Heartland English School – Word of the Day

Theme:  Spring Cleaning

Word:  scrub (verb)

Meaning:  to rub something very hard, usually with a brush, soap and water

Example:  You have to scrub the floor to get it really clean.

Theme: Social change

Word: nonviolence (noun)

Pronunciation:  |nänˈvīələns|

Meaning: the use of peaceful means, not force, to bring about political or social change.

Example: We should remember that nonviolence has strong roots in Islam, and Muslim-majority Syria is no exception.

Theme: Social change

Word: malnutrition (noun)

Pronunciation:  |ˌmalno͞oˈtriSHən|

Meaning: lack of proper nutrition, caused by not having enough to eat or not eating enough of the right things.

Example: Across Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria and Chad, around 10 to 15 per cent of the population is already suffering from malnutrition.

Theme: Social Change

Word: oppressive (adjective)

Pronunciation:  |əˈpresiv|

Meaning: unjustly inflicting hardship and constraint, esp. on a minority or other subordinate group

Example: Sri Lanka’s Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has called on the country’s people to rise to defeat the oppressive powers prevailing in the country.

Theme: social change

Word: remarkable (adjective)

Pronunciation: |riˈmärkəbəl|

Meaning: worthy of attention

Example: All things considered, the redevelopment achievements of many of our older manufacturing cities are remarkable.

Theme: Social Change

Word: activist (noun)

Meaning: a person who campaigns to bring about political or social change.

Pronunciation: /ˈaktəˌvist/

Example: Raymond is a gay-rights activist.

Theme:  Nature Words  (April 22 is Earth Day!)

Word:  field

Pronunciation:  /fild/

Meaning:    an open area of land  (n)

Examples:

• When you drive on Manitoba highways, you pass lots of farms with fields of crops.
• Manitoba has U-Pick farms where you can go into the farmer’s field and pick your own fruits and vegetables.

Theme:  Nature Words  (April 22 is Earth Day!)

Word:  trail

Pronunciation:  /trel/

Meaning:    a path to walk on in nature  (n)

Examples:

• We walked along the trail through the forest.
• Assiniboine Park has 5 km of ski trails to enjoy.
• Birds Hill Park has lots of great bike trails.

Theme:  Nature Words  (April 22 is Earth Day!)

Word:  creek

Pronunciation:  /krik/

Meaning:    a very small river  (n)

Examples:

• There is a creek running through my farm.
• The sound of the water in the creek is very peaceful.

Theme:  Nature Words  (April 22 is Earth Day!)

Word:  atmosphere

Pronunciation:  /ætmΛsfir/

Meaning:

a)   the air surrounding the Earth   (n)

b)   the general feeling in a place  (n)

Examples:

• Earth’s atmosphere is about 78% nitrogen, 20% oxygen and 2% other gases.
• The atmosphere plays an important role in temperature regulation on Earth.  Without it, there would be no life as we know it.
• Heartland has a wonderful atmosphere.  Everyone is so friendly.  It’s like a big family.