Letters and symbols give the

pronunciation. Use the The part of the speech is given

pronunciation key to sound after the pronunciation. The definition tells you the
out the word. meaning. When there is more
than one meaning, each
Each word is listed in O·pen/ Ō'ρən/ - adj. 1. Not closed; allowing meaning is numbered.
alphabetical order passage in and out: The cow got out of the pen
and separated into through the open gate. 2. Available for
syllables. business: The store is open most evenings. –
verb To uncover or unwrap; to unfasten.
Two different Pen1 / pěn/ - noun A tool for writing. Sometimes you will
words with the be told to look up a
same spelling Pen2 a fenced- in area, often used to keep simpler form of the
are numbered. animals. word.
Ran/ rǎn/ - verb The past form of run: We ran
to the bus stop. Other forms of the
Run/ rǔn/ - verb ran, running 1. To move word are often
quickly on foot: Horses run faster than people. shown.
Sometimes a sample
2. To move around freely: Don’t let your pets
sentence is given to
run through the neighborhood.
make the definition
clearer.

Check the meaning.

Read the paragraph below. Think about the meaning of the words in bold type.
Do you ever wonder why you bought certain things? Maybe you bought a dog collar, but you do not own a dog. If so, this should not
embarrass you. Many people accumulate piles of junk because clever salespeople made them crave something they really did not need. One
way they do this is by giving away coupons that buyers can redeem for dollars off the usual price. Another is to claim there is a surplus of
certain items. Therefore, they must sell them at a very low price. It is hard turn down a good deal. A good buy on something is a good buy only
if it is for something you need. Of course, if you buy a dog collar, a salesperson might come back later to sell you the dog!

Choose the correct meaning for the word in bold type.

1. When people have a surplus, they have 4. To accumulate is Note: Learning how to guess
a) Just enough to get by a) to join together. words you don't know is an
b) More than they need b) to collect.
important skill. Nobody
c) None at all c) to destroy.
d) Something costing very little d) to reduce in size. wants to look every word up
in a dictionary! If you learn
2. A clever person is 5. When people embarrass someone, they how to guess the unfamiliar
a) Unusually strong a) hold a person gently.
words in sentences, then you
b) Well educated b) explain something to a person.
c) Outspoken c) make a person feel silly or uncomfortable. won't have to read with your
d) Bright and creative d) express anger toward a person. dictionary open all the time

3. When people redeem a coupon, they 6. When people crave something, they
a) Throw it away a) strongly dislike it.
b) Exchange it for something b) divide it into parts.
c) Increase its value c) use it up.
d) Make it worthless d) have a powerful desire for it.
Extracted from: Word Power spelling and vocabulary for real life