nail =
- Long narrow metal things people make. You hit one end to push the other end into a piece of something solid. You can push one end through one piece of something solid and into another solid piece, because this causes these two pieces to become connected.
- The hard flat part that grows from the end of each of the five long narrow parts of your hand or foot.
nasty =
- This hurts someone very much.
- This feels very bad for someone.
- Bad.
nation =
- Country.
- Many people inside a group of families that live in a big place for a long time and use the same words.
national = This says something about all parts of one country.
natural =
- Things that people do not cause or make or control.
- You expect something to be like this at most times, if someone does not do something to change it.
nature =
- All living things, but not people.
- Things that people do not cause or make or control.
- What you can say about this kind of thing.
naval = Groups of soldiers who use boats and what these soldiers do.
navy = The group of soldiers who use boats.
near =
- (See 1-24).
- A short time before.
- Very much like, but not the same as and not more than.
nearly =
- A short time before.
- Very much like, but not the same as and not more than.
neat =
- You put things in the places where you carefully decided to put them, and because of this, these things are easy to find.
- Good.
necessary =
- What needs to happen.
- What you need to have or need to do.
neck = The narrow part of your body that is connected below your head and connects to the big part of your body.
needle =
- Very narrow metal thing that has a hole in one end. People put string through this hole, push this metal thing through cloth, and use it to pull the string through the cloth.
- Very narrow metal tube. Someone can push one end through the surface of your body and use the tube to move liquid into or out of your body.
- Something long and very narrow.
negative =
- Bad.
- Saying something is not true or is not good or does not happen.
- Number that is less than zero.
- Electricity is when this kind of very small part of an atom moves from one atom to another.
neighbour, (neighbor) =
- Someone who lives and sleeps inside a building near where you live and sleep most days.
- Someone who is near to you.
neighbourhood, (neighborhood) = Small place containing several buildings. One of these buildings is where you live and sleep most days.
neither = Not this one and not this other one.
nerve =
- Long narrow parts inside your body that cause all parts of your body to be connected to the thinking part of your body inside your head. Because of this, the thinking part of your body can feel other parts of your body and cause them to move.
- Feeling fear.
- Doing something that many people fear doing.
nervous =
- Feeling fear because you are thinking about some bad things that can happen.
- The group containing each nerve inside your body.
nest = Something birds and some other animals make because they can put their eggs or children inside it. This helps prevent things hurting or damaging the eggs or children when they are inside.
net = Something long and wide that people use many strings to make. Each string is connected to parts of many other strings. Near each part of each string, it is connected to one of the other strings. Small things can move through this between the strings, but big things cannot. People can use this to hold fish and pull them out of the water, because water can move between the strings, but the fish cannot.
network =
- Something that is like a net.
- Group of things that something can move through like this: The parts of this group are connected, and from each part of this group, something can move through one or more parts to move to each other part of this group.
never =
- There is not a time when this happens.
- There is not a time when this is true.
new =
- This exists now, but did not exist a short time before now.
- This became true a short time before now.
- Someone did not use this before.
news =
- What someone tells you when they tell you things that happened a short time before now.
- Something you did not know before.
newspaper = People use machines to write important news on the surface of many pieces of paper.
next =
- The thing that happens after now and before another thing like this happens.
- What is said or done after this and before all other things.
- The thing that is near to you more than others.
nice =
- Someone who wants to do what is good for other people.
- Someone who enjoys being near other people and doing what makes them happy.
- Something you enjoy.
- Good.
night = The time each day when there is not much light in a place and people cannot see the sun and most people in this place are sleeping.
ninth =
- One more after eight others.
- One of nine parts of one thing. Each part is the same.
no =
- (See 12-07).
- There is not some of this.
- Not.
no one = There is not someone that you can say this about.
noble =
- Inside a country where one family controls the government, this other family helped the government a long time before now, and because of this, the government gave them places and allows them to do things.
- Very good.
nobleman = Man who is part of a noble family.
noise =
- Something you hear.
- A sound that is loud or that you do not enjoy hearing.
- A sound that does not mean something.
none = There is not some of this.
nonsense =
- Someone says words, but what they say does not mean something.
- Saying things that are not true or doing things that make other people angry, like a person who does not think very much before deciding what to do.
nor = Not this one and not this other one.
normal =
- Like what you expect.
- Like most others, when you think about this kind of thing.
- Healthy and not damaged.
north = Towards the place that is on this side of your body if you are looking at the sun a short time before the time each day when you cannot see the sun: on the same side of your body as the hand most people use when they write.
northern = In a place towards the north.
nose =
- (See 11-10).
- Front part of something.
note =
- You write something using not many words.
- Something you want to think about some time after now.
- One piece of paper money.
- One sound that is part of a piece of music.
nothing =
- There is not something that you can say this about.
- Not important.
notice =
- You think about what you see or hear or feel.
- You say or write something to tell people what you want them to think about.
noticeable = Something most people will notice.
nowhere = There is not a place where this is true.
nurse =
- Try to help someone become healthy.
- Someone who carefully helps people who have diseases or damaged bodies.
- When a young child drinks milk from the body of its female parent.
nut =
- Seeds that are contained inside a very hard part that grows from a tree.
- Small piece of metal that has a hole through its centre. You can put a long piece of metal into this hole and turn the small piece of metal to connect these two things.
nylon = Kind of string that is difficult to damage. It is made using chemicals. It is not made using parts of plants or animals. People can use it to make cloth and other things. People use it to make clothing that women use to cover their legs.
o'clock = When you look at a machine that shows the time and counts the hours that are part of a day, this is the hour number that the machine show.
obedient = You are likely to do the things that a person or rule tells you to do.
obey =
- You do what someone tells you to do.
- You do what the government rules say you need to do.
object =
- Solid thing that you can see or touch.
- Someone or something you think about.
- What you are trying to cause.
- The thing that something happens to.
obtain = You have or can use something now, because for some time before now, you wanted to have it and tried to make this happen.
occasion =
- Time when something happens.
- When something can happen.
- When a group of people moves to the same place for some time to say and do things they enjoy or things they think are important.
ocean = Very big place where there is very much water. Many people live near this water, but they cannot drink it because it contains salt. There are not other places where people can be near to more water than this.
odd =
- Not what you expected.
- This is not like what you expect at most times. Because of what is different, you feel maybe it is bad.
- The number of things is like this: You can put these things into two groups where the number of things inside one group is one more than the number of things inside the other group.
of =
- (See part of 2-03).
- (See one of 1-06).
- (See many of 1-09).
- (See some of 1-12).
- (See kind of 1-20).
- (See shape of 4-03).
- (See out of 4-09).
- (See group of 5-08).
- (See number of 5-29).
- Something has this.
- Something has this part.
- Something you know about this.
- Who or what does this.
- Who or what this changes.
- Inside this group.
- Contains.
- From.
- Because.
off =
- This was in a place before, but now it is more far from this place.
- Connected before, but not now.
- Not touching.
- Not on a surface.
- Distance between.
- After now.
- Not doing something now.
- Not good like before.
- Less than before.
offence, (offense) =
- Doing something that the government rules do not allow you to do.
- Doing something to hurt someone or damage something.
- When you offend someone.
offend =
- Do something people think is bad.
- Do something that makes someone feel angry.
- Do something that the government rules do not allow you to do.
offensive =
- Doing things that offend someone.
- Used to hurt someone or damage something.
offer =
- Say you will do something good for someone if they promise to do something you want.
- Say you will do something if someone says they want you to do it.
- Tell someone they can have something if they want it.
- Give something to someone.
office = Building or part of a building where someone reads and writes and works. The work that a person or group of people does because they are part of the government.
officer =
- Person that the government chooses to do a kind of work. This person can tell other people some things to do and can expect them to do it. If they do not do what this person says, the government can do something bad for them.
- Person that a group of people chooses to decide some things that the group will do.
official =
- This person is an officer and can decide to do or say these things because of this.
- Something that the government does or says.
oil = Liquid fat and other liquids that are like this. When you put these liquids into water, they move up to the top surface of the water. People can burn these liquids. You can put some of this liquid between two machine parts that are touching, and because of this, these parts can move more easily.
old =
- The number of days or years this lived or existed.
- This lived or existed for a long time.
- This lived or existed or was true a long time before now.
- You could use this thing before, but now it is less like something you can use, because it existed a long time or because people used it many times.
old-fashioned = Most people wanted to have or do these things many years before now, but most people do not want to have or do these things now.
on =
- (See on a side 1-27).
- (See on the surface 3-23).
- (See on top of 6-09).
- Above and touching a surface that causes this not to move down.
- In this place.
- Near.
- Touching.
- At this time.
- Happening to.
- What this says about something.
- Using.
- Carrying.
- Doing something.
- More.
once =
- This happens one time.
- One time and not more.
- At a time before now.
- After this.
one =
- (See 1-06).
- This.
- Someone.
- There is.
oneself = This same person who does this and not others.
onion = Kind of plant that has long green parts that grow above the ground and a big round white part that grows below the ground. Inside the big round part, there is another round part that looks the same, but is less big. Inside this round part, there are several more round parts that look the same. Each is less big and contains another round part. People eat these round parts. When you eat or cut these round parts, people who breathe the air near you can know you ate or cut this kind of plant.
only just =
- A short time before now.
- Not less than this, but not more.
onto = Something moves to a place on a surface.
open =
- There is a place you can easily move through to move into or out of this thing.
- Someone who is not inside this thing or place can see what is inside.
- You move something, and because of this, things can start moving into or through this place.
- You can start using this or changing it.
operate =
- When you control a machine.
- What something does or what you expect it to do.
- When someone does an operation.
operation =
- When someone cuts into part of a body to try to make parts of it more healthy and to move disease out of the body.
- When people plan something and do it for some time.
- When a machine does something.
opinion = What you think about something.
opponent = You want something to happen, and you are trying to cause it to happen, but this person is trying to cause it not to happen.
opportunity = At this time, you are likely to be able to do this thing if you try to do it. At other times, you cannot do this or you cannot do it easily.
oppose = Someone wants to do something, but you very much do not want it to happen, and you do things to try to cause it not to happen.
opposite =
- When you think about these two things, there are things you know about this one that are not true to say about the other, and there are things you know about the other that are not true to say about this one.
- These two things are very different.
- The one in front of you on the other side that is near to you more than all others on the other side.
opposition = When someone wants to do something, but you very much do not want it to happen, and you do things to try to cause it not to happen.
orange =
- Colour that is like the colour you see when you mix the colours red and yellow.
- Kind of round fruit that grows in places that are hot. The colour of this fruit is like the colour when red and yellow are mixed. You can pull the surface using your hands and cause it not to be connected to the parts inside. Then you can eat each of the parts inside.
order =
- You do this to cause another thing to happen.
- You tell someone to do something and expect them to do it.
- When people are doing what the rules say to do.
- When you put things in places where you carefully decided to put them.
- Moving many things to different parts of a place, putting each where a rule tells you to put it.
- Showing or telling what things happen before or after other things.
ordinary =
- This one is like most things that are the same kind.
- What happens at this time is like what happens at most times.
organ =
- There are different kinds of parts inside the body, and each of these does some different kinds of things that the body needs to be alive.
- Kind of machine people make using many tubes that have different lengths. The machine causes air to move through these tubes to make music.
organise, (organize) =
- You put things in the places where you carefully decided to put them, and because of this, these things are easy to find and use.
- You plan what a group of people will do.
organization =
- Group of people that does some kind of work like this: The group plans, and each part of the group does a different part of what is needed to do this work.
- When people put things in the places where they carefully decided to put them, and because of this, these things are easy to find and use.
origin = Where and when something starts.
original =
- The one that exists or happens before all the others.
- Something like this did not exist before.
otherwise =
- If this one thing is not true or does not happen, then this other thing will happen.
- Doing or thinking something different.
ought =
- This is good for you to do.
- Not doing this is bad.
- You can expect this to happen.
- This is likely.
our, ours = This thing belongs to me and one or more other people.
ourselves =
- These people and me.
- These people and me, but not others.
out =
- (See 4-09).
- Move from one place to other places less near.
- Where this can be seen because it is not inside and not near other parts of the surface.
- There is not some of this inside now, because it all moved to another place.
- This is not burning or causing light now.
- Use these parts to make something.
outdoor = Something that happens or that people use in a place that is not inside a building.
outdoors = Not inside a building.
outer =
- Part of something that is far from the centre.
- The surface parts and not the parts inside.
outside =
- In a place that is not inside.
- The surface that is not inside.
over =
- Above.
- Cover.
- You are on one side of something after moving above this thing from the other side.
- Part of something was above another part and then it moved below this other part.
- Through.
- At the same time.
- After.
- Do the same thing another time after you did it before.
- More than.
- Control.
owe, owing =
- You need to give someone some money because they gave you something, or because they did something you wanted, or because you caused something bad for them.
- You feel you want to give someone something good because they did something good for you.
own =
- (See 11-29).
- This belongs to someone.
- You did this and other people did not help.
owner = The person this thing belongs to, because this person bought it or made it or someone gave it to this person.
oxygen = This kind of atom is part of air, and if people do not breathe this kind of atom for a short time, they will die.