Nouns
pickled herring A fish prepared with vinegar. Eaten at e.g. Christmas and Easter.
The Holy Grail The cup Jesus drank from at the Last Supper.
Ku Klux Klan Racist American organisation. White hoods.
viper The most dangerous snake in Sweden.
inventor Someone who come up with new things.
encyclopaedia A book where you look up facts.
wrist A part of your arm. Where you would wear a watch or a bracelet.
mother-in-law Your wife’s mother.
bonfire A big fire that you light at certain holidays, like Walpurgis Night (Valborgsmässoafton)
jetty Often made out of wood. When you enter a boat you use them. You can find them at the beach or a harbour.
pork Meat from a pig.
spark You need this to light a fire.
Noah’s ark A big boat that was built to save one family and one pair of animal from each species from a big flood that was ordered by God. The book of Genesis (the Bible).
The ten commandments Ten rules that was given to Moses by God at Mount Sinai.
lyrics the text of a song.
killer whale A big dolphin. A predator. Black and white.
dandelion A yellow flower. Often considered to be a weed.
cod A common fish at the Swedish dinner table. Close to extinction.
hieroglyphs Ancient Egyptian text with a lot of symbols. Have been found in pyramids.
bat Flying mouselike animal. Active at night.
guinea pig A small furry animal with small ears.
suitcase A kind of bag. Used when travelling.
cereals Something you eat in the morning together with milk. Consists of e.g. wheat or corn.
oat porridge A kind of soft breakfast food made of boiling crushed grain.
cucumber A green, long vegetable.
squid A sea creature with 10 arms.
quid slang for the British currency pound.
napkin Often made of paper or cotton. Used to wipe your mouth after eating.
Guinness An Irish beer brand.
pesticides Used to kill insects where you grow things.
washing-up liquid Used when cleaning your plates and cutlery after having eaten.
(washing) detergent Used to get your clothes clean when washing them.
speakers A technical equipment that produces sound.
answering machine Receives messages if you not there to take a phone call.
syringe Used by doctors to give medicine.
Greyhound bus A vehicle for many people used in the US for long way travelling.
unicorn A mythical kind of horse with a horn.
ladybug A small insect. Often red with dots on it.
skirt A garment mostly used by women instead of trousers.
candlestick A holder for a piece of wax which gives light when it burns.
solicitor A British kind of lawyer (cp Barrister)
pan A container with a handle used for cooking.
stool A kind of chair without support for the back.
kettle A metal pot with a lid, a handle and a spout (narrow curved mouth for pouring). Used mainly for boiling or heating water.
Places (a city, country, a sea, an area, a famous building etc.)
San Francisco city at the west coast in California famous for its trams and homosexuals.
Disneyland Amazement park in California.
Cyberspace the virtual world of computers
Guantanamo An American base on Cuba where prisoners from the war in Afghanistan are held.
Oxford A city in the UK with a famous university close to London.
Alcatraz A famous island off San Francisco where there once was a prison for very dangerous convicts.
Westminster Abbey A famous cathedral in London. Royal weddings.
Ayer’s Rock A sacred hill for the aboriginals in Australia.
Toronto A Canadian city in the province Ontario. The CNN Tower, 553 m.
Liverpool A city at the west coast of England. The hometown of the Beatles.
Pearl Harbour An island in the Pacific Ocean where an American base was bombed by the Japanese during the second world war (1941).
Stratford-upon-Avon William Shakespeare’s birthplace.
The Tower of London Once a fortress and also a prison in London. Now a museum.
Stonehenge An ancient place of worship in England.
The Pentagon Headquarter for the American Department of Defence (in Washington).
Harrods A famous and luxurious mall in London.
The Bermuda triangle An area in the west Indian ocean where it is said to have disappeared many ships and planes.
The Great Barrier reef An enormous reef on the east coast of Australia. Popular among divers.
The Suez channel The channel between Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Manhattan A borough of the city of New York with attractions like the Central Park, the UN Headquarters and once The World Trade Center.
Harlem The Northern part of Manhattan. The residents are mostly black.
Cape Town Capital of South Africa (together with Pretoria)
New Delhi Capital of India
Moscow Capital of Russia
Venice Famous city in northern Italy. Built mostly on water.
Kaba (in Mecka) A shrine (helgedom) for muslims in Mecka, Saudi Arabia (looks like a black cube).
the Vatican A state situated in Rome where the Pope lives.
The Golden Gate Bridge A famous bridge in San Francisco.
Atlantis A mythical island which is said to have sank under water.
The Antarctic The coldest continent on earth. Where the south pole is.
New Orleans A city in Louisiana famous for its French and Portuguese influences.
Kennedy Space Center One of NASA biggest space centres. Situated in Florida. Launch rockets and space shuttles.
Area 51 An area in Nevada where it is said to have landed aliens but the government covered it up.
The Tube (in London) The underground (AE subway) in London.
Cornwall A province in south west England. A popular place for tourists.
Canberra The capital of Australia.
Taj Mahal A beautiful mausoleum (gravbyggdnad ovan jord) in India built by a Muslim leader in the 17th century.
Tasmania An island south of Australia. The Danish prince Fredrik’s wife Mary comes from Tasmania.
The Arctic The continent in the north.
Dublin The capital of Ireland.
The Baltic Sea The sea which is situated between Sweden and Russia.
The Amazon The biggest river in the world in the north of South America.
Brussels The capital of Belgium. The EU headquarters.
Loch Ness A lake in Scotland which is believed to contain the Loch Ness monster.
Persons (dead or alive actors, politicians, singers, sportsmen etc.)
Martin Luther King A leader in the fight for the right of Afro-Americans. “I have a dream”-speech. Murdered in 1968.
Mahatma Gandhi A leader in the fight for independence for India which was held as a colony by England until 1947.
Clint Eastwood An American actor and later a director. Famous for his cowboy films in the 70s and 80s.
Albert Einstein A famous scientist. The theory of relativity.
John F. Kennedy President of the USA from 1960-1963. Murdered in Dallas.
Ronald Reagan President in the USA 1981-1989. Former actor.
Margaret Thatcher Prime Minister in the UK. Conservative (The Tories). “The Iron lady”.
Henry VIII King of England 1509-1547. Had six wives, which of whom he had two executed. Father to Elisabeth who later became queen.
William Shakespeare English playwright and poet in the 16th century. Famous plays: “Hamlet”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Macbeth”.
Marilyn Monroe American actor during the 50s and 60s. Died in an overdose. Had a fling with JFK.
Franklin D. Roosevelt American president 1933-45. WW2. The New Deal.
Jane Austen English author. Famous novels: “Pride and prejudice”, “Sense and sensibility”.
Charlie Chaplin British actor and film producer (worked in Hollywood). Started with silent films in the 20s and 30s. Famous films: “Modern times”, “Gold fever”, “The Dictator”.
Isaac Newton English scientist during the 17th century. “The law of gravity”.
Charles Darwin English scientist during the 19th century. “The theory of evolution” –the survival of the fittest.
Charles Dickens English writer during the 19th. “A Christmas carol”, “David Copperfield”.
Al Capone Mafia leader in Chicago during the 20s.
Malcolm X The spokesman for the Black Muslims during the 50s. Parted with the movement and was murdered in 1965.
Thomas Edison American inventor of e.g. the light bulb.
Nelson Mandela Fought against apartheid in South Africa and became the leader of the ANC. Imprisoned 1964-1990. President of South Africa 1994-1999.
Henry Ford American car manufacturer. Started using the conveyor belt. T-Ford.
Benjamin Franklin American publisher, politician and inventor. 18th century.
Stephen King American writer of mostly horror stories. Bestsellers: “Carrie”, “The Shining”, “Dead Zone” and “It”.
Sir Winston Churchill British Prime Minister 1940-1945, 1951-1955. Most famous quote: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears , and sweat” (his first speech as PM, 1940).
Sir Alfred Hitchcock British film director. Most famous film: “Birds”, “Thirty-nine steps”,
Beyonce American R&B singer. “Destiny’s child”.
Amy Diamond Swedish pop singer.
Fidel Castro Cuba’s president 1959-today. Failing health.
Kofi Annan Secretary General of the United Nations 1997-2007. From Ghana.
Selma Lagerlöf Swedish author 1858-1940. Nobel Price winner 1909. Famous novels “Jerusalem”, “Nils Holgersson’s wonderful journey through Sweden”.
Queen Elisabeth II Queen of the United Kingdom from 1952.
The Pope (Benedictus XVI) Leader of the Catholic church from 2005. Lives in the Vatican.
Adjectives
affectionate kind
absent-minded thinking about other things__
amusing funny
arrogant you look down on others because you think you are better than they are (=överlägsen, utmanande)
big-headed you think you are better than others
boastful bragging
bossy decide over other people
cheerful happy
cocky being boastful (colloquial)
confident sure of yourself
creative when it’s easy for you to come up with new ideas and when you are good at arts
dishonest when you don’t tell the truth
easy-going social, no problem talking to people (lättsam)
emotional sensitive to others (känslosam)
enthusiastic positive
forgetful tending to forget
frank telling the truth
hard-working putting in a lot of energy in your job
hospitable inviting to strangers and friends (gästvänlig)
imaginative having a vivid imagination
impulsive doing things without thinking_
mean evil
modest having a humble opinion about oneself (blygsam)
patient being able to wait for things
polite having manners
punctual being on time
pushy always trying to get it your way (påstridig)
reliable trustworthy
rude impolite
ruthless being mean and showing no feelings for others (hänsynslös)
self-confident sure of oneself
self-conscious embarrassed and insecure (osäker)
sensible showing good sense or judgement
shy not at ease in company of others
smug excessively self-satisfied (självbelåten)
sociable get along with others easily
strict harsh, following specified rules closely
strong-willed follow one’s own judgement (viljestark)
stubborn refusing to give in
sympathetic nice
talented being good at different things
two-faced being a hypocrite and not honest
vain too proud of one’s appearance or possessions
(fåfäng)
relaxed at ease
Verbs
hunt killing animals for food or pleasure
pry to make uninvited inquiry about private matters
investigate to find out something in a structured way
bug to listen to other people’s conversation with a technical device
plant to set in the ground to grow
lend when you give something as a loan
sneeze to expel air from the nose involuntarily
wither what a plant does when it dies
revenge to get back at someone who has done something to you
sew to join pieces of fabric with a thread
deep fry to cook in oil that covers the food (e.g. french fries)
bark the sound that a dog does
rewind when you make a cassette go backward
have the hiccups a spasm of the diaphragm producing a sudden breathing in of air resulting in a characteristic sharp sound
grate producing small pieces of e.g. cheese with a kitchen utensil
argue a fight with words when you don’t agree
propose ask someone to marry
pat to gently touch someone
Mr Smedjeback's English Class 