Practice
English vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with K
Sign in to saveWords that begin with the same letter can do very different jobs. Keep is usually a verb, keen is an adjective, key can be a noun or an adjective, kind is often an adjective, and knowledge is a noun.
Understand and use five useful English words beginning with K by noticing their meaning, grammar, and common sentence patterns.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Her knowledge of local transport saved us time. /hɜː ˈnɒlɪdʒ əv ˈləʊkəl ˈtrænspɔːt seɪvd ʌs taɪm/
The short answer
Learn a new word together with its job in a sentence. For these K words, notice whether you need a verb, adjective, noun, or a phrase such as keen on or knowledge of.
Please keep this receipt in a safe place.
Why it works: Keep is a verb here. It means to continue to have the receipt or not throw it away.
5 more examples
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Please keep your ticket until the journey ends.
Keep is a verb. It tells the listener to continue to have the ticket.
Not this:Please
showyour ticket when the journey begins. What changes: Show is a different action. It does not mean continue to have the ticket. -
Rina is keen on learning how to cook.
Keen on means very interested in or eager about an activity or thing.
Not this:Rina is
readyto learn how to cook. What changes: Ready means prepared. Keen on adds the idea of strong interest. -
Clear instructions are key to a safe visit.
Key is an adjective here. It means very important.
Not this:Clear instructions are
usefulduring a visit. What changes: Useful means helpful. Key gives stronger importance to the instructions. -
It was kind of Leo to carry the boxes upstairs.
Kind is an adjective that describes Leo's helpful action.
Not this:Leo carried the boxes upstairs
quickly. What changes: Quickly describes the speed of the action. It does not describe Leo's considerate behaviour. -
Her knowledge of local transport saved us time.
Knowledge is a noun. The phrase of local transport names the subject she knows about.
Not this:She
knewthe local transport routes well. What changes: Knew is a verb. Knowledge is the noun for the information she has.
Read the full guide
A dictionary definition is useful, but the words around a new word show you how to use it. Keep often has an object after it. Keen commonly appears before a noun or in the phrase keen on. Key often describes something important. Kind may describe a person or introduce an example. Knowledge usually needs an of phrase to name the topic someone knows about.
Keep for actions that continue
Use keep when someone continues to have something, continues doing an action, or puts something somewhere. The word is a verb, so look for a subject and often an object after it.
Keep your phone in your bag during the meeting.
Keep your phone means do not remove it from the bag. It is different from put your phone in your bag, which describes the first action.
Which word completes this sentence: Please ___ the window closed because it is cold.
Use keep: Please keep the window closed because it is cold.
Keen on shows strong interest
Use keen to describe a person who is eager or very interested. The common pattern is be keen on followed by a noun or an -ing form. In everyday British English, this is a natural way to say that you like an activity and want to do it.
My brother is keen on cycling at weekends.
Keen on cycling describes his interest. It is not followed by to cycling.
Choose the correct preposition: Are you keen ___ joining the club?
Use on: Are you keen on joining the club?
Key can mean very important
Before a noun, key often means very important to a result or situation. It is common in work, study, and practical advice. You can say key information, a key reason, or a key part of a plan.
Good preparation is a key part of the interview.
Key part means an especially important part. A useful part may help, but it does not necessarily have the same importance.
The key to the storage room is on the desk.
Here key is a noun. It means the object that opens a lock.
Kind describes care and types
Kind often describes someone who is caring or helpful. The pattern It was kind of someone to do something comments on that person's action. Kind can also be a noun meaning a type, as in What kind of music do you enjoy?
It was kind of the neighbour to water our plants.
The phrase kind of the neighbour tells us that watering the plants was considerate.
What kind of book are you looking for?
In this question, kind means type. It does not mean caring.
Knowledge is a noun for what you know
Knowledge is the information and understanding a person has gained. It is usually uncountable, so say some knowledge or a good knowledge of a subject, rather than a knowledge in ordinary situations. The phrase knowledge of names the topic.
A good knowledge of English can help in this role.
Knowledge is the noun. English is the subject that follows of.
Which phrase is natural here: Her ___ of the software helped the team.
Use knowledge: Her knowledge of the software helped the team.
Choose by grammar as well as meaning
When two words have a similar general idea, sentence grammar can decide the choice. After is, you may need an adjective such as keen. After a subject, you may need a verb such as keep. After a possessive word such as her, a noun such as knowledge can fit.
They keep a notebook beside the computer.
Keep is the verb after they. Notebook is the object they continue to have nearby.
Their knowledge of the area was helpful.
Knowledge follows their, so it works as a noun phrase.
Before you go
Remember this
Use keep for an action that continues. Use keen for strong interest, often with on. Use key for something very important. Use kind for considerate behaviour or a type of thing. Use knowledge for learned information, often followed by of.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "English vocabulary practice: useful words beginning with K"
What does keep mean in English?
Keep often means continue to have something or continue doing something. You can keep a receipt, keep a door closed, or keep working. Read the words after keep to see whether it has an object or an -ing form, then check that the meaning fits the situation.
Please keep your ticket until the journey ends.
How do I use keen in a sentence?
Use keen to describe someone who is eager or strongly interested. A common pattern is be keen on followed by a noun or an -ing form, such as keen on music or keen on learning. Keen can also describe close competition, so the surrounding sentence determines the meaning.
Please show your ticket when the journey begins.
When does key mean important?
Key means very important when it appears as an adjective before a noun or after a linking verb. You might describe a key reason, key information, or a key part of a plan. In other sentences, key is a noun for an object that opens a lock or a button on a keyboard.
Rina is keen on learning how to cook.
What is the difference between kind and a kind of?
Kind is an adjective when it describes a caring person or action, as in a kind neighbour. In a kind of, kind is a noun meaning type. The next noun tells you what type you mean, for example a kind of fruit or a kind of music.
Rina is ready to learn how to cook.
How do I use knowledge with of?
Use knowledge as a noun for learned information or understanding. Knowledge of introduces the topic someone knows about, such as knowledge of local history. In ordinary use, it is usually uncountable, so say some knowledge or a good knowledge of a subject instead of using a plural form.
Clear instructions are key to a safe visit.