Vocabulary for Reading 3: You Need More Sleep!

tired of

(adjective phrase) bored or angry about (something) that happens too often

“I’m _______ walking. Let’s take a bus.”

lack

(noun & verb) not having something or not having enough of something

“The old man’s legs got weak from _______ of exercise.”

concentrate

(verb) to focus attention; to think very carefully about something that you are doing

“I need to _______. This is a hard problem.”

habit

(noun) something that you do often, almost without thinking, especially something that is hard to stop doing

“I know it’s a bad _______, but I have coffee and cookies every day around 3:00 in the afternoon.”

complicated

(adjective) difficult to understand because there are many connected parts

“Our relationship is a little _______. She’s my mother’s cousin’s husband’s friend’s daughter.

artificial

(adjective) not natural; not real; not made with natural things

“This drink is made with _______ blue coloring.”

annoying

(adjective) making you a little angry or unhappy

“I can’t stop playing the same song in my head. It’s really _______.”

ancient

(adjective) from a very long time ago in history

The Kojiki is a(n) _______ Japanese text.

stay up

(verb phrase) – to not go to bed

I know we should go to bed, but let’s _______ late and watch movies.

require

(verb) to need something

“We work for an international company. Our jobs _______ that we speak both Japanese and English.”

definitely

(adverb) certainly; surely; no guessing

“Tomorrow, there’s going to be a Christmas party in school, so I _______ don’t want to be sick tomorrow.”

avoid

(verb) to stay away from a person or place

“No, thank you. I’m trying to _______ junk food.”

associate

(verb) to relate two things or people in your mind; to make a connection between one or person and another

“Pavlov’s dog learned to _______ the sound of a bell with food.”

make up for

(verb phrase) to do something good because you made a mistake before; to make a bad thing seem less bad

“He forgot my birthday, but he gave me a nice gift to _______ it.”

fall asleep

(verb phrase) to start sleeping

“Mr. Bean thought church was boring and he started to _______.”

stay awake

(verb phrase) to not be sleeping

“Some people drink coffee to _______ when they’re sleepy.”

include

(verb) to have one thing or person be part of something bigger
A: This computer is only 20,000 yen.
B: Does that _______ tax?
A: No. With tax, it’s 22,000 yen.

calm

(adjective) quiet, relaxed, not worried, not angry

“The sea is very _______ today. There’s no wind at all.”

recognize

(verb) to know who someone is or what something is because you have seen, heard, experienced, or learned about it (them) before

A: Do you _______ this little boy?
B: No, who’s that?

determination

(noun) trying to do something even when it is difficult; the mental strength to do something difficult

“If you have _______, you can finish university and graduate.”