Deck 1 Flashcards
plummet
She struggled to hold a big metal object in her arms as she plummeted towards the ground.
To fall straight down

brass
She pointed at the object. It was round and made of brass, with a glass front like that of a clock.
A yellowish metal

nudge
Terence nudged the object with his foot.
To push against gently

dismayed
Twire looked dismayed
Upset

tarnished
“See how tarnished the brass is?”
To lose shine
To become dull
To become discoloured

gleeful
“It’s broken!” Twire cried gleefully
Joyful
Happy

scowl
Twire scowled at Tink.
To draw down the eyebrows in an angry way

hover
Tink shook her head. She wished he weren’t hovering so close.
To stay near a place
To stay near a person

darted
The compass rolled into the room. It headed straight towards Tink’s worktable. Terence darted forwards to stop it.
To move suddenly and quickly

harsh
Perhaps she’d spoken a little too harshly.
Being unkind
Being unpleasant

examine
She examined the crumpled bowl.
To look at carefully
To inspect carefully

vow
“I’ll leave Tink alone from now on,” Terence vowed.
To make a promise

awe
The light shimmered with all of the bright colours of the rainbow. Terence and Iridessa watched in awe.
A feeling of wonder
A feeling of admiration

spiral
Tink saw every detail of the Pixie Dust Tree, from its spiralling branches to its sturdy roots.
Winding around a center
Twisting around a center

sturdy
Tink saw every detail of the Pixie Dust Tree, from its spiralling branches to its sturdy roots.
Strongly made

retreated
The creature retreated to the other end of the branch.
To go backward

bared
The possum bared her sharp teeth.
To uncover
To expose
To show

anchor
She tied the cord to a tree-root to anchor it, unrolled her blanket and curled up on a leaf.
To fix firmly in place
To fix securely in place

clutch
The carrier drifted over the top of a towering palm tree and was gone. Tink clutched her head in horror.
To hold tightly
To grasp tightly

emerge
Cubby, Nibs and the Twins emerged out from their hiding places.
To come into view
To come out

solemn
“Poor Tootles has been eaten by a tiger.” Tink landed on Peter Pan’s shoulder and solemnly dimmed her glow.
Gloomy
Serious

swivel
All heads swivelled to look at the tiger.
To turn

poised
They flung the door open and saw Agatha poised with arm outstretched towards the sleeping Miss Cackle.
Not moving
Ready for something

scene
Miss Cackle was now sitting up in bed, a look of complete astonishment on her face, as this amazing scene took place in front of her.
A show of improper behaviour

masquerading
“You mean my sister, Agatha, has been right here under my very nose all this time masquerading as Miss Granite?”
To disguise oneself
To wear a mask or disguise

hurled
The three friends hurled themselves at the person coming through the gate and flung her to the ground.
To throw something with force

collapse
They all collapsed on to the floor.
To fall down suddenly

sheepish
Mildred and Enid sheepishly helped Miss Hardbroom to her feet.
Feeling embarrassed

retrieve
Maud retrieved Miss Hardbroom’s hat which was squased almost completely flat where everyone had fallen on it.
When Sally retrieved Jane’s doll from the river, mum said “Thank you so much Sally! You are the best!”
To get back
To bring back
To fetch

emitting
Miss Hardbroom was so angry that she was emitting tiny sparks and puffs of purple smoke from her ears.
To give out
To send out

implore
The girls gazed across imploringly at Miss Cackle, who came to their rescue
To beg for something in a very serious way
To ask for something in an emotional way

invasion
“Let me quickly explain to you that, in five minutes’ time, we are yet again expecting an invasion of the school by evil witches.”
A sudden attack
A raid
A sudden entrance into a hostile place

appalling
We are expecting an invasion of the school by evil witches, masterminded by my appalling sister Agatha
Horrible
Nasty
Awful

mastermind
We are expecting an invasion of the school by evil witches, masterminded by my appalling sister, Agatha.
To plan something
A person who plans something

disguise
In fact, she is not a teacher at all, she is my evil twin sister in disguise.
To change the usual appearance of someone so that people will not recognize them

plot
“Fortunately, MIldred here discovered the plot to turn us all into snails.”
A plan

imprisoned
Mildred has already caught and turned Agatha into a snail and now she is imprisoned in one of her own glass jars.
To be trapped
To be held as a prisoner

precisely
Thre rest are arriving in precisely three minutes from now.
Exactly

stride
She strode across the room towards me.
To walk with very long steps.

helm
“It’s obvious what to do, Miss Cackle,” she said, taking the helm at once.
To take control
To become the leader

confident
As you look exactly like your sister, just let them in - in a confident way.
Parisha is very confident when she plays tennis.
Having a feeling that you can do something well

usher
“One at a time, ladies,” she whispered into the yard, as she ushered the first witch inside.
To lead someone to a place

contemplate
He contemplated the meaning of the poem for a long time.
To think deeply about something
To think carefully about something

imposter
Mildred had rescued Tabby from his cat-basket prison in the imposter’s room and was holding him very gently.
A person who tricks others by pretending to be someone else

ghastly
“Let’s all have a nice cup of tea! I really think we deserve one after such a ghastly night,” said Miss Cackle.
Very shocking
Very horrible
Very bad

unruly
Mildred does have her moments of unruliness, but she also does have quite an extraordinary knack of being in the right place at the right time.
The unruly students had to go to detention.
Difficult to control
Disobedient

aloft
“Maudy,” whispered Enid, pushing open Maud’s door and holding her candle aloft so that she could see around the room.
In the air

bizarre
She stopped as she was confronted with the bizarre sight of a piece of paper flicking backwards and forwards against Maud’s face, apparently all by itself.
Very strange
Very unusual

propping
“What’s wrong, Enid?” cried Maud in alarm, propping herself up on her elbows.
To support something by placing something under it

laboriously
They held up the candle and immediately saw the ant-Mildred, who had laboriously climbed off the bed, back on to the table, and carefully positioned herself where she would be noticed.
Something needing a lot of time and effort

unease
Maud and Enid looked at each other with growing unease.
Feeling worried
Feeling unhappy

petty
“Don’t be petty, Enid!” said Maud.
Parisha and Tara always fought over petty things.
Not very important
Not very serious

reversal
They found the ant spell, complete with reversal.
To turn backwards
To turn to the opposite thing

vibrate
The air began to vibrate and judder - as if a huge, invisible lorry was passing through the room - and suddenly Mildred was standing on the table in front of them.
To shake

delay
“Come on quickly you two!” she said. “We can’t delay. What time is it?”
Our flight to Spain was delayed.
When something happens later than it should

swarming
“We’ve only got half an hour! They’re all swarming in at two o’clock by the backyard gate.”
To crowd together
To move in a crowd

garbled
Mildred managed a very fast, rather garbled explanation about Miss Granite really being Agatha and the plot to take over the school and how she had locked Mildred in the cupboard.
To jumble
To be mixed up
To be confusing

transformation
Mildred explained the ant transformation that was done so that she could sneak under the door and raise the alarm.
To change something completely

ruthless
“We’ll have to be really quiet. Agatha is planning this like a battle campaign and she’s absolutely ruthless.”
Cruel
Having no compassion
Having no pity

hostile
When Amy told Jessica that she wasn’t invited to her birthday party, Jessica became very hostile.
Unfriendly

unique
“You’re unique!” laughed Enid. “The one and only, never-to-be-repeated Mildred Hubble!”
Very special
Being the only one
One of a kind

draping
“I know it sounds a bit weird,” said Mildred, draping Tabby over her shoulder and smoothing the fur between his ears…
To hang something

heartily
Maud agreed heartily.
Very cheerful
Very enthusiastic

pining
“I have to admit that I was almost pining for some law and order over the last few days!”
A strong wish for something

materialized
Miss Hardbroom materialized with a whoosh at the entrance to the Form Three bedrooms.
To appear suddenly

sparrow
He pulled a sparrow feather from his cap.
A type of small bird

startled
Tink gave Terence her silver bowl. “Why?” Terence asked, startled. “For being my friend,” said Tink.
The lightening startled the children and sent them scurrying for cover.
Surprised
To become suddenly frightened
To jump in surprise

idle
We enjoyed the idle days of summer.
Lazy
Not working
deceive
When I heard the crocodiles speak I felt that my ears were deceiving me.
To trick
sniper
The crocodiles were frightened of the snipers.
A person who shoots a gun

canopy
The sunlight broke through the canopy of high leaves.
A covering like a roof

doze
I was so tired that I took a doze.
A short sleep
A nap

confabulation
“Daphne and me have been having a confabulation,” he said.
A chat
expedition
The Year 3 class took an expedition to the North Pole.
A group of people taking a trip
decent
“You seem like a decent person,” said the crocodile.
Kind
Polite
Proper
stammer
” I d-don’t know what you’re talking about!” she stammered.
To speak with a lot of pauses because you are nervous or afraid
wary
The store owner kept a wary eye on him.
Cautious
Not trusting
reassure
The teacher reassured the mother that the accident wouldn’t happen again.
To comfort
To encourage
machete
The boy said, “I have a machete, for clearing my way through the jungle.”
A large, heavy knife

self-defence
The boy said, “I will only use my knife for self-defence.”
To protect yourself
dignity
“I shall return and make my report,” I said with dignity.
Feeling proud
Feeling important
baritone
The Colonel began to sing in a baritone voice.
A male singing voice
seized
Lady Sniper seized the coffee pot and beat upon it with her fork.
Annelise seized the toy from Tara’s hands.
To grab something quickly
To take something forcefully
raucous
Their voices became more raucous with every note.
Loud
Noisy
Rowdy
tremble
When the animals heard the loud noises, they trembled and hid.
To shake because you are afraid or nervous
veranda
We spent out afternoon on the veranda playing Uno.
A porch or balcony

appalled
I was appalled to see my children behaving so badly.
To feel disgusted
To feel shocked
vicious
Samantha screamed when she saw the vicious witch.
Very dangerous
Cruel
Wicked
Evil

hasty
Parisha made a hasty drawing of the princess.
To do something very quickly
belch
She was quite embarrassed when she belched in the middle of class.
A loud, noisy burp

grin
Tara had a big grin on her face while she was eating her gingerbread cookie.
To smile

sheepish
He felt a little sheepish after letting out a big belch in class.
Feeling embarrassed

sympathy
She went to her best friend for sympathy.
To feel sorry for someone
A feeling of support

decompose
“I’ve told you before about eating things before they have had a chance to decompose properly!”
The smell of the decomposing food was disgusting.
To break down into smaller parts
When dead plants or animals slowly break down

cautious
You have to be very cautious when you are driving in the snow.
careful

moisture
After Jane took a long, hot, steaming bath there was a lot of moisture in the bathroom.
damp
wet

rumpled
After Tom rolled around in bed his clothes became very rumpled.
wrinkled
crumpled

exotic
When we went to the aquarium in Spain we saw lots of exotic fish.
Unusual
Strange
Very different

weary
Parisha was weary from working all day.
tired

exquisite
Tara gave Parisha some exquisite flowers.
Very beautiful
Excellent

deceive
Elizabeth’s parents punished her for trying to deceive them.
To trick
larder
Jack went to fetch the biscuits from the larder.
A place where food is stored

venture
We ventured out into the woods.
To go somewhere that is dangerous
indigestion
After eating dinner Jennifer complained of indigestion.
Tummy ache after eating food

wail
The child started wailing after she fell down.
To cry loudly

fury
I could see the fury in her eyes.
To be very angry

dawn
Amy stayed up until dawn.
The time in the morning when daylight first appears

wince
When the nurse put the needle in her arm, the girl winced in pain.
An expression on your face that shows that you are in pain

scold
He scolded the kids for not cleaning up the mess they made in the kitchen.
To speak to someone in an angry way
To tell someone off

startle
The lightening startled the children and sent them running to hide.
To frighten someone
To jump suddenly because you are surprised or frightened

satisfy
John was trying to satisfy his teacher by writing very neatly.
To make someone happy
To make someone pleased

eject
The candy machine ejected the skittles after I put money into it.
The pilot was ejected from the plane when it caught on fire.
To push something out
To throw out

agitate
The students were agitating the teacher by making a lot of noise.
To make someone angry
To annoy someone

revenge
She wants to take revenge against the person who hurt her family.
To do something to hurt someone because that person did something to hurt you
daft
Your idea to fill the bath tub with jelly seems a bit daft to me.
Silly
Foolish
Bonkers
disgust
She was disgusted by the smell of rubbish that drifted through the air.
To dislike something strongly
anxious
Julie felt very anxious about the math test she was taking at school that day.
Nervous
Worried
Afraid

isolation
Elsa lived in isolation because she was afraid of hurting people with her powers.
Being alone

savage
He was attacked by the savage wolf.
Wild
Fierce
Ferocious

divine
That was the most divine apple pie I have ever tasted!
Heavenly
Perfect
Great
Awesome
brute
He used brute force to open the door.
“Let go of me, you brute!”
Cruel
Very strong
A cruel man

broad
Johnny had very broad shoulders.
The shop had a broad selection of coats.
Wide
Fat

admire
We gazed out the window and admired the tulips.
To look at something with enjoyment

instincts
Our first instinct was to run.
Cats have a natural hunting instinct.
Something you know without learning it or thinking about it

clasp (jewellery)
Can you fasten the clasp on this bracelet for me?
Something that holds parts of things together

hide (of an animal)
The handbag was made from the hide of a crocodile.
The skin of an animal

despair
When Jane lost her kitten and couldn’t find her anywhere she cried in complete despair.
To lose all hope
Something that causes extreme sadness
listless
The heat outside made everyone feel tired and listless.
Having no energy
Having no interest

doze
Sarah was so tired because she slept very late last night. She kept dozing off at school.
To sleep lightly
To take a nap

flee
When John saw the sniper in school, he fled away.
Parisha came fleeing to my room in the middle of the night after she woke up from her nightmare.
To run away from danger

beckon
She beckoned the waiter to come over.
To signal someone with your hand to tell them to come closer

hesitate
She hesitated before she read the poem in front of the class.
To pause for a moment especially if you are nervous
To stop for a short time before you do something because you are nervous
twitch
The rabbit twitched its ears.
To jerk
To move suddenly
grizzled
My grandfather had a grizzled beard.
Having grey hair

dignity
The princess behaved in a very dignified way when the visitors came.
To behave in a very important way
earnestly
Parisha studied very earnestly for her exam.
Being serious
Being determined
stubby
My dog has a stubby tail.
Short and fat

warily
The shop owner kept a wary eye on him because he looked like a thief.
The guards watched over the castle warily.
Careful
Cautious
Not trusting someone that could be dangerous
flexed
He flexed his arm to show where he had hurt himself.
To bend a body part

blossoming
Her hair smelled like apple blossoms.
I love to see the flowers blossoming in the spring.
A flower
To bloom

jaw
The crocodile opened up his jaws very wide before eating the rabbit.
The two bones of the face where teeth grow

squat
He squatted behind the bush so that he wouldn’t be seen.
To crouch down on the ground

knelt
She knelt on the floor beside her child.
To go down on your knees
To bend your knees onto the ground

dense
They used a machete to cut a path through the dense jungle.
Very crowded
Thick

clasp (hands)
Don’t clasp the kitten too hard because she may get hurt.
To hold something tightly with your hands

rind
We threw away the rind of the watermelon.
The outer skin of some fruits

recluse
My neighbour is a recluse - I only see him about once a year.
A person who lives alone and avoids other people

impetuous
Marrying someone you barely know is an impetuous decision.
Doing something quickly without thinking
gesture
I used a hand gesture to tell the man to come over here.
To move your hands and arms to show an idea or feeling

feeble
She is still feeble after having chicken pox.
Very weak

undergrowth
We found lots of interesting insects in the undergrowth.
Small plants, bushes and shrubs growing under tall trees

dusk
The park closes at dusk.
Sunset
When the sky begins to get darker

distraction
It is hard to do my homework with so many distractions.
Something that makes it difficult to think or pay attention

colonel
John’s father is a colonel in the British army.
An officer in the army

swift
Sarah is a swift runner.
To move very fast
To do something quickly
victim
There were many victims injured by the shooting.
A person who has been attacked by someone else
A person who has been robbed
A person who has been hurt or killed by someone else

deft
My sister is a deft person who can make pretty dresses.
Able to do something quickly and correctly
Clever
palm
Jane held the ball in the palm of her hand.
The white part of the hand

swell
Steven’s broken ankle swelled badly.
To become larger
To become bigger

heave
She heaved the door shut.
The boy heaved the ball down the field.
To lift or pull something
To throw something

shudder
The house shuddered as the plane flew above it.
To shake

writhing
Emma was lying on the floor writhing in pain.
I saw ten writhing snakes.
To twist your body from side to side
gnarled
The group of dogs gnarled at the children.
Growled
gnarling
The snakes were writhing and gnarling through the field.
Twisting
thrashing
She was thrashing around in her sleep.
Something was thrashing wildly in the water.
To move about violently
thrashing
He thrashed the dog with his belt.
To hit something very hard with a stick or whip
massive
We tried very hard to lift the massive rock.
Very large and heavy
mantelpiece
Joe left his car keys on the mantelpiece.
The shelf on top of a fireplace

immense
Before the volcano erupted, there was immense pressure building up inside the mountain.
Gigantic
Huge

avalanche
He was buried by an avalanche.
A large amount of snow that falls suddenly down a side of a mountain
A large amount of rocks that falls suddenly down a side of a mountain

slither
The snake slithered through the garden.
To move by sliding your entire body back and forth

wither
The plant withered and died.
To become dry and weak

banister
She held the banister tightly.
A handrail along a staircase

sprout
The tree is already sprouting leaves.
To grow
To make new leaves or buds

ivory
Her necklace was made of ivory.
A hard white thing that comes from the tusks of elephants

enraged
His rude behaviour enraged us.
To make someone very angry

plunge
Her car plunged off a bridge.
To jump suddenly from a high place
To fall suddenly from a high place

almighty
There was an almighty noise coming from the back garden.
Very great
Very important
Very loud
indignant
She wrote an indignant letter to her mother.
Very angry
Enraged

nuzzle
The dog nuzzled my leg.
To gently rub your nose against someone to show love

fret
I have been fretting about my sister all day.
To worry
triumphant
The triumphant team went out to celebrate.
To win
To succeed
gaping
After I fell over, there was a gaping hole in my trousers.
Wide open

reeds
The cows liked to eat the reeds at the edge of the pond.
A tall thin grass that grows in wet areas

scarper
I went looking for Sally in the playground, but she had scarpered.
To run away
To flee
bolted
The child bolted out of the zoo as soon as he saw the lions.
To run away quickly
brisk
We went for a brisk walk in the woods.
She answered the phone in a brisk voice.
Moving quickly
Speaking quickly
churn
The motorboats churned the water.
To stir something
To mix something

pressure
Parisha had to put a lot of pressure on her nose so that it would stop bleeding.
Pressing or pushing against something
temperamental
Everyone knows that Sarah is always temperamental.
Moody
Someone who will probably become upset or angry
erupt
The volcano erupted with tremendous force.
To come out in a sudden explosion
To send out rocks, lava and ash in a sudden explosion

active
The active volcano was about to erupt.
Alive
Working
vile
She has a vile temper.
What is that vile odour?
Evil
Very bad
Wicked
lethal
If you eat mushrooms you find in the forest, it could be lethal.
Deadly
Something that can cause death
perilous
The hunters made a perilous journey across the mountains.
Dangerous
Unsafe
minor
Stephen did well on his English test, he only made some minor mistakes.
Small amount
Not very important
Not very valuable
cloak
The princess wore a cloak to the ball.
A piece of cloth that is worn over the shoulders and has no sleeves
Cape

ominous
As we sat down to have our picnic in the park, we saw some ominous black clouds in the sky.
Suggesting something bad is going to happen
fatal
Chocolate can be fatal to dogs.
Something causing death
glimpse
I only got a glimpse of the child in the car when the car raced past us.
To see something for a very short time
To look at something for a very short time
To get a peek
monitor
I constantly monitored Parisha while she had a high fever.
To keep an eye on something
To watch something
To keep track of something
magma
The magma deep below was ready to erupt from the volcano.
Hot liquid rock below the surface of the Earth

relentless
The bulge on the volcano kept growing, relentlessly raising the intense pressure on the gases and magma inside the mountain.
Never giving up
To keep going
intense
There was intense pressure on the gases and magma inside the mountain.
Very strong
dormant
Mount St. Helens had been a dormant volcano for 123 years.
Asleep
Not doing anything
Not active

stir
Alexia had been sleeping for two hours and now she is starting to stir.
After 123 years of silence, Mt. St. Helens was starting to stir.
To begin to move
To begin to awaken
summit
The passengers could see the summit of the mountain from the window of the airplane.
The top of a mountain

dislodge
He kicked at the stone to dislodge it.
To forcefully move something from a place
pelt
The children pelted snowballs at the adults.
To throw

expand
The bird expanded its wings and flew off.
We plan to expand the house by having another bedroom built.
To become bigger
onlooker
Many onlookers gathered to see the fire.
Someone who watches an activity but is not part of the activity
sewage
My bedroom smells like sewage.
Urine or feces that is carried away from homes in pipes
glacier
When we took an expedition to the North Pole we saw lots of glaciers.
A very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or area of land

staggering
The storm caused a staggering amount of damage.
Very large
Shocking
Surprising
souvenir
When Parisha and Tara went to Spain they bought Milan some souvenirs.
Something that is kept as a reminder of a place you have been
engulf
As the hurricane approached, the high waves engulfed the ship.
To flow over and cover something

horseshoe
The lake was in a shape of a horseshoe.
A U-shaped piece of iron that is nailed to the bottom of a horse’s hoof

crater
After the volcano erupted, it left a huge crater.
A large round hole in the ground made by the explosion of a bomb or by something falling from the sky

blacksmith
We asked the blacksmith to make new horseshoes for the horses at the farm.
A person who makes or repairs things made of iron (such as horseshoes)

smolder
The remains of the campfire smoldered.
To burn slowly without flames but usually with a lot of smoke

legend
I don’t believe the legends that I have heard about these forests.
A story from the past that many people believe but that cannot be proven to be true
dome
The team’s new stadium is a dome.
A large rounded roof that looks like half of a ball

ancient
The park was full of ancient oak trees.
Very old
turret
The witches flew past the turrets of the castle.
A little tower

mist
We could not see the castle on top of the hill due to the mist.
Very small drops of water floating in the air

imp
I picked up the little imp and took him to bed.
A child who causes trouble in a playful way
A mischievous child
impact
Where the car impacted on the building there was a huge hole.
To hit something with a lot of force
irate
My mother was irate when she found that I had spilled juice on the floor.
Very angry

isle
The Australian seas are full of uninhabited isles.
Island

jagged
When the window broke there was a big jagged piece of glass left.
Having a sharp, uneven edge

jockey
I was cheering the jockey on at the races.
Someone who rides horses in races

labour
Getting the job done requires many hours of difficult labour.
Work for which someone is paid
maim
The bomb killed 16 people and maimed hundreds of others.
To injure someone very badly
moan
I can hear the children moaning about their homework.
To complain about something
A long, low sound
moor
We found a harbor and moored the ship there for the night.
To hold a ship in place with ropes or an anchor

obese
Jessica was teased at school because she was so obese.
Very fat

scorching
When I jumped into the bath I didn’t realize that it was scorching hot.
To burn something
Something that can cause burns
iron
The earth’s core is made of iron and nickel.
A heavy type of metal

nickel
The earth’s core is made of iron and nickel.
A hard silver-white metal

shove
I was getting irate because she kept shoving me.
To push something with a lot of force
jostle
Everyone in the crowd was jostling each other trying to get in the front.
To push and shove in a crowd

continent
I have visited two continents during my summer holidays: North America and Australia.
One of the great divisions of land such as: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia or Antarctica

collide
Two football players collided on the field.
To crash into something

decade
My dog Raja died a decade ago.
10 years

century
It took more than a century to build the church.
100 years

conceal
The sunglasses conceal her eyes.
To hide something
To keep something secret

cinder
Cinders from the camp fire floated through the air.
A very small piece of burned wood or coal

energetic
The children are energetic workers.
Having a lot of energy
Involving a lot of effort
edible
Those mushrooms in the forest are edible.
Safe to eat
destructive
Yesterday’s storm was the most destructive storm that has ever hit Manchester.
Something causing a lot of damage
slumber
She slumbered for many hours while the train was moving.
To take a nap
To snooze
To sleep lightly
idyllic
He had an idyllic childhood.
Very peaceful
Very happy
witness
Several people witnessed the accident.
His aunt and uncle were witnesses at his Christening.
To see something happen
A person who sees something happen
grim
His face looked grim, and we knew his news wouldn’t be good.
The bathroom in the hotel looked very grim.
Gloomy
Depressing
Unpleasant
eyewitness
The police are looking for any eyewitnesses to the shooting.
A person who sees something happen and is able to describe it
bloke
A couple of friendly blokes helped to fix the flat tyre on my car.
A man
launch
We watched the rocket being launched into outer space.
To shoot something into the air (like a rocket)
To put a boat on the water
fumes
Everyone was coughing after they breathed in the fumes from the fire.
Smoke

extinct
We were all surprised that the volcano erupted because we thought it was extinct.
No longer alive
No longer active
suffocate
Don’t put that pillow over her face - she could suffocate.
To die because you are unable to breathe
perished
Two people perished in the fire.
To die
To be destroyed
To disappear
relentless
Parisha relentlessly begged for junk food.
Continuing without becoming weaker
Determined and not giving up
sinister
There was something sinister about him.
Having an evil look
Looking like something bad or dangerous is going to happen
devastate
The hurricane left the island completely devastated.
To destroy something
To cause a lot of damage
cataclysm
If the volcano erupts it would be cataclysmic.
A catastrophe
Something that causes a lot of destruction
bamboozle
She was completely bamboozled when the teacher was trying to teach tricky fractions.
To trick or confuse someone
billow
Billows of smoke poured out of the burning building.
A moving cloud of smoke
fragment
The dish lay in fragments on the floor.
A broken piece of something
vast
The universe is very vast.
Very big
Very large
perilous
The men took a perilous journey across the mountains.
Full of danger
hazard
The old building was full of hazards.
Something than can cause danger
dilapidated
No one has lived in that dilapidated house for decades.
In very bad condition because something is very old or has not been taken care of
barrack
After lunch the soldiers went back to their barracks.
A building where soldiers sleep and live