Unit 4: Tiny Tina

4000 Essential English Words 3 » Unit 4: Tiny Tina

Word List

bloom [bluːm] v.

When a plant blooms, it makes flowers.

→ Roses look so pretty when they bloom.
compact [kəmˈpækt] adj.

If something is compact, it is smaller than normal.

→ A laptop computer is much more compact than a desktop model.
curl [kɜːrl] n.

A curl is a small piece of something with a round shape.

→ The colorful ribbons were bent into curls.
decay [dɪˈkeɪ] v.

To decay is to be destroyed naturally.

→ The old wooden house was slowly decaying.
dessert [diˈzəːrt] n.

Dessert is a sweet food that you eat after a meal.

→ Kayla wants ice cream for dessert.
dip [dip] v.

To dip something is to put part of it into a liquid for a short time.

→ Laurel dipped her strawberry into the chocolate.
distant [ˈdɪstənt] adj.

If something is distant, it is far away.

→ Michael could barely see the distant island.
eclipse [ɪˈklɪps] n.

An eclipse is an occasion when the moon moves in front of the sun.

→ A complete eclipse of the sun is a very rare occurrence.
fairy [ˈfɛərɪ] n.

A fairy is a small, magic creature with wings.

→ There are usually fairies in fantasy stories.
grace [greɪs] n.

Grace is a quality of moving in a smooth, relaxed and attractive way.

→ The ballerina danced with grace.
leisure [ˈliːʒə:r] n.

Leisure is time when you do not have to do work.

→ Eve likes to listen to music in her leisure time.
mankind [mænˈkaɪnd] n.

Mankind is all of the world’s people.

→ All of mankind has to work to make this a better world.
passion [ˈpæʃən] n.

Passion is a very strong feeling of wanting to do something.

→ She had a passion for dancing.
pillow [ˈpɪlou] n.

A pillow is something that you put your head on when you sleep.

→ When I travel, I usually take along my favorite pillow.
pulse [pʌls] n.

A pulse is the beat of the heart.

→ The doctor checked the patient’s pulse by feeling his wrist.
refresh [rɪˈfreʃ] v.

To refresh someone is to make them feel less hot or tired.

→ The baby was refreshed after taking a cool bath.
sneeze [sniːz] v.

To sneeze is to suddenly blow air out of your nose and mouth.

→ He sneezed after smelling the flower.
spice [spaɪs] n.

A spice is a flavor for food and drinks.

→ Two common spices found in many homes are salt and pepper.
whistle [hwɪsəl] v.

To whistle is to make a sound by putting your lips together and blowing.

→ Ashe was listening to music, Daryl whistled.
wool [wʊl] n.

Wool is the hair that a sheep has.

→ Grandma wants to use the blue wool to knit me a sweater.

Exercise 1

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

far away
- a. compact
- b. leisure
- c. distant
- d. passion
a sweet thing to eat
- a. dessert
- b. wool
- c. mankind
- d. bloom
a small magical creature
- a. pulse
- b. pillow
- c. grace
- d. fairy
an event that covers the sun
- a. whistle
- b. decay
- c. eclipse
- d. curl
to make someone feel less tired
- a. spice
- b. refresh
- c. dip
- d. sneeze

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

whistle
- a. a flavor
- b. to make noise with one’s lips
- c. people
- d. a flower
compact
- a. far
- b. not at work
- c. small
- d. to help tired people
wool
- a. sheep’s hair
- b. magic creature
- c. something to eat
- d. strong feeling
grace
- a. to chase after
- b. to get old and rot
- c. a nice way to move
- d. in the shape of a circle
dip
- a. to blow out air
- b. something soft for your head
- c. to put in and out
- d. one of the things on your feet
spice
- a. a flavor added to food or drink
- b. something with a round shape
- c. to make one feel less tired
- d. a sweet thing to eat
leisure
- a. time when you do not have to work
- b. to become naturally destroyed
- c. the hair of sheep
- d. a feeling of wanting
curl
- a. to get old and fall apart
- b. something with a curve
- c. something small
- d. to go after
pillow
- a. something you sleep on
- b. the quality of moving well
- c. an event that covers the sun
- d. far away
pulse
- a. not at work
- b. a magic creature
- c. the beat of one’s heart
- d. to go away

Exercise 2

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

distant / compact
- Some scientists think that in the ____________ future, we are going to use all of our fuel. One way to use less fuel is to drive a ____________ car.
pulse / eclipse
- Early members of ____________ walked slowly and strangely. However, people learned how to move with ____________ over the years.
mankind / grace
- Early members of ____________ walked slowly and strangely. However, people learned how to move with ___________ over the years.
desserts / spice
- My favorite ____________ is cinnamon. I put it in all of my favorite ____________.
bloom / decay
- In the fall, the flowers do not ____________. I clean them up when they start to ____________.
refresh / whistled
- She ___________ a song while she took a shower to ___________ herself.
wool /curls
- When my father was a boy, he learned all about a sheep’s ___________ . For example, he learned that it forms ___________ .
fairy / leisure
- Jennifer likes to paint in her ____________ time. The most recent picture she painted was of a ____________.
sneezing / dipped
- Kelly ____________ her feet into the pool but decided not to get in because she was ____________ a lot. She was afraid she might get others sick if she got in.
pillow / passion
- The baby has a ____________ for soft things. One of the things that he loves the most is his ____________.

Answer Key

Exercise 1

Part A

c
a
d
c
b

Part B

b
c
a
c
c
a
a
b
a
c

Exercise 2

distant/compact
eclipse/pulse
mankind/grace
spice/desserts
bloom/decay
whistled/refresh
wool/curls
leisure/fairy
dipped/sneezing
passion/pillow

Answer Key

Tiny Tina

In a distant land, there was a kingdom where fairies lived. Tina was a fairy. She had yellow curls and wore a dress made of wool. She always moved with grace. However, because of her compact size, she was scared of mankind.

One day, there was an eclipse of the sun. The fairies didn’t know what was happening. They were scared, so they ran away.

Tina looked for a place to hide. She found a garden with flowers blooming. Tina had a passion for flowers. She decided to hide there. She became sleepy and made a pillow with some leaves. She whistled happily as she worked, and she fell asleep.

Suddenly, somebody sneezed. The sound woke Tina up. She saw a very big face looking at her! Tina was so scared that she couldn’t move. She could feel her pulse going very fast.

The big woman went into her house. When she came back, she gave Tina a cup.

The woman sat on the ground among some decaying leaves. Tina dipped a finger in the cup and tasted it. It was tea with all kinds of delicious spices in it. Tina felt refreshed after drinking the tea.

“ I’m Wilma,” the lady said. “ I spend all my leisure time in my garden cutting flowers. Would you like some dessert?”

Tina said yes. She was hungry, and she wasn’t frightened anymore. She took a bite of cake and relaxed. “ How did you get to my garden?”

Tina told Wilma how she got lost.

“That’s terrible! Let us take you home.”

“Actually, I think that I want to stay with you,” Tina said. She wasn’t scared of big people anymore. Wilma and Tina lived happily ever after.

Reading Comprehension

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

_____ Tina made a pillow of leaves while she whistled.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ Tina wore a dress made of decayed flowers.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ Tina decided to hide in the garden.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ Tina had a passion for desserts.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ The fairies left because they were scared by the eclipse.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ Wilma gave Tina some tea for dessert.
- _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

Why did Tina suddenly wake up?
- a. She felt refreshed.
- b. She heard someone sneeze.
- c. The leaves were decayed.
- d. She had a fast pulse.
All of the following describe Tina EXCEPT ______.
- a. she had curls in her hair
- b. she moved with grace
- c. she did not like tea with spice
- d. she was compact
What does Wilma do with the flowers?
- a. She makes dessert with them.
- b. She cuts them.
- c. She dips them in gold.
- d. She lets them decay.
Where did Tina live before she met Wilma?
- a. In Wilma’s garden
- b. In a tiny house
- c. On a street with big cars
- d. In a distant country

Answer Key

Reading Comprehension

Part A

T
F / Tina wore a dress made of wool.
T
F / Tina had a passion for flowers.
T
F / Wilma gave Tina some cake for dessert.

Part B

d
c
a
d

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).

4000 Essential English Words 2

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 2: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

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).

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).

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).

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