Aa Flashcards
abandon
The village had been hastily abandoned.
The car was found abandoned in a nearby town.
The government does not propose to abandon the project altogether.
This principle has now been effectively abandoned.
Traditional policies were simply abandoned.
The plans for reform were quietly abandoned.
He abandoned the army for politics.
She abandoned teaching career in favor of sport.
abashed
He glanced at Juliet accusingly and she looked suitably abashed.
abbreviation
The abbreviation PC stands for ‘personal computer’.
A/C is the standard abbreviation for ‘account’.
Ad lib is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase ‘ad libitum’.
abhorrent
I find the idea totally abhorrent.
Such a savage punishment is abhorrent to a civilized society.
ability
Discovering the natural abilities of each child.
Both players demonstrated theri ability to hit the ball hard.
I seem to have lost my ability to attract clients.
Fox’s abilities were soon recognized.
We will keep you informed to the best of our ability.
The school does nothing for children of high ability.
It is much more difficult to teach a mixed-ability class.
There was a high level of ability among the school leavers.
I taught a wide range of abilities
ablaze
Truck after truck was set ablaze as the fire spread.
By the time firefighters were called the house was well ablaze.
able
He is well able to take care of himself.
Once you’ve had some sleep you’ll feel better able to cope.
I was just able to make out a dark figure in the distance.
She seems very able.
abode
Welcome to my humble abode.
I had been invited to take up my abode at Government House.
An 18-year-old man of no fixed abode appeared at Teesside magistrates court yesterday.
abolish
Some MPs want to abolish the tax altogether.
Foreign exchange controls were largely aboloshed.
abortion
When she got pregnant at 16 she decided to have an abortion.
Some nurses wanted the right to refuse to perfomr abortions.
the country’s strict abortion laws
He carried out an abortion on a fifteen-year-old girl.
Women’s groups are calling for free contraception and abortion on demand.
abscess
I developed an abscess on my neck.
Once an abscess has burst, it should be bathed with antiseptic liquid.
absence
You will not be paid for the full period of absence.
My father did all the cooking in my mother’s absence.
When it came to clearing up afterwards, Anne was conspicuous by her absence.
He asked for leave of absence from the army.
a conspicuous absence of evidence
In the absence of stone, most houses in the are are built of wood.
absent
Local people were conspicuously absent from the meeting.
He played with an abandon that was strangely absent from his performance last week.
He was absent from work for two weeks.
absorb
Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream.
These committees were gradually absorbed into the local government machine.
The information is presented so that it can be readily absorbed.
His work absorbed him completely.
absorbed
A jigsaw can keep me absorbed for hours.
He was totally absorbed in his book.
abstract
purely abstract drawing
absurd
She found the whole concept faintly absurd.
His sense of the absurd kept him from becoming too solemn.
abundance
We were amazed by the sheer abundance of food.
The country has an abundance of natural resources.
Exotic plants grew there in great abundance.
abuse
The legal system is open to abuse.
victims of child abuse
allegations of human rights abuses
six cases of suspected child abuse
She was subjected to regular sexual abuse.
The child had taken a lot of emotional abuse.
He was subjected to a torrent of abuse.
They had to endure continual racial abuse.
Abuse and scorn were heaped on the proposals.
The team who lost became a target of abuse for angry fans.
Calling someone stupid is definitely a term of abuse.
abuse
All the children had been physically and emotionally abused.
abusive
He became openly abusive.
academic
The distinction being made is purely academic.
academy
He later studied at the Royal Academy.
accelerate
The runners accelerated smoothly round the bend.
The car purred into life and accelerated away.
The Aids epidemic is accelerating dramatically.
acceleration
There has been a rapid acceleration in the growth of industry.
This model has the best acceleration of any available sports car.
accelerator
She put her foot on the accelerator and we sped through the traffic lights.
accent
She had a pronounced Scottish accent.
Her French was excellent, without a trace of an accent.
She put on a posh accent when she answered the phone.
He lost his northern accent after moving south.
She spoke in a broad Midlands accent.
accept
She graciously accepted my apology.
I am unfortunately unable to accept your kind invitation.
I accepted the gift from my sister.
Some people readily accept that they may have to pay for medical treatment.
The university cannot accept responsibility for items lost or stolen on its premises.
It is generally accepted that people are motivated by success.
