Spelling & Vocabulary Enrichment [ 24 ]

24- ] Spelling & Vocabulary Enrichment .

 

Texture , brightness , weight and density .

A-] Texture – how something feels when you touch it :

adjective	typical examples
smooth	the paper , glass
polished	varnished wood / a shiny metal surface
silky	silk itself / fine , expensive tights or stockings
sleek	highly polished , streamlined , new car bodywork
downy	new-born baby’s hair
slippery	a fish just out of the water
furry	a thick sheepskin rug
rough	new , unwashed denim jeans / bark of a tree
coarse	sand
jagged	sharp , irregular edges of broken glass or metal
prickly	a thistle , cactus , thorns on a rose
gnarled	twisted , dead wood from an old tree

- Your hair has a ‘ silky’ ‘feel’ . – This cotton is very ‘smooth’ ‘to the touch’ .

- The table had a beautiful ‘polished’ ‘surface’ . –The ground was rough underfoot.

B-] Brightness : - ‘shiny’ leather shoes . –carnival costumes full of ‘vivid’ colors .

- a ‘shady’ corner of the garden . – a ‘dazzling’ light .

- You wear such ‘dull’ colors : why not get some ‘brighter’ clothes ?

- The light’s too ‘dim’ to read in here . We need another lamp .

- I wear sun-glasses when I drive because of the ‘glare’ of the sun .

C-] Density and weight :

- A ‘solid’ X ‘hollow’ object . – She has ‘thick’ X ‘thin’ / ‘fine’ hair .

- An area with ‘dense’ X ‘sparse’ vegetation .

- These boxes are rather ‘weighty’ . [ heavier than expected ]

- Your bag’s as ‘heavy’ as ‘lead’ ! What’s in it , bricks ?

- Your bag’s as ‘light’ as ‘a feather’ ! Have you brought enough ?

- This suitcase is very ‘bulky’ / ‘cumbersome’ . [ difficult , big and heavy ]

Sound and light .

A- ] General words to describe sound :

- I could hear the ‘sound’ of voices / music coming from the next room . [neutral]

- The ‘noise’ of the traffic here is pretty bad . [ loud , unpleasant sounds ]

- The children are making a terrible ‘racket’ upstairs . Could you go and tell them to be quiet ? [ informal ; very loud , unbearable noise , often of human activity ]

- ‘Noise’ and ‘sound’ can both be countable or uncountable . When they are of short duration or refer to different sounds / noises , they are countable . When they mean a lot of continual or continuous sounds , they are uncountable .

- Their lawnmower makes ‘a lot of noise’ , doesn’t it ? [ uncountable ]

- The ‘sound’ of the sea is very relaxing . [ uncountable ]

B- ] Sound words and things that typically make them :

verb /noun	example of what makes the sound
bang	a door closing in the wind , someone bursting a balloon
rustle	opening a paper / plastic bag , dry leaves underfoot
thud	a heavy object falling on to a carpeted floor
crash	a big , solid , heavy object falling on to a hard floor
clang	a big bell ringing , a hollow metal object being struck
clatter	a metal pan falling on to a concrete floor
hiss	gas /steam escaping through a small hole
rumble	distant noise of thunder , noise of traffic far away
roar	noise of heavy traffic , noise of a huge waterfall
ring	a small bell ringing , a telephone

C-] Darkness : Some adjectives for ‘dark ‘conditions .

- These brown walls are a bit ‘gloomy’ . We should paint them white .

- This torch is getting a bit ‘dim’ . I think it needs new batteries .

-It was a ‘somber’ room , with dark , heavy curtains . [ serious , imposing ]

D- ] Types of light :  Note these collocations .

- The sun ‘shines’ and gives out ‘rays’ of light .

- A torch gives out a ‘beam’ of light .

- A camera gives a ‘flash’ of light .

- Stars ‘twinkle’ .

- A candle-flame ‘flickers’ in the breeze .

- White-hot coal on a fire ‘glows’ .

- A diamond ring ‘sparkles’ .

- A gold object ‘glitters’ .

Movement and speed .

‘Move’ is the basic verb for all movement , but it also means ‘to move to a new house’

or flat’ , e.g. We’ve ‘moved’ . Do you want our new address ?

A-] Particular types of movement :

- Cars , lorries , etc. ‘travel’/ ‘drive’ along roads .

- Trains ‘travel’ along rails .

- Boats / ships ‘sail’ on rivers / across the sea .

- Rivers / streams ‘flow’ / ‘run’ through towns / villages .

B-] Things often have particular verbs associated with their types of movement .You should learn them as typical collocations .

- White clouds ‘drifted’ across the sky .

- The flag ‘fluttered’ in the wind .

- The leaves ‘stirred’ in the light breeze .

-The trees ‘swayed’ back and forth as the hurricane grew stronger .

- The car ‘swerved’ to avoid a dog which had run into the road .

C-] Verbs to describe fast and slow movement :

- The traffic was ‘crawling along’ because pf the roadworks .

- Stop ‘dawdling’ . We’ll be late !

- Suddenly a car came round the bend and ‘tore along’ the road at high speed . Seconds later , a police car ‘shot past’ after it .

- Everyone was ‘hurrying’ / ‘rushing’ to get their shopping done before closing time .

- The train was just ‘creeping’ / ‘plodding along’ at about 20 miles per hour . I knew we’d be late .

C-] Nouns to describe speed and their typical contexts :

- ‘speed’ is a general word : used for vehicles , developments , changes , etc. , e.g. We were travelling at high ‘speed’ .

- ‘rate’ is often used in statistical contexts ; the rate of increase / decrease , e.g. The birth ‘rate’ is going down .

- ‘pace’ shows how you experience something as happening fast or slow , e.g. The lesson was going at a very slow ‘pace’ .

- ‘velocity’ is used in technical / scientific contexts , e.g. The ‘velocity’ of a bullet .