Word List. Unit 12
To adorn something means to make it more beautiful by decorating it.
Small glass beads adorned the vase.- Bliss is a state of complete happiness.
Every time he sees his girlfriend, he feels a sense of bliss. - A butler is the most important male servant in a wealthy house.
Whenever he needed something, he rang a bell, and the butler appeared. - A cramp is a strong pain caused by a muscle after a lot of physical use.
After the marathon, Jenny got a terrible cramp in her calf muscle. - When a building is dilapidated, it is old and in bad condition.
Paint peeled off of the old dilapidated apartment building. - To evoke a memory or emotion means to make it occur.
The picture evoked memories of when grandmother was a girl. - A farewell is an instance of saying goodbye or a way to say it.
She got on the plane after we said our farewells. - A faucet is a device that controls the flow of a liquid or gas.
Turn off the faucet when you are done brushing your teeth. - Filth is a large amount of dirt or dirty things that disgust you.
There was tons of filth and trash on the shore of the river. - A flaw is a mistake in something that causes it to be less effective or correct.
We discovered a major flaw in the metal chain. - To grin means to smile broadly.
That joke makes me grin every time I hear it. - Housekeeping is the maintenance of a house or an establishment like a hotel.
Housekeeping is not much fun, but it has to be done. - A mound of something is a large pile of it.
There was a mound of clothes on the messy teenager’s floor. - When a body part is numb, it does not have any feeling.
After holding my hand under the icy water, my fingers went numb. - When people are reckless, they act in an unsafe way.
The reckless driver posed a threat to everyone else on the road. - Slate is a dark grey rock that can easily be split into layers.
The roof of the church was made of slate. - A stool is a seat with legs but no support for a person’s arms and back.
I don’t find stools very comfortable to sit on. - A testament to something shows that it exists or is true.
The beautiful performance was a testament to the singer’s natural talents. - Timber is wood that is used for building houses and making furniture.
Trees in this area are grown specifically to be used for timber. - A valve is a device attached to a pipe that controls the flow of liquid or air.
The mechanic removed the dirt to clear the engine valve.
The Butler
Greta was an elderly lady who lived alone in a huge, dilapidated mansion. The mansion was in terrible condition. It was covered with filth, and most of the furniture was broken. Plus, the kitchen sink leaked water all over the floor. Greta was too old to do housekeeping and repairs herself, so she hired a butler named Gordon. Gordon was a young, muscular man. His muscles were a testament to his strong work ethic. He believed that if he worked hard, great things would happen for him. On his first day, he worked for hours cleaning and making repairs.
He swept up mounds of dirt. He tightened the valve underneath the kitchen faucet to stop the leak. He even bought timber to build new stools for the kitchen. He worked so hard that his fingers went numb, and he got cramps in his shoulders. Gordon worked hard every day. Even when tasks were boring, he was never reckless. He made sure there were no flaws in his work. Gordon was worried, however, that Greta wasn’t pleased. She never expressed thanks or said that he did a good job. The lack of appreciation evoked unhappy feelings in Gordon. He even thought about quitting. But he decided the right thing to do was to keep working hard.
One day, while Gordon was sweeping, Greta said, “Gordon! I have a surprise for you!” He went to Greta’s room and saw a beautiful slate statue. It looked just like him! It was adorned with a banner that read: “Welcome home.” Greta said, “You’ve made this ugly old mansion look new again. I’m so thankful for your hard work that I want you to have it. I’ll move into a smaller house.” He grinned and gave Greta a big hug. He said, “I’m in bliss! My hard work really paid off!” The two said their farewells, and Gordon spent the afternoon admiring his beautiful new home.