For and Against - 08 - 'The younger generation knows best'

Question 1

precede /prɪˈsiːd/ verb [transitive] formal
قبل از, جلوتر بودن از, مقدم بودن, اسبق بودن بر

Answer 1

1 to happen or exist before something or someone, or to come before something else in a series → preceding
- a type of cloud that precedes rain
- Lunch will be preceded by a short speech from the chairman.
- Every new generation is different from the one that preceded it.
2 to go somewhere before someone else
- The guard preceded them down the corridor.

Question 2

assume /əˈsjuːm $ əˈsuːm/ verb [transitive]
فرض

Answer 2

1 to think that something is true, although you do not have definite proof SYN presume
assume (that)
- I didn’t see your car, so I assumed you’d gone out.
- The old always assume that they know best for the simple reason that they have been around a bit longer.
it seems/is reasonable to assume (that)
- It seems reasonable to assume that the book was written around 70 AD.
somebody can safely assume that (=it is almost certain)
- I think we can safely assume that interest rates will go up again soon.
let us/let’s assume (that) (=used when thinking about a possible event or situation and its possible results)
- Let us assume for a moment that we could indeed fire her. Should we?
somebody/something is assumed to be (doing) something
- The rest of the system is assumed to be functioning well.
assume the worst (=think that the worst possible thing has happened)
- When it got to midnight and Paul was still not back, I began to assume the worst.

Question 3

precisely /prɪˈsaɪsli/ adverb
دقیقا

Answer 3

1 exactly and correctly SYN exactly
- Temperature can be measured precisely.
- He arrived at precisely four o’clock.
precisely what/how/where etc
- It is difficult to know precisely how much impact the changes will have.
- What, precisely, does that mean?
- Lathes make wheels, or, more precisely, they make cylindrical objects.
- this is precisely what the young are doing.
2 used to emphasize that a particular thing is completely true or correct
- Women in these jobs are paid less precisely because most of the jobs are held by women rather than men.
- She’s precisely the kind of person we’re looking for.
3 spoken formal used to say that you agree completely with someone
- ‘It needs to be dealt with now.’ ‘Precisely, before it gets any worse.’
Examples from the Corpus

Question 4

assumption /əˈsʌmpʃən/ noun
مفروضات

Answer 4

1 [countable] something that you think is true although you have no definite proof → assume
assumption that
- A lot of people make the assumption that poverty only exists in the Third World.
- My calculations were based on the assumption that house prices would remain steady.
- They are questioning the assumptions of their elders and disturbing their complacency.
assumption about
- People make a lot of assumptions about me.
2 [uncountable] formal when someone starts to have control or power
assumption of
- the assumption of responsibility

Question 5

complacency /kəmˈpleɪsənsi/ noun [uncountable]
از خود راضی بودن

Answer 5

a feeling of satisfaction with a situation or with what you have achieved, so that you stop trying to improve or change things – used to show disapproval
- Doctors have warned against complacency in fighting common diseases.
- Despite yesterday’s win, there is clearly no room for complacency if the team want to stay top of the league.
- They are questioning the assumptions of their elders and disturbing their complacency.

Question 6

conformity /kənˈfɔːməti $ -ɔːr-/ noun [uncountable]
انطباق, مطابقت

Answer 6

1 behavior that obeys the accepted rules of society or a group, and is the same as that of most other people OPP non-conformity
- an emphasis on conformity and control
- What they reject more than anything is conformity.
conformity to
- conformity to social expectations
2 in conformity with something
formal in a way that obeys rules, customs etc
- We must act in conformity with local regulations.

Question 7

drab /dræb/ adjective
یکنواخت و خسته کننده

Answer 7

1 not bright in colour, especially in a way that stops you from feeling cheerful SYN dull
- The walls were painted a drab green.
- Who said that all the men in the world should wear drab grey suits
2 boring SYN dull
- people forced to live grey, drab existences in ugly towns
—drabness noun [uncountable]
→ dribs and drabs

Question 8

convict /ˈkɒnvɪkt $ ˈkɑːn-/ noun [countable]
محکوم

Answer 8

someone who has been proved to be guilty of a crime and sent to prison
an escaped convict

Question 9

conventional /kənˈvenʃənəl/ adjective

Answer 9

1 [only before noun] A conventional method, product, practice etc has been used for a long time and is considered the usual type
- Internet connections through conventional phone lines are fairly slow.
- Bake for 20 minutes in a conventional oven; 8 in a microwave.
► See thesaurus at normal
2 Always following the behaviour and attitudes that most people in a society consider to be normal, right, and socially acceptable so that you seem slightly boring
- a strong believer in conventional morals
conventional in
- He is conventional in his approach to life.
3 → (the) conventional wisdom
the opinion that most people consider to be normal and right, but that is sometimes shown to be wrong
- As traffic grew, the conventional wisdom was to widen the roads.
4 [only before noun] Conventional weapons and wars do not use nuclear explosives or weapons
- conventional forces
5 → Conventional medicine
—conventionally adverb
—conventionality /kənˌvenʃəˈnæləti/ noun [uncountable]