioms, which are ways of manifesting ideas in a special
manner. Here is an idiom: Thats the story in a nut shell. A nutshell is small and it can contain only
small amounts of something. If we have a long story to tell our friends, but we make the story very short
by relating the main points only, we tell the story in a nut shell. The point of comparison between a
short story and a nutshell is size.

A nut is also a piece of metal with a round threaded hole, which fits on a bolt or screw. A screw is a
mechanical device with a thread twisting around it. Screws are turned into wood or metal by a
screwdriver or wrench.
 LESSON FOUR

Heathen, noun: A pagan. A person who is not a Christian a Jew or a Moslem. A heathen does not
believe in the Bible. There are many religions in the world. Man is religious because he knows
the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. When a person acts according to his
convictions, principles, or his philosophy, he is doing good. A conviction is a truth about
which we are sure. A principle is a rule, which tells us how to behave. For example: to lie is a
bad principle. A philosophy is a group of principles and convictions in which a person
believes. A person feels happy when he lives up to his convictions. When somebody does
something contrary to what he thinks is good. He is doing evil and his conscience tells him
that what he is doing is bad. He gets a feeling of guilt. Guilt is a sense or disposition, which a
person experiences when he does something evil or contrary to his convictions. Guilt is a
negative thing and destroys the well being of the mind. Guilt is one of the causes of fear. Fear is to be
afraid of something. For example: The child fears darkness.

When we feel guilty, and tell another person about the cause of our guilt, we acquire a sense of relief or
tranquility. It frequently happens that a criminal returns to the scene of the crime. It is because
subconsciously he feels guilt and wants to get rid of it by unveiling his crime.

The common denominator between religions pivots around guilt and how to eliminate it. When quilt
is eliminated there follows purification. To become purified means to become free from moral guilt.
Guilt is eliminated by passing it on to another person, animal or object called the scapegoat.

Scapegoat comes from the words escape and goat. To escape means to run away from
something that threatens you. For example: the thief escaped from jail. A jail
threatens the liberty of a thief or criminal. A goat is an animal, which is very
symbolic in the Western Civilization. It was and still is the symbol of a libidinous
man. One of the most basic laws of nature, if not the most basic, is the law of life.
There are three kinds of life: Vegetative Life, Animal Life, and Intelligent Life.

Vegetative or Plant Life is found in trees, flowers, and in all other sorts of plants. Plants
sprout from seeds, grow produce fruit, and then die, becoming fertilizer for other plants.
This is the cycle of plant life. Cycle means that it goes around like a wheel on its axle and
never stops. The cycle of life means that a plant, animal or person produces seed out of
which sprouts another plant, animal or person of the same kind. Plants do not walk or
feel like animals and men. Of all living things, plants are the most numerous.

Animal Life is found in all types of fishes, birds, and mammals. Most animals have a
father and a mother who gave them life through their seed. Little animals and babies are
called the offspring of their parents. Animals are conceived, are born, grow by vegetation,
produce other offspring of the same nature and die. This is the cycle of animal life.
Animals use plants and other animals for food. An animal is called carnivorous if it feeds
on other animals. It is called herbivorous if it feeds on plants. Animals are able to move
about and have five senses through which they can perceive the things around them. The five senses are:
sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. With these five senses an animal is able to see, perceive odors,
hear sounds, feel, and taste the flavor of food and drinks. Animals have a higher form of life than plants
but they are less numerous.
Intellectual Life is the highest form of life that exists in nature. It is the kind of life found in all human
beings. A human being is a person with an intellect and a will. We are all human beings. Intellectual life
means that a person is able to think and make abstractions. When I say: I have five fingers on my right
hand, five fingers on my left hand and ten fingers on both hands; I am making an abstraction, because I
am substituting numbers for fingers. To abstract means to separate a quantity or a quality from one
particular thing and apply it to many things. Numbers are abstract because they do not stand for any
particular thing, but can be applied to all things that have quantity. A thing has quantity when it can be
measured by its size, its weight, etc.

All life tends to protect itself, grow, and multiply. This is what is meant by the law of life. Death is the
opposite or contrary to life. A thing is dead when it doesnt have any life.
 LESSON FIVE

Hatch: Transitive verb, To bring forth little birds or other animals from eggs. A hen sits on her eggs in
the nest until they hatch. Eggs hatch when they are kept warm by the mother or in an incubator.
Warmth is necessary for eggs to hatch. They will not hatch without warmth.

When an egg hatches, a baby chick breaks the eggshell and comes out of it. It is born in that moment,
and it immediately begins to enjoy life. Baby chicks are more precocious than babies. This means that
they do not depend on the mother hen as much as baby children do. Once they hatch, they start
running around, playing and looking for food. When it gets cold, the mother hen gathers her baby
chicks under her wings to keep them warm.

Baby children must be fed, cleaned and taken care of by their mother so that they will survive. Man is
probably the most dependent creature when he is an infant. But once he becomes a man and matures,
he is the king of the Universe. A king used to be a man who ruled over a country. To rule over means to
have power over someone or something or to guide and I control somebody or something. Man is able
to rule over the Universe and the laws of nature if he understands them. He understands things by using
his intelligence. An intelligent being can guide and control the laws of physics by his power of
abstraction.

We say that a verb is transitive, when the action of the verb, done by the subject, passes on to an object.
In the sentence: The mouse ate the cheese, the action (ate) of the mouse (subject) passes on to the object
(cheese). We say that the word cheese is the direct object. In order to find the direct object, ask the
question what did the mouse eat? The subject answers the question who ate the cheese? The verb is
found by asking: What did the mouse do?

Baffle v. to puzzle; to perplex; to confuse in such a way that we cannot solve a problem or uncover
something that is hidden. This arithmetic problem baffles me! A crossword puzzle is made up of blank
spaced squares where letters and words are written, forming other words, synonyms, and so forth. Clues
are given to help you find out the words that belong in the blank spaces.

Clue n. a sign, thing, fact, or act that stands for something else. Anything, that tells
of the existence of something else. The fingerprints on the windowpane gave the
police the clue that Pete was the thief. The clue helped the detectives explain the
mystery of the crime.

A mystery is something that is secret and very difficult to explain. For many centuries the mysteries of
nature, the world, and the Universe baffled man. He has gradually been solving the hidden secrets of the
world about him, by using his intelligence and thinking about things. Thousands of years ago man
discovered fire and found out about the wonderful properties of fire.

Properties are special qualities or characteristics, which a thing has. Fire has the properties of heating
cold air, boiling water, melting metals, etc. Fire kept man warm during cold weather, cooked his food,
and became a very handy instrument or tool in his hands. By melting metal he made knives, shields and
other weapons to defend himself against the wild animals and his enemy. The discovery of fire was a
great event in the history of mankind.
Beehive: n. a box where bees live and store their honey. A beehive shelters bees. Shelter n. a house, a
place, or a thing that protects from the weather, danger, and so on. Houses give us shelter. Caves are
the shelter for many wild animals. _v. to protect. An umbrella shelters us from the rain. It protects us
from, getting wet when it rains. Swarm n. a large number of bees crowded together; a crowd; a large
group. v. to be full of people or other things that move. The street was swarming with people
waiting to buy their ticket for the movie. Bees make honey. Honey is sweet. Bees go from flower to
flower sucking out the plants to convert it into honey. Then they deposit it in their cells, which are in
the beehive, storing it for use during the winter.

The organization of bees is something wonderful. They are led by a leader, called the queen, that
produces eggs for other offspring. Bees permit only one queen to rule supreme over their hive. When
another queen is born, part of the bees swarm together and fly away to begin another colony.

The male bee is called a drone. Sometimes there are many drones in the beehive and all they do is
eat the honey gathered by the working bees. They do not work and many times they are killed by
the working bees. A man who doesnt like to work, but lives off the work done by other people is
also called a drone or a sluggard. He is a passive person who depends on others for a living. We say
that the word drone is a metaphor when it is applied to a lazy man. A metaphor is a word or group of
words which are used instead of other words because they express the same idea, but in a more vivid
and precise way.

Bees have been living in the same way for many centuries. On the contrary man who at the beginning
used to live in caves, has bettered his ways of living by using his thinking powers.

What happens when an egg hatches? ___________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________
What is necessary for eggs to hatch?____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What does the word precocious mean? __________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_
Why are baby chicks more precocious than baby children? __________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is a king? ____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What does to rule over mean?_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
How is man able to rule over the Universe? ______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is a transitive verb? ____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
How do you find the direct object? _____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Give two synonyms of the verb to baffle_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is a crossword puzzle? __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is a clue? ____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is a mystery? _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What does property mean? __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What are the properties of fire? _______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Why was the discovery of fire a goat event in the history of mankind? __________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is a beehive? _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What shelters us from the rain? ___________________________________________________
_________________________________
________________________________________________
What is a swarm of bees? ____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is a metaphor? ________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is a drone? ___________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
 LESSON SIX

Neighbor n. a person who lives next door or near to us. Sally is my neighbor: she lives in the house
next to ours. A Neighborhood n. a section or part of a city or town. Many people in our neighborhood
speak Italian. Neighborly adverb. Friendly.

A neighbor is a person who lives close to us. Good neighbors get along well. This means that they are
friends and try to help each other. In a society, it is necessary to get along and live in harmony with
other people that surround us. When neighbors dont get along we say that they quarrel. Two people
quarrel when they are angry or mad at each other.

Quarreling is not good, because man needs to be in peace with others in order to he constructive. To
construct is the opposite of to destroy. Man destroys in war and constructs in peace.

Many neighbors live together in a certain section of a city or town. This is called a neighborhood. In
many cities, people of a neighborhood speak a different language. eat different food, and have
different customs. This is because their forefathers who came to America were born in a different
country.

People have to learn to treat each other neighborly. This means that they should try to be friends and
not enemies. We say that the word neighborly is an adverb. An adverb is a part of speech that makes
the meaning of a verb, adjective or other adverb more specific or precise. We already saw that an
adjective is used to tell us more things about a noun or name, like In the sentence: The horse is big,
black, and beautiful. The adjectives big black and beautiful tell us more things about the horse. An
adverb will tell us more things about a verb, an adjective, or another adverb, in the example People
have to learn to treat each other neighborly the adverb neighborly tells us how people have to learn to
treat each other. In order to find the adverb in this case, ask yourself this question: How do people
have to learn to treat each other? The answer will be: neighborly.

Here is another example: You speak too fast. How do you speak? The answer is: too fast. Fast, which
means rapidly, is an adverb telling us more about the verb speak.

Many adverbs have the suffix ly following a word. A suffix is several letters added on to a word, which
gives the word a different meaning or converts it into a different part of speech. For example the noun
color will mean without color by adding the suffix _ less on to it: colorless. Prefix is the antonym of
suffix. A prefix is a letter or letters put before a word to give it a different or additional meaning. The
adjective correct is given a contrary meaning by placing in before it: incorrect. Un, non, ye. Anti
and in are prefixes: ness, ly, able. ed etc., are suffixes.

Here is another example of an adverb: Marilyn is very beautiful. Marilyn is the subject, beautiful is
the predicate adjective, is is the predicate verb, and very is an adverb telling us how beautiful Marilyn
is. Notice the difference between the adverbs very and too. Very means m a large degree: too means
excessively. If you say: I spoke very much, it means that you spoke during a long time but not
excessively. But if you say: She speaks too much, it means that she speaks more than she should.

Some adverbs will tell us about a place, a time, a quantity, a way of doing things, etc. Other adverbs
will express an idea of doubt, of something that is true, or of something that is false.
Here is a brief outline about the idea adverbs bring to mind, the questions they answer, and the
adverbs themselves.
IDEA QUESTION ADVERBS

place where? here, there, on the desk. etc.

time when? now, yesterday, tomorrow. etc.

manner how? neighborly, fast, too, very. Etc.

Quantity how much? a little, a lot, much. Etc.

Here are some adverbs that express a doubt: maybe, perhaps, possibly, etc. A doubt is something about
which we are not sure like in this sentence: Maybe Ill give her a beautiful gilt. Doubt is an antonym
of certainty. When you are certain of something you are sure about it. As when you say: Yes, I
certainly thought that was a very good movie. Yes, and certainly are adverbs expressing a certainty or a
truth? These are other adverbs of this kind: sure, surely, of course, naturally. Etc. The opposite of yes is
no. No is of negation. Other adverbs of this type are: not, not so. Etc.

Here are some sentences with adverbs: the adverbs are underlined.

Where is my pen? Your pen is here.

When will the plane arrive? Itll get here tomorrow.
He speaks very loud. How does he speak?
He loves her very much. How much does he love her?
Maybe Ill go to the States next summer.
He certainly drives that car fast.

Sometimes you will find a whole sentence, which will answer some of these questions. For instance:
We were watching TV, when Joe came. When did Joe come? When we were watching TV?

When Joe came is called cause of time. Here are some more adverbial clauses:

Home is where you hang your hat.

I study because I want to learn English.
If you study hard, youll learn.

What is a neighbor? ________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________
What is a neighborhood? ____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Why is it necessary to get along well with your neighbor? ____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What happens when neighbors dont get along well? _______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is a synonym of mad? __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is the antonym of to construct? ___________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is the opposite of peace? ________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What does the word neighborhood means _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What part of speech is the word neighborly? _____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is an adverb? _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What questions will adverbs answer? ___________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What ideas do adverbs bring to mind? __________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Name some adverbs that empress a doubt. _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Name some adverbs that express certainty. _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Name some adverbs that express negation. _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is on adverbial clause? __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Make five sentences with different adverbs: ______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
Make three sentences with adverbial clauses: _____________________________________________
 LESSON SEVEN

Fling, flung: To send something through the air thrown with the hand suddenly and with a violent
force. The past tense of fling is flung. The caveman flung the spear at the wild boar.

Throw, threw, thrown. To send something into the air with a fast motion of the arm. He throws the
ball swiftly.

Toss, tossed: To throw something with the hand lightly and without force. Toss me the box of
matches.

Launch, launched: To throw or send something into space. Yesterday they launched a rocket into
space with two men in it.

Shade a device used in front of a window to keep the light out and to make the room dark. 2. A small
difference in meaning. 3. A slight difference in color. My sweater has a darker shade of green than
shade yours.

Here are other examples of how man uses his ability to abstract by thinking. He can make an infinite
amount of combinations with the numbers from I to 10. Numbers are called digits. The word digit
means finger. Zero (0) is also a digit. Numbers are called digits because primitive men and babies learn
how to count by looking at their fingers and seeing how many there are on both hands. With these ten
digits we are able to measure any quantity.

Many years ago man also invented the alphabet, which is a wonderful invention. With the letters of
the alphabet we make words. Words are made up of one or more letters. Each word expresses an idea.
An idea is a thought we have in our mind. We need words in order to tell other people about what we
are thinking. If the word is written on a piece of paper, a mans ideas remain there as long as the paper
is not destroyed. In this way we are able to communicate with other people who lived centuries ago
before us. We can see how they thought and find out many things about their civilization.

To communicate means to link one thing with another. A bridge links one side
of the river with the other links. We walk across a bridge in order to get to the
other side of the river. The principal way in which man Communicates with his
fellow men is through words. Words are a bridge by which we transfer the ideas
we have in our head, to the heads of others.

We are also able to tell other persons our ideas and feelings through drawings and paintings. This is
what an artist does. Sometimes, he uses paint of different color to make his pictures. There are only
three basic colors, which are red, yellow, and blue. We can get other colors by combining these three
basic colors. For example if we combine yellow and blue, we obtain green. We can also combine each
color with black. By doing this, we get a different shade of that color.

In the same way words have a different shade, because they have a slightly different meaning. To fling
and to toss mean to throw something into the air. But they have different shade meanings. To fling
means to throw something but with force and violence. To toss means to throw something lightly
without force or violence.
Synonyms have the same meaning but a different shade or a small difference in the ideas they bring to
mind. It is very important to know the different shade meanings in words because they help us express
ourselves in a more exact way. They help us have better control over words and to convince people
about our ideas. Here are other verbs with different shade meanings.

To shout To scream
To yell To roar

Those four verbs mean to make a loud sound with the mouth. However, each one has a different
shade meaning.

In music we deal with sound. Sound is any noise or tone that can be heard. We hear with our ears.
Sound is caused by the vibrations of a body in the air. These vibrations produce airwaves, which in
turn produce sounds. Sound has volume and pitch. Take for example the strings of a guitar. The thin
strings will produce high tones because they are lighter and vibrate more rapidly. The thick, heavy
strings will give lower tones because they vibrate slower because they are heavier. We say that the
thinner and shorter a string is, the higher the pitch will be. The thicker and longer the string is. the
lower the pitch will be. Volume is caused by the amount of pressure exerted on the guitar string. The
more pressure you put on the string, the higher the volume will be. We can hear our radio better by
increasing the volume.

To shout and to roar refer to the volume of a sound. Roar, however, has a note of tinge it. The lion
roars. To scream and to yell are verbs expressing a high pitch. A woman screams when she is in danger.
Children yell when they are out of order.

A statement is something that we say. Here is a statement: Birds have wings in order to fly. A
statement is the same thing as a sentence. Statements may be true or false. True means that something
is correct: false means that something is incorrect. If we say: 2 plus 2 equals 5, we are making an
incorrect statement. What should it be? It should be: 2 plus 2 equals 4. Now the statement is right: it
isnt wrong. Here are some statements, which are right: Water makes things wet. If it rains, we get wet
out in the sheet. Dust is dry. When we are thirsty, our mouth and throat become dry. We hang wet
clothes out on a clothesline so that they will get dry. Wet clothes become dry by hanging them out on
the clothesline.
What does the word digit mean? ______________________________________________________
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How many digits are there? ___________________________________________________________
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How did primitive man learn how to count? _____________________________________________
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What do words express? _____________________________________________________________
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What does to communicate mean? _____________________________________________________
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How are we able to communicate with people that lived before is? ____________________________
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What is a bridge? __________________________________________________________________
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How can we also tell other people what we think and feel? __________________________________
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What are the basic colors? ____________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
How can we get a darker shade of the same color? _________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What are shade meanings? ___________________________________________________________
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Do synonyms mean exactly the some thing? ______________________________________________
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What is the difference between to fling and to toss? ________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is your favorite color? __________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
What is the difference between to roar and to scream? _____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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Do lions roar when they are angry? _____________________________________________________
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Do you like to hear children yelling? ___________________________________________________
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Do you shout when you wont a deal person to hear you? ____________________________________
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Do women scream when they are in danger? _____________________________________________
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What causes sound? ________________________________________________________________
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What is pitch? _____________________________________________________________________
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What is volume? ___________________________________________________________________
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