wait - v. to delay acting; to postpone
walk - v. to move by putting one foot in front of the other
wall - n. the side of a room or building formed by wood, stone or other material;
a structure sometimes used to separate areas of land
want - v. to desire; to wish for; to need
war - n. fighting between nations, or groups in a nation, using weapons warm - ad. almost hot; having or feeling some heat
warn - v. to tell of possible danger; to advise or inform about something bad that
may happen
wash - v. to make clean, usually with water
waste - v. to spend or use without need or care; to make bad use of; n. a
spending of money, time or effort with no value gained or returned; something thrown away as having no value; the liquid and solid substances that result from body processes and are passed out of the body
watch - v. to look at; to observe closely; to look and wait for
water - n. the liquid that falls from the sky as rain or is found in lakes, rivers and
oceans
wave - v. to move or cause to move one way and the other, as a flag in the wind;
to signal by moving the hand one way and the other; n. a large mass of water that forms and moves on the surface of a lake or ocean
way - n. a path on land or sea or in the air; how something is done; method we - pro. two or more people, including the speaker or writer (\
together, and we will return together.\
weak - ad. having little power; easily broken, damaged or destroyed; opposite
strong
wealth - n. a large amount of possessions, money or other things of value
weapon - n. anything used to cause injury or to kill during an attack, fight or war wear - v. to have on the body, as clothes
weather - n. the condition of the atmosphere resulting from sun, wind, rain,
heat or cold
week - n. a period of time equal to seven days
weigh - v. to measure how heavy someone or something is
welcome - v. to express happiness or pleasure when someone arrives or
something develops
well - ad. in a way that is good or pleasing; in good health; n. a hole in the
ground where water, gas or oil can be found
west - n. the direction in which the sun goes down wet - ad. covered with water or other liquid; not dry
what - pro. used to ask about something or to ask for information about
something (\is this?\ad. whichor which kind (\wants to know what you would like to drink.\
wheat - n. a grain used to make bread; the plant that produces the grain wheel - n. a round structure that turns around a center
when - ad. at what time; at any time (\come home?\
during or at the time (\
where - ad., conj. at, to or in what place (\
where he lives is in the old part of the city.\
which - pro. used to ask about what one or what ones of a group of things or
people (\the test?\
while - n. a space of time (\
during the same time (\running.\
white - ad. having the color like that of milk or snow
who - pro. what or which person or persons that (\
person or persons (\
whole - ad. the complete amount; all together; not divided; not cut into pieces why - ad. for what cause or reason (\
which (\
wide - ad. having a great distance from one side to the other; not limited wife - n. a woman who is married
wild - ad. living and growing in natural conditions and not organized or
supervised by humans; angry; uncontrolled
will - v. a word used with action words to show future action (\
talks tomorrow.\
willing - ad. being ready or having a desire to (\
problem.\
win - v. to gain a victory; to defeat another or others in a competition, election
or battle
wind - n. a strong movement of air
window - n. an opening in a wall to let in light and air, usually filled with glass
winter - n. the coldest time of year, between autumn and spring
wire - n. a long, thin piece of metal used to hang objects or to carry electricity
or electronic communications from one place to another
wise - ad. having much knowledge and understanding; able to use knowledge
and understanding to make good or correct decisions
wish - v. to want; to express a desire for
with - prep. along or by the side of; together; using (\
having (\
withdraw - v. to take or move out, away or back; to remove
without - prep. with no; not having or using; free from; not doing woman - n. an adult female human
wonder - v. to ask oneself; to question (\
of surprise
wonderful - ad. causing wonder; especially good
wood - n. the solid material of which trees are made
word - n. one or more connected sounds that form a single part of a language
work - v. to use physical or mental effort to make or do something; n. the effort
used to make or to do something; that which needs effort; the job one does to earn money
world - n. the earth; the people who live on the earth
worry - v. to be concerned; to continue thinking that something, possibly bad,
can happen
worse - ad. more bad than
worth - n. value measured in money
wound - v. to injure; to hurt; to cause physical damage to a person or animal;
n. an injury to the body of a human or animal in which the skin is usually cut or broken
wreck - v. to damage greatly; to destroy; n. anything that has been badly
damaged or broken
wreckage - n. what remains of something severely damaged or destroyed write - v. to use an instrument to make words appear on a surface, such as
paper
wrong - ad. not correct; bad; not legal; opposite right
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Y
yellow - ad. having the color like that of gold or the sun yes - ad. used to express agreement or to permit yesterday - n. the day before today
yet - ad. at some time before now (\
(\yet it was cold.\
you - pro. the person or persons being spoken to young - ad. in the early years of life; not old
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Z
zoo - n. a place where animals are kept for the public to look at and study ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Common Prefixes
dis - not (dishonest, disobey)
pro - for, supporting (pro-labor, pro-government) re - to do again (reorganize, reunite)
self - used to show that the person or group acting is the one affected by the
action, or to show that the action is done only by its own effort or power (self-declared, self-appointed)
un - not (unusual, unhappy)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Common Expressions
carry out - to do; to put into effect (\
pass a bill - approve (\
take steps - to start to do something (\
inflation.\
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Words Used in VOA Special English Science Programs
atom - a very small part of all things; the smallest part of an element that can
join with parts of other elements
bacteria - living things that are one cell and can be seen only through a
microscope; some cause disease
cell - a small mass of living material that is part of all plants and animals chromosome - a line of genes; most human cells contain 46 chromosomes compound - a substance containing two or more elements dense - close together; thick
electron - a small part of an atom that has an electrical force
element - one of more than 100 substances known to science that cannot be
separated into other substances
enzyme - a special kind of protein; it produces changes in other substances
without being changed itself
fetus - unborn young
fission - a splitting; in atomic fission, the nucleus of an atom is split to produce
nuclear energy
fusion - a joining together; in atomic fusion, atomic particles are joined together
to produce nuclear energy
genes - parts of cells that control the growth and development of living things;
genes from the mother and father are passed to the child; genes contain nucleic acid
genetic engineering - the science of changing the genes of a living organism gravity - the force that pulls things toward the center of the earth image - a reproduction of the appearance of a person or thing laser - an instrument that makes a thin, powerful light
magnet - a piece of iron or other material that has a pulling force; this pulling
force is called magnetism
molecule - the smallest amount of a chemical substance that can exist
nerve - a thin piece of tissue that sends information through the body to and
from the brain
nucleus - the center part of an atom or cell
nucleic acid - a molecule that holds the genetic information necessary for life;
there are two kinds of nucleic acid: DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid)
nutrient - a food or substance that makes plants, humans or animals grow organ - a part of the body that has a special purpose, such as the heart or brain organism - a living thing, often so small it can be seen only through a
microscope
particle - a very small piece of matter
proteins - substances responsible for the growth of tissue and for fixing
damaged tissue
robot - a machine that moves and performs tasks
tissue - living material; a group of cells that are similar in appearance and do the
same thing
virus - a kind of organism that causes disease
x-rays - a kind of radiation that can pass through most solid materials, often
used in medicine
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Organs of the Body
heart - pumps blood through the body
intestines - tubes through which food passes after it is broken down in the
stomach; part of the intestines also remove solid wastes from the body
kidney - cleans liquid wastes from the body
liver - makes some proteins and enzymes; removes poisons from the blood lung - takes in and expels air from the body
prostate - a part of the male reproductive system stomach - breaks down food for the body to use
uterus - a part of the female reproductive system where a fetus develops