openMind

Level 2 WORD LIST

UNIT TWO
Word / Phrase

Part of Speech

Phonetic Spelling

Definition

Sample Sentence

amazing

adjective

/mez/

very good or enjoyable

The picture of the mountains is

amazing!

architecture

noun [noncount]

/rktektr/

a particular style or way of

designing buildings

I enjoy looking at European

architecture.

arts (the)

noun [noncount]

/ rts/

activities such as art, music,

film, theater, and dance,
considered together

I like the arts and literature.

as usual

phrase

/z jul/

used for saying what usually

happens

As usual, in the movie Homer

Simpson encounters lots of
problems.

awesome

adjective

/sm/

extremely good or enjoyable

Shakespeares plays are

awesome.

awful

adjective

/f()l/

something that is useless, of no I think TV talent shows are

value or of very low quality
awful.

belief

noun [count]

/blif/

an idea that you are certain

is true, especially involving
religion or politics

book club

noun [count]

/bk klb/

a group of people who meet

I love reading so I joined a
regularly to discuss books they book club.
have read

boring

adjective

/br/

not at all interesting and

making you feel impatient or
dissatisfied

I think reality TV shows are

boring.

collage

noun [count]

/kl/

a picture made by sticking

pieces of different materials
together on a surface

I made a collage using

pictures, drawings, and
newspaper clippings.

comedy show

noun [count]

/kmdi o/

an event where stand-up

comedians perform and make
the audience laugh

We had a great time at the

comedy show last night.

course

noun [count]

/krs/

a series of classes or lectures

in an academic subject or a
practical skill

I want to take another

language course. Id like to
learn Russian.

culture

noun [count/
noncount]

/kltr/

a set of ideas, beliefs, and

Different characteristics form
ways of behaving in a particular the culture of a country.
society

custom

noun [count]

/kstm/

something that people do that What are the customs of your

is traditional or usual
country?

danger

noun [count]

/dendr/

a situation in which something

unpleasant might happen

This documentary shows the

dangers of pollution.

deal with

phrasal verb

/dil w/

to be about a subject

The main message of the

movie deals with important
social issues.

dull

adjective

/dl/

boring or not interesting

To me, opera is dull. I just

dont think its an interesting
art form.

Macmillan Publishers Limited 2014

Beliefs and values vary in

different cultures.

openMind
Word / Phrase

Part of Speech

Phonetic Spelling

Definition

Sample Sentence

education

noun

/edke()n/

the activity of educating

people in schools, colleges,
and universities, and all the
policies and arrangements
concerning this

Education is very important in

most cultures.

element

noun [count]

/elmnt/

an important basic part of

something complicated, for
example, a system or plan

The movie has some serious

elements.

encounter

verb

/nkantr/

to experience or deal with

something, especially a
problem

The main character encounters

lots of problems.

entertaining

adjective

/entrten/

enjoyable or fun to do

That was one of the most

entertaining movies I have seen.

environment
(the)

noun [noncount]

/i nvarnmnt/ the natural world, including

We need to be made aware of
the land, water, air, plants, and the effect human beings have
animals, especially considered on the environment.
as something that is affected
by human activity

ethics

noun [noncount]

/eks/

a set of principles that people Doctors have to follow a set of

use to decide what is right and ethics.
what is wrong

exhibition

noun [count]

/eksb()n/

a public show where art or

other interesting things are
displayed so that people can
go and look at them

I really enjoyed the

photography exhibition.

fascinating

adjective

/fsnet/

making you very interested or

attracted

The science-fiction book I am

reading is fascinating.

fashion

noun [noncount]

/f()n/

the activity or business that

involves styles of clothes and
peoples appearance

Im not interested in fashion;

I like to wear whatever I feel
like.

festival

noun [count]

/festv()l/

Last year, I went to a music

a series of performances
festival.
of movies, plays, music,
or dancing that is usually
organized in the same place at
the same time each year

fiction

noun [noncount]

/fk()n/

books and stories about

imaginary events and people.
Books that give facts about
real events, things, or people
are called non-fiction.

I like reading fiction, especially

thrillers.

focus

verb

/foks/

to concentrate on something
and pay particular attention
to it

The article focused on movies

from the recent past.

folklore

noun [noncount]

/foklr/

traditional stories, sayings, and I am interested in the folklore

beliefs from a particular region of other countries.
or community

funny

adjective

/fni/

someone or something that is

funny makes you laugh

great

adjective

/ret/

able to do something very well Jack Nicholson is great in this

movie.

hilarious

adjective

/hleris/

extremely funny

The Mask is a hilarious movie.

human being

noun [count]

/hjumn bi/

a person

Human beings have a effect on

the environment.

identity

noun [count]

/adentti/

the qualities that make

someone or something who
they are and different from
other people

Its important for children to

develop their own identity.

Macmillan Publishers Limited 2014

The Simpsons Movie is very

funny.

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Word / Phrase

Part of Speech

Phonetic Spelling

Definition

important

adjective

/mprt()nt/

The movie deals with some of

something that is important
has a major effect on someone the most important social and
political issues of our time.
or something; for example,
because it affects someones
life or the way a situation
develops

incredible

adjective

/nkredb()l/

used about something that is

extremely good

Classical music is incredible to

me. I dont understand it, but I
really like it!

institution

noun [count]

/nsttu()n/

an important tradition on
which society is based

Most cultures have the

institution of marriage.

interesting

adjective

/ntrst/

something that makes you

want to know about it or take
part in it

In my opinion, reality TV shows

are really interesting because I
like to watch real people.

issue

noun [count]

/u/

a subject that people discuss

I am interested in
or argue about, especially
environmental issues.
relating to society, politics, etc.

knowledge

noun [noncount]

/nld/

all the facts that are known

College courses are about the
about different things or about study of a particular subject
life generally
rather than the pursuit of
knowledge.

laugh

noun [count]

/lf/

the sound that you make when The movie has a lot more
you laugh
laughs than the TV show.

leak

noun [count]

/lik/

an amount of liquid or gas that In the movie, Homer causes a

comes out of a hole or crack in leak in the nuclear power plant
something
where he works.

legend

noun [count]

/lednd/

an old story about famous

people and events in the past.
Legends are not usually true.

literature

noun [noncount]

/lt()rtr/

I joined a book club to learn

stories, poems, and plays,
about literature.
especially those that are
considered to have value as art
and not just entertainment

main

adjective

/men/

most important, largest, or

most frequently used

manners

noun [noncount]

/mnrz/

the customs or accepted social Manners, such as please

behavior of a particular group and thank you are very
of people
important.

message

noun [count]

/mesd/

Under the comedy there is a

the main idea that you want
serious message in the movie.
people to remember from a
speech, advertisement, article,
etc.

the movies

noun [count]

/muviz/

a building where you pay to go I like going to the movies to

and watch a movie
see comedies.

museum

noun [count]

/mjuzim/

I love looking at old coins and

a building where many
valuable and important objects pottery in museums.
are kept so that people can go
and see them

nation

noun [count]

/ne()n/

a country that has its own land

and government

Students from many nations

study at my college.

nonfiction

noun [noncount]

/nn fk()n/

writing that is about real

people and events, not
imaginary ones

I like history and prefer reading

nonfiction to fiction.

nuclear

adjective

/nuklir/

relating to energy produced by People need to be aware of

changing the structure of the
the dangers of nuclear power.
central part of an atom

Macmillan Publishers Limited 2014

Sample Sentence

I have just read the legend of

Robin Hood.

The main message of the

movie deals with social issues.

openMind
Word / Phrase

Part of Speech

Phonetic Spelling

Definition

Sample Sentence

painting

noun [count]

/pent/

a picture made by using paint

Dals paintings are very weird.

photography

noun [noncount]

/ftrfi/

the skill, job, or process of

taking pictures, or using a
camera to record scenes or
events for a movie or TV show

I just bought a new camera and

want to take a photography
course.

political

adjective

/pltk()l/

relating to politics

This newspaper deals with the

political issues of the day.

pollution

noun [noncount]

/plu()n/

the process of damaging

the air, water, or land with
chemicals or other substances

Factories are responsible for a

lot of air and water pollution.

power plant

noun [count]

/par plnt/

a large building that contains

machines which produce
power, especially electricity

That power plant produces

electricity for the whole county.

problem

noun [count]

/prblm/

something that causes trouble

or difficulty

I had lots of problems with my

new phone.

recently

adverb

/risntli/

at a time that was not long ago Ive seen a lot of movies
or that started not long ago
recently.

recommend

verb

/rekmend/

to advise someone that they

should do something

I recommend going to that

restaurant.

religion

noun [count]

/rldn/

a system of beliefs in a god

or gods that has its own
ceremonies and traditions

My girlfriend and I are different

religions and our families think
it will be a problem.

review

noun [count]

/rvju/

an article in which someone

gives their opinion of a play,
book, art exhibition, etc.

I read a terrible review of that

movie.

ridiculous

adjective

/rdkjls/

silly or unreasonable and

deserving to be laughed at

In my opinion, horror movies

are so ridiculous. Theyre very
unrealistic, so they arent scary.

ritual

noun [count]

/rtul/

a formal ceremony

Some cultures have elaborate

marriage rituals.

sculpture

noun [count]

/sklptr/

a solid object that someone

makes as a work of art by
shaping a substance such as
stone, metal, or wood

My favorite form of art is

sculpture.

serious

adjective

/sris/

dealing with important,

complicated, or difficult ideas
or subjects

Many comedies also have

serious elements.

social

adjective

/so()l/

relating to society and to

peoples lives in general

Unemployment is a big social

problem.

society

noun [noncount]

/ssati/

people in general living

together in organized
communities, with laws and
traditions controlling the way
that they behave toward one
another

Society has a responsibility

towards the homeless.

society

noun [count]

/ssati/

an organization or club for

people who have a particular
interest or who take part in a
particular activity

I joined a music society to take

part in concerts.

strange

adjective

/strend/

not familiar or known to you

Dalis paintings have all kinds

of strange objects and shapes.

theater

noun [count]

/itr/

a building, room, or outside

I like to go to the theater to
area used for performing plays see new plays.

Macmillan Publishers Limited 2014

openMind
Word / Phrase

Part of Speech

Phonetic Spelling

Definition

Sample Sentence

tone

noun [count]

/ton/

the sound of someones voice

that shows what they are
feeling

He has a very aggressive tone

of voice.

tradition

noun [count]

/trd()n/

a very old custom, belief, or

story

Eating roast meat on Sunday is

a tradition in my country.

values

noun [noncount]

/vljuz/

the principles and beliefs that Some cultures have a different

influence the behavior and way set of values than ours.
of life of a particular group or
community

voice

noun [count]

/vs/

the sounds that someone

makes when they speak

weird

adjective

/wrd/

strange and unusual, sometimes That was a weird movie;

in a way that upsets you
Ididnt understand what was
happening.

His tone of voice showed he

was surprised.

Useful Expressions
Useful Expressions

Topic / Category

Sample Sentence

He/She lives/lived in

Identifying people

She lives in New York.

I cant remember the name of this

person/play/city.

Identifying people

I cant remember the name of this

person.

Thats Hes/Shes/Its

Identifying people

Thats Brad Pitt. Hes American.

The name of that is

Identifying people

The name of that movie is The Hunger

Games.

They made a movie of this book/play.

Identifying people

They made a movie of this book.

is another

Expressing cultural awareness

Bach is another composer.

I suppose

Expressing cultural awareness

I suppose family lunches on Sundays are

a big part of our culture.

What about ?

Expressing cultural awareness

What about Thanksgiving dinner?

What else?

Expressing cultural awareness

What else?

You know how we

Expressing cultural awareness

You know how we celebrate the New

Year.

Macmillan Publishers Limited 2014