Lesson 2 Flashcards
advantage
n.
n. something that may help one to be successful or to gain something
syn. benefit
adv. advantageously
adj. advantageous
Is there any advantage in arriving early? He was advantageously born into a rich family.
COLLOCATIONS
VERBS
have an advantage (also enjoy an advantage formal)
Our parents didn’t have all the advantages that we have.
Western countries enjoyed considerable advantages in terms of technology.
get/gain an advantage
Both teams tried to get an advantage.
give somebody an advantage
His height gives him a big advantage.
work to your advantage (=make you have an advantage – often used when this is unexpected)
Sometimes a lack of experience can work to your advantage.
see the advantage (=understand the advantage)
I can see the advantage of living near the station.
[https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/advantage]
advent
n.
n. the coming or appearance of something
syn. arrival, coming, entrance, appearance
With the advent of computers, many tasks have been made easier.
The orchestra’s latest newsletter announced the advent of the upcoming concert season.
agile
adj.
adj. able to move in a quick and easy way
syn. nimble
adv. agilely
n. agileness
n. agility
Deer are very agile animals.
She moved agilely across the stage.
albeit
conj.
conj. in spite of the facts, regardless of the fact
syn. although
His trip was successful, albeit tiring.
Albeit difficult at times, speaking another language is rewarding.
He accepted the job, albeit with some hesitation
appealing
adj.
adj. attractive or interesting
syn. alluring
v. appeal
n. appeal
adv. appealingly
Working abroad is appealing to many people.
Through his speeches, the candidate appealed to the voters.
find … appealing
* Humour in a woman is an attribute these men find particularly appealing.
*
celebrated
adj. acclaimed; well-known and popular
syn. renowned. famed
The celebrated pianist will be giving a concert this weekend.
San Francisco is celebrated for its multicultural makeup.
circumvent
v. [transitive]
v. to go around; avoid
syn. evade
n. circumvention
The hacker attempted to circumvent the computer’s security system. Circumvention of the freshman math requirement is possible.
1 to avoid a problem or rule that restricts you, especially in a clever or dishonest way – used to show disapproval
* The company opened an account abroad, in order to circumvent the tax laws.
2 to avoid something by changing the direction in which you are travelling
* We went north in order to circumvent the mountains.
collide
v. [intransitive]
v. to hit one object against another with violent force; to be in opposition
syn. crash
n. collision
The collision caused major damage to both cars.
Moon craters were caused when large asteroids collided with the moon.
Register
In everyday English, people usually say run into rather than collide with:
Her car ran into the back of a truck.
2. to disagree strongly with a person or group, especially on a particular subject
collide with
The president has again collided with Congress over his budget plans.
3. if two very different ideas, ways of thinking etc collide, they come together and produce an interesting result
Istanbul, where East and West collide.
contemporary
adj.
adj. modern, up-to-date, or (n.) a person living at the same time as another person syn. current
n. contemporary
Contemporary architecture makes very good use of space.
Cervantes was a contemporary of Shakespeare.
Collocations
Contemporary + Noun
contemporary artists/writers
contemporary art/music/dance
contemporary society
the contemporary world
contemporary life
- happening or done in the same period of time
contemporary with
The wall hangings are thought to be roughly contemporary with the tiled floors.
distribute
v. [transitive]
v. to divide among people or to give out
syn. dispense
n. distribution
Many publishers now distribute their newspapers via the Internet.
The distribution of seeds is very quick with this new machine.
- to share things among a group of people, especially in a planned way SYN give out
distribute something among/to somebody
Clothes and blankets have been distributed among the refugees. - to supply goods to shops and companies so that they can sell them
Milk is distributed to the local shops by Herald’s Dairies. - to spread something over a large area
Make sure the weight of the load is evenly distributed.
4 → be distributed
encourage
v. [transitive]
v. to promote, help, or support syn. stimulate
n. encouragement
n. encourager
adv. encouragingly
adv. encouraging
The government cut taxes in order to encourage spending.
The professor gave each student the encouragement that was needed to learn the material.
- to give someone the courage or confidence to do something OPP discourage
I want to thank everyone who has encouraged and supported me.
encourage somebody to do something
Cooder was encouraged to begin playing the guitar by his father.
encourage somebody in something
Fleur encouraged Dana in her ambition to become a model. - to persuade someone to do something OPP discourage
Cantor didn’t mind if they worked late; in fact, he actively encouraged it.
encourage somebody to do something
A 10p rise in cigarette prices is not enough to encourage smokers to stop.
► see thesaurus at persuade - to make something more likely to exist, happen, or develop
Violent TV programmes encourage anti-social behaviour.
—encouraged adjective [not before noun]
She felt encouraged by the many letters of support.
energetic
adj.
adj. full of life, action, or power
syn. vigorous, dynamic, hyperactive
n. energy
adv. energetically
Sam hasn’t been as energetic as he usually is.
There’s a lot of energy in these batteries.
energetic in doing something
We need to be more energetic in promoting ourselves abroad.
frail
adj. weak in health or in body syn. fragile
n. frailty, infirm
The frail wings of the newborn bird could not lift it off the ground.
One of the frailties of human beings is laziness.
Through committing herself to the frail bird’s recovery, Bloom realized she was feeling better, and watching Penguin become more independent made her want that for herself, too.
heyday
n. [countable usually singular]
n. a high point of success or abundance
syn. pinnacle
Many settlers became rich during the heyday of the California gold rush of the 1800s.
We are living in the heyday of digital communications.
myth
noun [countable, uncountable]
n. an invented story or idea syn. legend
adj. mythological
n. mythology
Throughout history myths were created in an attempt to explain many common natural occurrences.
Mythology is the study of legends and fables.
create a myth
believe a myth
explode/dispel/debunk a myth (=show that it is not true)
Our goal is to debunk the myth that science is boring.
perpetuate a myth (=make it continue)
Let’s stop perpetuating this myth.
a myth grows up (=starts)
A number of myths have grown up about their relationship.
a myth persists (=it continues)
The myth still persists that we need to build more roads.
myth has it that … (=there is a myth that)
Myth had it that Mrs Thatcher only needed four hours sleep a night.
be a complete/total myth
It’s a complete myth that eating carrots helps you to see in the dark.
be a bit of a myth (=be not really true)
The whole story is a bit of a myth.
the myths surrounding something (=relating to something)
the myths surrounding rural life
