Unit 9: Dalton vs. the Bully

4000 Essential English Words 3 » Unit 9: Dalton vs. the Bully

Word List

ail [eɪl] v.

To ail a person or group is to cause difficulty or pain.

→ My brother went to the doctor to see what was ailing him.
ally [ˈælaɪ] n.

An ally is someone who agrees to help or support you.

→ I was happy to find many allies who shared the same opinion as me.
boast [boust] v.

To boast is to talk about how good you are.

→ We all became tired o f listening to him boast about him self all day.
bounce [bauns] v.

To bounce is to move something up and away from a surface after hitting it.

→ Owen bounced the ball on the ground.
bully [ˈbulɪ] n.

A bully is a person who is mean to others.

→ The two bullies always picked on the smaller, weaker kids.
carbohydrate [ˈkɑːrbouˈhaɪdreɪt] n.

Carbohydrates are substances in foods like bread that give you energy.

→ Carbohydrates like rice are a good source o f energy for active people.
crawl [krɔːl] v.

To crawl is to move slowly on your hands and knees.

→ The baby crawled across the floor.
defeat [dɪˈfiːt] v.

To defeat someone is to beat them in a game or battle.

→ The champion defeated the challenger in the boxing match.
dial [ˈdaɪəl] n.

A dial is the front of a clock.

→ I looked at the dial to see what time it was.
dominant [ˈdɒmənənt] adj.

When someone or something is dominant, they are stronger than others.

→ The gorilla is one o f the dominant animals in the jungle.
mercy [ˈməːrsi] n.

If you show mercy, you choose not to punish or harm someone.

→ He asked his boss for mercy and to not fire him.
nod [nɒd] v.

To nod is to move your head up and down.

→ I nodded my head as I listened to the song.
opponent [əˈpounənt] n.

An opponent is someone who fights against you.

→ On the field, our opponents were too good for us.
quarrel [ˈkwɔ:rəl] v.

To quarrel is to argue or fight.

→ Billy quarreled with his wife about buying a new house.
rival [ˈraɪvəl] n.

A rival is someone that is trying to keep you from getting what you want.

→ The three rivals were all competing for the same job.
sore [sɔːr] adj.

When a part of your body is sore, it hurts.

→ After lifting the heavy box, Mona’s back was sore.
sting [stɪŋ] v.

To sting is to cause pain by pushing a sharp part into the skin.

→ The needle stung my arm and made me say, “ Ouch!”
strain [streɪn] v.

To strain is to try very hard.

→ Casey strained to lift the heavy box.
torture [ˈtɔːrtʃə:r] n.

Torture is something that causes you physical or mental pain.

→ Greg thought that writing the essay was torture.
wrestle [ˈresəl] v.

To wrestle is to play a game where you try to push someone to the floor.

→ My dad loved to wrestle when he was in high school.

Exercise 1

Part A: Choose the word for the given definition.

someone who helps you
- a. bully
- b. ally
- c. bounce
- d. quarrel
to move your head up and down
- a. wrestle
- b. strain
- c. nod
- d. defeat
to move on your hands and knees
- a. crawl
- b. boast
- c. torture
- d. mercy
to move something up and away after hitting it
- a. sore
- b. sting
- c. defeat
- d. bounce
to cause difficulty or pain
- a. rival
- b. ail
- c. whistle
- d. carbohydrate

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

boast
- a. to go on your hands
- b. to be mean to people
- c. to move you head
- d. to talk about yourself
dominant
- a. to be hurt
- b. a friend
- c. stronger
- d. a fight
defeat
- a. to feel tired
- b. to try hard
- c. to beat
- d. a face
mercy
- a. someone on the other side
- b. to push to the ground
- c. to not give punishment
- d. to feel terrible
carbohydrate
- a. to win
- b. to move off of something
- c. to cause an injury
- d. food
quarrel
- a. an argument
- b. a face of a clock
- c. to move your head
- d. to talk about yourself
strain
- a. to try very hard
- b. a friend
- c. stronger
- d. to move something up and away
rival
- a. to move the head up and down
- b. to try hard
- c. food
- d. one who keeps another from getting something
wrestle
- a. someone on the other side
- b. to push to the ground
- c. to be hurt
- d. to feel terrible
sore
- a. not giving another punishment
- b. to be hurt
- c. to cause an injury
- d. to move on the floor

Exercise 2

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

Carol is always talking about how good she is to other people.
_____________
lerry is a person who enjoys being mean to classmates.
_____________
Foods like bread and rice give you a lot of energy for an active lifestyle.
_____________
We were all sad after our team was beaten in the game.
_____________
I was caused pain by a sharp point as I was walking through the grass barefoot.
_____________
Look at the numbers on the clock face to see what time it is.
_____________
If you can’t speak, then move your head up and down for yes and no.
_____________
The person who was fighting against me tried to catch me off guard.
_____________
I tried very hard to lift the heavy boxes from the desk.
_____________
Sitting through his long, boring speech was a horrible mental pain.
_____________

Answer Key

Exercise 1

Part A

b
c
a
d
b

Part B

d
c
c
c
d
a
a
d
b
b

Exercise 2

boasting
bully
carbohydrate
defeated
stinging
dial
nod
rival
ailed
torture

Answer Key

Dalton vs. the Bully

Dalton was a nice boy, but sometimes the other boys made fun of him because he was so tall and skinny. Dalton’s biggest problem was Mitch. He was a bully who boasted about his strength. He quarreled with the other boys. Sometimes, if boys gave Mitch their lunch money, he would have mercy and leave them alone.

One day, the boys learned about a special Middle School Olympics. Their gym class was going to be in it. Many kids were excited. But Dalton thought it sounded like torture.

That morning, Dalton ate plenty of carbohydrates for breakfast. He entered the gym and looked at the dial on the clock. It was time to begin. The teacher asked if they were ready. Everyone nodded, except Dalton.

“ I got stung by a bee. I need to see the nurse.” said Dalton. He made it up so he wouldn’t have to play.

“ I don’t believe you. Get ready to play,” responded the coach.

First, they wrestled. Then they jumped, crawled and played other games. But Mitch was dominant in every event.

They strained all morning to defeat him. By lunch, they were sore. Their entire bodies ailed them. They thought about how to win. They knew the last game of the day was volleyball. Kids who used to be Dalton’s rivals became his allies. They wanted him to help them beat Mitch. Dalton was going to be Mitch’s opponent.

The game started. Every time Mitch tried to hit the ball over the net, Dalton stopped it. Finally, Mitch used all of his strength. But the ball bounced off Dalton’s hands and back into Mitch’s face! Finally Mitch was defeated.

Reading Comprehension

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

_____ Mitch was a bully.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ Everyone was nice to Dalton.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ Dalton became ailed when a bee stung him.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ Dalton’s biggest problem was being tall.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ When they wrestled, Mitch was dominant.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ The boys felt sore at lunchtime.
- _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

Which of the following was NOT part of their Olympics?
- a. Wrestling
- b. Volleyball
- c. Crawling
- d. Speed skating
What did boys give Mitch so he would have mercy on them?
- a. A dial
- b. Money
- c. A whistle
- d. Carbohydrates
Where did the Olympics happen?
- a. In the gym
- b. At the bully’s school
- c. At their rival’s field
- d. At Dalton’s house
What did the boys want to do to Mitch?
- a. Be his opponent
- b. Show him mercy
- c. Defeat him
- d. Strain against him

Answer Key

Reading Comprehension

Part A

T
F / Dalton was a nice boy, but sometimes the other boys made fun of him because he was so tall and skinny.
F / Dalton pretended that a bee stung him so he wouldn’t have to play.
F / Dalton’s biggest problem was Mitch.
F / Mitch was dominant in every event.
T

Part B

d
b
a
c

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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