American English

early

I.   adjective

I. ear‧ly1 S1 W1 /ˈɜːli $ ˈɜːrli/ adjective (comparative earlier, superlative earliest)
 [Language: Old English; Origin: ærlice, from ær 'early, soon']
 1. FIRST PART  in the first part of a period of time, event, or process:
   • the early morning sunshine
   • an afternoon in early spring
   • In the early days, the railways mainly carried goods.
   • She is in her early twenties.
   • the recession of the early 1980s
   • The money could be paid as early as next week.
   • He spent the early part of his career at St John’s Hospital.
   • the experiences of early childhood
   • the early works of Shakespeare
   • My earliest memories are of fruit trees.
   • Early signs are encouraging.
 2. BEFORE USUAL  arriving or happening before the usual or expected time OPP late
  five minutes/three hours etc early
   • The bus was ten minutes early.
  early for
   • I was a few minutes early for my appointment.
   • David decided to take early retirement (=stop working before the normal age).
   • She drank herself into an early grave (=died younger than is normal).
 3. BEGINNING  used to emphasize that something has just begun, especially when you do not know how it will develop:
   • It’s too early to say what will happen.
   • It’s early days yet. I don’t want to make any predictions.
 4. NEW THING  [only before noun] being one of the first people, events, machines etc:
   • Early motor cars had very poor brakes.
   • fossil evidence of early man
 5. the early hours the time between midnight and morning:
   • I didn’t finally get to bed until the early hours.
  in the early hours of something
   • The attack happened in the early hours of Sunday morning.
 6. an early start a start made very early in the day because you have a lot to do, far to go etc:
   • We need to make an early start tomorrow.
 7. at/from an early age when you are very young, or starting when you were very young:
   • She’s played tennis from a very early age.
 8. an early night if you have an early night, you go to bed earlier than usual OPP a late night
  have/get an early night
   • I think I’ll get an early night.
 9. early bird/early riser someone who always gets up very early in the morning
 10. the early bird catches the worm used to say that if you do something early or before other people, you will be successful
 11. early potatoes/lettuces etc potatoes etc that are ready to be picked before any others
     • • •

COLLOCATIONS■ nouns

   ▪ early morning/afternoon/evening • The lake looked beautiful in the pale early morning light.
   ▪ early spring/summer etc • These plants produce flowers from early spring to late summer.
   ▪ early August/January etc • Italy is lovely in early June, before it gets too hot.
   ▪ the early days/months/years of something (=the period of time near the beginning of something) • In the early years of our marriage, we lived with my wife’s parents.
   ▪ in your early twenties/forties etc (=aged 20–23, 40–43 etc) • Both men are in their early twenties.
   ▪ the early 1920s/1970s etc (=1920–23, 1970–73 etc) • He lived in London in the early 1980s.
   ▪ sb’s early childhood/adolescence/life (=when someone is a young child, adolescent etc) • We’ve known each other since early childhood.
   ▪ an early stage (=near the beginning of a process) • Patients can be treated with drugs, especially at the early stage of the disease.
   ▪ the early part of something (=near the beginning of an event or period of time) • I was doing quite well in the early part of the race.
   ▪ sb’s earliest memory (=the first thing you can remember about something from your past) • One of my earliest memories is of being at a busy railway station, trying to find my mum.
     • • •

THESAURUS

   ▪ early arriving or happening before the usual or expected time: • For once, the train arrived early. | • Let’s have an early lunch before we go.
   ▪ in good time especially British English early enough, so that you do not have to rush, or so that you have time to get ready: • Everything was ready for the party in good time.
   ▪ on time arriving somewhere or happening at the right time: • The bus was on time. | • The project was finished on time.
   ▪ ahead of time earlier than the time when you have arranged to do something or than when you need something: • The building work was completed ahead of time. | • Some of the food can be prepared ahead of time.
   ▪ ahead of schedule earlier than the officially agreed time: • The Prime Minister called the elections early, five months ahead of schedule.
   ▪ with time to spare arriving somewhere or finishing something before the time when you have to arrive or finish: • We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. | • I finished the test with time to spare.
   ▪ first thing especially spoken immediately after you get up, or as soon as you start work: • I’ll telephone her first thing tomorrow.

cute

cute S2 /kjuːt/ BrE AmE adjective
[Date: 1700-1800; Origin: acute]
1. very pretty or attractive:
a cute little puppy
The baby’s so cute.
That’s a really cute outfit.
2. especially American English sexually attractive:
Tell us about this cute guy you met!
3. especially American English clever in a way that can seem rude:
Their lawyer tried a cute trick.
—cutely adverb
—cuteness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
■ person
▪ beautiful a beautiful woman or child has perfect good looks: Grace Kelly was a very beautiful woman. | a beautiful baby
▪ good-looking a good-looking person looks nice. Good-looking is very common in spoken English: He’s a good-looking guy, but he’s a bit boring. | Do you think she’s good-looking?
▪ attractive an attractive person looks nice, especially in a way that makes you feel sexually interested in them: She’s a very attractive woman. | A lot of women find him attractive.
▪ pretty a pretty girl or woman looks nice – used especially about a woman who has a nice face: You look pretty with your hair down. | She has a very pretty face.
▪ handsome a handsome man or boy looks nice – used especially about a man who has a nice face. Handsome is also sometimes used, especially in literature, to describe a woman who is good-looking and has a strong face: He was tall, dark, and handsome. | She was a big, handsome woman.
▪ gorgeous/stunning spoken extremely attractive. Gorgeous is used especially by women: She thinks Brad Pitt is gorgeous. | You look absolutely stunning in that dress!
▪ cute spoken nice to look at – used about animals, babies, children, and young adults: a cute little puppy | She thinks you’re cute!
▪ lovely especially British English spoken used when saying that someone looks very nice: You look lovely tonight.

good-looking

ˌgood-ˈlooking BrE AmE adjective
someone who is good-looking is attractive:
a really good-looking guy
—good-looker noun [countable]
• • •
THESAURUS
■ person
▪ beautiful a beautiful woman or child has perfect good looks: Grace Kelly was a very beautiful woman. | a beautiful baby
▪ good-looking a good-looking person looks nice. Good-looking is very common in spoken English: He’s a good-looking guy, but he’s a bit boring. | Do you think she’s good-looking?
▪ attractive an attractive person looks nice, especially in a way that makes you feel sexually interested in them: She’s a very attractive woman. | A lot of women find him attractive.
▪ pretty a pretty girl or woman looks nice – used especially about a woman who has a nice face: You look pretty with your hair down. | She has a very pretty face.
▪ handsome a handsome man or boy looks nice – used especially about a man who has a nice face. Handsome is also sometimes used, especially in literature, to describe a woman who is good-looking and has a strong face: He was tall, dark, and handsome. | She was a big, handsome woman.
▪ gorgeous/stunning spoken extremely attractive. Gorgeous is used especially by women: She thinks Brad Pitt is gorgeous. | You look absolutely stunning in that dress!
▪ cute spoken nice to look at – used about animals, babies, children, and young adults: a cute little puppy | She thinks you’re cute!
▪ lovely especially British English spoken used when saying that someone looks very nice: You look lovely tonight.

granddaughter

grand‧daugh‧ter /ˈɡrænˌdɔːtə $ -ˌdɒːtər/ noun [countable]
  the daughter of your son or daughter

grandson

grand‧son /ˈɡrænsʌn/ noun [countable]
  the son of your son or daughter

grandchild

grand‧child /ˈɡræntʃaɪld/ BrE AmE noun (plural grandchildren /-tʃɪldrən/) [countable]
the child of your son or daughter
 

moped

mo‧ped /ˈməʊped $ ˈmoʊ-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1900-2000; Language: Swedish; Origin: motor 'motor' + pedal 'pedal']

a small two-wheeled vehicle with an engine ⇨ motorcycle

pharmacy

phar‧ma‧cy /ˈfɑːməsi $ ˈfɑːr-/ BrE AmE noun (plural pharmacies)
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Late Latin; Origin: pharmacia 'giving drugs', from Greek, from pharmakeuein 'to give drugs', from pharmakon 'magic liquid, poison, drug']
1. [countable] a shop or a part of a shop where medicines are prepared and sold SYN chemist:
an all-night pharmacy
2. [countable] the place where medicines are prepared in a hospital
3. [uncountable] the study or practice of preparing drugs and medicines
 

writer

writ‧er S3 W2 /ˈraɪtə $ -ər/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Word Family: noun: writer, writing, rewrite; verb: write, rewrite; adjective: written ≠ unwritten]
1. someone who writes books, stories etc, especially as a job ⇨ author, playwright:
She’s one of my favourite writers.
a science-fiction writer
writer on
a well-known writer on American music
writer of
a writer of children’s stories
2. someone who has written something or who writes in a particular way:
He’s always been a sloppy writer.
writer of
the writer of the previous message on this topic
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + writer
▪ a good/great writer She was a very good writer. | Dr Johnson was already a great writer at the age of thirty-five.
▪ a fiction/science-fiction/mystery writer The movie is based on a story by science-fiction writer Phillip K. Dick.
▪ a travel/history/sports etc writer (=someone who writes articles and books about a subject) This region of Europe does not excite many travel writers.
▪ a prolific writer (=someone who writes a lot of books etc) He was a prolific writer of everything from poems to essays.
▪ a freelance writer She now works as a freelance writer.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ writer someone who writes books, stories, or articles in as a job: Greene was one of the finest writers of his generation. | a writer for the Independent on Sunday magazine | I always wanted to be a writer.
▪ author someone who writes books, especially works of literature, or someone who wrote a particular book: Among the guests was the author Salman Rushdie. | The author will be signing copies of his book. | He was the author of ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’.
▪ novelist someone who writes books about imaginary people or events: Charles Dickens was one of the greatest 19th century novelists. | the romantic novelist Barbara Cartland
▪ poet someone who writes poems: a class studying the works of modern American poets
▪ playwright someone who writes plays: Shakespeare was the greatest playwright in English history.
▪ dramatist someone who writes plays - used especially in literary writing, about playwrights in the past: the great French dramatist, Moliere
▪ scriptwriter (also screenwriter) someone who writes plays for films or television: Three or four scriptwriters work on the show.
▪ blogger someone who regularly writes about a particular subject on their own website: a travel blogger | a blogger who writes about the differences between American and British English
 

teacher

teach‧er S1 W1 /ˈtiːtʃə $ -ər/ noun [countable]
  [Word Family: noun: teacher, teaching, TEACHINGS; verb: teach]

  someone whose job is to teach, especially in a school:
   • a primary school teacher
  language/history/science etc teacher
  teacher training/education (=professional training to become a teacher)
     • • •

THESAURUS

   ▪ teacher someone who teaches as their job, especially in a school: • a high school teacher
   ▪ principal (also headteacher British English) the teacher who is in charge of a school or college: • The teacher sent him to the principal’s office.
   ▪ tutor someone who gives private lessons to one student or a small group of students. In Britain, a tutor is also a teacher in a university: • They hired a tutor to help him with his English. | • Your tutor will help you find a subject for your essay.
   ▪ lecturer someone who teaches in a university or college: • University lecturers aren’t very well paid.
   ▪ professor a teacher in a college or university. In Britain, a professor is a high-ranking university teacher, especially one who is head of a department: • She was professor of linguistics at Cambridge University.
   ▪ instructor someone who teaches a sport or a practical skill such as swimming or driving: • He works as a ski instructor in the winter. | • a driving instructor
   ▪ coach someone who helps a person or team improve in a sport: • a professional tennis coach
   ▪ educator especially American English formal someone whose job involves teaching people, or someone who is an expert on education: • Most educators agree that class sizes are still too big.
   ▪ trainer someone who teaches people particular skills, especially the skills they need to do a job: • a teacher trainer | • Many companies pay outside trainers to teach management skills to their staff.
   ▪ governess a woman who lived with a family and taught their children in past times: • As a governess, Charlotte Brontë received twenty pounds a year.