you have to be single-minded to do a job properly.
die (1) VERB
When a person, animal or plant dies, they stop living.
expire
Tragically, the old man expired from the effort of the hill climb.
pass away
In memory of John Silver, who passed away this day in 1792.
perish
Around 700 seamen perished when the Mary Rose went down.
die (2) VERB
When something dies, dies away or dies down, it becomes less intense and disappears.
dwindle
Support for the team dwindled when they were relegated.
fade
As the fire brigade approached, the desperate hammering faded to a faint knocking.
peter out
Just before the finish line, the old car’s engine petered out.
difference NOUN
The difference between two things is the way in which they are unlike each other.
contrast
Although they look similar, there is a big contrast in the characters of the twins.
distinction
Colour-blind people often cannot see a distinction between red and green.
variation
We noticed a terrific variation in price between one shop and another.
ANTONYM: similarity
different (1) ADJECTIVE
If one thing is different from another, it is not like it.
contrasting
In the story, honest Cinderella is a contrasting character to her scheming stepsisters.
distinct
The taste of blue cheese is quite distinct from ordinary cheese.
opposed
The couple’s viewpoints were opposed.
ANTONYMS: similar or identical
different (2) ADJECTIVE
If several things are different from each other, they are not the same.
assorted
My pockets contained assorted coins, sweet wrappers, paperclips and fluff.
varied
The plants were of varied colours, including some lovely reds and purples.
ANTONYMS: similar or identical
difficult (1) ADJECTIVE
Difficult things are not easy to do, understand or solve.
difficult to work out or deal with:
awkward
The tap was in an awkward place for the plumber to get at.
challenging
“It’s the most challenging operation I’ve ever tackled,” the surgeon admitted.
demanding
Dad had a demanding week at work.
formidable
Rescuing thousands from the earthquake rubble was a formidable task.
knotty
It was a knotty problem: to cross the deep river without a bridge!
puzzling
Zara is puzzling. One minute she’s pleasant, the next she’s horrid.
tricky
The climbers were in a tricky situation, stuck on the ledge as night drew in.
physically difficult:
backbreaking
Digging the canals by hand was a backbreaking job for the navvies.
laborious
Archaeology is laborious work, digging slowly and sifting carefully.
strenuous
Marathon running is a strenuous business.
difficult (2) ADJECTIVE
Someone who is difficult behaves in an unreasonable way.
awkward
“That horse is awkward,” said the cowboy, “but I’ll ride him eventually.”
troublesome
The troublesome twins made their teacher’s life a hard one.
trying
Mrs Kray had a trying time with Class 6 and their spellings.
uncooperative
Uncooperative people never work well in a team.
difficulty NOUN
A difficulty is a problem.
complication
The biggest complication for Brunel was that his tunnel kept flooding.
dilemma
Karen faced a dilemma. Should she play with her friends or help her mum?
hitch
After a hitch with the curtains, the play began five minutes late.
obstacle
The star encountered many obstacles on the road to fame.
plight
“Your plight is indeed a sorry one,” said the knight to the damsel in the tower.
snag
Progress on the house was smooth, until they hit a snag when they found a hole in the roof.
dig VERB
If you dig, you make a hole in earth or sand, especially with a spade or shovel.
burrow
Rabbits create warrens by burrowing into hillsides.
delve
The diggers delved deeper, looking for a glimmer of gold.
excavate
Rescue workers excavated the rubble to free the trapped people.
hollow out
We hollowed out a dip in the sand in which to build our camp fire.
scoop out
The squirrel scooped out a hole in the early snow to reach the acorns beneath.
dim ADJECTIVE
Something that is dim is lacking in brightness and badly lit.
faint
As they neared Mordor, faint lights shone in the hills beyond.
gloomy
The gloomy passages of the castle were lit by flaming torches on the walls.
shadowy
I had trouble finding my way across the shadowy room to reach the light switch.
vague
Ben