Number 1 Words atmosphere Phonetic Symbol ɪr/ 2 3 hydrosphere lithosphere /'haɪdrosfɪr/ /'lɪθ ɪr/ 4 5 6 oxygen oxide carbon dioxide 7 hydrogen /'ɑksɪdʒ /'ɑksaɪd/ /'kɑ ksaɪd/ /'haɪ ʒ 8 core /kɔr/ 9 crust /krʌst/ 10 mantle /'mæ ntl/ 11 longitude /'lɑndʒ 12 latitude /'læ tɪtud/ 13 horizon ɪzn/ 14 altitude /'æ ltɪtud/ 15 disaster /dɪ'zæ stɚ/ 16 mishap /'mɪshæ p/ 17 18 19 catastrophic calamity endanger /ˌ 20 jeopardize /'dʒɛpɚdaɪz/ 21 destructive /dɪ'strʌktɪv/ 22 23 24 El Nino greenhouse phenomenon /ɛl ˈninoʊ/ /'ɡrinhaʊs/ ɑmɪ 25 26 pebble magnet /'pɛbl/ 27 ore /ɔr/ 28 mineral /'mɪ ɪ'ɑ ɑfɪk/ /ɪn'dendʒɚ/ 29 30 marble quartz /'mɑrbl/ /kwɔrts/ 31 granite /'græ nɪt/ 32 gust /ɡʌst/ 33 breeze /briz/ 34 monsoon /mɑnˈsun/ 35 gale /ɡel/ 36 hurricane /'hɝ 37 cyclone /'saɪklon/ 38 tornado /tɔr'nedo/ 39 40 twister typhoon /'twɪstɚ/ /taɪ'fʊn/ 41 tycoon /taɪ'kun/ 42 43 44 45 volcano erupt explode magma /vɑl'keno/ /ɪ'rʌpt/ /ɪk'splod/ /'mæ ɡ 46 47 lava thermodynamic /'mæ ɡ /ˌθɚmodaɪˈnæ mɪk/ 48 thermometer /θɚ'mɑmɪtɚ/ 49 smog /smɑɡ/ 50 51 fume mist /fjum/ /mɪst/ 52 tsunami /tsʊ'nɑmi/ 53 drought /draʊt/ 54 flooding /'flʌdɪŋ/ 55 torrent /'tɔ 56 earthquake /'ɝθ'kwek/ 57 seismic /'saɪzmɪk/ 58 59 avalanche terrain 60 landscape /'læ nd'skep/ 61 continent /'kɑntɪ 62 cave /kev/ 63 cliff /klɪf/ 64 swamp /'ɡleʃɚ/ 65 swamp /swɑmp/ 66 delta /'dɛ 67 plain /plen/ 68 plateau /plæ 'to/ 69 70 71 oasis globe hemisphere /o'esɪs/ /ɡlob/ /'hɛmɪsfɪr/ 72 equator /ɪ'kwetɚ/ 73 arctic /'ɑrktɪk/ 74 75 Antarctic pole /æ n'tɑrktɪk/ /pol/ 76 polar /'polɚ/ 77 axis /'æ ksɪs/ 78 79 80 deteriorate aggravate degrade /dɪ'tɪrɪ /'æ ɡ /dɪ'ɡred/ 81 upgrade /ˌʌp'ɡred/ 82 erode /ɪˈrod/ 83 84 85 Mediterranean Atlantic pacific /ˌmɛdɪ ˈ ɪk/ ɪfɪk/ ʃ/ 86 87 ocean marine /ˈoʃ 88 89 90 navigation gulf beach /ɡʌlf/ /bitʃ/ 91 coast /kost/ 92 shore /ʃɔr/ 93 tide /taɪd/ 94 current /'kɝ 95 brook /brʊk/ 96 stream /strim/ 97 source /sɔrs/ 98 shallow /'ʃæ lo/ 99 superficial /ˌsupɚ'fɪʃl/ 100 flat /flæ t/ 101 smooth /smʊð / 102 rough /rʌf/ 103 104 105 coarse sandy stony /kɔrs/ /'sæ ndi/ /'stoni/ 106 vertical /'vɝtɪkl/ 107 108 horizontal steep /'hɔ ɑntl/ /stip/ 109 parallel 110 narrow /'næ ro/ 111 Oceania /ˌoʃɪ'æ nɪ 112 mainland /'menlæ nd/ ʃ ɛl/ 113 peninsula 114 climate /'klaɪ 115 weather /'wɛð ɚ/ 116 meteorology /ˌmitɪ 117 mild /maɪld/ 118 119 heating moderate /'hitɪŋ/ /'mɑ 120 121 warm thermal /wɔrm/ /'θɝml/ 122 123 tropics arid /'trɔpiks/ /'æ rɪd/ 124 moist /mɔɪst/ 125 dry /draɪ/ 126 damp /dæ mp/ 127 dam /dæ m/ 128 129 humid snowy /'hjumɪd/ /'snoi/ 130 frost /frɔst/ 131 thaw /hel/ 132 133 134 thaw melt chill /θɔ/ /mɛlt/ /tʃɪl/ 135 freeze /friz/ 136 frigid /'frɪdʒɪd/ 137 138 139 tremble shiver thunder /'trɛmbl/ /'ʃɪvɚ/ /'θʌndɚ/ 140 141 lightning stormy /'laɪtnɪŋ/ /'stɔrmi/ ɪ ɑ ʒi/ 142 downpour /'daʊnpɔr/ 143 144 rainfall sprinkle /'ren'fɔl/ /'sprɪŋkl/ 145 146 147 148 rainbow shower Celsius temperature /'renbo/ /'ʃaʊɚ/ 149 forecast /'fɔrkæ st/ 150 predict /prɪ'dɪkt/ 151 peak /pik/ 152 mount /maʊnt/ 153 154 mountain range /'maʊntn/ /rendʒ/ 155 156 ridge slope /rɪdʒ/ /slop/ 157 valley /'væ li/ 158 159 160 hillside overlook southern /'hɪl'saɪd/ /ˌovɚ'lʊk/ /'sʌð ɚn/ 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 southeast southwest northeast northwest eastern oriental inevitable irreversible /ˌsaʊθ'ist/ /ˌsaʊθ'wɛst/ /'nɔrθ'ist/ /'nɔrθ'wɛst/ /'istɚn/ /ˌorɪ'ɛ /ɪn'ɛvɪ /ˌɪrɪ'vɝ 169 170 irregularly inappropriate /ɪˈr ɛɡ /'ɪ 171 abnormal /æ b'nɔrml/ 172 sediment /'sɛdɪ 173 silt /sɪlt/ /'tɛ ʃɚ/ ɚlɪ/ ɪ 174 muddy /'mʌdi/ 175 176 clay dirt /kle/ /dɝt/ 177 rural /'rʊ 178 179 suburb urbanization /'sʌbɝb/ /ˌ 180 outskirts /'aʊt'skɝts/ 181 182 183 remote desolate distant /rɪ'mot/ /'dɛ /'dɪ 184 adjacent 185 toxic 186 pollution 187 pollutant 188 contaminate 189 190 geology geography /dʒɪ'ɑ ʒi/ /dʒɪ'ɑɡ 191 border /'bɔrdɚ/ 192 boundary /'baʊndri/ 193 margin /'mɑrdʒ 194 fringe /frɪndʒ/ 195 infringe /ɪn'frɪndʒ/ 196 plate /plet/ 197 198 199 debris crack gap /kræ k/ /ɡæ p/ 200 splendid /'splɛndɪd/ 201 grand /ɡræ nd/ ʃ ʒesnt/ /'tɑksɪk/ ʃ ɪnet/ 202 magnificent /mæ g'nɪ 203 204 super interesting /'sʊpɚ/ /'ɪ ɪŋ/ 205 206 dramatic wilderness /'wɪldɚ 207 desert /ˈdɛ 208 209 deforest barren /ˌdi'fɔrɪst/ 210 fertile /'fɝtl/ 211 212 fertilize solar /'fɝ ɪz/ /'solɚ/ 213 lunar /'lunɚ/ 214 calendar 215 216 217 218 sunrise sunset eclipse dusk /'sʌnraɪz/ /'sʌnsɛt/ /ɪ'klɪps/ /dʌsk/ 219 dawn /dɔn/ 220 heaven /'hɛvn/ 221 paradise 222 223 224 sunshine shade shadow /'sʌnʃaɪn/ /ʃed/ /'ʃæ do/ 225 226 vapour evaporate /ˈvepɚ/ /ɪ 227 228 circulate precipitate /'sɝ /prɪ'sɪpɪtet/ 229 reservoir /'rɛzɚ,vɔr/ 230 waterfall /'wɔtɚfɔl/ 231 fountain /'faʊntn/ ɪk/ ɚ/ ɪs/ 232 233 spring dew /sprɪŋ/ /du/ 234 pour /pɔr/ 235 236 237 drain drip drown /dren/ /drɪp/ /draʊn/ 238 239 blow puff /blo/ /pʌf/ 240 gush /ɡʌʃ/ 241 dense /dɛns/ 242 intensity /ɪn'tɛ 243 intensive /ɪn'tɛnsɪv/ 244 emerge /ɪ'mɝdʒ/ 245 246 flash float /flæ ʃ/ /flot/ 247 environment /ɪn'vaɪ 248 249 surrounding condition 250 situation /ˌsɪtʃu'eʃ 251 nature /'netʃɚ/ 252 natural /'næ tʃ 253 254 artificial synthetic /ˌɑrtɪ'fɪʃl/ /sɪn'θɛtɪk/ 255 256 257 petrol gas gasoline /'pɛ /ɡæ s/ /ˈɡ ˌlin/ 258 petroleum ʊndɪŋ/ ɪʃ ɪ Explanation An atmosphere is a surrounding environment or influence. If you and your coworkers talk behind each other's backs, you will create a nasty atmosphere at work. The hydrosphere is the part of a planet that's made of water. Oceans, rivers, lakes, and The lithosphere includes the Earth's crust and the uppermost part of the mantle. The lithosphere's thickness varies depending on whether you measure the thin new crust on the Oxygen is air, the stuff we breathe, the thing that makes our lives possible. It is an element, Any compound of oxygen with another element or a radical. A heavy odorless colorless gas formed during respiration and by the decomposition of organic substances; absorbed from the air by plants in photosynthesis A nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe If you're looking for the most essential part or the very center of something, you're looking for its core. Like the inedible middle of an apple or your inner circle of core friends. The crust is a hard layer that forms on the outside of something, like a loaf of bread. Little kids often like their sandwiches with the crust cut off. A mantle is a word for something that blankets over something else, like the loose cloak worn by Little Red Riding Hood or the layer of earth between the crust and core. In geography, longitude refers to the imaginary lines that bisect the globe through the North and South Poles (the ones that run vertically, as opposed to the lines of latitude that Use the word latitude to describe how much freedom you have in making choices. For example, if a teacher gives you latitude in writing your paper, you might get to choose the An earthquake, an oil spill, an economic collapse, a party with inedible food and truly awful music: Each of these could be described as a disaster, a cataclysmic event causing extreme Use the word calamity to describe an event that causes great harm and misery, or a general To endanger someone is to put them in a dangerous position, or to threaten their safety. It would endanger your little brother if you encouraged him to jump off the garage roof into a Jeopardize means to put at risk or pose a threat. Jeopardize your career by posting silly pictures of yourself on Facebook. Jeopardize your friendships by posting silly pictures of If something causes a lot of damage, you can talk about its destructive force or power. Something is destructive when it really messes things up. A warm ocean current that flows along the equator from the date line and south off the A building with glass walls and roof; for the cultivation and exhibition of plants under A phenomenon is an extraordinary occurrence or circumstance. In the 1950s, rock-n-roll was considered a new cultural phenomenon, while today we think of crop circles as a Pebbles are the small, round stones you might find on a beach. If you want a pet rock, a A magnet is a piece of metal with a strong attraction to another metal object. The attraction a magnet produces is called a "magnetic field." Ore is a rock that contains minerals like iron, gold, or lead. The seven dwarfs in the movie "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" worked mining ore. A mineral is a nonliving natural substance of a definite chemical composition. A mineral like manganese may help keep you healthy; a mineral like a diamond may help keep you Marble is a very hard rock that's a particular type of limestone. Fancy lobbies (and even Quartz is a mineral that's usually clear or white, but is sometimes tinted a translucent color. It's common for quartz to be part of other rocks, and often you can see its stripes Granite is a type of rock that's commonly polished smooth and used for things like kitchen counters. Granite is dark and textured, with swirls of lighter colors. A gust is a strong, short burst of air. If you're walking around on a brisk, cold day, hold on A breeze is a light, cool wind. One of the nicest things about being at the beach on a hot summer day is feeling the gentle breeze off the water. Monsoon is the term for the wind that carries heavy rains to southern Asia, and the rains themselves. During a monsoon, people wait indoors for it to stop. Toto, too, because this is an extremely strong wind. A hurricane is a severe tropical storm with high winds and heavy rain. When a hurricane comes through your town, you should board up the windows and stay inside. A cyclone is another word for "tornado" or other types of violent, spinning storms. It was a cyclone that uprooted Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," and her little dog Toto too. A tornado is a violent windstorm in the shape of a funnel cloud that reaches to the ground. A localized and violently destructive windstorm occurring over land characterized by a A typhoon is a giant, rotating storm that brings wind, rain, and destruction. Hurricanes and typhoons are both kinds of tropical cyclones. So if you see one coming, watch out! If you are meeting with someone who is considered a tycoon in his industry, keep in mind that he is very successful and probably accustomed to high-stakes negotiations. When the earth's crust cracks open and spews hot lava and gases, you've got a volcano on A rash, a volcano, applause, violence, all of these are things that are prone to erupt, That red hot liquid rock that spews violently out of erupting volcanoes? That's lava. But before the lava rises to the earth's surface it's called magma. Is lava flowing through your street? Then you'd better run! Lava is the hot liquid rock that Thermodynamics is a branch of physics concerned with heat and temperature and their relation to energy and work. Thermometers are used to see if you have a fever or tell you how cold it is outside. What do you get when you combine "smoke" and "fog"? Smog! Smog is the thick haze or smoke that's caused by polluting substances in the air. To fume is to feel or express great anger. You would fume if your teacher accused you of Mist is a very dense water vapor, almost as thick as fog. Light rain can sometimes form a mist that makes it hard to see the road when you're driving. A tsunami is an enormous sea wave that erupts and reaches land. You should be afraid of them, because a tsunami can destroy a coastal region in minutes. When there is a drought somewhere, there's not enough rainfall. In certain areas, a drought can last for weeks, months, sometimes even years! Forget about running your lawn A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land which is usually dry. A torrent is a heavy rain, or the flooding or wildly-running streams it causes, like the torrent that soaks everyone unlucky enough to be out on the street at that moment. If you're visiting your friend in California and her house starts to shake, you might be experiencing an earthquake, which is the shaking of the surface of the earth that happens For the ancient Greeks, "seismos" meant an earthquake. Later on, when the study of earthquakes became a science, anything seismic meant anything related to the study of the Look out below! An avalanche is a whole lot of falling snow and ice. Also, life can feel like An ATV, or all-terrain vehicle, is useful for people who drive on lots of different terrain, hence the name. Terrain is a noun used to talk about the ground, when you're specifically To landscape is to enhance a space with plants. If you landscape your yard with flowering A continent is one of the seven largest landmasses found on Earth. Asia, Australia, and Africa are three continents. Can you name the other four? A cave is hollow space underground that's big enough for a person to walk or crawl into. People who explore caves often wear battery-powered headlamps. A cliff is a steep and often sheer rock face. If you stand on the edge of a cliff and peer over, you'll be able to see the waves crashing on the rocks below. But if you don't watch your A glacier is a very large ice mass, sometimes miles and miles long. Glaciers might not seem all that exciting at first, but people are paying close attention to them because their melting A swamp is an area that floods every year because the land is low. Watch out for alligators if you visit Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, the largest swamp in the Named for the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet (shaped like a triangle), a delta is a triangular area where a major river divides into several smaller parts that usually flow into a Plain things are simple, unadorned, and even a little boring. Being a plain talker means you don't use pretentious, fancy words. But having a plain face means you're not much to look A plateau is a high, flat area of land. The word has also been stretched to include a leveling off of progress. At first the children at the sleepover were running wild, but then their A globe doesn't have to be a spherical representation of our planet; it can be anything winter getaway to sunbathe somewhere in the southern hemisphere. An equator is a circle that divides the surface of an object into two equal halves. If you're freezing up there in Iceland, get yourself on down closer to the earth's equator, where it's If the weatherman warns of arctic conditions, get out your thermal underwear, hats, and gloves. It's going to be cold. The word arctic describes frigid and inhospitable weather. The region around the south pole: Antarctica and surrounding waters A pole is a rounded stick or rod, usually made of wood, plastic, or metal. You need a pole for hanging a flag, catching fish, or setting up a tent. The idea of polar suggests equal opposites. For example, the North and South Poles are at opposite ends of the planet, and both are equally glacial, or very cold, which, by the way, is An axis is a straight line, sometimes seen, sometimes not, that is important in mathematics, art, science and our survival. The most famous axis is the one the earth spins When something gets worse due to neglect or an unfortunate health problem, stuff starts People who chew with their mouths open often aggravate the people near them, meaning To degrade means to reduce the worth of something, as when smoke and pollution degrade the environment. The word can also mean to disrespect or insult: thoughtless comments To upgrade is to make improvements to something or exchange it for a better version. Some people upgrade their phone every time a new model comes out, while others When soil or land erodes, it wears away or is removed. Many beaches seem to get smaller and smaller, as the endless wash of the waves begins to erode the fine sand. The largest inland sea; between Europe and Africa and Asia. The 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and The word pacific refers to people, actions, and ideas that are peaceful. Pacific actions You know that vast, wet expanse of blue that keeps crashing waves on the beach? That's If it has to do with the ocean or sea, you can call it marine. Your friend in US Armed Services who is a Marine probably spends a lot of time near the ocean. Navigation is all about figuring out how to get somewhere. If you are lost, hopefully your Deep, wide and often filled with water, a gulf is any vast and seemingly unbridgeable area. You know that wide, flat patch of sand that leads down to the sea, or maybe even the lake? That's a beach, one of the most beautiful places in the world. During a long, stormy winter, your mom says, "We're going to the coast," pack your bathing suit, because you'll be near The land right at the edge of a lake, river, or ocean is called the shore. Even the bravest swimmers will head for the shore when they hear someone yell "Shark!" The tide is the daily rise and fall of the sea level. You can count on the regular changing patterns of the tide, unless of course a tsunami is headed your way. If it's in the past, it's not current. If it's out of date, out of style, or out of time, it's not current. If it's up-to-the-minute, right now, and in the present, it is current. A brook is a small stream. On a hot day, you might enjoy wading in a babbling brook. As a verb, brook is a rather stuffy word for "put up with." The lord of the manor might say, "I That little rolling brook in your back yard is a stream. If it starts rising and threatens to flood, your father might let out a stream of expletives. A stream is a steady flow of The noun source describes an origin, like the source who gave the journalist the information that broke a new story, or the place something originates, like the source of a The adjective shallow can describe things that aren't very deep, like a shallow puddle, or people who don't have much emotional or intellectual depth, like shallow people who judge Anything superficial has to do with the surface of something. If you're judging a book by its cover, you're being superficial. People who worry too much about their clothes and hair A flat is an apartment. If a girl invites you up to her flat, she's not trying to squash you, she's inviting you over. And she's probably from England, because flat is much more Something smooth is free of roughness, stubble, or other imperfections that you can feel with your hands. If your wooden table is giving you splinters, use a sander to smooth it Rough means harsh and uneven. If you want to go driving in the rough terrain of rocky dirt roads, you'll need four-wheel drive and a stomach for bouncing. Coarse can mean rough to the touch or vulgar. It's good to have coarse sand paper, but not Something that looks like sand, feels like sand, or is covered in sand is sandy. A sandy Someone who's stony shows little emotion or sympathy for other people. As your math teacher hands back last week's geometry quiz, her stony face won't seem like a very good Vertical describes something that rises straight up from a horizontal line or plane. A telephone pole or a tree can usually be described as vertical in relation to the ground. The opposite of vertical, something horizontal is arranged sideways, like a person lying Steep means sharply angled. When hiking trails lead straight up mountainsides, they've got a steep incline. Steep also means "to soak in," as in steeping a tea bag in boiling water. parallel means similar, or happening at the same time. A story might describe the parallel Narrow means less wide or to make less wide. When you narrow down your choices, you decrease the number of choices. A road might be too narrow for a car. A large group of islands in the south Pacific including Melanesia and Micronesia and Polynesia (and sometimes Australasia and the Malay Archipelago) A mainland is the land covering a continent, as opposed to islands off its coast. When you take the ferry back after visiting Block Island, you can say you're "returning to the Part of Italy is a peninsula, and it's a pretty famous one, because it looks like a boot. A peninsula juts into the water but has at least a narrow a connection to land. If the boot The climate is the general weather in a particular region. Florida is known for its temperate climate. The word climate is also used figuratively to mean "the usual conditions," as in "It's Weather is the atmospheric conditions, including the temperature, wind, snow, rain, or anything else happening outside. People tend to talk about the weather when they can't When the weather man tells you it's going to rain today, he is giving a meteorology report, or weather forecast. Meteorology is the study of our atmosphere. The process of becoming warmer; a rising temperature. A moderate voter is someone who is politically speaking, in the center. In other words, they are not quite left or right, but somewhere in the middle. Having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or stay warm on a brutally cold day. Your thermal coffee mug keeps your coffee hot. The part of the Earth's surface between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn; Arid is so dry that nothing will grow. Death Valley in California features an arid climate, which is why it's called Death Valley and not Life Valley. want to bring a blanket to sit on for a picnic, especially if it rained yesterday and the grass Things that are dry lack moisture. A desert or a dessert can be dry. If your eyes are dry, you Something that's damp is slightly wet or soggy. If your shoes are damp when you enter your friend's white-carpeted house, you should probably take them off. A barrier built to block the flow of water is called a dam. If you walk along a stream, you can see where beavers have built a dam out of mud and logs. When there is a lot of moisture in the air, it is humid out. The air in a rain forest is humid, or your grandpa's snowy beard that makes him look like Santa Claus. Frost is a thin, icy coating that forms on very cold, damp nights. During a New England winter, you'll have to scrape frost off your car windshield almost every morning. Hail is when chunks of ice fall from the sky. Also, to hail someone is to greet them or say good things about them. Or it can be a way to tell people of your homeland, as in: "I hail When things thaw, they're coming out of deep freeze and warming up. You can thaw a To melt means to fade away slowly and disappear, like a snowman in the middle of the A sharp burst of cold air or icy temperatures is a chill. The chill of a January day in New England might make you dream of moving to New Mexico. When liquids freeze, they become so cold that they turn solid. The little squares of water in an ice tray freeze and become ice cubes when you put them in your freezer long enough. Like the North Pole on the coldest day of winter, frigid is an adjective that means extremely chilly. It applies to both temperatures and personalities. To tremble is to quiver or shake without meaning to. Your hands probably tremble when People shiver, or shake and tremble, when they're very cold. You might shiver in the snow Thunder is the loud noise that comes right after lightning. It also can refer to a loud, booming sound, or mean to move heavily but quickly. When you see sudden bright flashes of light in the sky, you're seeing lightning, the release A downpour is a rainstorm, especially a very heavy one. If you get caught unexpectedly in a downpour, you'll wish you brought an umbrella. Water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere. That colorful arc you sometimes see in the sky right after it stops raining? That's a rainbow. A sudden downpour (as of tears or sparks etc) likened to a rain shower. Is a scale and unit of measurement for temperature. Temperature refers to how hot or cold something is. When you think you might have a fever, you take your temperature to see if it is higher than normal. A forecast is a prediction of what will happen. If the weather forecast calls for sunny skies, To predict is to say what you think is going to happen in the future. If you predict that you'll win the poker championship, you're either really confident in your poker skills or Use the word peak to refer to the pointy top of something, such as the jagged peak of a tall mountain or the tapered peak that forms when you beat egg whites for a recipe. To mount is to climb up something, like a ladder, or get on the back of something, like a horse. You can also mount something on another object, like a camera on a tripod or a A mountain is a large and often steep landmass that's much higher than the surrounding The word range refers to a variety of things or to an area in which something operates. The store offers the living room set in a range of colors. What's the range of that remoteA ridge is a long, narrow, elevated strip of land or any raised strip or band. A ridge is a line If you find yourself on a slippery slope, watch out: you could be sliding down a hill. Land that is not level is called a slope. Slope can also be a verb, as in land that slopes down to sea If you live in a valley, you probably get more fog than they do up in the hills around you. Fog tends to be more common down in the valley, the low area that often forms near a The side or slope of a hill. To overlook something is to fail to see it. When planning a party, it's best to write out a toThe compass point midway between south and east; at 135 degrees. The compass point midway between south and west; at 225 degrees. The compass point midway between north and east; at 45 degrees. The compass point midway between north and west; at 315 degrees. From the east; used especially of winds. Denoting or characteristic of countries of Asia. If something is inevitable, it will definitely happen, like death or tax season. If you can't undo something, it's irreversible. Time is always irreversible, as is the damage done to your skin by too much sun, so be sure to wear sunblock! In an irregular manner. The word "appropriate" means correct or proper and since the little prefix "in" turns its meaning around, something inappropriate is considered not proper or suitable. Sediment is the accumulation of sand and dirt that settles in the bottom of lakes. Sediment Silt is the fine bits of clay and sand that become sediment settling at the bottom of a river or lake. If there's a lot of silt flowing in a river, it looks murky. Muddy is a verb that means to make dirty with mud. You might muddy up your mom's white shag rug if you don't take off your dirty hiking boots before you walk inside. Clay is a type of soil or dirt that's made of very small particles. You can mold clay into Gardeners spend a lot of time digging in the dirt, planting seeds and pulling up weeds. Rural means "relating to or characteristic of the country or the people who live there." If A suburb is a residential district located on the outskirts of a city. If you live in the suburbs, If a skyscraper is blocking the view of farmland you once had from your house window, urbanization is happening. Urbanization is a word for becoming more like a city. Some people like to live downtown. Others prefer the open spaces of the suburbs. But if you live in between the two, you are in the outskirts, the place where the city ends and the Remote describes something far, far away, like a campsite way out in the woods, a distant If you feel alone, left out, and devastated, you feel desolate. A deserted, empty, depressing Distant describes something that's far away, like another planet, a ship far out at sea, or the cousin who never calls or shows up for family events. Adjacent means close to or near something. You may consider the people up and down your street to be neighbors, but your next-door neighbor is the person who lives in the Danger! Hazardous! Do not eat! These are just some of the warnings you'll see on toxic Pollution is unwanted, harmful stuff contaminating an environment. The race to develop clean energy is motivated by high levels of pollution that people fear are permanently Any substance that makes the environment dirty or contaminated is a pollutant. Soot is an example of an air pollutant, and chemical pollutants can make their way into the water you contaminate something, you make it impure or hazardous. Geology is the study of the Earth and what it's made of, including its natural history. Geography is the study of the land and how we use it. A geography lesson about your hometown would teach about the terrain, including any landforms like mountains or When you cross a border from one country into another, you'll need to show your identification papers and maybe a visa to the border patrol officials. If you play a sport you are familiar with the term "in bounds," which refers to the boundary, or limits of the playing field that the players must stay within. It is also the outer limits of An amount beyond the minimum necessary is called the margin. If you sell craft items, you need to build in a profit margin so that you actually make money on the sale. You'll go If you make cutoffs from jeans, the little white strings around the edges of the legs make a fringe. A fringe is a decorative edge made of hanging strings of fabric. When you infringe on someone's space, time, or rights, you're getting involved in a way that is not cool. That's why, when you violate a copyright, you're said to infringe upon it. A plate is a flat dish meant for serving one person's portion of food. It would make perfect sense to eat spaghetti from a plate, but you probably shouldn't use a plate for your soup. Debris is trash scattered around after a disaster, like shattered glass on the road after a car A crack is a very narrow space, chink, or opening. If your favorite mug has a crack in it, it A gap is the space between two things. It can be physical (like "the gap between your two front teeth") or philosophical (like "the generation gap" between you and your parents). Looking truly magnificent today? Then someone (probably British) might stop you to say "Wow! You look splendid, darling!" Thanks the person, because splendid means glorious, Something that's grand is large and impressive. A fancy, catered birthday party with a guest The adjective magnificent describes something that has grandeur, like the magnificent Great Wall of China or the Pyramids, which usually inspire awe in the people who see When you're giving a speech, you probably hope that your audience is gazing at you in fascination because what you're saying is so interesting, and not because you've got it resembles a wilderness, a wild area that is not tended by humans. A desert is a very dry area of land where few plants and animals can live. If you find yourself stranded in the middle of the desert, you'll have no company except for the Remove the trees from. Drive through a forest that's just been destroyed by a fire, and you'll get an idea of what The word fertile means "able to reproduce," but like so many words, that's just the beginning. The fact that she gave birth to eight kids was proof that she was fertile; her Provide with fertilizers or add nutrients to. Does it come from the sun? Is it related to the sunshine? Does it depend on sunny rays of light to function? Then it's probably safe to call it solar. The adjective lunar is used to describe something that is related to the moon. If you like astronomy, you probably enjoy lunar eclipses, when the Earth casts its shadow on the A calendar is a chart that organizes the year into days, weeks or months. It's also a list of appointments or activities, like the calendar for the club that lists when the bands are The daily event of the sun rising above the horizon. The time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon. Have you ever seen an eclipse? That's when the sun, earth or moon cross paths and cover Dusk is the period of time between sunset and nightfall. Many parents allow their children to roam freely in their neighborhood as long as they are home by dusk. The noun dawn refers to the first light of day, or the first time period, like the dawn of a new era, which occurs when a new president takes office. Heaven is a place that seems absolutely perfect in every way. You can think of it as the lofty heavens up above, or as a place of everlasting bliss. In some religions, paradise is considered the ultimate destination, but in general, it's any Sunshine is the light that comes from the sun. On a clear, cloudless spring day, you can go Shade is a break from the glare of the sun, like the shade of a big tree or the shade under a A shadow is a dark shape that is formed when an object blocks a source of light. On a A visible suspension in the air of particles of some substance. To evaporate is to fade away or to literally turn into vapor. If you leave a glass of water out and the water slowly disappears, it's not being consumed by elves; it's evaporating. To circulate is to move continuously in a specific circuit, often in a circle. A ceiling fan in a good way. An unpopular verdict might "precipitate violence" or one false step at the The word reservoir refers to a place where large amounts of water get stored. It can also be used to describe great amounts of other things, such as when you refer to a trivia expert as A natural area where a river or stream cascades over a high precipice and pours down is called a waterfall. If you like to go canoeing down the river, make sure you stop before you A fountain is a decorative structure that shoots streams of water into the air. You might see a big fountain in front of a museum, or install a small one in your back yard. There's nothing like sitting on a sharp tack to make you spring out of your chair. The verb Dew is moisture caused by condensation of water vapor in the air. Dew is what gets your feet wet when you walk across the grass on a summer morning. To pour is to flow rapidly in a steady stream, or to cause something to flow. You can pour good coffee into a cup and pour bad coffee down the drain. Most commonly found at the bottom of sinks and bathtubs across the globe, a drain is the When water flows slowly in tiny drops, it drips. The movement of water in this way is The verb drown means to die from inhaling water into the lungs and being unable to To blow is to create a burst or puff of air. When chilly breezes start to blow, it's time to On hot summer days, city kids will sometimes open a fire hydrant and let the water gush into the street. Things that gush come streaming out. When woods are dense, the trees grow close together. When fog is dense, you can't see through it. And if someone calls you dense, they think nothing can get into your thick The way he stared deep into her eyes was making her uncomfortable. For a first date, this was too much intensity. Intensity is the degree, volume, or magnitude of a thing, such as Intensive describes things that are extreme, highly dramatic, or just plain thorough. An intensive chemistry course meets six days a week for five hours a day. If you're in intensive To emerge means to come out into view or come forth. You might hope to emerge from an epic perming session looking like a beauty queen, but chances are it will just look like you Ever notice how quick the flash is on a camera? That's how fast other types of flashes are, Float is what you do when you're lying on the water. Hopefully you know how to swim, so you can float suspended on the surface of the water, rather than sinking straight to the Think of the environment as everything that is around you. A quiet room with good lighting and no distractions is a good environment for doing homework, or at least that's If a person or thing is surrounded by something, that thing is situated all around them. A medical problem or illness can be referred to as a condition. Your skin condition isn't Situation is related to the verb "situate," which means to place. A building might be situated It might be in your nature to remain calm and level-headed when faced with a difficult Natural describes something that comes from nature, rather than being man-made. Your healthy friend who only eats natural food will probably choose carrots instead of potato Something made of artificial material, not natural items, can be described as synthetic. Some football stadiums have synthetic grass, and a leisure suit from the 1970s might be Petrol is a fuel derived from petroleum. If you are American, you probably call petrol "gas." Matter can be found in solid, liquid, or gas form. The air you breathe in and the carbon A volatile flammable mixture of hydrocarbons (hexane and heptane and octane etc.) derived from petroleum; used mainly as a fuel in internal-combustion engines. Notes atmo(air);sphere(ball,bubbles) hydro(water);sphere(ball,bubbles) litho(stone);sphere(ball,bubbles) ox(O2);gen(create) ox(O2) di(two) hydro(water);gen(create) nothing nothing nothing itude(condition) itude(condition) nothing alt(high);itude(condition) dis(not,bad);aster(stars) mis(bad);hap(luck) nothing nothing en(make);danger(be in danger of) jeopardize=jeopardise de(remove);struct(building);ive(adj.) EI Nino=el nino green(plants);house(building) pheno(appear);menmo(n.) nothing nothing nothing mine(diggings) nothing nothing gran(granule);ite(n.) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing tycoon=タイクーン(大君) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing thermo(hot);dynamic(force) thermo(hot);meter(measure) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing flooding(describe condition);flood(describe water) nothing earth(land);quake(shake) nothing nothing nothing land(ground);scape(condition) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing hemi(half);sphere(ball,bubble) nothing nothing ant(opposite);Arctic(North Pole) nothing nothing nothing nothing ag(intensify);grav(heavy);ate(make) de(down);grade(level) up(upward);grade(level) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing mar(sea) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing y(adj.) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing meteor(high);logy(theory) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing down(downward);pour(flow) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing fore(before);cast(throw) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing over(on top);look(see) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing in(not);evitable(avoid) in(not);re(back);vers(spin);ible(able) nothing nothing ab(not);normal(natural) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing sur(near);urb(city) urb(city) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing con(together);tam(touch);in(inside);ate(v.) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing e(out);merge(integrate) nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing