| obedience |
doing what someone tells you to do |
Military commanders expect obedience from their troops. |
| obesity |
the condition of being too fat |
Diseases caused by obesity kill millions of people every year. |
| oil |
a dark liquid from under the ground |
Saudi Arabia makes a lot of money from selling oil. |
| oxygen |
a chemical element in air and water (symbol O) |
When you breathe in, your body gets oxygen from the air. |
| paper |
material used for writing on or wrapping |
How many sheets of paper do you need? |
| passion |
a very strong feeling |
People on both sides of the debate spoke with passion. |
| pasta |
an Italian food made from flour and water |
Spaghetti, ravioli and lasagna are different types of pasta. |
| patience |
the ability to wait without getting angry or upset |
After waiting an hour to see a doctor, I ran out of patience and left. |
| permission |
the right to do something you can't normally do |
You'll need permission from the boss if you want to leave early. |
| physics |
the scientific study of matter and energy |
These new theories in physics are difficult to understand. |
| poetry |
literature in the form of poems and verses |
Have you ever read the poetry of Walt Whitman? |
| pollution |
waste products that damage the environment |
Most air pollution comes from cars and factories. |
| poverty |
the state of being very poor |
Millions of people are still living in poverty. |
| power |
the ability to control people or things |
The police have the power to arrest and charge people. |
| pride |
the feeling you have when you, or someone close to you, does something special |
We watched with pride as our son was awarded his medal. |
| production |
the process of making or growing things |
Rice production has increased this year. |
| progress |
improvement or development |
I hope you're making progress in your English. |
| pronunciation |
the sounds made when speaking a language |
Your pronunciation of English is excellent. |
| psychology |
the study of the mind |
My sister wants to study psychology. |
| publicity |
attention given to something in newspapers, TV, etc. |
The royal wedding got a lot of publicity in the media. |
| punctuation |
small marks used when writing, like commas and question marks |
Good punctuation will make your writing easier to read. |