W

• wages - n. money received for work done
• wait - v. to delay acting; to postpone
• walk - v. to move by putting one foot in front of the other
• wall - n. the side of a room or building formed by wood, stone or other material; a structure sometimes used to separate areas of land
• want - v. to desire; to wish for; to need
• war - n. fighting between nations, or groups in a nation, using weapons
• warm - ad. almost hot; having or feeling some heat
• warn - v. to tell of possible danger; to advise or inform about something bad that may happen
• wash - v. to make clean, usually with water
• waste - v. to spend or use without need or care; to make bad use of; n. a spending of money, time or effort with no value gained or returned; something thrown away as having no value; the liquid and solid substances that result from body processes and are passed out of the body
• watch - v. to look at; to observe closely; to look and wait for
• water - n. the liquid that falls from the sky as rain or is found in lakes, rivers and oceans
• wave - v. to move or cause to move one way and the other, as a flag in the wind; to signal by moving the hand one way and the other; n. a large mass of water that forms and moves on the surface of a lake or ocean
• way - n. a path on land or sea or in the air; how something is done; method
• we - pro. two or more people, including the speaker or writer ("He and I will go together, and we will return together.")
• weak - ad. having little power; easily broken, damaged or destroyed; opposite strong
• wealth - n. a large amount of possessions, money or other things of value
• weapon - n. anything used to cause injury or to kill during an attack, fight or war
• wear - v. to have on the body, as clothes
• weather - n. the condition of the atmosphere resulting from sun, wind, rain, heat or cold
• week - n. a period of time equal to seven days
• weigh - v. to measure how heavy someone or something is
• welcome - v. to express happiness or pleasure when someone arrives or something develops
• well - ad. in a way that is good or pleasing; in good health; n. a hole in the ground where water, gas or oil can be found
• west - n. the direction in which the sun goes down
• wet - ad. covered with water or other liquid; not dry
• what - pro. used to ask about something or to ask for information about something ("What is this?"); ad. which or which kind ("He wants to know what you would like to drink.")
• wheat - n. a grain used to make bread; the plant that produces the grain
• wheel - n. a round structure that turns around a center
• when - ad. at what time; at any time ("When will she come home?"); conj. during or at the time ("I studied hard when I was in school.")
• where - ad., conj. at, to or in what place ("Where is his house?" "The house where he lives is in the old part of the city.")
• which - pro. used to ask about what one or what ones of a group of things or people ("Which program do you like best?" "Which students will take the test?")
• while - n. a space of time ("Please come to my house for a while."); conj. at or during the same time ("It may not be a good idea to eat while you are running.")
• white - ad. having the color like that of milk or snow
• who - pro. what or which person or persons that ("Who wants to go?"); the person or persons ("They are the ones who want to go.")
• whole - ad. the complete amount; all together; not divided; not cut into pieces
• why - ad. for what cause or reason ("Why did she do it?"); conj. the reason for which ("I do not know why she did it.")
• wide - ad. having a great distance from one side to the other; not limited
• wife - n. a woman who is married
• wild - ad. living and growing in natural conditions and not organized or supervised by humans; angry; uncontrolled
• will - v. a word used with action words to show future action ("They will hold talks tomorrow.")
• willing - ad. being ready or having a desire to ("They are willing to talk about the problem.")
• win - v. to gain a victory; to defeat another or others in a competition, election or battle
• wind - n. a strong movement of air
• window - n. an opening in a wall to let in light and air, usually filled with glass
• winter - n. the coldest time of year, between autumn and spring
• wire - n. a long, thin piece of metal used to hang objects or to carry electricity or electronic communications from one place to another
• wise - ad. having much knowledge and understanding; able to use knowledge and understanding to make good or correct decisions
• wish - v. to want; to express a desire for
• with - prep. along or by the side of; together; using ("He fixed it with a tool."); having ("the house with the red door")
• withdraw - v. to take or move out, away or back; to remove
• without - prep. with no; not having or using; free from; not doing
• woman - n. an adult female human
• wonder - v. to ask oneself; to question ("She wonders if it is true."); n. a feeling of surprise
• wonderful - ad. causing wonder; especially good
• wood - n. the solid material of which trees are made
• word - n. one or more connected sounds that form a single part of a language
• work - v. to use physical or mental effort to make or do something; n. the effort used to make or to do something; that which needs effort; the job one does to earn money
• world - n. the earth; the people who live on the earth
• worry - v. to be concerned; to continue thinking that something, possibly bad, can happen
• worse - ad. more bad than
• worth - n. value measured in money
• wound - v. to injure; to hurt; to cause physical damage to a person or animal; n. an injury to the body of a human or animal in which the skin is usually cut or broken
• wreck - v. to damage greatly; to destroy; n. anything that has been badly damaged or broken
• wreckage - n. what remains of something severely damaged or destroyed
• write - v. to use an instrument to make words appear on a surface, such as paper
• wrong - ad. not correct; bad; not legal; opposite right

Y

• year - n. a period of time equal to twelve months
• yellow - ad. having the color like that of gold or the sun
• yes - ad. used to express agreement or to permit
• yesterday - n. the day before today
• yet - ad. at some time before now ("Have they arrived yet?"); now; at this time ("I cannot tell you about it yet."); conj. however ("The sun was shining, yet it was cold.")
• you - pro. the person or persons being spoken to
• young - ad. in the early years of life; not old

Z

• zero - n. the number meaning none or nothing
• zoo - n. a place where animals are kept for the public to look at and study

    COMMON PREFIXES

• dis - not (dishonest, disobey)
• pro - for, supporting (pro-labor, pro-government)
• re - to do again (reorganize, reunite)
• self - used to show that the person or group acting is the one affected by the action, or to show that the action is done only by its own effort or power (self-declared, self-appointed)
• un - not (unusual, unhappy)

    COMMON EXPRESSIONS

• carry out - to do; to put into effect ("Please carry out the plan.")
• pass a bill - approve ("Congress is expected to pass a bill to cut taxes.")
• take steps - to start to do something ("The government will take steps to halt inflation.")

    WORDS USED IN VOA SPECIAL ENGLISH SCIENCE PROGRAMS

• atom - a very small part of all things; the smallest part of an element that can join with parts of other elements
• bacteria - living things that are one cell and can be seen only through a microscope; some cause disease
• cell - a small mass of living material that is part of all plants and animals
• chromosome - a line of genes; most human cells contain 46 chromosomes
• compound - a substance containing two or more elements
• dense - close together; thick
• electron - a small part of an atom that has an electrical force
• element - one of more than 100 substances known to science that cannot be separated into other substances
• enzyme - a special kind of protein; it produces changes in other substances without being changed itself
• fetus - unborn young
• fission - a splitting; in atomic fission, the nucleus of an atom is split to produce nuclear energy
• fusion - a joining together; in atomic fusion, atomic particles are joined together to produce nuclear energy
• genes - parts of cells that control the growth and development of living things; genes from the mother and father are passed to the child; genes contain nucleic acid
• genetic engineering - the science of changing the genes of a living organism
• gravity - the force that pulls things toward the center of the earth
• image - a reproduction of the appearance of a person or thing
• laser - an instrument that makes a thin, powerful light
• magnet - a piece of iron or other material that has a pulling force; this pulling force is called magnetism
• molecule - the smallest amount of a chemical substance that can exist
• nerve - a thin piece of tissue that sends information through the body to and from the brain
• nucleus - the center part of an atom or cell
• nucleic acid - a molecule that holds the genetic information necessary for life; there are two kinds of nucleic acid: DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid)
• nutrient - a food or substance that makes plants, humans or animals grow
• organ - a part of the body that has a special purpose, such as the heart or brain
• organism - a living thing, often so small it can be seen only through a microscope
• particle - a very small piece of matter
• proteins - substances responsible for the growth of tissue and for fixing damaged tissue
• robot - a machine that moves and performs tasks
• tissue - living material; a group of cells that are similar in appearance and do the same thing
• virus - a kind of organism that causes disease
• x-rays - a kind of radiation that can pass through most solid materials, often used in medicine

    ORGANS OF THE BODY

• heart - pumps blood through the body
• intestines - tubes through which food passes after it is broken down in the stomach; part of the intestines also remove solid wastes from the body
• kidney - cleans liquid wastes from the body
• liver - makes some proteins and enzymes; removes poisons from the blood
• lung - takes in and expels air from the body
• prostate - a part of the male reproductive system
• stomach - breaks down food for the body to use
• uterus - a part of the female reproductive system where a fetus develops