of furniture with doors and shelves.
Some types of cupboard:
cabinet
larder
locker
safe
sideboard
wardrobe
cure NOUN
A cure is something that heals or helps someone to get better.
antidote
There is no known antidote to the bite of that particular snake.
medicine
Dad took some medicine for his stomach ache.
remedy
The remedy for boredom is simple. You need to get out more!
treatment
Fortunately, the treatment helped and my ankle soon felt better.
curious ADJECTIVE
Someone who is curious wants to know more about something.
inquiring
“Dad, it said on my report that I’ve an inquiring mind. What does that mean?”
inquisitive
Inquisitive about anything mechanical, Fiona dismantled the cuckoo clock.
interested
If it’s anything about trains, then my brother is interested.
nosy
Our nosy neighbour was anxious to hear any gossip she could.
curl VERB
If something curls, it moves in a curve or spiral.
coil
The boa constrictor coiled its body slowly round the hapless victim.
entwine
Climbing clematis plants entwined themselves with the telephone wire.
spiral
Smoke spiralled up from the cottage chimney.
twist
The string from the kite twisted as it came tumbling down.
wind
The country road wound round in a series of bends.
curly ADJECTIVE
Curly hair has many curls in it.
curled
My sister’s hair was all curled when she came out of the hairdresser’s.
frizzy
In the Afro look of the 1970s, people had a mop of bushy, frizzy hair.
kinky
If your hair is naturally straight, you can make it kinky by having it permed.
wavy
I would love to have wavy hair, but mine’s dead straight.
cut (1) NOUN
A cut is a mark made with a knife or other sharp tool.
gash
The nasty gash in Billy’s knee needed to have several stitches.
groove
Uncle Ken chiselled a groove in the shelf for plates to stand up in.
nick
I was clumsy with the knife and made a nick in the desk.
slit
To make the pocket, Mum cut a slit in the fabric.
cut (2) VERB
If you cut something, you use a pair of scissors, a knife or another sharp tool to mark it or remove parts of it.
cut a little:
chip
When she fell, Vanessa chipped her tooth.
chisel
I tried to chisel out a hole for the lock, but I split the wood.
clip
Ross clipped the hedge for his auntie.
prune
When you prune roses in winter, you cut them right back near the base.
shave
Kay shaved a little off the shelf to make it fit.
snip
For a practical joke, I snipped a bit off Dad’s tie, but he didn’t find it funny.
trim
Grandad has his hair trimmed each month – what’s left of it, that is.
cut hard at something:
chop
The karate expert chopped the brick in half with a single blow.
hack
Hacking her way through the jungle, the botanist searched for the rare plant.
slash
Bluebeard slashed downward with his cutlass, through the rope.
cut something down:
chop
Dad had to chop the old tree down after it was damaged in the storm.
fell
The stupid lumberjack proceeded to fell the wrong tree.
mow
It’s useless to mow the lawn in wet weather.
cut something in two:
bisect
With one swing of the axe the man bisected the thick log.
divide
Using a sharp knife, Mum divided the last piece of pie for my brother and me.
halve
“If I halve this apple, will you share it with me?” I asked Helen.
Tools you can use to cut things:
axe
carving knife
chisel
cleaver
clippers
guillotine
knife
mower
razor
saw
scalpel
scissors
secateurs
shears
damage (1) VERB
If you damage something, you harm or spoil it.
deface
The teacher turned purple when she saw Craig had defaced his language book.
harm
Fortunately, no one was harmed in the crash.
spoil
My painting was spoilt when I spilt water on it.
vandalize
It’s very sad when people vandalize buildings.