List of 38 Verbs for the IELTS Reading Test

Here is a list of the 38 verbs that appear in the live IELTS lesson in the video above. I have included a
definition for each verb and example sentences.

These verbs may appear in the IELTS Academic reading section.

bounce ● burn ● change ● congeal ● contract ● crack ● crumble ● drop ● erode ● erupt ● escape ● evaporate
● expand ● explode ● fade ● float ● flow ● freeze ● grow ● meander ● melt ● raise ● revolve ● ring ● rise ●
rotate ● set ● sink ● smoulder ● spill ● spin ● spread ● stretch ● subside ● trickle ● turn ● vibrate ● wobble

Bounce: to move or make something (esp. a ball) move quickly up and down (or away) by hitting or kicking
it.

 The goalkeeper bounced the ball twice before kicking it.

Burn: to destroy, damage, injure something or someone by fire, heat or acid.

 All of his belongings were burnt in the fire.

Change: to make something different.

 Our plans have changed for the weekend.

Congeal: to make something thick or semi solid especially by cooling.

 The blood had congealed round the cut on her knee.

Contract: to become smaller of tighter.

 Metals contract as they get cooler.

Crack: to break without dividing into separate parts. A partial fracture with the parts still joined.

 The ice cracked as I stepped onto it.

 His lips were dry and cracked.

Crumble: to break into very small pieces (fragments).

 The cake crumbled when she tried to cut it.

 The great empire began to crumble over time.

Drop: to make something lower or less, often suddenly or accidentally.

 The price of pen drives has dropped considerably over the last decade.

 He accidentally dropped his mug.

Erode: to destroy or wear away gradually.

 Metals are eroded by acid.

 The ocean slowly eroded the cliff.

Erupt: when a volcano becomes active and ejects lava. To throw out with great force.

 It has been many years since Mount Vesuvius last erupted.

Escape: become free or to get out of a container (gas, liquid). To leak.

  There is gas escaping somewhere – can you smell it?

Evaporate: to change or make something (normally liquid) change into steam and disappear.

 The water soon evaporated in the sun.

Expand: increase in size or volume.

 Metals expand when they get heated.

Explode: to suddenly burst loudly and violently owing to a release of internal energy.

 They exploded the bomb by remote control.

Fade: to lose colour, strength or freshness.

 Jeans fade when you wash them too many times.

Float: to stay on or close to the surface and not sink.

 The wood floated on the water.

Flow: to move freely and continuously, usually of a liquid.

 Most rivers flow into the sea.

Freeze: to change from liquid to solid as a result of extreme cold.

 It was so cold that even the river froze.

Grow: to increase in size, height or quantity.

 She wants to let her hair grow.

Meander: to follow a winding course, flowing slowly.

 The river meandered through the plains.

Melt: change to a liquid condition by heat.

 The ice-cream melted very quickly in the sun.

Raise: to increase the amount or level of something. To move something to a higher level or position.

 How can we raise the standard of our work?

 She knew the answer so she raised her hand.

Revolve: to move around in a circle.

 The Earth revolves around the sun.

Ring: to make a long clear sound. A vibrating sound especially of a telephone or bell.

 The church bells rang loudly to announce the end of the ceremony.

Rise: to go up, increase, an upward movement of progress.

 The price of the dollar has risen a lot lately.

Rotate: move around on an axis or center. Move in circles around a center point.
  The blades of the helicopter were rotating.

Set: to solidify. To become firm, fixed or hard from a soft or liquid state. When the sun goes down.

 He put the jelly in the fridge to set.

 The sun sets earlier in winter than in summer.

Sink: to go down under the surface or towards the bottom of a liquid (or soft substance).

 The Titanic sank after it hit the iceberg.

Smoulder: to burn slowly with the smoke but without a flame.

 The cigarette smouldered in the ashtray.

Spill: to fall over the edge of a container (usually by accident).

 I knocked my mug and the coffee spilt.

Spin: to turn rapidly round and round a center point.

 The ballet dancer spun around many times.

Spread: to cover the surface of something (with an even layer).

 He spread some butter on his bread.

Stretch: to make something longer, wider or looser by pulling without breaking it.

 The shoes will stretch after you have worn them a few times.

 He stretched my sweater and now it is too big.

Subside: to become less. To sink to a lower or normal level.

 The flood waters gradually subsided.

 He waited until the applause had subsided.

Trickle: to flow slowly in a thin stream or in drops.

 The tears trickled down her cheeks.

Turn: to move around a center point. To change direction.

 The wheels turned slowly and eventually came to a stop.

Vibrate: move continuously and rapidly from side to side.

 The whole house vibrates whenever a big truck passes.

Wobble: to move (or sway) from side to side in an unsteady way.

 He was very fat and his stomach wobbled as he ran.