Verbs Flashcards by Luiz Felipe Cantelmo de Paiva

ADMIRE

He was loved and admired by all of us.
Robert is much admired for his technical skills.

To have a feeling of great respect for someone or something;

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APPEAL

This new style of clothing doesn’t appeal to me; I prefer the older fashion.
Fast food doesn’t appeal to me.
The idea of a vacation to Florida this winter appeals to me a lot.

Blood supplies are running low, and the Red Cross is appealing for blood donations.
She appealed to her former husband to return their baby son.

The verdict was appealed to a higher court.

to be interesting or attractive:

to make a serious or formal request for help, esp. in an emergency:

to request formally that a decision, esp. a legal or official one, be changed:

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AWARD

Carlos was awarded first prize in the essay competition.
The university has awarded her a $500 travel grant.
After graduation he was awarded a scholarship to do research.

to give money or a prize following an official decision;

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BLAME

You can’t blame the government for all your troubles.
I don’t blame her for not supporting the final budget agreement.
If it all goes wrong, don’t blame me.
Crime is a complex issue – we can’t simply blame poverty and unemployment.

to make someone or something responsible for something;

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CHEW

The steak was tough and hard to chew.
You don’t chew your food enough - that’s why you get indigestion.

Would you like some gum to chew?

to crush food into smaller, softer pieces with the teeth so that it can be swallowed;

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DESERVE

The American people deserve to know what went wrong.
I hope those crooks(=bad person) get what they deserve.
I work hard, and I think I deserve to be well paid.

if you deserve something, it is right that you get it, for example because of the way you have behaved.

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EARN
How much do you earn, if you don’t mind me asking?
She doesn’t earn much money, but she enjoys the work.

Interest earned in this country is subject to tax.

Melborne has erned the title of best place to live.
You have to earn your employees’ respect.

to receive money as payment for work that you do;

to make a profit from business or from money that you have in the bank;

to get something that you deserve;

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DROP
I’m always dropping things.
The book dropped from the shelf.

The water level in the flooded region has finally begun to drop.
We had to drop our prices because of the recession.

I’m going to drop yoga and do aerobics instead.
He’s been dropped from the team because of injury.

I dropped him at the library and went shopping.

(FALL) to fall or to allow something to fall;

(LOWER) to move to a lower level, or cause something to move to a lower level;

(STOP)
to stop doing or planning something, especially an activity;
to stop including someone in a group or team;

(TAKE) to take someone to a particular place, usually in a car, and leave them there;

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ENCOURAGE

Our parents always encouraged us to ask questions.
The city needs to encourage job creation.
You should encourage your sales manager to find a more appropriate option.

to help someone to feel confident and able to do something, or to give advice to someone to do something;

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GATHER

I went to several libraries to gather information about the plans.
She gathered up the newspapers that were scattered around the floor.

The train pulled away slowly, then gathered speed.

to collect several things, often from different places or people;

if something gathers force, speed, or strength, its force, speed, or strength increases;

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GRAB

I grabbed the rope and pulled myself out of the water.
We’d better get there early, or someone else will grab the best seats

Let’s grab a sandwich (= get it and eat it quickly) before we leave.

to take or take hold of something or someone suddenly;

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HARM
Does watching violence on TV really harm children?
The government insists that the dam will not harm the environment.
Pollutants may accumulate in the food chain, and harm predators consuming contaminated fish.

(NOUN) Eating sweets occasionally doesn’t do children any harm.
Missing a meal once in a while won’t do you any harm.

to injure, damage, or have a bad effect on someone or something

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OCCUR

The police said that the accident occurred at about 4.30 pm.
If any of these symptoms occur while you are taking the medicine, consult your doctor immediately.

Violence of some sort seems to occur in every society.

to happen, especially unexpectedly;

to exist or be present in, among, etc.:

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OFFER

They haven’t offered me the job yet.
He had offered cocaine to an undercover police officer.

Police are offering a reward to anyone with information about the crime.

Actually, Jen’s giving me a lift home – but thanks for offering.

The organization offers free legal advice to low-income people.
Smaller hotels often offer greater comfort at lower prices.

to ask someone if he or she would like to have something or would like you to do something;

to say that you will pay a particular price for something;

to let someone know that you are willing to do something for them;

to provide something such as a product or service;

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ORDER

Are you ready to order?
I ordered some pasta and a mixed salad.
He orders the same thing every time he goes to this restaurant.

They ordered him to leave the room.

I’ve ordered the application forms into three groups.
The list of books is ordered alphabetically by title.

to ask for something to be made, supplied, or delivered, especially in a restaurant or shop;

If a person in authority orders someone to do something, or orders something to be done, they tell someone to do it;

to arrange a group of people or things in a list from first to last;

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OVERCOME

Juventus overcame Ajax in a thrilling match.
Eventually she managed to overcome her shyness in class.

Exhaustion finally overcame her and she collapsed.
Two men died when they were overcome by fumes from the fire.

to defeat or succeed in controlling or dealing with something;

to make someone very emotional, weak, ill, or unconscious;

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OVERLOOK

Accidents happen when safety checks are overlooked.

Sean Connery was once again overlooked in the New Year’s Honours list.

The hotel is in a lovely location overlooking the lake.

I’m prepared to overlook his behaviour this time.

to fail to notice or do something;

to fail to consider someone or something, or to fail to recognize success;

to provide a view of, especially from above;

to forgive or pretend not to notice something;

REMIND

I can’t think of his name – could you remind me?
Can you remind us about your plans for the building?
Remind Jenny to bring her laptop when she comes.
Can you remind me about my dentist’s appointment tomorrow?
I need the notes to remind me what to say.

to make someone aware of something forgotten or possibly forgotten, or to bring back a memory to someone;

to help someone to remember something that they have to do;

SPOIL

The oil spill spoiled five miles of coastline.
Food spoils quickly in hot weather.
The whole show was spoiled by the lack of decent actors.
I really hope it doesn’t rain – that would spoil everything.
Stop saying yes all the time – you’re spoiling her.

to destroy or damage something, or to become destroyed or damaged;

URGE

Party leaders urged her to run for Congress.
Drivers urged to use caution due to the snow.
Chinese short film urging parents to accept gay children goes viral.

to encourage someone strongly to do something or to ask that something be done;

ATTEND

Over two hundred people attended the funeral.

Which school do your children attend?
I attended the classes for a month or two.
Born in India, he attended high school and medical school in Madras.

(BE PRESENT) to go to an event, place, etc.;

to go regularly to a place, for example to a school as a student or to a church as a member

CHEAT

Kids have always found ways of cheating in school exams.
The builders had cheated us by using low-quality materials.

He swore to me that he had never cheated.

to act in a way that is dishonest, or to make someone believe something that is not true in order to get something for yourself;

to have sex with someone who is not your husband, wife, or partner

CONCERN

The loss didn’t bother him, but his team’s confidence concerns him.
It concerns me that these people are not getting the support they need.

The story concerns a man who was a friend of mine.
The novel concerns the daily life of a family living in a trailer.
This is an issue that should concern everyone.

to worry someone (WORRY);

to be about a particular subject (INVOLVE);

MIND

I don’t mind the heat (=the heat is not a problem to me).
I wouldn’t have minded, but she didn’t even call to cancel our date.
Would you mind if we use my car tonight?

Mind the step (=do not fall over it).
Mind you don’t spill that drink.

to feel annoyed, upset, or unhappy about something;

to take care or be careful about something;

RAISE He raised the window shades. Stephie raised her hand to ask the teacher a question. I had to raise my voice to be heard over the noise in the classroom. There are no plans to raise taxes, the president said. For most parents, raising a family is a positive challenge. The children were raised as vegetarians. I want to start my own business if I can raise enough money.

to cause something to be lifted up or become higher (LIFT); to cause something to become bigger or stronger; increase (BECOME BIGGER) to take care of children or young animals until completely grown (DEVELOP); To raise money is to succeed in getting it;

SNORE My husband snores so loudly it keeps me awake at night.

to make loud noises as you breathe while you are sleeping;

SPILL I spilt coffee all over my desk. She lifted the box and spilled toys out all over the carpet. Crowds were spilling out of the bars and restaurants.

to accidentally pour a liquid out of its container; if people spill out of a place, a lot of them leave at the same time;

CLAIM ``` Ervin claims (that) he is bankrupt. The report claimed that hundreds of civilians had crossed the border to escape the fighting. ``` If no one claims the money, I can keep it. Has anyone claimed the wallet I handed in yesterday? The back of the form tells you how to claim your refund. The flood has now claimed over 500 lives. The meningitis outbreak claimed a third victim today.

to state that something is true or is a fact (SAY); to demand something of value because you believe it belongs to you or you have a right to it (REQUEST); MAINLY JOURNALISM if war, disease, or an accident claims someone’s life, they die as a result of it

PULL Could you help me move this bookcase over there? You pull and I’ll push. Alice lay down and pulled a blanket over her. The car was pulling a trailer. The sun was so strong we had to pull down the blinds. Pull up a chair and join us. She’s asking companies to pull their ads from the program. Marie pulled a hamstring and couldn’t play in the finals.

(MOVE TOWARD YOU) (MOVE IN A DIRECTION) (REMOVE) to injure a muscle by stretching it too much (INJURE);

SCRATCH He used a penknife to scratch his initials into the bark of the tree. Don’t worry: the cat won’t scratch you. I know they itch, but don’t scratch your mosquito bites.

to cut or damage a surface with something sharp or rough, or to rub a part of your body with something sharp or rough;

PLEASE I’m pleased to report that sales have increased by 15%. He’ll do anything to please her. Some of our customers can be very difficult to please.

to make someone feel happy or satisfied, or to give someone pleasure;

THREATEN He’s been threatening me for months. The terrorists are threatening to kill the hostages. My life has been threatened on several occasions. Many workers feel that their jobs are threatened. Nuclear testing threatens to destroy our environment. They threatened to drop him from the team if he didn’t come to practice. Because of continuing drought, millions are threatened with starvation

to tell someone that you might or you will cause them harm, especially in order to make them do something;

STRUGGLE He struggled a bit at first, but he reads well now. She struggled for years to survive without welfare. He struggled to get free from the rope. Foster was struggling with the door in the wind. We have to struggle to win our freedom. She picked the child up, but he struggled and kicked.

to try hard to do something that you find very difficult; to use your strength to fight against someone or something;

DEFEAT She was defeated in the first round of the tournament. Bilbao defeated Salamanca by 2–1. She defeated her brother at tennis. We must be ready to defeat our enemies in battle. Scientists from around the world are working to defeat the disease.

to win against someone in a fight or competition;

SPARK The recent interest rises have sparked new problems for the government. The protests were sparked by the firing of two restaurant employees. The trial sparked off widespread rioting in London.

to cause the start of something, especially an argument or fighting;

HANDLE Please handle the old photographs carefully. The government was criticized for the way it handled the crisis. Who handles the marketing in your company? Inspector Dawkin will be handling this case. All the staff are trained to handle difficult customers.

to lift something and touch, hold, or move it with your hands (TOUCH); to deal with, have responsibility for, or be in charge of something (DEAL WITH);

COMPLIMENT I was just complimenting Robert on his wonderful food. I must compliment you on your handling of a very difficult situation. Her parents never praised or complimented her. Everybody complimented her on the way she handled the emergency.

to praise or express admiration for someone;

STARE ``` Don’t stare at people. The fighters tried to stare each other down (= cause the other to turn away). It’s rude to stare. He lifted his head and stared at her. She was staring at me, so I stared back. ```

to look directly at someone or something for a long time; stare someone down/out to look at someone for so long that they have to look away;

RUSH Ambulance crews rushed to the scene of the accident. Frank was rushed to hospital with violent stomach pains. Can you rush me a copy of the report? There’s no need to rush. We’ve got plenty of time. Don’t rush your decision. Hayley rushed to answer the phone. Stop rushing me! The gang rushed him and took his watch and wallet.

to hurry in order to get somewhere very quickly; to take or send someone or something somewhere in a hurry; to hurry to do something; to move quickly towards someone or something, especially in order to attack them;

STRIVE We strive to be accurate, but some mistakes are inevitable. Women who were striving for more freedom. It’s something we should strive for every day.

to make a lot of effort to achieve something;