Category: Verbs

Words that express actions, states of being, or occurrences. They show what someone or something does (run, write), experiences (feel, hear), or is (be, become). Verbs change form to show tense (past, present, future), person (I, you, he/she/it), number (singular, plural), and mood (indicative, subjunctive, imperative).

Verbs

determine

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Word Image

plural:

Part Of Speech

verb

Word Meaning

to fix exactly or with authority; to find out or come to a decision; to be the cause of or reason for

Word Family

determines

determined

determining

determiner

determination

predetermined

undetermined

indeterminate

redetermining

Sentences

We are trying to determine the best time to go back.

They say that demand determines the price.

The town determined ownership of the land.

They were determined to leave immediately.

I am trying to determine what happened and when.

They are unable to accurately determine the ship’s position at this time.

Inspectors have made the determination that the building is unsafe.

The store will be closed for an indeterminate period of time.

She’d always been a woman of great courage and determination.

Dad had determined to become a doctor when he was just a boy.

Exercises

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Nouns Verbs

detour

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plural: detours

Part Of Speech

noun, verb

Word Meaning

noun: a departure from a direct course or the usual procedure; a roundabout way temporarily replacing a regular route

verb: to send or proceed by a detour

Word Family

detoured

detouring

Sentences

After a number of unexpected detours, we finally arrived at our destination.

The little restaurant is well worth a small detour.

We took a detour from the busy main streets.

We had to make a detour around the heavy traffic.

The road is closed ahead, so traffic will have to follow the detour signs.

Traffic will be detoured to 72nd Street.

They took a couple of detours through the city to see the most popular sights.

We detoured around the road construction.

A police officer was detouring traffic around the scene of the accident.

Drivers are encouraged to detour around the crash.

Exercises

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Verbs

detach

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Word Image

plural:

Part Of Speech

verb

Word Meaning

to separate, especially from a larger mass, and usually without violence or damage; to release from something that engages or involves

Word Family

detaches

detached

detaching

detachable

detachment

Sentences

Detach the upper part of the form and return it with your payment.

During the accident, the trailer became detached from the car.

The brush detaches from the vacuum cleaner for easy cleaning.

It can be difficult to detach yourself from the chaos of the situation.

She has been trying to detach herself from an abusive relationship.

Detach the hose from the back of your dryer and clear out any lint or buildup.

The parts are fully detachable and store away easily.

The porch collapsed and detached from the rest of the house, the fire chief said.

I wish the article had approached the issue with a bit more detachment.

The form is perforated to make detachment of the bottom section easier.

Exercises

Tags detach

Nouns Verbs

detail

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Word Image

plural: details

Part Of Speech

noun, verb

Word Meaning

noun: a dealing with something item by item; a small part or feature; selection (as of a group of soldiers) for some special service

verb: to report in detail; to assign to a task

Word Family

detailed

detailing

detailer

Sentences

Every detail of the wedding was carefully planned.

The job requires attention to detail.

We admired the detail of the artist’s work.

The book details the series of events that led to the tragedy.

The Army has detailed him to investigate the complaints.

She wrote a letter detailing her complaints.

The novel is full of historical details.

The police were explaining without going into the details.

He is with the security detail assigned to guard the president.

The article provides further details.

Exercises

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Nouns Verbs

mess

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Word Image

plural: messes

Part Of Speech

noun, verb

Word Meaning

noun: a quantity of food; a place where meals are regularly served to a group; a state or condition of confusion, disorder, or unpleasantness; a large quantity or number

verb: to supply with meals; to make dirty or untidy; to do incorrectly; to interfere with; to work without a serious goal; to handle or play with something especially carelessly; to rough up

Word Family

messed

messing

messy

messiness

messily

Sentences

Well, that’s another fine mess you’ve gotten me into!

He was a muddy mess after gardening all day.

I need to clean my messy kitchen again.

My handwriting is the messiest!

Please stop messing with him while he’s trying to concentrate.

The soldiers ate together in the mess hall.

He was a mess during his daughter’s wedding ceremony.

Your home life is so messed up.

Her hair is pulled into a low, messy bun.

Your messiness is starting to get on my nerves.

Exercises

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Nouns Verbs

sweep

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Word Image

plural: sweeps

Part Of Speech

noun, verb

Word Meaning

noun: an act or instance of sweeping; a winning of all the contests; a movement of great range and force; a curving or circular course or line; a person who cleans soot from chimneys

verb: to remove from a surface with or as if with a broom or brush; to drive or carry along with great force; to win all of; to move with stately or sweeping movements; to move or extend in a wide curve or range

Word Family

swept

sweeping

sweeper

sweepingly

upsweep

chimneysweep

streetsweeper

Sentences

He swept the dirt off the floor and into a dustbin.

The limo came sweeping up to the door.

The papers were suddenly swept off the desk by a gust of wind.

Are you finished sweeping the porch?

She swept the curtains aside to see who was out there.

He swept all the crumbs from the table.

Forest fires were sweeping across the state.

The police did a security sweep of the area.

The Mets lost all six games, including a sweep at Kansas City.

He did a quick sweep with his flashlight to check the alleyway.

Exercises

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Nouns Verbs

upgrade

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Word Image

plural: upgrades

Part Of Speech

noun, verb

Word Meaning

noun: an upward grade or slope; an increase in amount, number, or volume; enhanced value or excellence

verb: to raise to a higher grade, quality, or position; to improve or replace, especially software or a device, for increased usefulness

Word Family

upgraded

upgrading

upgradable

upgradability

Sentences

The office is upgrading the telephone system.

The hospital upgraded the patient’s condition to good.

This course will help you upgrade your computer skills.

They came upon a slight upgrade in the road.

They upgraded the hotel to attract more business patrons.

We were able to upgrade to first class on our flight.

We had reserved a double room, but the hotel upgraded us to a suite.

My computer needed multiple upgrades to run faster.

They’ve upgraded the quality of their service.

A system upgrade is being installed on my phone right now.

Exercises

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Nouns Verbs

wrench

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Word Image

plural: wrenches

Part Of Speech

noun, verb

Word Meaning

noun: a violent twisting or pull; a sharp twist or sudden jerk that strains muscles or ligaments; a tool for holding, twisting, or turning (as nuts and bolts);

verb: to move with a violent twist; to pull, strain, or tighten with violent twisting or force; to injure by a violent twisting or straining; to snatch forcibly; to cause to suffer mental anguish; acute emotional distress or sudden, violent mental change

Word Family

wrenched

wrenching

wrenchingly

Sentences

He wrenched his back when he tried to lift a heavy box.

It was a wrench to say goodbye to all my friends.

My toolbox has a set of wrenches, pliers, and screwdrivers.

I tried to wrench myself free from his grip.

The statue was wrenched from its pedestal.

When I fell, I wrenched my knee badly.

She wrenched the toy from his grasp.

The statue was wrenched from its pedestal.

I brought the wrong size wrench for the job.

With a sharp wrench of the hammer, I pulled the nail from the board.

Exercises

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Adjectives Verbs

ready

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Word Image

plural:

Part Of Speech

verb, adjective

Word Meaning

verb: to make ready

adjective: prepared for use or action; likely to do something; willing; available right away

Word Family

readies

readied

readying

readily

readiness

already

unready

Sentences

They readied the room for their guests.

“Can we leave now?” “I’m ready when you are.”

Your prescription will be ready in about 20 minutes.

We were in readiness for the tough night ahead.

The camp has already been set up for the summer.

She readied herself to speak to the audience.

I’ll be ready to go in 10 minutes.

There’s a house that looks ready to collapse on my street.

Be sure to have some cash readily available, just in case.

The staff was busy readying the banquet hall for the evening.

Exercises

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Nouns Verbs

flare

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Word Image

plural: flares

Part Of Speech

noun, verb

Word Meaning

noun: a fire or blaze of light used to signal, light up something, or attract attention; a device or material that produces such a flare; an unsteady, glaring light; a spreading outward; a sudden burst (as of flame or anger)

verb: to burn with an unsteady flame; to shine or blaze suddenly; to become suddenly excited or angry; to open or spread outward

Word Family

flared

flaring

flare-up

Sentences

The airport set flares to guide the landing plane at night.

Today, we witnessed a flare-up of tempers in the courtroom.

A match flared in the darkness as he lit the candle.

My sister took medication to prevent a flare-up of her asthma.

A sudden pain flared up in his chest, stopping him.

The jeans they used to wear would flare at the bottom.

The bull flared its nostrils, preparing to charge.

When the crew saw flares go up, they knew the other ship was in trouble.

The sun has been discharging major solar flares lately.

The fire department had already been there, but the fire had flared back up.

Exercises

Tags flare