awake, you are not sleeping.
award awards NOUN
An award is a prize that you are given for doing something well.
aware ADJECTIVE
If you are aware of something, you know about it.
away
ADVERB 1 If you move away from somewhere, you move so that you are further from that place.
ADVERB 2 If you are away from somewhere, you are not in that place. Katherine is away from school today.
awful ADJECTIVE
Something awful is very unpleasant or bad.
awkward
ADJECTIVE 1 If something is awkward, it is difficult to do or use.
ADJECTIVE 2 If people are awkward, they move in a clumsy way.
axe axes NOUN
An axe is a tool with a long handle and a heavy sharp blade at one end. It is used for chopping wood.
axis axes
NOUN 1 An axis is an imaginary line through the centre of something, around which it moves.
NOUN 2 An axis is also one of the two sides of a graph. A graph has a horizontal axis and a vertical axis.
baby babies NOUN
A baby is a very young child.
back backs
NOUN 1 The back of something is the part opposite the front.
ADVERB 2 If you go back to a place, you go somewhere you have been before.
NOUN 3 Your back is the part of your body which is behind you, from your neck to the top of your legs.
NOUN 4 The back of an animal is the part on top, between its neck and the beginning of its tail.
back to front PHRASE If you have something on back to front, you are wearing it the wrong way round.
background backgrounds NOUN
The background of a picture is everything behind the main part.
backwards
ADVERB 1 If you move backwards, you move with your back facing in the direction you are going.
ADVERB 2 If you do something backwards, you do it in the opposite of the usual way. Let’s try counting backwards from one hundred.
bacon NOUN
Bacon is salted meat from a pig.
bacteria PLURAL NOUN
Bacteria are very tiny living things which break down waste. They can cause diseases.
bad worse, worst
ADJECTIVE 1 You say somebody is bad if they are naughty or wicked.
ADJECTIVE 2 If something is bad, it can hurt or upset you in some way.
badge badges NOUN
A badge is a sign people wear to show they belong to a school or club.
badger badgers NOUN
A badger is a strongly built animal with short legs and neck. It has long grey fur and a striped head.
badly ADVERB
If something is done badly, it is done in a way that is not successful or effective.
bag bags NOUN
A bag is a soft container for carrying or holding things.
bait NOUN
Bait is food used to trap animals.
bake bakes, baking, baked VERB
When you bake food, you cook it in an oven.
baker bakers NOUN
A baker makes and sells bread, cakes and pies.
balance balances, balancing, balanced VERB
When you balance, you keep steady. She tried to balance on one leg.
balcony balconies NOUN
A balcony is a platform on the outside of a building. Balconies have a railing or wall around them.
bald balder, baldest ADJECTIVE
People who are bald have no hair on the top of their head.
ball balls NOUN
Anything round can be called a ball. You need a ball for lots of games, like tennis and football.
ballet ballets NOUN
A ballet is a sort of play where the story is told with dancing and music.
balloon balloons NOUN
A balloon is a small rubber bag. If you blow hard into it, it gets bigger and makes a very light toy or decoration.
bamboo NOUN
Bamboo is a kind of grass with strong hollow stems which are useful as garden canes or for making furniture.
ban bans, banning, banned VERB
If someone is banned from doing something, they are told by people in charge that they must not do it.
banana bananas NOUN
A banana is a long yellow fruit which grows on trees in hot countries.
See Fruit on page 260
band bands
NOUN 1 A band is a small number of people, like a gang of robbers or a group of musicians.
NOUN 2 A band can also be a strip of material such as iron, cloth or rubber.
bandage bandages NOUN
A bandage is a strip of cloth used to cover a wound.
bang bangs, banging, banged
NOUN 1 A bang is a sudden loud noise.
VERB 2 If something bangs, or you bang it, it makes a loud noise.
bank banks
NOUN 1 A bank is a business that looks after people’s money.
NOUN 2 The bank of a river is the ground either side of the water.
banner banners NOUN
A banner is a long strip of cloth or paper with a message written on it.
bar bars
NOUN 1 A bar is a long piece of something hard, like metal or wood.
NOUN 2 A bar can also be a counter where people can buy drink.
barbecue barbecues NOUN
A barbecue is a grill on which food is cooked outdoors over hot charcoal.
barber barbers NOUN
A barber is someone who cuts men’s hair.
bar code bar codes NOUN
A bar code is a pattern of numbers and lines printed on something that is for sale, so that the price can be read by a machine.
bare