| elevator | (American English) a lift |
| apartment | (American English) a flat |
| capacity | the largest number something can hold |
| dim | not bright; poorly lit |
| shudder | shake violently |
| groan | make a deep, painful sound |
| claustrophobic | afraid of being in small, closed spaces |
| suffocating | making one feel unable to breathe |
| stairwell | the vertical space in which a staircase is built |
| echo | a sound heard again as it bounces back |
| timid | shy and easily frightened |
| coward | a person who lacks courage |
| shabby | worn out, in poor condition |
| billow | swell out, like a sail in the wind |
| piggish | like a pig |
| fleshy | plump, with a lot of flesh |
| plump / pudgy | rather fat |
| stare | look fixedly for a long time |
| nervous | anxious, easily worried |
| dismiss | treat as not worth thinking about |
| ridiculous | silly, deserving to be laughed at |
| panic | sudden, uncontrollable fear |
| cast | a hard covering put on a broken limb |
| crutches | supports used under the arms to help someone walk |
| trapped | caught with no way out |
| sinister | suggesting evil or harm |
| menacing | threatening |
| ambiguous | open to more than one meaning |
| suspense | anxious uncertainty about what will happen |
| cliff-hanger | an ending that leaves the reader in suspense |