4000 Essential English Words 2 » Unit 23: The Clever Thief

Word List
  • alike [əˈlaɪk] adj.
    If two things or people are alike, they are similar in some way.
    → People often think my sister and I look alike.
  • annoy [əˈnɔɪ] v.
    To annoy someone means to bother them.
    → The flies buzzing around John’s head annoyed him very much.
  • architecture [ˈɑːrkətektʃər] n.
    Architecture is the style or way a building is made.
    → The architecture of the church is amazing.
  • artificial [ˌɑːrtəˈfɪʃəl] adj.
    If something is artificial, it is made to look like something natural.
    → That soccer field has artificial grass, but it looks real.
  • chain [tʃeɪn] n.
    A chain is a series of connected loops often used to keep things in place.
    → The scary dog was secured with a chain.
  • distinct [dɪsˈtɪŋkt] adj.
    If something is distinct, it is easily noticed or different from other things.
    → That girl has distinct pink hair.
  • distinguish [dɪsˈtɪŋgwɪʃ] v.
    To distinguish is to recognize differences between things.
    → The twins look exactly the same. It is hard to distinguish between them.
  • dust [dʌst] n.
    Dust is very tiny pieces of dirt or other matter.
    → In the old house, the dust was thick on the floor and chairs.
  • excitement [ɪkˈsaɪtmənt] n.
    Excitement means to feel a lot of happiness about something.
    → Did you see the excitement in her when the team scored?
  • heal [hiːl] v.
    To heal means to make a part of the body healthy again after injury.
    → After my broken arm heals, I can play baseball again.
  • inherit [ɪnˈherɪt] v.
    To inherit is to get something from someone who has died.
    → She inherited her mother’s gold earrings.
  • manner [ˈmænə:r] n.
    A manner is the way someone does something.
    → His manner of not looking at someone while speaking, is a bit rude.
  • mount [maʊnt] v.
    Something mounts when it becomes stronger over time.
    → His fear mounted as the monster crawled out from under his bed.
  • roof [ruːf] n.
    A roof is the outside top part of a building.
    → The roof was covered with snow.
  • shortage [ˈʃɔːrtɪdʒ] n.
    A shortage is a lack of something you need or want.
    → Since there was a shortage of food, people were hungry.
  • solid [ˈsɒlɪd] adj.
    If something is solid, it is made of firm material.
    → The safe looked to be quite solid.
  • stock [stɒk] n.
    A stock is a stored amount of something.
    → They keep a stock of rice so they’ll always have something to eat.
  • substance [ˈsʌbstəns] n.
    A substance is any specific material or mixture of materials.
    → Water is an important substance for all living things.
  • tomb [tuːm] n.
    A tomb is a grave where a dead person is buried.
    → Their whole family is buried inside the tomb.
  • wound [wuːnd] n.
    A wound is an injury to the body.
    → He had many wounds after the car accident.
Exercise 1

Part A: Choose the word that is a better fit for each sentence.

  1. architecture / substance
    • The airport’s _______________ consisted of large curved windows and wide hallways.
    • If you mix water and flour, you will create a sticky _______________.
  2. alike / artificial
    • Because they had plastic leaves, the flowers were clearly _______________.
    • Though they were made in different years, those cars look _______________.
  3. shortage / stock
    • They need a large _______________ of wood to burn in the winter.
    • The water _______________ left several areas with nothing to drink.
  4. distinct / distinguish
    • The _______________ smell of fresh cookies came from our house.
    • I couldn’t _______________ which of the black bags was mine.
  5. roof / tomb
    • The cat slowly walked across the steep _______________.
    • They laid the body inside the cold dark _______________.

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

  1. the top of a building
    • a. dust
    • b. roof
    • c. tomb
    • d. chain
  2. an injury to the body
    • a. substance
    • b. distinct
    • c. wound
    • d. artificial
  3. a feeling of happiness
    • a. excitement
    • b. inherit
    • c. manner
    • d. architecture
  4. a stored amount
    • a. shortage
    • b. manner
    • c. alike
    • d. stock
  5. someone who steals
    • a. annoy
    • b. excitement
    • c. mount
    • d. thief
Exercise 2

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

  1. The lawyer said that Jane would be given her uncle’s house after he died.
    inhe_ _ _
  2. The police thought my brother was a person who steals.
    thi_ _
  3. The wind blew the tiny pieces of dirt along the street.
    d_ _ _
  4. Tom used a series of connected loops to pull his truck.
    ch_ _ _
  5. The bandages helped the cut on his arm to become well after injury.
    h_ _ _
  6. The fall left a painful injury to my left leg.
    wo_ _ _
  7. Their excitement continued to grow stronger as they talked about the vacation.
    m_ _ _ _
  8. My sister likes to bother me when I’m sleeping.
    a_ _ _ _
  9. His head is so hard. It feels like it’s made out of firm steel.
    s_ _ _ _
  10. She explained the homework in a calm way.
    m_ _ _ _ _
Answer Key
Exercise 1
Part A
  1. architecture, substance
  2. artificial, alike
  3. stock, shortage
  4. distinct, distinguish
  5. roof, tomb
Part B
  1. b
  2. c
  3. a
  4. d
  5. d
Exercise 2
  1. inherit
  2. thief
  3. dust
  4. chain
  5. heal
  6. wound
  7. mount
  8. annoy
  9. solid
  10. manner
Answer Key
The Clever Thief

A new king inherited a lot of gold. He loved his gold very much. He even wanted to keep it after he died. Therefore, he had a large tomb built for himself and his riches.

However, the tomb’s builder had a plan. Most of the stones were solid, but he put one special stone on the roof. It was made of a lighter substance.

When the tomb was done, the king moved in his stock of gold. One night, the builder went to the tomb. His excitement mounted. Because all the stones looked alike, he had left a distinct mark on the artificial block. The mark helped him distinguish the difference in the architecture.

The builder lifted the stone. Using a chain, he climbed into the tomb. He filled his pockets with gold.

The builder followed this manner night after night. Soon, the king noticed a shortage in his gold. This annoyed the king.

At last he hired a guard to hide inside the tomb. When the builder entered the tomb, the guard wounded him. He climbed a pole to the roof. The builder left drops of blood in the dust. The guard followed them and caught him.

When the builder healed, he explained to the king that he didn’t keep any of the gold. He had given it all away to the poor.

Reading Comprehension

Answer the questions.

  1. What is this story about?
    • a. The manner in which a king inherited his riches
    • b. Different kinds of architecture
    • c. How a builder tricked a king
    • d. Why a tomb had a large pole
  2. What distinguished the artificial block from the real blocks?
    • a. A distinct mark on one of the blocks
    • b. The different color of its substance
    • c. The amount of dust on it
    • d. The solid gold pieces in it
  3. How did the king know his gold was missing?
    • a. He found a chain in the tomb.
    • b. There was a hole in the roof.
    • c. There was a shortage of guards.
    • d. His stock of gold had decreased.
  4. The builder was caught because _________.
    • a. he and another man looked alike
    • b. he mounted the wrong tomb
    • c. a guard wounded him
    • d. he stopped to heal the king’s wound
  5. Why was the king annoyed?
    _____________
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
  1. c
  2. a
  3. d
  4. c
  5. The king was annoyed because he didn't know how the gold could be gone.
Favorite Books
4000 Essential English Words 1

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 1: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more
4000 Essential English Words 3

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 3: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more
4000 Essential English Words 4

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 4: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more
4000 Essential English Words 5

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 5: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more
4000 Essential English Words 6

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 6: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

Read more