| assumption |
something that is supposed or believed without questioning. For example, if you ask someone whether she is allowed to watch TV during dinner, you have made an assumption that there is a TV in her house. Assumptions are ideas people have that are not based on proven facts. An assumption can be correct or incorrect. [1/2 definitions] |
| direct object |
the part of a sentence that shows the object, goal, or receiver of the action of a verb. "The ball" in "She kicked the ball" is a direct object. |
| discriminate |
to judge or treat someone unfairly because he or she belongs to a particular group or category of people (usually followed by "against"). [1/2 definitions] |
| disgusted |
feeling or showing very intense and immediate disapproval. This intense emotion can make a person angry or even feel sick because of how bad he or she feels that something is. |
| fish out of water |
someone in a place or situation where he or she does not feel comfortable. |
| has |
the present tense of "have," used with "he," "she," or "it," or with singular nouns. |
| her |
the female person or animal already talked about (a form of "she" used as an object of a verb or preposition.) [1/2 definitions] |
| herd |
the common people; most people. The expression "He (or she) follows the herd" means that a person tends to do what everybody else does, like a cow in a herd, and does not think for himself or herself. [1/4 definitions] |
| homograph |
a word that has the same spelling as another but a different meaning and history. Homographs are often pronounced differently from each other. In the sentence, "She shed a tear over the tear in her dress," the two words spelled "t-e-a-r" are homographs. |
| homonym |
a word that is pronounced and often spelled the same as another word, but has a different meaning. In the sentence, "She was mean to me, but she didn't mean it," the two instances of "mean" are homonyms. |
| hypocrite |
a person who pretends to be different or better than he or she really is. Someone who does not act according to his or her stated beliefs is a hypocrite. |
| is |
a form of the verb "be" which is used with he, she, it, and with singular nouns. |
| jealousy |
a feeling of envy towards another person and what he or she has or can do. |
| koala |
a mammal with gray fur, round ears, and a short black nose. Koalas are marsupials and live in trees. The female has a pouch in her belly where she carries her baby. Koalas are only found in Australia. They are sometimes called "koala bears," but they are not related to true bears. |
| maiden name |
the last name of a woman before she marries and takes her husband's last name. |
| mission |
an important task that one is sent out to do, or a goal that a person strongly feels that he or she must go out and achieve. [1/5 definitions] |
| person |
one of three groups of personal pronouns that show who the subject of the verb is. The first person, ("I" or "we") is used for the person who speaks or writes. The second person, ("you") is used for the person who reads or listens. The third person ("he," "she," "it," or "they") is used for the person or thing the speaker is talking about. [1/3 definitions] |
| phrase |
a group or string of words whose meaning cannot be understood by considering the meaning of each word on its own; idiom. In the sentence "She takes after her father," "takes after" is a phrase that means "is similar to" or "resembles." [1/4 definitions] |
| shareware |
software that is delivered free of charge by its author. The user is asked to pay a small fee to the author if he or she continues to use the software. |
| she'd |
shortened form of "she had" or "she would." |
| she'll |
shortened form of "she will." |