The Basic Words : Basic English
by C. K. OGDEN
Writer of "Basic English" and
Director of the Orthological Institute

LONDON :
KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER & Co., Ltd. 1932
Psyche Miniatures, General Series No. 44

The Letter B

baby (babies), noun. 'beibi ; bdbé ; Baby.


He was ill when he was a baby ; the woman had two babies with her ; the baby cat ; my baby brother.
** (baby in arms).

baby-carriage, noun. Basic words. Push-carriage for a baby.

back, (-er, -ing, -ed), noun. adv., adj. bæk, derrière, arrièdre ; Rückseite: zurück: hinter.


Back of man's body or like part of other things ; dos; Rücken.


Top of animal's body.
back of the house ; the back of the book ; at the back of the station ;
a picture backed with linen ; backing an automobile. A pain in the back. The monkey was on the dog's back. Come back. ; get money back ; a year back. The back door.
* (Give back a sound).

backbone , noun. Basic words. Bone down the back of man or animal.

back-cloth, noun. Basic words. Painted cloth at back of stage.

background, adv., Basic words. At (to) some distance ; out of view.

backside ,  noun. Basic words. Back end of person's body.

backwater, noun. Basic words. Quiet water near a river.

backwoods, noun. Basic words. Out-of-the-way place.

bad, (worse, worst, -ly), adj., bad ; mauvais ; schlecht ; schlimm.

Bad in behavior ; méchant ; höse.

No longer good for food ; gâté; verdorben.

a bad day ; bad weather ; have a bad time ; a bad idea ; a bad bit of wood ; a bad book ; a bad friend ; be badly wounded. A bad boy. The milk will be bad tomorrow.
* The worse for drink.( Bad at languages ; he did badly).

bag, noun. Beutel, Tasche, Sack.

A bag full of wool; a paper bag; a porter took my bags.

bagpipes, s. Basic words. Music pipe with bag for wind.

balance (—er, -ing, -ed), noun. équilibre; Gleichgewicht.

Keep one’s balance; a balance of forces; balancing on a wire; have a well-balanced mind. *(Be off one’s balance).

ball, noun. boule; Kagel.

(s) Playing-ball; balle; Ball. A silver ball.; make butter into balls.. The little girl has a ball.

ballet *, International word.

band (-er, —ing, -ed), noun. bande; Band.

(e) Group: music—playing group; orchestre; Schar, Rotte: [Musik-] Kapelle. Put a rubber band round; fixed by a band. of iron; a band of red; banded with red. A band of young men; banding together against the police. Playing in the band.

bang, noun.Onomatopoeic. Noise made by burst.

bank, International word.

** (A check on the bank.).

bar, International word.

base (-er, -ing, —ed), noun. base, fondement; Grand (lage).

(e) Base of military operations; base; Basis. The base of a building; basing opinions on facts. The wounded are sent back to the hospital at the base.

baseball, noun.Basic words. An American sport in which a ball is used; ball used in baseball.

basin, noun. bol, caoette; Schussel.

(e) Wide hollow; bassin; Becken. Food in a basin. A river basin.

basket, noun. panier; Korb. Eggs in a basket.; a basket of flowers.

basket-work, noun.Basic words. Material made like a basket.

bath (-er, —ing, -ed), noun.baignoire, bain; Bad.

(e) Wash in a bath; acte de (se) baigner, bain. Put water in a bath. Have a bath.; give the baby a bath.; bathing the baby.

bathroom, noun.Basic words. Special room with (generally fixed) bath.

INTERNATIONAL SECOND LANGUAGE 249
be (am, are, is, was, were, being, been), v., aux. v. big; étre; sein.
(e) Have existence, take place.
been (e) Gone (or come) to and away from a place.
-ing, (e) Living thing; étre; Wesen.
She is a cook; he is good; it is wise to do nothing; they are talking; I will be there. I am; such things have been and will be. again; there is no answer to that question. Have you ever been to Paris? A strange being.
( * That is to say; let (a person, thing) be).
beautiful (un-, -ly), adj. beau; schon.
A beautiful woman; a beautiful day; a beautiful picture; the theory is beautifully clear.
because, conj. bi’koz; parce que; weil.
He was angry because she was late.
* (Best because of its rules).
become, v. Basic words. Come to be.
* What has become of it?
bed (-der, -ding, -ded), noun.bed; lit; Bett.
(e) Stretch of material, specially under, forming base of, something:
flower-bed; lit, couche: plate-bancle; [Fluss-]Bett, Unterbau, Lager: Beet.
  -ding, (e) Bedding-covers: literie; Bettzeug.
Put the covers on the bed; go to bed; be in bed. The bed of the river is deep; the discovery of a new coal bed. Put flowers in the beds.; bedding out plants. Soft bedding.
bedroom, noun.Basic words. Special room with bed(s) for sleeping in.
bee, noun.biz; abeille; Biene.
There is a bee on the flower.
beef, bixf. International word.
beer, noun.bia*. International word.
beeswax, noun.Basic words. The wax made by bees.
before, prep., conj., adv. bi’fo;*`*; avant, deoant; vor: bevor, ehe: oorher.
Come before tea; the word before “have” is not clear; go before a judge; the work before us; work comes before play; death before prison! Have a meal before you go. He did it once befoe.
  ** (Before long).
behavior, noun.bi’heivja*; conduite, comportement; Benehmen, Verhalten.
His behavior is good; rough in behavior; the behavior of a chemical; the behavior of nations.




"The Basic Words" was published twice, once as part of the initial release of Basic English as a small book in 1932 and reproduced in whole thirty-six years later in "Basic English: International Second Language" as Section 2, Part 2, with a few additional complex words added. Please pardon that we have intermixed the page numbering and linkages. We will get that sorted out after we get the entire text made available to you. The following shows work in progress.
Readers can help by calling attention to errors in supposely finished sections.     -- editor

250 BASIC ENGLISH
belief, noun. bi’li;f; croyance; Glaube.
  (s) Belief in religion; foi; Glaube.
  (e) What one has b. in: feeling that a thing is probable; crayance: opinion; Uberzeugang.
  B. is an event in the mind. To .be a Christian it is necessary to
  have b. They had a number of strange bb. It is my b. that we will
  have snow.
  * In the b. that; have b. in a story.
bell, noun. bel; cloche, sonnette; Glocke, Klingel.
  The church b. is sounding; that is the front-door b.
bell—boy, noun. Basic words. Boy servant in a hotel.
bent (un-) noun. bent; plié, courbé; gebogen, gebeugt.
  Using a b. stick; a b. old man; his arm was b.
berry (berries), noun. ’beri; baie; Beere.
  The fruit of this plant is a b.; birds take the berries.
better (best). See good and well.
between, prep. bi'twi;n; entre; zwischen.
  A river b. two mountains; time b. events; there is no connection
  b. these events; make a comparison (selection) b. foods; make a
  division of the sweets b. the two boys.
biology, bai'olad5i. International name of science. 
bird, noun. bard; oiseau; Vogel.
  A b. in the air; going after bb. with a gun.
bird’s-eye view, noun. Basic words. View from the air.
birth, noun. baz0; naissance; Geburt.
  (e) Position in society by b.; start; naissance: origine source.
  Bentham’s b. took place in 1748. All are given an equal chance,
  whatever their b. The b. of a new idea.
  ** (Mothers give b. to babies).
birthday, noun. Basic words. The day of the year on which a person’s birth took place.
birth-mark, noun. Basic words. Mark on the skin from birth.
birth-place, noun. Basic words. Place of person’s birth.
birth-rate, noun. Basic words. Number of births for every 1,000 persons in a given time.
birthright, noun. Basic words. Right given by fact of birth.

INTERNATIONAL SECOND LANGUAGE " 251
bit, noun. bit; morceau, piece; Stuck(chen), Bischen.
  (e) Unit of metal money.
  Have a b. of bread; bb. of news; put the bb. together. A two-shilling b.
  * The dress is in bb.; the plate has come to bb. (B. by b.).
  ** He was a b. sad; I did my b. in the organization.
bite, noun. bait; coup de dent, pique; Biss.
  (e) What is taken at one bite: wound from a bite; bouchée: morsure; Btssen: Biss.
  The dog gave him a b.; have a b. at an apple. I took a b. of it.
  A bad b. in the leg.
bitter, adj. ’bit:->’“; amer; bitter.
  (e) Bitter in feeling; acharné; verbittert.
  A b. taste; a b. drink. A b. thought; her troubles have made her b.
black, adj., blaek; noir; schwarz.
  A black night; a black man from Africa; make one’s hand black as coal.
  Dressed in black.
blackberry, noun. Basic words. Dark berry of the Helds and roadsides in
  England used as food.
blackbird, noun. Basic words. Bird of Europe noted for song.
blackboard, noun. Basic words. Black board for writing on used in school.
blacklead, noun. Basic words. Black polishing substance (for iron fireplaces and so on) .
blackout, noun. Basic words. Keeping of town(s) dark in war-time.
blade, noun. bleid; lame; Klinge.
  (s) Blade of war; épée.
  (e) Flat, narrow, b.-like leaf or part of any thing.
  The b. is not sharp; a knife with two bb. Waving his b. in the
  air. A b. of grass.
blood, noun. blixd; sang; Blut.
  (e) Family.
  There was b. on the coat. There is Irish b. in him; they are of the
  same b.; a b. relation.
bloodvessel, noun. Basic words. Blood pipe in the body.
blow, noun. blou; coup; Schlag.
  (e) Motion of air-current: shock; coup de vent, souffle: coup; Blasen, Schnauben: Schlag.
  Give a person a b. A strong b. of wind; giving one’s nose a b..
  The news was a great b. to him.
252 BASIC ENGLISH
blowpipe, noun. Basic words.
    Pipe for increasing heat of flame by blowing air into it. 
    2. Pipe for blowing sharp-pointed, frequently poisoned, sticks through, 
    used in war and so on by certain Indians of America and the West Indies. 
blue, adj., noun. blug; bleu; blau.
    The sea is blue on a bright day. A dark shade of blue. 
bluebell, noun. Basic words. Blue, spring, woodland flower.
board (-er, -ing, -ed), noun. bond; planche; Brett, Diele.
    (s) Advertisement board; enseigne, écriteau; Tafel, Brett.
        The floor-boards are cracked; boarding up a window. Put up a board; I saw it on the board outside.
boat, noun. bout; bateau; Boot, Schij'.
    Take a boat on the river; go by boat..
body (bodies), noun.’bodi; corps; Korper.
  (s) Dead body; cadaore; Leiche.
  (e) Body without legs, head, or arms: material thing: group
  (organization) of things or persons; torse: corps: corps; Rumpf:
  Korper: Gruppe, Korperschaft.
  Have a healthy b. They were on watch by the b. He had a short
  b. and long legs. The attraction of bodies to the earth. The decision
  of the ruling b.; a b. of law.
boiling (boiler), a., noun.'boiliig; bouillant; siedend, kochend.
  -er (s) Steam-making apparatus; chaudiére; [Dampf-]KesseZ.
  Put an egg in b. water; the water is b.; he is b. the coffee. Cooking 
  the fish by b. it. A ship’s boiler.
bone (-er, -ing, -ed), noun.boun; os; Beirr, Knochen, Griite.
  (e) Bone material; Bern.
  No bb. are broken; boning fish. A spoon made of b.; a b. button.
book (-er, -ing, -ed), noun.buk; Ziore, cahier; Buch, Heft.
  -ing, (e) Taking tickets for; acte de retenir (une place); Belegen.
  ‘ Writing a b.; see it in a b.; a b. of pictures; noting it in a b.;
  have no more copies of a b. Booking seats for a play.
book-keeper, noun.Basic words.  Person who keeps accounts.
bookrest, noun.Basic words.  Support for books when reading.
boot, noun.bu;t; botte, chaussure; Stiefel.
  Put on one’s bb.
bottle (-er, -ing, -ed), noun.’botl; bouteille, flacon; F Zasche.
  Put wine in a b.; bottledbeer.

INTERNATIONAL SECOND LANGUAGE 253
box (boxes, -er, -ing, -ed), noun.boks; boite, malle, caisse; Kiste, Schachtel, Ko#er.
  (e) Theater—box; loge; Loge.
  Keep gloves in a b.; send the boxes to the station; this part is
  boxed off. Seated in a stage—b.
boy, noun.boi; gargon; junge, Knabe.
  The b. is making a noise.
brain (-er, -ing, -ed), noun.brein; cemeau; (Ge-)Hirn.
  (e) Good quality of brain (freq. bb.); intelligence; Verstand.
  Something wrong with his b.; cooking sheep’s bb.; he was brained
  by a blow. The man has bb.; he has no b.
brake, noun.breik; frein; Bremse.
  The bb. are loose; put the b. on.
branch (branches, —er, -ing, -ed) , noun.brmntj; branche; Zweig.
  (e) B.—like part; b. of business (organization): division; embmnchement: succursale: section;
  Abzweigung: Filiale: Zweig.
  A broken b.; a tree with low branches. A b. of the railway;
  branching to the left. The bank has a b. in Hull. A b. of science.
brass, noun.brms; laiton; Messing.
  A bit of b.; a b. pot; a b. plate on the door.
bread, noun.bred; pain; Brot.
  Cutting b.; b. and butter.
breath (-er, -ing, -ed), noun.bre9; haleine, respiration; Atem(zug).
  (e) Soft blow of wind; soujfle; Hauch.
  The dog’s b. was warm; take a deep b.; not breathing well.
   Moved by every b. of wind; a day without a b. of air.
 * Be out of b.
breath-taking, adj. Basic words.  So surprising, beautiful, and so on as to
  take one’s breath away.
brick (-er, -ing, -ed), noun.brik; brique; Backstein, Ziegel.
  Putting bb. on the wall; a red-b. house; bricking up a hole.
brickwork, noun.Basic words.  Bricks joined together forming material of wall and so on.
bridge (-er, -ing, -ed), noun.brid5; pont; Brucke.
   Make a b. across the railway; bridging the river.
bright, adj. brait; brillant; hell, gliinzend.
  (e) With a quick brain: happy; intelligent: joyeux; hell, aufgeweckt: heiter. 
  A b. fire. A b. girl; have a b. idea. A b. and smiling face.

254 BASIC ENGLISH
broken (un-), adj. ’brouk en; brisé, rompu, fracture; [zer—, unter-, ge] brochen.
  (e) Crushed (by loss); ubattu; gebrochen.
  The plate is b.; a very b. sleep; the house was b. into by the
  police; a bit b. off; the box was b. open; an unbroken line of trees.
  He is a b. man.
  * (The bread is bb. up).
brother, noun.’brA?$a“; frére; Bruder.
  She has a b. in the army; the two boys are bb.
brother-in-law, noun.Basic words.  Brother of man (woman) one is married to.
brown, a., noun.braun; brun; braun.
  Dark b. hair. There is not much b. in the picture.
brush (brushes, -er, —ing, -ed), noun.bmj; brosse, pinceau; Biirste, Pinsel.
  (e) Brushing; coup de brosse; (Ab-)Biirsten.
  Using a b. to get the floor clean; a paint b.; the painter is cleaning his brushes. 
  Give the dog a b.; brushing one’s hair.
brushwood, noun.Basic words.  1. Small, low trees. 2. Thin sticks from b.
bucket, noun.’bAkit; seau, baquet; Eimer.
  Milking into a b.; a coal b.
building (builder), n., adj. bildin; bdtiment; Gebiiude.
  (e) Act of building; construction; Bauen.
  The highest b. in London; there was no other person in the b.;
  that is work for a builder. B. is his trade. They are b. ships (walls);
  b. up a business.
bulb, noun.bixlb; bulbe; Knolle, Zweibel.
  (e) Thing having the form of a bulb; poire, ampoule; [elek trische] Birne, Gummiball.
  These flowers come from bb. A rubber b.; this electric b. gives a good light.
burn (-er, —ing, -ed) , noun.bam; brulure; Brundschuden.
  -er, (s) Gas burner; bec, bruleur; Brenner.
  Put oil on a b.; the acid is burning me; the fire is burning
  brightly; burning with shame; burning a hole; a smell of burning;
  a burning pain. You will get a better light if you have a new burner.
burst, n., adj. ba;st; éclatement, rupture, explosion: creoé; Bersten,
  Bruch, Platzen: gephztzt.
  (e) Outburst; éclat(ement), explosion; Ausbruch.
  There has been a b. in the pipe. A loud b. of sound; a b. of angry
  feeling. A b. pipe.
INTERNATIONAL SECOND LANGUAGE 255

business (businesses), noun.’biznis; occupation; Geschéift, Beruf.
  (s) Trading business: afyfaires, commerce: Geschéift.
  (e) Business house: what has to do with one; maison de commerce: aylaire; Geschdft: Angelegenheii.
  His b. is farming. My father is in b.; a good b. man; do b. with.
  An insurance b.; an old family b.; the two businesses have no connection. 
  It is not your b.
  **  You have no b. to say it; he came on b.; they are going out of b.
but, conj., prep. brit; mais: sauf; aber, sondern: ausser.
  He is old b. she is young; I went to the house, b. he was not there; 
  I had no desire to go, b. he made me; not only rain b. snow.
  All b. the foolish have ideas.
  * (Men are like animals, b. for their brains).
butter (-er, —ing, -ed), noun.,bAt9#; beurre; Butter.
  Put the b. on thickly; buttering bread.
buttercup, noun.Basic words.  Yellow, cup-like field—flower.
buttermilk, noun.Basic words.  Liquid from butter-making.
button (-er, -ing, —ed) , noun.’bAtn; bouton; Knopf. 
  (e) small round structure.
  The b. has come off my coat; buttoning his shoes. Touching the
  b. of the bell.
  ** (My overcoat is buttoned up).
buttonhole, noun.Basic words.  Hole for putting button through.
button-hook, noun.Basic words.  Hook for buttoning shoes, gloves.
buzz, noun. Onomatopoeic. Sound like that of a fly.
by, prep., adv. bai; pres de; neben, bei: oorbei.
  (e) Cause or instrument; par, au moyen de; bei, von, durch, mit.
  A house b. the river; he went b. me on the road. Picture b.
  Rubens; go by train; troubled by ants; covered by insurance; punishment by death. Time goes by quickly.
 *1. Robinson Crusoe was on an island by himself.
  2. He had to make everything by hand.
  3. I was working there by night (day).
  4. I had come across some coal on the island by chance.

256 BASIC ENGLISH
  5. By the way, have you ever been down a coal mine?
  6. No smoking, by order.
  7. A young miner got the Basic words by heart in less than a week.
  8. He got the word order into his head by slow degrees.
  9. Little by little (bit bybit, day by day), he got expert at the special uses.
  10. He is coming here at 4, by this clock
  (Take b. surprise; a story b. word of mouth; side b. side).
  ** Come b. to-morrow. (Playing b. ear; b. request).
bygone, adj. Basic words. Long past, no longer in existence.

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