Cats and their verbs - B1
Why do cats act so weird?
People love cats because they are cute, and also because they can be cuddly, crazy, curious, wild and in the meantime peaceful.
In the following animated TED-Ed lesson, Tony Buffington shows how cats’ behaviors such as exploring, pouncing on different things and squeezing into tight spaces are all instinctual. In other words, they are not that weird, that bizarre.
To us, the great interest of this video lies in the large number of action verbs that are used. Here is bellow a non-exhaustive list of some them with their explanation.
to pounce: to move suddenly forwards to catch or attack
to bounce: to jump up and down
to cram / to squeeze into: to force sth or sb into a small space
to stalk: to move slowly and quietly towards sb or sth, in order to catch or kill
to claw: to scratch with claws (nails if human)
to chatter: to make a series of short high sounds. To know more about this special phenomenon, have a look at Leo who talks to birds by making cute chattering noises. See how it is different from purring, which is a more low and continuous sound coming from the throat.
to sharpen: to make things sharper, like the blade of a knife or teeth
to baffle: to confuse sb completely
vantage point (from advantage point): a position that allows a clear view or understanding
to be compelled: to be forced to do sth
to rip things to shred: to cut things into small pieces
to thrive: /ai/to flourish
nap: a short sleep
to heal: to become healthy again
stealthy: when you do things secretly or quietly
to outsmart: to gain an advantage over sb by doing sth clever