4000 Essential English Words 2 » Unit 10: Blackbeard

Word List
  • citizen [ˈsɪtəzən] n.
    A citizen is someone who lives in a certain town or city.
    → Carlos was born in Spain. He is a Spanish citizen.
  • council [ˈkaunsəl] n.
    A council is a group of people who run a city or town.
    → The council met to discuss the new laws for the city.
  • declare [dɪˈklɛər] v.
    To declare is to say something officially.
    → I declared my love for him.
  • enormous [ɪˈnɔːrməs] adj.
    When people or things are enormous, they are very large.
    → My dog looks enormous next to yours.
  • extraordinary [ikˈstroːrdənəri] adj.
    When someone or something are extraordinary, they are amazing.
    → The fireman who rescued the girl was extraordinary.
  • fog [fo(:)g] n.
    Fog is a thick cloud that is near the ground or water.
    → I did not want to drive in the thick fog.
  • funeral [ˈfjuːnərəl] n.
    A funeral is a ceremony that takes place after a person dies.
    → They had a funeral for the soldier who died during the war.
  • giant [ˈdʒaɪənt] adj.
    When people or things are giant, they are very big.
    → The giant truck got in my way.
  • impression [ɪmˈpreʃən] n.
    An impression is the way of thinking about someone or something.
    → Most people’s first impression of Dr. Giani is that he is mean.
  • income [ˈɪnkʌm] n.
    Income is how much money a person or business makes.
    → Her company pays her a fairly good income.
  • mad [mæd] adj.
    When someone is mad, they are angry.
    → Mother got mad when I didn’t listen to her.
  • ought [ɔːt] aux. v.
    If someone ought to do something, then it is the right thing to do.
    → I ought to take my library books back.
  • resist [rɪˈzɪst] v.
    To resist something is to fight against it.
    → He resisted the treatment at the hospital.
  • reveal [rɪˈviːl] v.
    To reveal is to show something.
    → I will reveal where I hid the candy bar.
  • rid [rɪd] v.
    To rid is to make a place free from something or someone.
    → We rid our home of mice by using traps.
  • sword [sɔːrd] n.
    A sword is a long sharp weapon.
    → They used to use swords in battles in ancient times.
  • tale [teɪl] n.
    A tale is a story.
    → She told her two friends about the wild tale of her day.
  • trap [træp] v.
    To trap people or animals is to capture them so they cannot get away.
    → We trapped butterflies in a net.
  • trial [ˈtraiəl] n.
    A trial is the way a court discovers if a person is guilty or innocent.
    → He went on trial for robbing the bank.
  • violent [ˈvaɪələnt] adj.
    When people are violent, they want to hurt someone.
    → The man was put into jail because he was violent.
Exercise 1

Part A: Choose the right word for the given definition.

  1. wanting to hurt someone
    • a. funeral
    • b. violent
    • c. rid
    • d. enormous
  2. very big
    • a. fog
    • b. declare
    • c. giant
    • d. mad
  3. to show something
    • a. resist
    • b. extraordinary
    • c. ought
    • d. reveal
  4. to capture
    • a. trap
    • b. extraordinary
    • c. ought
    • d. reveal
  5. a way of thinking about a person
    • a. council
    • b. impression
    • c. sword
    • d. tale

Part B: Choose the right definition for the given word.

  1. mad
    • a. big
    • b. to capture
    • c. amazing
    • d. angry
  2. income
    • a. to free from
    • b. the money earned by a person
    • c. the right thing to do
    • d. a person that lives in a town
  3. resist
    • a. to want to hurt someone
    • b. to show something
    • c. to fight against
    • d. large
  4. sword
    • a. a long, sharp weapon
    • b. cloud near the ground or water
    • c. tobacco rolled up for smoking
    • d. a way to think of a person
  5. tale
    • a. to hold clothes in place
    • b. a way to see if someone should go to jail
    • c. to say something
    • d. a story
Exercise 2

Write a word that is similar in meaning to the underlined part.

  1. Every person living here has the right to vote.
    cit_ _ _ _
  2. The group of people who run the town voted on whether we needed a new park.
    cou_ _ _ _
  3. The ceremony for the dead person was attended by many family and friends.
    fun_ _ _ _
  4. The thief wanted to tell his story during the test to decide if he was guilty.
    t_ _ _ _
  5. I said that I would not pay the money.
    de_ _ _ _ _ _
  6. The pyramid was very large.
    en_ _ _ _ _ _
  7. He freed the town of the evil king.
    r_ _
  8. I really should do the right thing and go home and feed the cat.
    o_ _ _ _ to
  9. The rain and thick clouds on the ground made it hard to see.
    f_ _
  10. The wav she trained the dog was amazing.
    e_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Answer Key
Exercise 1
Part A
  1. b
  2. c
  3. d
  4. a
  5. b
Part B
  1. d
  2. b
  3. c
  4. a
  5. d
Exercise 2
  1. citizen
  2. council
  3. funeral
  4. trial
  5. declared
  6. enormous
  7. rid
  8. ought
  9. fog
  10. extraordinary
Answer Key
Blackbeard

A longtime ago, I had my first job. It didn’t give me much of an income. It was on a giant pirate ship. On my first night, there was a thick fog over the water. A lamp on the ship revealed an enormous man. He had a sword in his belt. His name was Blackbeard, and he was one of the most violent pirates ever.

One day, Blackbeard did an extraordinary thing. He attacked several ships near a town. He took some of the town’s citizens. Then he declared, “You give me medicine!” Blackbeard wanted the medicine for some of the sick pirates on his ship.

The people had a bad impression of him. They were mad, and they resisted. But they were trapped. They wanted to get rid of him. So the town’s council decided to give him the medicine.

After this, there was a reward for catching Blackbeard. If Blackbeard was caught, he would have a trial. He didn’t want to go to jail, so he quit being a pirate.

Blackbeard became a fisherman. But he ought to have stayed on land. The Royal Navy was still looking for him. They attacked him while he was fishing on his boat. Blackbeard fought against many men. Finally, he was killed. He didn’t even get a funeral. But people still tell tales about him many years later.

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

  1. What is this tale about?
    • a. How many pirates become fishermen
    • b. An enormous violent pirate
    • c. A boy resisting having to take medicine
    • d. A ship that ought to have stayed at sea
  2. What can be assumed from the passage?
    • a. The town gave Blackbeard the medicine.
    • b. Blackbeard was an extraordinary fighter.
    • c. Blackbeard’s lamp revealed where he was.
    • d. The citizens were mad when Blackbeard was killed.
  3. Which of the following is true about Blackbeard?
    • a. He kept his sword in his belt.
    • b. He lit his cigarettes using a lamp.
    • c. He wanted to get rid of his giant ship.
    • d. He had a trial in the town.
  4. Why were the people in town trapped?
    • a. Blackbeard was waiting for a reward.
    • b. The fog was too thick for ships to sail in.
    • c. Blackbeard wouldn’t let ships in or out.
    • d. Blackbeard declared that there was a strong storm coming.
  5. Why did Blackbeard stop being a pirate?
    _____________
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
  1. b
  2. b
  3. a
  4. c
  5. He did not want to be put on trial and go to jail.
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