Vocabulary Explanations

1. B1 Vocabulary Explanations
Page 4

2. project (noun)
Definition: a project is an activity you are working on.
Examples: If you making a table, you can say, “I am making a table today.
Making a table is my project”.
I am proud of a project I did with my dad. My dad and I fixed my old car.
Fixing my old car is a project that I am proud of. This project was a lot of
work, but I did it with my dad and had fun.
There are many types of projects. Some examples are school projects, home
improvement projects, art projects, science projects, decorating projects,
sewing projects, and many more.
Do you have a project your are proud of?

3. take care of (verb phrase)
Definition: to take care of is to make sure of doing something.
Examples: If you need to feed your dog and wash her in the bathtub, you can
say, “I need to take care of my dog”.
You can change the verb take to be any tense. For example, you can say,
“Yesterday, I took care of my house work, so today I can relax.” Notice that
take changes to took, but care of do not change.
More examples: I can’t go to the party tonight. I need to take care of my little
sister because my mom is at work.
Jenna: Is our still sink broken? Alex: Yes, but I am taking care of it now. I will
fix it before you come home from work.
What do you need to take care of this week?

4. produce (verb)
Definition: to make
Examples: The tree does not have any fruit in the winter, but in the summer it
will produce many apples.
The South Korean company called Samsung will produce a new TV that has 3d
videos. They are the first company to produce a TV like this.
Steven Spielberg is famous for producing and directing movies. He produced
many famous movies like Jurassic Park and ET.
Extra: The word product comes from the word produce.

5. normal (adjective)
Definition: Usual and not very special or unique.
Examples: My fashion style is normal. I like to wear comfortable clothes with
basic colors like blue, black, and white. Normal is okay for me! I do not like to
get attention.
● It is a normal day in London, England. The sky is grey and it is cold, just
the same as always. I will go to work, eat at the normal restaurant for
lunch, and I will come home and make dinner. A very normal day.
Question: What is a normal morning for you? What do you normally do each
morning?

6. arrive (verb)
Definition: To get to a place.
Examples: My plane will arrive in San Francisco on Wednesday at 11:00am.
● My package from Amazon.com will arrive on Friday.
● We will start our hike at 9:00am and we should arrive to the top of the
mountain before noon (12:00pm)
Question: Do you normally arrive early, on time, or late?
In your culture, is it normal to arrive on time, early, or late?
Extra: In US culture, it is best to arrive on time. In Japanese culture, it is best to
arrive early.

7. team (noun)
Definition: A group of people working together.
Examples: My soccer team meets up 3 times a week to practice.
Our teacher separated the class into 4 teams to play the game.
Question: What is your favorite sports team?
Questions: Do you prefer working with a team, or working alone?

8. extraordinary (adjective)
Definition: If you describe something or someone as extraordinary, you
mean they have some extremely good or special quality.
Examples: The boy is only 5 years old, but he has an extraordinary mind. He
studies math at the university, and can already speak 5 languages. He is truly
extraordinary and amazing.
The scientist made quite an extraordinary discovery. He found the bones of
early humans. It is extraordinary because these bones are 1000 years older
than anything we found before.
Question: Do you have an extraordinary talent?

9. communicate (verb)
Definition: to talk to, or share information with another person. You can
communicate through email, text, messages, phone calls, or writing.
Examples: The boyfriend and girlfriend need to communicate better, because
they are always arguing.
It is hard to communicate with people in a new country, especially when you
do not speak the same language. You might need to communicate with hand
movements.
Question: Who do you communicate with a lot?

10. B1 Vocabulary Explanations
Page 11

11. balance (verb/noun)
Definition:
(Verb) If you balance one thing with something different, each of these things
has the same strength or importance.
(Noun) A balance is a situation in which all the different parts are equal in
strength or importance.
Example (verb): It is good to exercise, but you should also rest. Try to balance
your activities so you stay healthy.
Example (noun): The work team has a good balance of leaders, creative
thinkers, and problem solvers.

12. depend on (verb)
Definition: If you say that one thing depends on another thing, you mean that
the first thing will be affected by the second thing.
Examples: The amount of minutes to cook the potato depends on how big the
potato is.
I might take an umbrella today. It depends on the weather.
Definition 2: If you depend on someone or something, you need them in
order to be to survive physically, financially, or emotionally.
Example: In college, I depended on my parents financially. They paid for my
apartment.

13. during (preposition)
Definition: at the same time, and continuously
Examples:
● Snow storms are common during the winter time.
● During his visit, the Pope will bless the new hospital.
Question: What do you like to do during a long plane flight or bus ride? For
me, I like playing word games on my phone during long plane flights.
Question: What do you want to learn during your time taking this online
class?
Answer: During my time taking this online class, I ________________.

14. realize (verb)
Definition: to understand, to become aware of, to recognize
Examples:
● People need to realize how important recycling is for the environment.
● We realized something was wrong when we was lots of police officers
outside our apartment.

15. spend time (verb phrase)
Definition: We use spend time to talk about how you use your time.
Examples:
● I love to spend time with my dogs at the park.
● I spent time writing my essay in the morning, so I can spend time
hanging out with my friends in the evening.
Question: How do you like to spend time on the weekends?
Answer: “I like to spend time ______-ing on the weekends.“

16. schedule (noun/verb)
Definition:
(Noun) A schedule is a plan that gives a list of events, with the date or time.
(Verb) to make a plan with a date and time.
Examples:
● Did you check the schedule? When is the train arriving?
● We should schedule a vacation for our summer break. Can you take a
vacation in August?

17. surprise (noun/verb)
Definitions:
(Noun) Surprise is the feeling that you have when something unexpected
happens.
(Verb) If you surprise someone, you give the, tell them, or do something
pleasant that they are not expecting.
Examples:
● The party was a surprise party, and the birthday girl was so happy and
shocked to see her friends!
● I want to surprise my new neighbor with some homemade cookies.

18. measure (verb)
Definition: to find the size, amount, or degree of something by using a tool or
by comparing it to another thing.
Examples:
● Can you please measure 1 cup of flour using that measuring cup? I want
to make these cookies perfect.
● The scientist will measure how much the tree grows each year.
Question: Have you measured your height recently? How tall are you?