Word List. Unit 28
If something is adjoining, it is next to or joined with a building, or room.
I couldn’t sleep because the people in the adjoining room were loud.- To allege something is to say that it is true without offering proof.
The little girl had alleged that her older brother hid her favorite doll. - An arch is a curved opening formed under a structure such as a bridge or doorway.
The arch of the bridge was not high enough for the tall boat to pass underneath. - To assemble means to get together in one place.
The parents assembled to discuss ways to improve their children’s education. - A casualty is a person killed or injured in a war or an accident.
The only casualty in the car accident was a woman who broke her arm. - To erect something means to build it.
The king erected two towers on the north and south sides of his castle. - If something is foul, then it is not pleasant or enjoyable.
He wouldn’t let his dog drink from the water because it had a foul smell. - A hectare is a unit of measure equal to 10, ooo square meters.
His family farm covered many hectares. - To heighten an emotion means to increase the intensity of it.
The pleasant music heightened their enjoyment of the wonderful dinner. - Hospitality is friendly behavior and entertainment given to guests or strangers.
The travelers were amazed at the hospitality given them by the hotel’s staff. - A mansion is a large and expensive home.
The mansion had thirty bedrooms, two kitchens, and a pool. - To outnumber a group means to have a greater number than it.
The girls outnumbered the boys at the school by four to one. - If someone is overjoyed, then they are extremely happy.
He was overjoyed by the news of his promotion. - A pasture is an area of land covered with grass for animals to use as food.
The sheep were taken to a pasture where there was more grass. - A petition is a written request asking an authority to do something.
The citizens all signed a petition asking the mayor to repair the sidewalks. - To renovate a building means to repair it or build new structures on it.
The old fire station was renovated into an apartment building. - To revise something means to change or update it to make it better.
When the editor discovered certain facts were wrong, he revised the book. - A slab is a large, thick, flat piece of stone, concrete, metal, or wood.
I looked at various slabs of stone to decorate my house. - A terrace is an open area that is connected to a house or an apartment.
In the afternoons, she liked to sit on the terrace and check her email. - Turf is a section of grass and the dirt in which it grows.
After the game, the turf looked ragged.
The Lord and the Farmers
A wealthy lord was renovating his mansion. He had added another story to his home with large windows that overlooked the farmers’ pastures on the eastern border of his land. Around the mansion, he then erected a great wall. He built an arch for the gate out of huge slabs of stone. The lord was overjoyed with the addition to his home. However, one day while he was sitting on the terrace, some farmers knocked at his door. He invited them in. Despite his hospitality, the farmers appeared to be in a foul mood. “Why are you so upset?” the lord asked.
One farmer replied, “That is actually the reason for our visit.” He then handed the lord a petition. It alleged that the shadow cast by the mansion was harming their pastures. “Your mansion now casts a shadow over several hectares of our land,” the farmer explained. “The turf in the shadow has died, and our cattle now have less grass to eat.” “It is too late for me to revise my plans,” the lord answered. “You will just have to live with the change.”
His reply only heightened the farmers’ anger. They left, but they assembled that night outside the mansion’s gate. They planned to destroy the mansion. The lord’s servants tried to defend the house, but the farmers outnumbered them. The servants fled, and the farmers rushed into the mansion and set it on fire. Everyone got out of the house, and there were no casualties. However, the fire soon spread from the house to the adjoining pastures that belonged to the farmers. Both sides’ properties were destroyed. The lord and the farmers were sorry for their actions. The lord promised to pay for the burned pastures, and the farmers promised to rebuild the mansion. They had learned that when you fight, both sides lose.
