care VERB
If you care about something, you are concerned about it.
be bothered
I am bothered about missing my swimming lessons.
be concerned
My brother is concerned about the world’s endangered wildlife.
mind
Gavin said he didn’t mind who won the game of chess.
careful (1) ADJECTIVE
If you are careful, you try to do things well.
accurate
The soldier had to be accurate. He had only one chance to hit the target.
thorough
We made a thorough search of the room.
careful (2) ADJECTIVE
If you are careful, you try to do things safely.
alert
In Australia there is a danger of bush fires, and people have to be alert.
cautious
The lifeguard taught them to be cautious around the pool.
wary
Joe was wary of the elephant - it was very large.
watchful
With a toddler, you have to be watchful all the time.
careless (1) ADJECTIVE
If you are careless, you do not take enough care.
messy
My little sister is a messy eater.
sloppy
Her knitting was sloppy, with dropped stitches everywhere.
untidy
The professor was untidy. Now he couldn’t find his papers.
careless (2) ADJECTIVE
Careless can also mean not being sensible about things.
reckless
Sam took a reckless leap over the river.
thoughtless
Only thoughtless people went out in the storm without a jacket.
carry VERB
When you carry something, you pick it up and take it with you.
move
He moved the plant over to the window.
take
We’d better take an umbrella.
transport
We need a van to transport our furniture.
catch (1) VERB
If you catch something, like measles, you get that illness.
come down with
“Stay away from me or you’ll come down with chickenpox too,” said Beth.
get
I don’t want to get this cold.
go down with
It’s just like Ross to go down with something at the wrong moment.
catch (2) VERB
If you catch somebody or something, you capture them.
arrest
The police want to arrest a man they suspect of burglary.
capture
Prison guards set a trap to capture the escaped prisoner.
trap
“Trap that spider,” said Granny, “then put it outside.”
change (1) VERB
When you change something, it becomes different.
alter
The tailor said he could soon alter the length of the trouser legs.
modify
Let’s modify the plan. We’ll go this afternoon instead.
reorganize
“Oh no!” cried Mrs Jones. “I’m going to have to reorganize everything.”
revise
The teacher said my story was good, but I should revise the ending.
change (2) VERB
When something changes, it becomes different.
develop
Caterpillars develop into moths or butterflies.
shift
The wind shifted to the west.
turn
Tadpoles soon turn into frogs.
change (3) VERB
If you change something, you replace it with something else.
exchange
“Can I exchange this blue shirt for a green one?” asked the customer.
swap
Henry wanted to swap his pop music CD for one of Rosie’s.
switch
I didn’t see him switch his old pen for my new one.
chase VERB
If you chase someone, you try to catch them.
follow
The boys followed the man they suspected of stealing a bike.
hunt
Our cat was out all night, hunting mice and rats.
pursue
Police pursued the speeding car for miles along the motorway.
trail
It was easy to trail the robber by following his footprints in the snow.
check VERB
If you check something, you make sure it is correct and safe.
examine
The witch frowned and examined the contents of the cauldron.
inspect
The mechanic inspected the car’s brakes.
make sure
Before we set off, I made sure we’d remembered everything.
test
He tested the ground in case it was boggy.
choose VERB
When you choose, you decide what to have or do.
elect
They quickly elected a new leader.
name
Each one named the person they wanted.
pick
He picked the biggest cake he could find.
select
They were told to select a book and read for the rest of the lesson.
take
We took the shortest