The angry diner demanded to know what a beetle was doing in his pudding.
implore
“I implore you to think twice before running away,” said Emma.
plead
The princess pleaded to be set free by the wicked witch.
request
The soccer player requested a transfer to another club.
ask (3) VERB
If you ask someone to come or go somewhere, you invite them there.
ask someone round
The vicar asked us round for a cup of tea.
bid OLD-FASHIONED
His lordship bade me enter and enquired if I would drink wine with him.
invite
Whoopee! Della has invited me to her party.
summon
King Arthur summoned his knights to an assembly at the Round Table.
asleep ADJECTIVE
If you are asleep, your eyes are closed and your whole body is resting.
dead to the world INFORMAL
Dad was dead to the world in the armchair.
fast asleep
Jim, our dog, was fast asleep with his legs in the air.
sound asleep
I was so sound asleep that my little brother had to sit on me to wake me up.
ANTONYM: awake
➔ See sleep (1)
attack (1) VERB
If a person or an animal attacks another person or animal, they use violence in order to hurt or kill them.
assault
The muggers assaulted the man, then tried to steal his wallet.
charge
The Light Brigade charged the enemy’s guns at full tilt.
mug
Unfortunately, some people are mugged on dark city streets.
raid
Police raided the house where the escaped criminal was living.
storm
Troops stormed the cliffs and succeeded in silencing the machine guns above.
ANTONYM: defend
attack (2) NOUN
An attack is a violent, physical action against someone or something.
assault
“This was a serious assault, for which you must pay,” said the judge grimly.
charge
The Light Brigade’s charge was brave but doomed.
invasion
The 1944 D-Day landings in France formed the biggest invasion in world history.
raid
The air raids continued night after night.
strike
The missile strike destroyed the buildings.
ANTONYM: defence
automatic ADJECTIVE
An automatic machine is programmed to do a task without needing a person to operate it.
automated
The new automated answering service kept Dad waiting for half an hour.
computerized
Most photocopiers are computerized these days.
robotic
In car factories, robotic arms put most of the parts together.
self-propelling
My self-propelling model glider worked by twisting an elastic band.
avoid (1) VERB
If you avoid someone or something, you keep away from them.
dodge
We dodged our nosy neighbour by hiding behind a tree as she went past.
elude
By going out of the back door, the celebrity eluded the photographers.
evade
The criminal managed to evade the police for several days, but was eventually caught.
shun
The shy film star shunned publicity, preferring a quiet family life.
steer clear of INFORMAL
“If I were you I’d steer clear of that quarry,” my dad said sternly.
avoid (2) VERB
If you avoid doing something, you make an effort not to do it.
dodge INFORMAL
My lazy brother tried to dodge cleaning the car, but Dad made him do it.
duck out of INFORMAL
I tried to duck out of unpacking the dishwasher, with no success.
escape
The prisoner tried to escape, but the police officer stopped him.
get out of
“It’s no use trying to get out of it. You’ll have to mow the lawn,” said Dad.
shirk
The farmer tried to shirk responsibility for the pollution in the river.
away ADVERB
If you are away from somewhere, you are not in that place.
absent
With such a high temperature, Edward was forced to be absent from school.
elsewhere
I searched the house for my gran, but she was obviously elsewhere.
on holiday
Our family is going on holiday to Florida this summer.
awful ADJECTIVE
Something awful is very unpleasant or very bad.
appalling
The karaoke singer’s voice was appalling – he sounded like a dog howling!
dreadful
We had a dreadful time in Venice. All the streets were flooded.
fearful INFORMAL
Mr Bellamy had a fearful cold and sneezed all the way to London.
frightful
The house was in a frightful state after it had been burgled.
ghastly INFORMAL
Mum made a ghastly mistake, and put salt in the cake mixture instead of sugar.
gruesome
The