CELPIP VOCAB Flashcards
Persuade
to make someone decide to do something, especially by giving them reasons why they should do it, or asking them many times to do it.
Ex: I finally managed to persuade her to go out for a drink with me.
Infer
to form an opinion that something is probably true because of information that you have.
infer something from something
A lot can be inferred from these statistics.
infer that
From the evidence, we can infer that the victim knew her killer.
Elaborate
having a lot of small parts or details put together in a complicated way
SYN intricate
THESAURUS COMPLICATED
pure silks embroidered with elaborate patterns
———
2 carefully planned and organized in great detail
SYN complex
a very elaborate telecommunications network
Assess
to make a judgment about a person or situation after thinking carefully about it
SYN judge
assess the impact/extent/effectiveness etc of something
a report to assess the impact of advertising on children
——-
to calculate the value or cost of something
be assessed at something
The value of the business was assessed at £1.25 million
Gist
the gist the main idea and meaning of what someone has said or written
gist of
The gist of his argument is that full employment is impossible.
Don’t worry about all the details as long as you get the gist (=understand the main meaning) of it.
Coherence
when something such as a piece of writing is easy to understand because its parts are connected in a clear and reasonable way
An overall theme will help to give your essay coherence.
He had a coherence of outlook and thought.
——-
if a group has coherence, its members are connected or united because they share common aims, qualities, or beliefs
A common religion ensures the coherence of the tribe
Gloomy
1 making you feel that things will not improve
SYN depressing
OPP bright
The report paints a gloomy picture of the economy.
——-
2 sad because you think the situation will not improve
SYN depressed
OPP cheerful
THESAURUS SAD
Anne dismissed these gloomy thoughts from her mind.
furious
1 very angry
THESAURUS ANGRY
furious at/about
Residents in the area are furious at the decision.
furious with
She was furious with herself for letting things get out of hand.
furious that
Her family are furious that her name has been published by the press.
She was absolutely furious.
ecstatic
feeling extremely happy and excited
THESAURUS HAPPY
an ecstatic welcome from the thousands who lined the streets
indifferent
1 not at all interested in someone or something
indifferent to
Sarah was absolutely indifferent to him, and it hurt.
———-
2 not particularly good
SYN mediocre
an indifferent cook
bashful
easily embarrassed in social situations
SYN shy
THESAURUS SHY1
a bashful grin
Don’t be bashful about telling people how you feel.
grin
to smile widely
grin at
She grinned at me, her eyes sparkling.
grin broadly/widely
He walked out of the pool, grinning widely.
grin like
He was grinning like an idiot (=grinning in a silly way).
grin from ear to ear (=grin very widely)
sympathetic
caring and feeling sorry about someone’s problems
THESAURUS KIND2
a sympathetic friend
a sympathetic attitude
sympathetic to/towards
I’m sympathetic to parents who are worried about what their children see on television.
We hope always to provide a friendly sympathetic ear (=someone willing to listen to someone else’s problems).
horrify
to make someone feel very shocked and upset or afraid
Henry was horrified by what had happened.
horrified to see/hear/find etc
She was horrified to discover that he loved Rose.
diagnosis
the process of discovering exactly what is wrong with someone or something, by examining them closely → prognosis
diagnosis of
diagnosis of kidney disease
An exact diagnosis can only be made by obtaining a blood sample.
botany
1 : a branch of biology dealing with plant life
2 a : plant life
b : the properties and life phenomena exhibited by a plant, plant type, or plant group
3 : a botanical treatise or study
especially : a particular system of botany
deplete
to reduce the amount of something that is present or available
Salmon populations have been severely depleted.
GRAMMAR:
Deplete is often passive in this meaning.
fauna
animal life
especially : the animals characteristic of a region, period, or special environment
//the diverse fauna of the island
immense
extremely large
SYN enormous
People who travel by rail still read an immense amount.
Regular visits from a social worker can be of immense value to old people living alone.
blast
1 a : a violent gust of wind
//a cold blast of air
b : the effect or accompaniment (such as sleet) of such a gust
//a blast of freezing rain
2 : the sound produced by an impulsion of air through a wind instrument or whistle
//the blast of the shofar on Rosh Hashanah
//the trumpet’s blast
thriving
a thriving company, business etc is very successful
SYN flourishing
THESAURUS SUCCESSFUL
a thriving tourist industry
Charming
very pleasing or attractive
THESAURUS NICE
a charming little Italian restaurant
Harry can be very charming.
sober
1 not drunk
He’s a nice guy when he’s sober.
2 serious, and thinking or making you think carefully about things
a sober hard-working young man
a sober reminder of the difficulties we face