4000 Essential English Words 3 » Unit 22: The Circus

Word List
  • accommodate [əˈkɒmədeɪt] v.
    To accommodate is to have enough room.
    → The meeting room can accommodate nine people.
  • circus [ˈsəːrkəs] n.
    A circus is a traveling show with animals and people.
    → I like to go to the circus to see the animals do tricks.
  • coincide [kouinˈsaid] v.
    If two things coincide, they happen at the same time.
    → My birthday coincides with Christmas.
  • commission [kəˈmɪʃən] v.
    To commission someone to do something is to pay them to do it.
    → The artist was commissioned to create a picture.
  • dose [dous] n.
    A dose is a certain amount of medicine that you take at one time.
    → My mother gave me a dose of medicine before I went to bed.
  • dye [daɪ] v.
    To dye something is to make it a certain color by using a special chemical.
    → Valery got her hair dyed at the salon yesterday.
  • extent [ɪksˈtent] n.
    The extent of something is how large, important, or serious it is.
    → He ate to such an extent that he became overweight.
  • gender [ˈdʒendər] n.
    Gender is a category that describes being either a boy or a girl.
    → Do you know the gender of her new baby?
  • headline [ˈhedlaɪn] n.
    A headline is the title of a newspaper story.
    → The headline on the front page was about the economy.
  • informal [ɪnˈfɔːrməl] adj.
    When something is informal, it is not official.
    → They had an informal meeting to talk about their experiences.
  • inquire [ɪnˈkwaɪər] v.
    To inquire about something is to ask about it.
    → Dad called to inquire about the price of tickets for the show.
  • messenger [ˈmesəndʒər] n.
    A messenger is one who carries information from one place to another.
    → The messenger delivered an important document to the office.
  • peer [pɪər] v.
    To peer at something is to watch it carefully.
    → She peered at people through the window.
  • portrait [ˈpɔːrtrɪt] n.
    A portrait is a painting or photograph of someone.
    → I saw many religious portraits when I went to the museum.
  • pose [pouz] v.
    To pose is to stay in one place without moving.
    → The kids and their dog posed for a picture.
  • ranch [ræntʃ] n.
    A ranch is a large farm where animals are kept.
    → My uncle has many horses on his ranch.
  • steer [stɪə:r] v.
    To steer something is to control where it goes.
    → He steered the go-cart around the track.
  • stripe [straɪp] n.
    A stripe is a thick line.
    → The flag of the United States has red and white stripes.
  • tame [teɪm] adj.
    When an animal is tame, it is not afraid to be near people.
    → The tame bird rested on his hand.
  • tempt [tempt] v.
    To tempt people is to offer them something they want but shouldn’t have.
    → I wasn’t hungry, but she tempted me with a piece of my favorite cake.
Exercise 1

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

  1. to have enough room
    • a. accommodate
    • b. circus
    • c. tame
    • d. steer
  2. to change the color of something
    • a. tempt
    • b. dye
    • c. stripe
    • d. dose
  3. A category of being either a boy or a girl
    • a. wipe
    • b. extent
    • c. informal
    • d. gender
  4. the title of a newspaper story
    • a. pose
    • b. headline
    • c. ranch
    • d. inquire
  5. to pay someone to do something
    • a. portrait
    • b. commission
    • c. peer
    • d. messenger

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

  1. inquire
    • a. to pay someone for something
    • b. to ask about something
    • c. to make someone want something
    • d. not wild
  2. steer
    • a. a picture of someone
    • b. to stay in one position
    • c. a traveling show
    • d. to control the direction of a car
  3. stripe
    • a. a line
    • b. a person who carries news
    • c. an amount of medicine
    • d. describes being either a boy or a girl
  4. extent
    • a. to have room for
    • b. how much
    • c. to change color
    • d. a place with many animals
  5. coincide
    • a. to happen at the same time
    • b. not official
    • c. to watch carefully
    • d. the title of a news story
Exercise 2

Choose the word that is the better fit for each blank.

  1. inquired / dose
    • The patient ____________ if the doctor could help his shoulder pain. The doctor gave him a ____________ of medication that would relieve the pain.
  2. pose / peered
    • The photographer ____________ through the camera, but the picture didn’t seem right. So he asked the people to ____________ differently.
  3. portrait / commissioned
    • Her grandfather gave her a ____________ that was painted when he was a boy. Her grandfather’s family had ____________ a famous artist to do it.
  4. accommodate / coincided
    • The day of the wedding ____________ with an important baseball game. As a result, the hotels couldn’t ____________ he extra guests.
  5. circus / dyed
    • The performers at the ____________ had clothing that was ____________ funny colors.
  6. headline / extent
    • They didn’t understand the ____________ of the damage until they saw the ____________ that said that thousands of people had lost their homes in the storm.
  7. messenger / stripe
    • The ____________ carried the notes in a bag that had a long green ____________ on the side.
  8. ranch / informal
    • The owner of the ____________ had an ____________ meeting with his employees to talk to them about the recent problems.
  9. steering / gender
    • I couldn’t tell the ____________ of the person ____________ the car because it was dark outside.
  10. tame / tempted
    • The trainer ____________ the ____________ tiger with a treat, but the animal remained in his place.
Answer Key
Exercise 1
Part A
  1. a
  2. b
  3. d
  4. b
  5. b
Part B
  1. b
  2. d
  3. a
  4. b
  5. a
Exercise 2
  1. inquired, dose
  2. peered, pose
  3. portrait, commissioned
  4. coincided, accommodate
  5. circus, dyed
  6. extent, headline
  7. messenger, stripe
  8. ranch, informal
  9. gender, steering
  10. tempted, tame
Answer Key
The Circus

Ben was unhappy. He lived on a ranch near a small town, and he didn’t have many friends. Then one day a messenger came to the ranch. He showed the headline in the town newspaper. The circus was coming to the town. It even coincided with Ben’s birthday!

Ben was very excited as his father steered the car through the town. The circus couldn’t accommodate all the people who wanted to see the show, but Ben had a ticket.

Ben peered at the activity around him. He watched people of both genders dance all around. They wore funny costumes, and their hair was dyed many different colors. Also, tame tigers with stripes on their fur did tricks. Outside, people could commission an informal portrait. They posed in front of a funny picture while an artist quickly drew them. Ben couldn’t believe it. He was happier than he had ever been before.

That day, Ben knew what he wanted to do. He loved the circus to such an extent that he wanted to have his own circus when he grew older.

Seeing the circus was like a dose of medicine for him. He wasn’t unhappy anymore. He felt special. He inquired about what he needed to do to have his own circus. He studied hard and learned about business.

Ben worked very hard, and one day, he had his own circus. It was a great circus. People told him that he could be very rich. But he wasn’t tempted by money. He just wanted to make children happy. He knew the circus had changed his life, and he wanted to do the same thing for others.

Reading Comprehension

Part A: Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false statements to make them true.

  1. _____ Ben lived on a ranch near a small town.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ Ben was tempted by money when he had his own circus.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ The tigers had stripes and were tame.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ People with dyed hair of both genders danced all over the place.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ Ben learned about the circus from a television advertisement.
    • _____________________________________________________
  6. _____ Ben was commissioned to paint informal portraits of people posing in front of a funny picture.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. Why did Ben like the circus to such an extent?
    • a. He could be very rich.
    • b. He inquired about getting his own circus.
    • c. It made him feel special.
    • d. He took a dose of special medicine.
  2. What good news did the messenger bring?
    • a. The circus was coming.
    • b. Ice cream was free.
    • c. Good weather was coming.
    • d. A new movie was showing.
  3. What did Ben’s dad do on his birthday?
    • a. He tamed tigers.
    • b. He paid for Ben’s portrait.
    • c. He taught Ben how to drive.
    • d. He steered around town looking for the circus.
  4. Why wasn’t Ben tempted by money?
    • a. His circus wasn’t very good.
    • b. He was already very rich.
    • c. He wanted other kids to like him.
    • d. He only wanted to make people happy.
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. T
  2. F / Ben wasn’t tempted by money when he had his own circus.
  3. T
  4. T
  5. F / Ben learned about the circus from a messenger with newspaper headlines.
  6. F / An artist could be commissioned to paint informal portraits of people posing in front of a funny picture.
Part B
  1. c
  2. a
  3. d
  4. d
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