Ben C1 Flashcards 2
fondly
with affection
“I fondly remember my time at school. Especially breaktime, lunchtime and home time!”
willingly
deliberately, gladly (of one’s free will)
“Many people willingly give their time and money in order to help others who are in need.”
shirk
avoid or neglect (usually responsibilities/duties)
“If the president were to shirk his responsibilities, it would have serious consequences internationally.”
hinder
to make something difficult
to obstruct/be an obstacle to
“Nierves can help you to focus your studies and prepare effectively. However, excessive nerves can hinder your performance on exam day.”
dread
to fear/worry about something that is going to happen
“I’m dreading the Speaking part of the exam, but I’ve prepared well so should be ok.”
thrive
to grow/develop strongly.
to flourish. be successful.
“Although many businesses struggled during the pandemic, others thrived and are now in an even better situation than before.”
crave
to have a strong desire for something
“Many social media users crave the attention of others so they post silly videos to get more views.”
cherish
to feel great affection for
to hold dear
“I cherish the memories of my childhood summer holidays in England with my family:”
ramp up
to increase the amount / extent / intensity of something.
“The local council is ramping up efforts to reduce traffic congestion in the city centre.”
clamp down on
to take strong action to stop or limit an activity/behaviour
“The examination board is clamping down on cheating..”
“Schools must clamp down on mobile phone use in classes.”
stem from
to be caused by
to originate from
“Many issues in later life stem from some kind of childhood trauma.”
iron out
to resolve difficulties or problems.
“Before we move forward with the project, we need to iron out the issues with the catering service: I prefer chocolate biscuits to plain!”
weigh in
to give one’s opinion during an argument / discussion
“You both make excellent points but, if you don’t mind me weighing in. I think you’re both wrong.”
turn out
to prove to be / to have a particular (unexpected) result
“I was sure I would struggle with the speaking paper, but it turned out to be my best part of the exam.”
come across
to appear to be a certain way.
to give a particular impression.
“Sometimes, my uncle comes across as a bit grumpy, but actually he’s very cheerful and friendly.”
clam up
to be unable to speak due to being nervous or embarrassed.
“I’m worried that I’ll calm up in the speaking paper of the exam, but my teacher told me to take deep breaths and stay focused.”
knuckle down
to start working or studying hard/seriously.
“You need to knuckle down and revise the grammar. Your exam is in just two weeks!”
crop up
to appear/occur unexpectedly
“I always plan to study in the evenings but something inevitably corps up and distracts me.”
narrow down
to reduce the number of options or possibilities (often in a list)
“It’s almost impossible to decide with so many options on the table. Let’s narrow them down to our top 3 biscuits!”
factor in
to take into account (especially in calculations)
“When deciding which holiday destination we can afford, we need to factor in insurance costs… and suntan lotion.”
splash out
to spend a lot of money on something extravagant.
“Sometimes, I feel like really splashing out and buying myself a huge ultra HD flat-screen TV to watch soap operas.”
fork out
to spend a lot of money on something reluctantly/unwillingly
“Every winter, I have to fork out on a new pair of slippers because I can’t find my old ones. I suspect Amy eats them.”
gloss over
to treat a problem, error or embarrassing situation with less importance than it deserves
“In the meeting, my boss glossed over the poor results this quarter and instead spoke for half an hour about the renovations to the canteen.”
dwell on
to spend too much thinking or talking about something negative.
“You mustn’t dwell on the fact that you didn’t get the job. Keep trying and I’m sure you’ll be successful soon!”
wanderlust
a strong desire to travel
“my wanderlust is always with me and I have to get on a plane to travel abroad every few months.”
