4000 Essential English Words 4 » Unit 16: Gwen’s New Friends

Word List
  • altogether [ˌɔːltəˈgeðər] adv.
    If something happens altogether, it happens completely.
    → The company stopped using sugar altogether in its food.
  • bind [baind] v.
    To bind is to bring people together.
    → The victims of the flood were bound by their need to help each other.
  • bruise [bruːz] n.
    A bruise is a dark mark caused by being hit by something.
    → She got a bruise on her knee from falling down.
  • custom [ˈkʌstəm] n.
    A custom is a way of doing things that has been the same for a long time.
    → It is a custom that the bride and groom have the first dance.
  • disobedient [ˌdisəˈbiːdiənt] adj.
    When someone is disobedient, they do not follow the rules or instructions.
    → The disobedient children didn’t listen to their mother and had an accident.
  • foresee [fɔːrsiː] v.
    To foresee something is to know about it before it happens.
    → The teacher didn’t foresee any problems with her large class.
  • glimpse [glimps] v.
    To glimpse something is to see it for a short time.
    → She glimpsed outside the window as the plane was about to land.
  • hoop [huːp] n.
    A hoop is a ring that is made of plastic, metal, or wood.
    → The boys tried to toss the ball through the basketball hoop.
  • misfortune [misˈfɔːrtʃən] n.
    Misfortune is bad luck or an unlucky event.
    → His family helped him when he encountered misfortune.
  • negative [ˈnegətiv] adj.
    When something is negative, it is unpleasant or sad.
    → She doesn’t like to say negative things about her friends.
  • per [pər] prep.
    Per is used to mean “each” when giving a price, size, or amount.
    → It costs $8 per person to watch the baseball game.
  • plead [pliːd] v.
    To plead is to ask for something you want very badly.
    → He pleaded for his parents to let him go to the soccer game.
  • rip [rip] v.
    To rip something means to pull it apart.
    → She ripped the paper in half by accident.
  • sake [seik] n.
    The sake of something is the reason for doing it.
    → The parents worked hard for their children’s sake.
  • scrape [skreip] v.
    To scrape something is to rub it very hard with something sharp.
    → I accidentally scraped the paint off the side of the car.
  • source [sɔːrs] n.
    A source of something is the place that it comes from.
    → The river was the source of drinking water for the village.
  • stern [stəːrn] adj.
    When somebody is stern, they are very serious.
    → The stern teacher didn’t allow the students to speak during class.
  • stitch [stitʃ] v.
    To stitch is to use a needle and thread to join pieces of cloth together.
    → My grandmother stitched the pieces together to make a big blanket.
  • thump [θʌmp] n.
    A thump is the sound of a heavy object falling.
    → They heard the thump when the bowling ball hit the floor.
  • vehement [ˈviːəmənt] adj.
    When somebody is vehement, they are angry and emotional.
    → Gina was vehement when she found out that Liz was bad in school.
Exercise 1

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

  1. negative / misfortune
    • Greg had the ____________ of falling in a pool, though he didn’t know how to swim. The experience left him with ____________ feelings about swimming pools.
  2. bruise / altogether
    • After one day, the ____________ on her lip began to go away. In a week, it had disappeared ____________.
  3. per / sake
    • For the ____________ of fairness, we tried to divide the pizza equally. One pizza was enough to give three slices ____________ person.
  4. disobedient / pleaded
    • A woman ____________ with the child to behave in the store. The child, however, continued to be ____________ .
  5. source / glimpsed
    • They walked past a large river, which the guide said was the ____________ of a waterfall. They finally ____________ the waterfall when they reached the bottom of the hill.
  6. stitched / hoop
    • The girl wanted to make her plastic ____________ look pretty, so she ____________ cloth around it.
  7. custom / bind
    • The family was ____________ tightly. For example, on Saturdays, it was their ____________ to go to the park together.
  8. stern / ripped
    • The ____________ teacher was angry to see the students passing notes. She took the note from the students and ____________ it into pieces.
  9. thump / scraped
    • The boy lost his balance and fell with a ____________ . When he got up, he noticed that he’d ____________ his elbow.
  10. vehement / foresee
    • The coach didn’t ____________ the loss for his team. So, after the game, he was ____________ .
Exercise 2

Part A: Match the phrases to make complete sentences.

  1. Kelly had the misfortune of breaking ______.
  2. The disobedient dog ran away ______.
  3. She felt bound to her friends because she had ______.
  4. The weatherman didn’t foresee any ______.
  5. The family had a custom of ______.
  6. She glimpsed at his painting ______.
  7. Charlie ripped the paper in half and ______.
  8. Jasmine pleaded with her teacher ______.
  9. Leslie scraped the ice ______.
  10. George was vehement about being allowed ______.
  1. a. gave one piece to his friend
  2. b. bad weather this weekend
  3. c. from its owner at the park
  4. d. off the window
  5. e. to give her a better grade
  6. f. known them fora long time
  7. g. to use the computer
  8. h. eating dinner early on Sundays
  9. i. her arm before the competition
  10. j. before it was completed

Part B: Match the clauses to make complete sentences.

  1. There was a tear in my shirt, ______.
  2. She dropped the scissors on the carpet, ______.
  3. His parents were strict, ______.
  4. The website was good, ______.
  5. The fight was horrifying, ______.
  6. I enjoy soda, ______.
  7. He went to school despite being sick ______.
  8. They used a different system ______.
  9. He liked showing off, ______.
  10. He fell down the stairs, ______.
  1. a. so he tried jumping through the hoop
  2. b. because the sake of his grade depended on it
  3. c. but only 2 cans per week
  4. d. so my mom stitched it back together
  5. e. so he had bruises on his arm
  6. f. that was altogether different from mine
  7. g. it filled him with negative dreams
  8. h. because stern rules built character
  9. i. so there was a slight thump
  10. j. but the sources were unreliable

Answer Key
Exercise 1
  1. misfortune, negative
  2. bruise, altogether
  3. sake, per
  4. pleaded, disobedient
  5. source, glimpsed
  6. hoop, stitched
  7. bound, custom
  8. stern, ripped
  9. thump, scraped
  10. foresee, vehement
Exercise 2
Part A
  1. i
  2. c
  3. f
  4. b
  5. h
  6. j
  7. a
  8. e
  9. d
  10. g
Part B
  1. d
  2. i
  3. h
  4. j
  5. g
  6. c
  7. b
  8. f
  9. a
  10. e
Answer Key
Gwen’s New Friends

Gwen walked into the gym for her next class. Coach Peeves said, “Today, we’re playing basketball. The custom is to let you choose your own teams. However, we’re going to do things differently.”

The coach assigned each girl to a team. There were six girls per team. Gwen glimpsed at her teammates. She didn’t know any of them. All of her friends were on the other teams. She couldn’t believe her misfortune.

“I feel sick. May I go to the nurse?” asked Gwen.

The coach could foresee Gwen’s excuses. It wasn’t the first time Gwen tried to leave class. With a stern voice, the coach said, “No.”

Gwen was vehement. “I don’t know any of these girls! Let me play on another team. Please!” she pleaded.

“Gwen, don’t be disobedient. I don’t want to hear any more negative comments from you.”

Gwen had no choice. Then a girl smiled at her. “Hi, I’m Stephanie. I was in your English class last year,” she said. Gwen remembered her. “For the sake of the team, please try your best. I know you’re a good player,” said Stephanie.

When the game started, Gwen played as best as she could. She took a long shot. The ball sailed through the air and went right through the hoop!

“That was awesome!” said one of her teammates. Later, Gwen fell with a loud thump.

“Are you OK?” asked her teammates. They were worried. She had ripped her jeans. She had scraped her knee and had a small bruise.

Gwen told her teammates, “My knee is fine, and I can stitch my pants later. Let’s keep playing!”

By the end of the game, Gwen forgot altogether that she hadn’t wanted to play, and her team won! The victory bound Gwen’s team together. She had made a lot of new friends, and they were a source of happiness for her for many years.

Reading Comprehension

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

  1. _____ The custom was to allow the girls to choose their own teams.
    • _____________________________________________________
  2. _____ Gwen told her teammates that she could stitch her pants later.
    • _____________________________________________________
  3. _____ There were eight girls per team.
    • _____________________________________________________
  4. _____ Gwen pleaded to be on another team that had some of her friends.
    • _____________________________________________________
  5. _____ Stephanie asked Gwen to lose on purpose for the sake of the team.
    • _____________________________________________________
  6. _____ Gwen ripped her jeans, scraped her knee, and got a bruise when she fell.
    • _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

  1. Why did Coach Peeves speak to Gwen in a stern voice?
    • a. For falling with a thump
    • b. For making negative comments
    • c. For choosing her own team
    • d. For having misfortune
  2. How did Gwen know Stephanie?
    • a. They were old friends.
    • b. They were vehement.
    • c. They could foresee the team.
    • d. They had an English class together.
  3. What happened after Gwen’s shot went through the hoop?
    • a. She faced the stern coach.
    • b. Her teammate said it was awesome.
    • c. She changed teams.
    • d. She forgot about the rules altogether.
  4. How were the girls on Gwen’s team bound together?
    • a. They were all disobedient.
    • b. They won the game.
    • c. They chose a new team.
    • d. They all had bruises.
Answer Key
Answer Key
Reading Comprehension
Part A
  1. T
  2. T
  3. F / There were six girls per team.
  4. T
  5. F / Stephanie asked Gwen to try her best for the sake of the team.
  6. T
Part B
  1. b
  2. d
  3. b
  4. b
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