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Voice of America Broadcast Dictionary - G

This Special English Dictionary contains about 1,500 words and makes an excellent vocabulary goal for intermediate level learners.

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Parts of Speech Key

n. (noun) - a name word
v. (verb) - an action word
ad. (adjective/adverb) - a describing word
prep. (preposition) - a word used to show a relation
pro. (pronoun) - a word used in place of a noun
conj. (conjunction) - a joining word

To hear the correct pronunciation, click on the audio symbol next to the word. To return to this page, click on "back" in your browser.

gain - v. to get possession of; to get more; to increase

game - n. an activity with rules in which people or teams play or compete, usually sports

gas - n. any substance that is not solid or liquid; any substance that burns to provide heat, light or power

gather - v. to bring or come together into a group or place; to collect

general - n. a high military leader; ad. without details; affecting or including all or almost all

gentle - ad. soft; kind; not rough or violent

get - v. to receive; to gain; to go and bring back; to become; to become the owner
of

gift - n. something given without cost

girl - n. a young female person

give - v. to present to another to keep without receiving payment

glass - n. a hard, clear material that is easily broken, used most often for windows or for containers to hold liquids

go - v. to move from one place to another; to leave

goal - n. that toward which an effort is directed; that which is aimed at; the end of a trip or race

god - n. the spirit that is honored as creator of all things ("They believe in God."); a spirit or being believed in many religions to have special powers

gold - n. a highly valued yellow metal

good - ad. pleasing; helpful; kind; correct; not bad

goods - n. things owned or made to be sold

govern - v. to control; to rule by military or political power

government - n. a system of governing; the organization of people that rules a country, city or area

grain - n. the seed of grass plants used for food, such as wheat, rice and corn; those plants that produce the seeds

granddaughter - n. the daughter of a person's daughter or son

grandfather - n. the father of a person's father or mother

grandmother - n. the mother of a person's father or mother

grandson - n. the son of a person's daughter or son

grass - n. a plant with long, narrow, green leaves

gray - ad. having the color like that made by mixing black and white

great - ad. very large or more than usual in size or number; very good; important

green - ad. having the color like that made by mixing yellow and blue; having the color like that of growing leaves and grass

grind - v. to reduce to small pieces by crushing

ground - n. land; the earth's surface; soil

group - n. a number of people or things together; a gathering of people working for a common purpose

grow - v. to develop or become bigger; to increase in size or amount

guarantee - v. to promise a result; to promise that something will happen

guard - v. to watch and protect a person, place or thing ("He guards the president."); n. a person or thing that watches or protects ("He is a prison guard.")

guerrilla - n. a person who fights as part of an unofficial army, usually against an official army or police

guide - v. to lead to; to show the way; n. one who shows the way

guilty - ad. having done something wrong or in violation of a law; responsible for a bad action

gun - n. a weapon that shoots bullets

This dictionary was created by the VOA (Voice of English) Special English and Voice of America. It makes an excellent starting vocabulary selection for intermediate level learners. This dictionary is used as the basis on which listening selections vocabulary is chosen and can help you understand VOA broadcasts which can be found at the Voice of America Special English site.

Special English Dictionary Pages

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