publicity 246 pupil has been delayed. 2. a book or newspa- per which has been published ć He asked the library for a list of gardening publications. publicity publicity /p blsti/ noun advertising which attracts people’s attention to something ć We’re trying to get public- ity for our school play. ć The failure of the show was blamed on bad publicity. publicly publicly /pblkli/ adverb in public ć The Prime Minister publicly denied the accusations. publish publish /pblʃ/ verb 1. to bring out a book or newspaper for sale ć The com- pany publishes six magazines for the business market. ć We publish diction- aries for students. 2. to make something publicly known ć The government has not published the figures yet. publisher publisher /pblʃə/ noun a person or company that produces books or news- papers for sale pudding pudding /pυdŋ/ noun 1. a sweet dish at the end of the meal ć I’ll have ice cream for my pudding. 2. a sweet cooked food puddle puddle /pd(ə)l/ noun a small pool of water, e.g. on the ground after it has rained pull pull /pυl/ verb to move something to- wards you or after you ć Pull the door to open it, don’t push it. ć The truck was pulling a trailer. ć She pulled an enve- lope out of her bag. pull off phrasal verb 1. to take off a piece of clothing by pulling ć He sat down and pulled off his dirty boots. 2. to succeed in doing something very good, especially if it is unexpected ć The deal will be great for the company, if we can pull it off. pull out phrasal verb 1. to take some- thing out by pulling ć They used a rope to pull the car out of the river. 2. to drive a car away from the side of the road ć He forgot to signal as he was pulling out. ć Don’t pull out into the main road until you can see that there is nothing coming. pull over phrasal verb to drive a car to- wards the side of the road and stop ć The police car signalled to him to pull over. pull up phrasal verb 1. to bring some- thing closer ć Pull your chair up to the window. 2. ( of a vehicle ) to stop ć A car pulled up and the driver asked me if I wanted a lift. ć He didn’t manage to pull up in time and ran into the back of the car in front. pullover pullover /pυləυvə/ noun a piece of clothing made of wool, which covers the top part of your body pulse pulse /pls/ noun a regular beat of your heart ć The doctor took his pulse. ć Her pulse is very weak. pump pump /pmp/ noun a machine for forc- ing liquids or air into something ć a bi- cycle pump í verb to force in something such as liquid or air with a pump ć Your back tyre needs pumping up. ć The heart pumps blood round the body. punch punch /pntʃ/ noun 1. a blow with the fist ć She landed two punches on his head. 2. a metal tool for making holes ć The holes in the belt are made with a punch. (NOTE: The plural is punches.) í verb 1. to hit someone with your fist ć He punched me on the nose. 2. to make holes in something with a punch ć The conductor punched my ticket. punctual punctual /pŋktʃuəl/ adjective on time ć He was punctual for his appointment with the dentist. punctuation punctuation /pŋktʃu eʃ(ə)n/ noun the practice of dividing up groups of words using special printed symbols puncture puncture /pŋktʃə/ noun a hole in a tyre ć I’ve got a puncture in my back tyre. í verb to make a small hole in something ć The tyre had been punc- tured by a nail. punish punish /pnʃ/ verb to make someone suffer because of something they have done ć The children must be punished for stealing apples. ć The simplest way to punish them will be to make them pay for the damage they caused. punishment punishment /pnʃmənt/ noun a treatment given to punish someone ć As a punishment, you’ll wash the kitchen floor. pupil pupil /pjup(ə)l/ noun 1. a child at a school ć There are twenty-five pupils in the class. ć The piano teacher thinks Basic.fm Page 246 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM This is trial version www.adultpdf.com This is trial version www.adultpdf.com puppet 247 put she is her best pupil. 2. a black hole in the central part of the eye, through which the light passes ć The pupil of the eye grows larger when there is less light. puppet puppet /ppt/ noun a doll which moves, used to give a show puppy puppy /ppi/ noun a young dog ć Our dog has had six puppies. (NOTE: The plural is puppies.) purchase purchase /ptʃs/ noun something that has been bought ć She had difficul- ty getting all her purchases into the car. ˽ to make a purchase to buy something ć We didn’t make many purchases on our trip to Oxford Street. í verb to buy something ć They purchased their car in France and brought it back to the UK purchaser purchaser /ptʃsə/ noun a person who buys something pure pure /pjυə/ adjective 1. not spoiled by being mixed with other things or sub- stances of a lower quality ć a bottle of pure water ć a pure silk blouse ć a pure mountain stream 2. total, complete ć This is pure nonsense. ć It is pure extor- tion. ć It is pure spite on his part. ć It was by pure good luck that I happened to find it. (NOTE: purer – purest) purple purple /pp(ə)l/ adjective blue-red in colour ć The sky turned purple as night approached. ć His face was purple with fury. í noun a blue-red colour ć They painted their living room a deep purple. purpose purpose /ppəs/ noun an aim or plan ć The purpose of the meeting is to plan the village fair. purse purse /ps/ noun a small bag for carry- ing money ć I know I had my purse in my pocket when I left home. ć She put her ticket in her purse so that she wouldn’t forget where it was. pursue pursue /pə sju/ verb to go after some- one in order to try to catch him or her ( formal ) ć The police pursued the stolen car across London. ć The boys fled, pursued by their older brother. push push /pυʃ/ noun the action of making something move forwards ć Can you give the car a push? – It won’t start. í verb to make something move away from you or in front of you ć We’ll have to push the car to get it to start. ć The piano is too heavy to lift, so we’ll have to push it into the next room. ć Did she fall down the stairs or was she pushed? put put /pυt/ verb to place something some- where ć Did you remember to put the milk in the fridge? ć Where do you want me to put this book? (NOTE: puts – putting – put – has put) put back phrasal verb to put some- thing where it was before put down phrasal verb 1. to place something lower down onto a surface ć He put his suitcase down on the floor beside him. 2. to kill an animal that is old or ill, painlessly using drugs ć The cat will have to be put down. put in phrasal verb 1. to place some- thing inside something ć I forgot to put in my pyjamas when I packed the case. 2. to fix something such as a system or a large piece of equipment in place so that it can be used ć The first thing we have to do with the cottage is to put in central heating. put off phrasal verb 1. to arrange for something to take place later ć We have put the meeting off until next month. 2. to take someone’s attention so that they cannot do things properly ć Stop mak- ing that strange noise, it’s putting me off my work. 3. to say something that makes someone decide not to do something ć He told a story about cows that put me off my food. ć I was going to see the film, but my brother said something which put me off. put on phrasal verb 1. to place some- thing on top of something, on a surface ć Put the lid on the saucepan. ć He put his hand on my arm. ć Put the suitcases down on the floor. 2. to dress yourself in a certain piece of clothing ć I put a clean shirt on before I went to the party. ć Put your gloves on, it’s cold outside. ć Put on your wellies if you’re going out in the rain. 3. to switch something on ć Can you put the light on, it’s get- ting dark? ć Put on the kettle and we’ll have some tea. put out phrasal verb 1. to place some- thing outside ć Did you remember to put the cat out? 2. to switch something Basic.fm Page 247 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM This is trial version www.adultpdf.com This is trial version www.adultpdf.com puzzle 248 pyramid off ć He put the light out and went to bed. put up phrasal verb 1. to attach some- thing to a wall, to attach something high up ć I’ve put up the photos of my family over my desk. ć They are putting up Christmas decorations all along Regent Street. 2. to build something ć They put up a wooden shed in their garden. 3. to increase something, to make something higher ć The shop has put up all its prices by 5%. 4. to give someone a place to sleep in your house ć They’ve missed the last train, can you put them up for the night? put up with phrasal verb to accept someone or something unpleasant ć I don’t think I can put up with that noise any longer. puzzle puzzle /pz(ə)l/ noun 1. a game where you have to find the answer to a problem ć I can’t do today’s crossword puzzle. 2. something that is hard to understand ć It’s a puzzle to me why they don’t go to live in the country. í verb to be difficult to understand ć It puzzles me how the robbers managed to get away. pyramid pyramid /prəmd/ noun a shape with a square base and four sides rising to meet at a point Basic.fm Page 248 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM This is trial version www.adultpdf.com This is trial version www.adultpdf.com Q q q /kju/, Q noun the seventeenth letter of the alphabet, between P and R qualification qualification /kwɒlf keʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. something necessary for a job, e.g. proof that you have completed a partic- ular course of study ć Does she have the right qualifications for the job? 2. something which limits the meaning of a statement, or shows that you do not agree with something completely ć I want to add one qualification to the agreement: if the goods are not deliv- ered by the 30th of June, then the order will be cancelled. 3. success in a test or competition which takes you on to the next stage ć She didn’t reach the neces- sary standard for qualification. qualify qualify /kwɒlfa/ verb to attach condi- tions to something ć I must qualify the offer by saying that your proposals still have to be approved by the chairman. (NOTE: qualifies – qualifying – quali- fied) quality quality /kwɒlti/ noun 1. how good something is ć We want to measure the air quality in the centre of town. ć There are several high-quality restaurants in the West End. (NOTE: no plural) 2. some- thing which is part of a person’s charac- ter ć She has many good qualities, but unfortunately is extremely lazy. ć What qualities do you expect in a good sales- man? (NOTE: The plural is qualities.) quantity quantity /kwɒntti/ noun how much of something there is (NOTE: The plural is quantities.) quarrel quarrel /kwɒrəl/ noun an occasion when people argue about something ć They have had a quarrel and aren’t speaking to each other. ć I think the quarrel was over who was in charge of the cash desk. quarter quarter /kwɔtə/ noun one of four equal parts of something ć She cut the pear into quarters. ć The jar is only a quarter empty. ć He paid only a quarter of the normal fare because he works for the airline. quay quay /ki/ noun the part of a harbour or port where boats stop (NOTE: Do not confuse with key.) queen queen /kwin/ noun 1. the wife of a king ć King Charles I’s queen was the daughter of the king of France. 2. a woman who rules a country ć The Queen sometimes lives in Windsor Cas- tle. ć Queen Victoria was queen for many years. (NOTE: queen is spelt with a capital letter when used before a name or when referring to a particular person: Queen Elizabeth I .) 3. in the game of chess, the second most impor- tant piece, after the king ć In three moves he had captured my queen. query query /kwəri/ noun a question ć She had to answer a mass of queries about the tax form. (NOTE: The plural is que- ries.) question question /kwestʃ(ə)n/ noun 1. a sen- tence which needs an answer ć The teacher couldn’t answer the children’s questions. ć Some of the questions in the exam were too difficult. ć The man- ager refused to answer questions from journalists about the fire. 2. a problem or matter ć The question is, who do we appoint to run the shop when we’re on holiday? ć The main question is that of cost. ć He raised the question of moving to a less expensive part of town. í verb to ask questions ć The police ques- tioned the driver for four hours. ȣ in question under discussion ć Please keep to the matter in question. question mark question mark /kweʃtʃən mɑk/ noun a sign (?) used in writing to show that a question is being asked questionnaire questionnaire /kwestʃə neə/ noun a printed list of questions given to people Basic.fm Page 249 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM This is trial version www.adultpdf.com This is trial version www.adultpdf.com queue 250 quote to answer, usually questions about what they like or what they buy queue queue /kju/ noun a line of people or things such as cars, waiting one behind the other for something ć There was a queue of people waiting to get into the exhibition. ć We joined the queue at the entrance to the stadium. í verb to stand in a line and wait for something ć We spent hours queuing for tickets. (NOTE: queues – queuing – queued) quick quick /kwk/ adjective done with speed or in a short time ć I’m trying to work out the quickest way to get to the Tower of London. ć We had a quick lunch and then went off for a walk. ć He is much quicker at calculating than I am. ć I am not sure that going by air to Paris is quicker than taking the train. quickly quickly /kwkli/ adverb very fast, with- out taking much time ć He ate his sup- per very quickly because he wanted to watch the match on TV. ć The firemen came quickly when we called 999. quiet quiet /kwaət/ adjective 1. without any noise ć a house in a quiet street ć I wish the children would be quiet. – I’m trying to work. 2. with no great excitement ć We had a quiet holiday by the sea. ć It’s a quiet little village. ć The hotel is in the quietest part of the town. quietly quietly /kwaətli/ adverb without mak- ing any noise ć The burglar climbed quietly up to the window. ć She shut the door quietly behind her. quit quit /kwt/ verb 1. to leave something such as a job or a place and not return ć When the boss criticised her, she quit. ć I’m fed up with the office, I’m thinking of quitting. 2. US to stop doing some- thing ć Will you quit bothering me! ć He quit smoking. (NOTE: quits – quit- ting – quit or quitted) quite quite /kwat/ adverb 1. to some degree ć It’s quite a long play. ć She’s quite a good writer. ć The book is quite amus- ing but I liked the TV play better. 2. to a great degree ć You’re quite mad to go walking in a snowstorm. ć He’s quite right. ć I don’t quite understand why you want to go China. quiz quiz /kwz/ noun a game where you are asked a series of questions ć She got all the questions right in the quiz. ć They organised a general knowledge quiz. (NOTE: The plural is quizzes.) quotation quotation /kwəυ teʃ(ə)n/ noun the words of one person which are repeated by another person ć The article ended with a quotation from one of Churchill’s speeches. quote quote /kwəυt/ noun a quotation ć I need some good quotes from his speech to put into my report. í verb to repeat what someone has said or written ć He start- ed his speech by quoting lines from Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’. Basic.fm Page 250 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM This is trial version www.adultpdf.com This is trial version www.adultpdf.com R r r /ɑ/, R noun the eighteenth letter of the alphabet, between Q and S rabbit rabbit /rbt/ noun a common wild an- imal with grey fur, long ears and a short white tail ć The rabbit ran down its hole. ć She keeps a pet rabbit in a cage. race race /res/ noun a competition to see which person, animal or vehicle is the fastest ć She was second in the 200 me- tres race. ć The bicycle race goes round the whole country. í verb 1. to run fast ć They saw the bus coming and raced to the bus stop. ć He snatched some watches from the shop window and then raced away down the street. 2. to run with someone in order to find out who is fastest ć I’ll race you to see who gets to school first. rack rack /rk/ noun a frame for holding things, e.g. letters, tools or suitcases ć He put the envelope in the letter rack on his desk. racket racket /rkt/ noun 1. a light frame with tight strings, used for hitting the ball in games ć She bought a new tennis racket at the start of the summer season. ć She asked if she could borrow his badminton racket for the tournament. 2. a loud noise ( informal ) ć Stop that rack- et at once! ć The people next door make a terrible racket when they’re having a party. radiator radiator /redietə/ noun 1. a metal ob- ject, usually fixed to a wall, which is filled with hot water for heating a room ć Turn the radiator down – it’s boiling in here. ć When we arrived at the hotel our room was cold, so we switched the radiators on. 2. a metal container filled with cold water for preventing a car en- gine from becoming too hot ć The radi- ator overheated causing the car to break down. radio radio /rediəυ/ noun 1. a method of sending out and receiving messages us- ing air waves ć They got the news by ra- dio. ć We always listen to BBC radio when we’re on holiday. 2. a machine which sends out and receives messages using air waves ć Turn on the radio – it’s time for the weather forecast. ć I heard the news on the car radio. ć Please, turn the radio down – I’m on the phone. radius radius /rediəs/ noun 1. a line from the centre of a circle to the outside edge ć We were all asked to measure the radius of the circle. 2. the distance in any direc- tion from a particular central point ć People within a radius of twenty miles heard the explosion. ć The school ac- cepts children living within a two-mile radius. (NOTE: The plural is radii or ra- diuses.) rag rag /r/ noun a piece of torn cloth ć He used an old oily rag to clean his motor- bike. rage rage /red/ noun sudden extreme anger ć Her face was red with rage. í verb to be violent ć The storm raged all night. raid raid /red/ noun a sudden attack; a sud- den visit by the police ć Robbers car- ried out six raids on post offices during the night. ć Police carried out a series of raids on addresses in London. í verb to make a sudden attack on a place ć The police raided the club. ć We caught the boys raiding the fridge. rail rail /rel/ noun 1. a straight metal or wooden bar ć The pictures all hang from a picture rail. ć Hold onto the rail as you go down the stairs. ć There is a heated towel rail in the bathroom. 2. one of two parallel metal bars on which trains run ć Don’t try to cross the rails – it’s dangerous. 3. the railway, a system of travel using trains ć Six million com- muters travel to work by rail each day. ć We ship all our goods by rail. ć Rail travellers are complaining about rising Basic.fm Page 251 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM This is trial version www.adultpdf.com This is trial version www.adultpdf.com railway 252 rash fares. ć Rail travel is cheaper than air travel. railway railway /relwe/ noun a way of travel- ling which uses trains to carry passen- gers and goods ć The railway station is in the centre of town. ć The French rail- way system has high-speed trains to all major cities. rain rain /ren/ noun drops of water which fall from the clouds ć The ground is very dry – we’ve had no rain for days. ć Yes- terday we had 3cm of rain or 3cm of rain fell here yesterday. ć If you have to go out in the rain take an umbrella. ć All this rain will help the plants grow. í verb to fall as drops of water from the clouds ć As soon as we sat down and took out the sandwiches it started to rain. ć Look at the clouds, it’s going to rain. rainbow rainbow /renbəυ/ noun a shape like half a circle which shines with many colours in the sky when it is sunny and raining at the same time raincoat raincoat /renkəυt/ noun a coat which keeps off water, which you wear when it is raining rain forest rain forest /ren fɒrst/ noun a thick forest which grows in tropical regions where there is a lot of rain raise raise /rez/ verb 1. to put something in a higher position or at a higher level ć He picked up the flag and raised it over his head. ć Air fares will be raised on June 1st. 2. to mention a subject which could be discussed ć No one raised the sub- ject of politics. ć The manager tried to prevent the question of pay being raised. 3. to obtain money ć The hospital is try- ing to raise £2m to finance its building programme. ć Where will he raise the money from to start up his business? 4. to look after a child ć She was raised by her aunt in Canada. (NOTE: raises – raising – raised) rally rally /rli/ noun a large meeting of members of a group or political party ć We are holding a rally to protest against the job cuts. ran ran /rn/ past tense of run ranch ranch /rɑntʃ/ noun a farm where horses or cows are kept, especially in North or South America ć The cowboys returned to the ranch each evening. ć They left the city and bought a ranch in Colora- do. rang rang /rŋ/ past tense of ring range range /rend/ noun 1. a choice or series of things which are available ć We have a range of holidays at all prices. ć I am looking for something in the £20–£30 price range. 2. a distance which you can go; a distance over which you can see or hear ć The missile only has a range of 100 km. ć The police said the man had been shot at close range. ć The optician told her that her range of vision would be limited. 3. a series of buildings or mountains in line ć There is a range of outbuildings next to the farmhouse which can be converted into holiday cottages. ć They looked out at the vast mountain range from the plane window. í verb ˽ to range from include all types between two limits ć The sizes range from small to extra large. ć Holi- days range in price from £150 to £350 per person. ć The quality of this year’s examination papers ranged from excel- lent to very poor. rank rank /rŋk/ noun an official position in the army, the police force or a similar organisation ć She rose to the rank of captain. rapid rapid /rpd/ adjective done very quick- ly or happening very quickly ć There has been a rapid rise in property prices this year. ć The rapid change in the weather forced the yachts to turn for home. rapidly rapidly /rpdli/ adverb quickly rare rare /reə/ adjective not usual or common ć It’s very rare to meet a foreigner who speaks perfect Chinese. ć Experienced sales staff are rare these days. ć The woodland is the habitat of a rare species of frog. (NOTE: rarer – rarest) rarely rarely /reəli/ adverb almost never ć I rarely buy a Sunday newspaper. ć He is rarely in his office on Friday afternoons. rash rash /rʃ/ noun a mass of red spots on your skin, which stays for a time and then disappears ć She had a rash on her arms. í adjective done without think- Basic.fm Page 252 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM This is trial version www.adultpdf.com This is trial version www.adultpdf.com rat 253 reader ing carefully or sensibly ć It was a bit rash of him to suggest that he would pay for everyone. rat rat /rt/ noun a small furry animal like a large mouse which has a long tail and can carry disease rate rate /ret/ noun 1. a number shown as a proportion of another 2. how frequently something is done or how often some- thing happens ć a sharp increase in the country’s birth rate ć His heart was beating at a rate of only 59 per minute. 3. a level of payment ć He immediately accepted the rate offered. ć Before we discuss the project further, I would like to talk about the rates of payment. ć Their rate of pay is lower than ours. 4. speed ć At the rate he’s going, he’ll be there before us. ć If you type at a steady rate of 70 words per minute you’ll finish copying the text today. rather rather /rɑðə/ adverb to a slight degree ć Their house is rather on the small side. ć Her dress is a rather pretty shade of blue. ratio ratio /reʃiəυ/ noun an amount of some- thing measured in relation to another amount ć the ratio of successes to fail- ures ć Our athletes beat theirs by a ra- tio of two to one (2:1). (NOTE: The plural is ratios.) rattle rattle /rt(ə)l/ verb to make a repeated noise like two pieces of wood hitting each other ć The wind made the win- dows rattle. raw raw /rɔ/ adjective not cooked ć Don’t be silly – you can’t eat raw potatoes! ć We had a salad of raw cabbage and toma- toes. ć Sushi is a Japanese dish of raw fish. ć They served the meat almost raw. ray ray /re/ noun a beam of light or heat ć A ray of sunshine hit the window pane and lit up the gloomy room. razor razor /rezə/ noun an instrument with a very sharp blade for removing hair from the face or body reach reach /ritʃ/ noun how far you can stretch out your hand ć Keep the medi- cine bottle out of the reach of the chil- dren. í verb 1. to stretch out your hand in order to touch or take something ć She reached across the table and took some meat from my plate. ć He’s quite tall enough to reach the tool cupboard. ć Can you reach me down the suitcase from the top shelf? 2. to arrive at a place ć We were held up by fog and only reached home at midnight. ć The plane reaches Hong Kong at midday. ć We wrote to tell her we were coming to visit, but the letter never reached her. 3. to get to a certain level ć The amount we owe the bank has reached £100,000. react react /ri kt/ verb to do or to say some- thing as a result of something that some- one else does or says ć How will he re- act when we tell him the news? ć When she heard the rumour she didn’t react at all. reaction reaction /ri kʃən/ noun 1. a thing done or said as a result of something else ć His immediate reaction to the news was to burst into laughter. ć There was a very negative reaction to the proposed building development. 2. a process of chemical change ć A chemical reaction takes place when the acid is added. read read /rid/ verb 1. to look at and under- stand written words ć She was reading a book when I saw her. ć What are you reading at the moment? ć We’re rea d- ing about the general election. 2. to look at and understand written music ć She can play the piano by ear, but can’t read music. 3. to understand the mean- ing of data from something such as a computer disk or a piece of electronic equipment ć My PC cannot read these old disks. ć The scanner reads the code on each product. 4. to speak the words of something which is written ć The chairman read a message from the pres- ident during the meeting. ć She reads a story to the children every night. ć Can you read the instructions on the medi- cine bottle? – The print is too small for me. (NOTE: reads – reading – read) read aloud, read out phrasal verb to speak the words you are reading reader reader /ridə/ noun 1. a person who reads, especially a person who reads regularly or who reads a particular newspaper or type of book ć a message from the editor to all our readers ć She’s a great reader of science fiction. Basic.fm Page 253 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM This is trial version www.adultpdf.com This is trial version www.adultpdf.com reading 254 reasonable 2. a school book to help children to learn to read ć The teacher handed out the new readers to the class. ć I remem- ber one of my first readers – it was about pirates. reading reading /ridŋ/ noun 1. the act of look- ing at and understanding written words ć Reading and writing should be taught early. 2. an occasion when someone speaks the words of something which is written ć They gave a poetry reading in the bookshop. ready ready /redi/ adjective 1. prepared for something ć Hold on – I’ll be ready in two minutes. ć Are all the children ready to go to school? ć Why isn’t the coach here? – The group are all ready and waiting to go. 2. available and suit- able to be used or eaten ć Don’t sit down yet – the meal isn’t ready. ć Is my dry cleaning ready yet? real real /rəl/ adjective 1. not false or artifi- cial ć Is that watch real gold? ć That plastic apple looks very real or looks just like the real thing. ć He has a real leather case. 2. used for emphasising something ć That car is a real bargain at £300. ć Their little girl is going to be a real beauty. ć Wasps can be a real problem on picnics. ć There’s a real danger that the shop will be closed. 3. which exists in the world, not only in someone’s imagination or in stories ć She believes fairies are real. realise realise /rəlaz/, realize verb 1. to un- derstand clearly something that you did not understand before ć He didn’t real- ise what he was letting himself in for when he said he would paint the house. ć We soon realised we were on the wrong road. ć When she went into the manager’s office she did not realise she was going to be sacked. 2. to make something become real ć After four years of hard work, the motor racing team realised their dream of winning the Grand Prix. ć By buying a house by the sea he realised his greatest ambition. reality reality /ri lti/ noun situations which are real and not imaginary ć the grim realities of life in an industrial town ć He worked hard, and his dreams of wealth soon became a reality. (NOTE: The plural is realities.) ȣ in reality in fact ć She always told people she was poor, but in reality she was worth mil- lions. really really /rəli/ adverb 1. in fact ć The building really belongs to my father. 2. used to show surprise ć She’s not really French, is she? ć She doesn’t like ap- ples. – Really, how strange! ć Did you really mean what you said? rear rear /rə/ noun the part at the back ć The rear of the car was damaged in the acci- dent. ć They sat towards the rear of the cinema. í adjective at the back ć The children sat in the rear seats in the car. ć He wound down the rear window. í verb 1. to look after animals or children as they are growing up ć They rear horses on their farm. ć They stopped rearing pigs because of the smell. 2. to rise up, or to lift something up ć A rhino suddenly reared up out of the long grass. ć The walls of the castle reared up before them. reason reason /riz(ə)n/ noun 1. a thing which explains why something has happened ć The airline gave no reason for the plane’s late arrival. ć The boss asked him for the reason why he was behind with his work. 2. the ability to make sen- sible judgments ć She wouldn’t listen to reason. í verb to think or to plan some- thing carefully and sensibly ć He rea- soned that any work is better than no work, so he took the job. ć If you take the time to reason it out, you’ll find a so- lution to the problem. ȣ it stands to reason it is reasonable ć It stands to reason that he wants to join his father’s firm. ȣ to see reason to see that some- one’s argument is right or reasonable ć She was going to report her neighbours to the police, but in the end we got her to see reason. ȣ within reason to a sensi- ble degree, in a sensible way ć The chil- dren get £5 pocket money each week, and we let them spend it as they like, within reason. reasonable reasonable /riz(ə)nəb(ə)l/ adjective 1. sensible ć The manager of the shop was very reasonable when she tried to explain that she had left her credit cards at home. 2. not expensive ć The hotel’s Basic.fm Page 254 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM This is trial version www.adultpdf.com This is trial version www.adultpdf.com rebel 255 recognise charges are quite reasonable. ć The res- taurant offers good food at reasonable prices. rebel rebel 1 /reb(ə)l/ noun a person who fights against a government or against those who are in authority ć The rebels fled to the mountains after the army captured their headquarters. ć He con- siders himself something of a rebel be- cause he wears his hair in a ponytail. rebel rebel 2 /r bel/ verb to fight against some- one or something ć The peasants are re- belling against the king’s men. ć The class rebelled at the idea of doing extra homework. (NOTE: rebels – rebelling – rebelled) recall recall 1 /rikɔl/ noun the act of asking for products to be returned, or the act of ordering someone to return ć The recall of the faulty goods caused the manufac- turers some serious 3problems. recall recall 2 /r kɔl/ verb 1. to remember something ć I don’t recall having met her before. ć She couldn’t recall any de- tails of the accident. 2. ( of a manufacturer ) to ask for products to be returned because of possible faults ć They recalled 10,000 washing machines because of a faulty electrical connec- tion. ć They have recalled all their 2001 models as there is a fault in the steering. 3. to tell a government official to come home from a foreign country ć The United States recalled their representa- tives after the military coup. receipt receipt /r sit/ noun a piece of paper that shows you have paid for something or shows you have received something ć We can’t give you your money back if you don’t have a receipt. receive receive /r siv/ verb 1. to get something which has been sent ć We received a parcel from the supplier this morning. ć We only received our tickets the day be- fore we were due to leave. ć The staff have not received any wages for six months. 2. to meet or to welcome a vis- itor ć The group was received by the mayor. recent recent /ris(ə)nt/ adjective something which is recent took place not very long ago ć We will mail you our most recent catalogue. ć The changes are recent – they were made only last week. recently recently /ris(ə)ntli/ adverb only a short time ago ć I’ve seen him quite a lot recently. ć They recently decided to move to Australia. reception reception /r sepʃən/ noun 1. the way in which people react to something that happens or to someone who arrives ć The committee gave the proposal a fa- vourable reception. ć The critics gave the play a warm reception. 2. the place in a hotel where guests go when they ar- rive or leave, e.g. to get the key to their room ć Let’s meet at reception at 9.00 am tomorrow. 3. a place in a large build- ing where visitors go when they arrive and say who they have come to see ć There’s a parcel waiting for you in re- ception. 4. a big party held to welcome special guests ć He hosted a reception for the prince. 5. the quality of the sound on a radio or the sound and pic- ture of a TV broadcast ć Perhaps you’d get better reception if you moved the aerial. receptionist receptionist /r sepʃənst/ noun a per- son in a place such as a hotel or doctor’s office who meets visitors and answers the telephone recipe recipe /resəpi/ noun instructions for cooking food ć I copied the recipe for leek soup from the newspaper. ć You can buy postcards with recipes of local dishes. reckon reckon /rekən/ verb 1. to calculate something or to estimate something ć We reckon the costs to be about £25,000. ć We reckon we’ll be there before lunch. 2. to have an opinion about something or to make a judgment about something ć I reckon we should have stayed at home. recognisable recognisable /rekənazəb(ə)l/ ad- jective who can be recognised recognise recognise /rekənaz/, recognize verb 1. to know someone or something because you have seen him or her or it before ć He’d changed so much since I last saw him that I hardly recognised him. ć He didn’t recognise his father’s voice over the phone. ć Do you recog- nise the handwriting on the letter? 2. to Basic.fm Page 255 Friday, January 16, 2004 3:10 PM This is trial version www.adultpdf.com This is trial version www.adultpdf.com . chairman. (NOTE: qualifies – qualifying – quali- fied) quality quality /kwɒlti/ noun 1. how good something is ć We want to measure the air quality in the centre of town. ć There are several high-quality. of the cash desk. quarter quarter /kwɔtə/ noun one of four equal parts of something ć She cut the pear into quarters. ć The jar is only a quarter empty. ć He paid only a quarter of the normal. The plural is quantities.) quarrel quarrel /kwɒrəl/ noun an occasion when people argue about something ć They have had a quarrel and aren’t speaking to each other. ć I think the quarrel was