VOCABULARY

Sharp Sharpen, Hard Harden and Other Words Like Them – Learn How to Use Correct Vocabulary while Distinguishing between Adjectives and Verbs Ending in -En

There are a number of adjectives that have a verb ending in –en. Or the other way around: there are a number of verbs ending in –en that have a corresponding adjective without the –en ending. Sometimes there is a noun with the same root, such as: strong (adjective), strength (noun), strengthen (verb).

Here is a list that is probably not exhaustive (= there are more words like this).

Broad <> broaden: The river is very broad here and easy to navigate. Travelling abroad will broaden your horizon.

Dark - darken: to grow dark: 1. become obscured <the skies were darkening; 2. to make less clear: obscure <the financial crisis darkened the future of the company> 3. to become gloomy <his mood darkened>

Fasten: to direct (the eyes, thoughts, etc.) intently; focus attention: [~ + object]She fastened her eyes on him during the entire performance. 2.to (cause to) be secure, as an article of dress with buttons, clasps, etc., or a door with a lock, bolt, etc.: (+ object) Fasten the window.(no object): This clasp won't fasten. (broche, cierre, hebilla, collar)

Fat <> fatten: I’ve worked a lot this month, so now I’m expecting a fat pay check. Farmers fatten the geese before they slaughter them.

Glad - gladden: delight, please, cheer, make happy, delight: It would gladden me to hear you sing again.

Hard <>harden: You need to learn to harden your heart, if you don’t want to get hurt time and time again.

Haste - hasten: hurry (make come sooner, apresurar, apurar):  Rachel was so eager for her birthday that she went to bed at 8 to hasten the arrival of her special day. * I'm coming I'm coming Don't hasten me.* Don't hasten me along / so, please.

Less - Lessen 1. To make less; decrease. reduce. interest that lessened as the lecture continued. We lessened our efforts as it became clear they weren't having any effect.

Light - lighten: To (cause to) become lighter or less dark; brighten: The sky lightened at dawn. (+ object) * The sun lightened her hair. 2. to make or become less heavy; to make lighter in weight: to lighten the load on a truck; to lighten taxes. * To lighten someone's cares. 3. to become less severe, stringent, or harsh; ease up: Border inspections have lightened recently. 4. to become less heavy, burdensome, oppressive, etc.: His worries seem to have lightened somewhat. 5. to cheer or gladden, to become less gloomy; perk up: People's spirits usually lighten when spring arrives

Like - Liken: Compare (equiparar, asemejar): It can be likened to driving through a set of red traffic lights. (es como saltarse varios semaforos) * In one of his parables Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to a pearl of great price.

Long <> length <> lengthen: Your hair is so long it covers your eyes. * What’s the length of this table? * The days have lengthened since June.

Loose <> loosen: In the past when women slept around, you’d have said she was a loose woman. * His tie was too tight, so he loosened it.

Mad - madden: To go mad. To make angry; irritate. (exasperate, infuriate): The endless swarms of mosquitoes all but maddened the explorers. * Her perpetual tardiness maddened her friends to no end.

Right - righten: to set right, straighten: The agility to righten himself at once. * Old confusions which his reason must righten.

Sharp <> sharpen: That pencil is sharp as a razor. Sharpen: To make or become sharp or sharper: (+ object): to sharpen a knife. * This knife won't sharpen. (no object) * I can’t write with this pencil before I’ve sharpened it. * A pencil sharpener. ** sharp (intelligent, afilado)* 

Short - shortening: to (cause to) become / make short or shorter, to reduce, decrease, take in, etc: To shorten sail. * She had a hard time shortening her ten-page paper.(with object) * The summer seemed to have shortened just as it was getting to be fun (no object)

Sick - sicken: 1. to (cause to) become sick: Eventually she sickened and died. 2. Figurative (disgust, asquear, dar nauseas): To sicken me with your disgusting jokes.

Soft - soften: to make soft or softer. Moisturizing cream to soften the skin. * The EU must create a special fund to regulate the brain drain and soften its impact. (La UE debe crear un fondo especial para regular la fuga de cerebros y suavizar su impacto).

Straight - straighten: 1. To make (something) straight or to become straight: to make (something) organized or tidy  He straightened the bent antenna. * The drooping flowers straightened in the rain.
 2. to put (something) in order —usually used with up or out. * Straighten up a room  * They straightened out the problem>

Strong <> strength <> strengthen: I hope the rope is strong enough to hold the piano. * If you don’t eat properly you’ll lose your strength. * In order to protect your back you must strengthen your stomach muscles.

Tight <> tighten: These shoes are so tight they give me blisters. * As Phoebe is out of work now we’ll need to tighten our belt.

Thick - thickness - thicken:  1. become thicker (espesar): Thicken the sauce with flour (espesa esa salsa con harina) 2. figurative (plot: become more complex, complicarse): Now there are two claimants to the estate and the plot thickens (Ahora hay dos personas que reclaman la finca y la trama se complica)

Threat - threaten: to say that you will harm someone or do something unpleasant or unwanted especially in order to make someone do what you want: to be something that is likely to cause harm to (someone or something) : to be a threat to (someone or something)

Weak - weaken: Become / make [sth] weak: The constant flow of traffic weakened the bridges supports, so they had to be repaired. * Nancy weakened as she grew older and had to walk with a stick.

Wide <> widen: This skirt is too wide on my waist. Do you have a smaller size? * Her eyes widened in amazement.

brighten, burden (to trouble; cause worry: I don't mean to burden you with all my problems), darken (lighten), hearken (literary, poetic, listen, heed, pay attention, hark: to listen attentively, heed: He was always harking back to his army days (retell, remember a previous event or topic) ; to give heed or attention to what is said, listen: Hearken to his words), hearten (cheer, encourage, buck up, cheer up, give a lift to, gladden, reassure), fasten, (connect, link, hook, tie, 2. to take a firm hold: to fasten on an idea), laden (burden, lade), sweeten, redden, threaten, waken, (to wake or become awake)  to awake; awaken: (+ object): The noise wakened them. (no object): The kids will waken early. Awake: to become conscious of something[no object; (~ + to + object)]I finally awoke to the facts.

	_______________________________________________________________________________ Words beginning by en
	like Listen:  /laɪk/ English definition | in French | conjugator | English synonyms | in context | images WordReference Collins WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2015: Principal Translations like [sb] vtr (find personable) gustar⇒, agradar⇒ vi I like him. He seems like a good guy. Me gusta (or: agrada). Parece un buen chico. like [sb] vtr (be romantically attracted to) gustar⇒, atraer⇒ vi He really likes her a lot. Le gusta (or: atrae) muchísimo. like [sth] vtr (consider good) gustar⇒ vi I like that idea. Let's suggest it to the boss. Me gusta la idea. Vamos a sugerírsela al jefe. like [sth] vtr (be fond of [sth]) gustar⇒ vi Do you like pizza? ¿Te gusta la pizza? like [sth], like [sb] vtr (desire, prefer) querer⇒ vi apetecer⇒ vi You can do what you like till I get home, then we are cleaning the house. Puedes hacer lo que quieras hasta que llegue a casa. Luego haremos la limpieza. Puedes hacer lo que te apetezca hasta que llegue a casa. Luego haremos la limpieza. like doing [sth], like to do [sth] v expr (activity: enjoy) gustar⇒ vi agradar⇒ vi Liz likes cooking Thai food. like prep informal (in the same way as) (de la misma manera) como adv She talks like her brother does. Habla como su hermano. like adv US, slang (approximately, more or less) (coloquial) como adv mas o menos loc adv He's like six feet tall. Mide como unos seis pies de alto. Está como a cinco millas de aquí. Mide más o menos unos seis pies de alto. Additional Translations like adj formal (the same, identical) parecido/a adj igual adj mf We always agree: We are of like mind. Siempre estamos de acuerdo: pensamos parecido. Siempre estamos de acuerdo: pensamos igual. like adj (similar) igual adj mf similar adj mf Like poles repel; opposite poles attract. Los polos iguales se repelen; los opuestos se atraen. ⓘ Vamos juntos al teatro, ya que tenemos gustos similares. like adj (analogous, comparable) similar adj mf Writing poems, odes, and like forms requires linguistic skills and imagination. Para escribir poemas, odas y cosas similares es necesario tener habilidad lingüística e imaginación. like adv UK, regional, slang (as it were) por así decirlo loc adv But I really wanted that job, like. Pero de verdad quería ese trabajo, por así decirlo. like adv slang (explaining attitude) (ES, coloquial) en plan de loc adv como adv He was, like, "I don't want to do that". Él iba en plan de "no quiero hacer eso". like n (counterpart) igual n común contraparte nf I don't think they have his like in any other firm. No creo que tengan su igual en otra empresa. No creo que tengan su contraparte en otra empresa. like n (equal) igual adj mf He is the kindest man I know. I have never met his like. Es la persona más amable que conozco. Nunca he conocido uno igual. like prep (in the way that) como adv It was hot again today, like summer should be. Hoy hace calor otra vez, como debe ser en verano. like prep (intensifier) como adv He ran like hell. Corrió como si le persiguiese el diablo. like prep informal (such as) como adv So you want a new challenge? Like what? ¿Así que quieres un nuevo reto? ¿como cuál?