List 5 Flashcards
approve
to have a positive feeling towards someone or something that you consider to be good or suitable
- I don’t really approve of children wearing make-up.
- He seemed to approve of my choice.
approval
a positive feeling that you have towards someone or something that you think is good or suitable
- Most of his girlfriends failed to meet with his father’s approval.
official agreement or permission, given by someone in authority
- We sent the design to the planning department for approval.
-
subject to someone’s approval
=needing to be approved by them
- Any recommendations are subject to the approval of shareholders.
approving
showing support for someone or satisfaction with something they have done
- Susan’s joke was greeted with approving laughter.
- an approving smile
associate
to form a connection in your mind between different people or things
- The study found that many people associate science with masculinity.
association
a connection between two things
- Some studies show a strong association between pesticide use and certain diseases.
- Smoking has a close association with lung cancer.
- The town has many happy childhood associations for me.
- The police knew all about his associations with organized crime.
- a professional association of engineers
cite
to mention something as proof for a theory or as a reason why something has happened:
- She cited three reasons why people get into debt.
- She cites both T.S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf in her article. ( to speak or write words taken from a particular writer or written work)
to praise someone in the armed forces publicly because of their brave actions:
- He was cited for bravery.
citation
a word or piece of writing taken from a written work
- All citations are taken from the 2007 edition of the text.
official praise for a person in the armed forces for brave actions:
-The four soldiers are to receive citations from the president for their brave actions.
comparison
EXAMINING DIFFERENCES
the act of comparing two or more people or things:
- They made a comparison of different countries’ eating habits.
- By/In comparison with the French, the British eat far less fish.
comparison
CONSIDERING SIMILARITIES
the fact of considering something similar or of equal quality to something else:
- She drew a comparison between life in the army and life in prison.
- To my mind there’s no comparison between the two restaurants (= one is much better than the other).
- He’s a good writer but he doesn’t bear/stand comparison with Shakespeare (= he is not nearly as good as Shakespeare).
compare
to consider how things or people are similar and how they are different
- The results are then compared to the results of previous studies.
- The research aims to compare and contrast policies in British, American, and Japanese firms.
compare
to say that one thing or person is similar to another
- The band has been compared to the Beatles.
comparative
comparing different things:
- She’s carrying out a comparative study of health in inner cities and rural areas.
a situation that is comfortable, free, silent, etc. when compared to another situation or what is normal:
- I enjoyed the comparative calm of his flat after the busy office.
comparable
comparably
similar in size, amount, or quality to something else:
- The girls are of comparable ages.
- Our prices are comparable to/with those in other shops.
- The two experiences aren’t comparable.
- Comparably priced ticket
comparatively
as compared to something else:
- We couldn’t afford it and yet we’re comparatively well off (= we are richer than most people).
- Comparatively speaking, this machine is easy to use.
ethical
morally right:
- The awards recognize companies, individuals, and nonprofit organizations for ethical behavior.
- ethical practice/trading
ethic
a system of accepted beliefs that control behaviour, especially such a system based on morals:
- The doctor has been accused of violating professional ethics.
- a code of behavior/ethics
implied
if something is implied, it is understood to be true or to exist, although it is not stated directly or in a legal agreement:
- Some judges are of the opinion that there must be an express or implied agreement between the parties before the defense can operate.
implication
an occasion when you seem to suggest something without saying it directly:
- From what she said, the implication was that they were splitting up.
- She accused the party and, by implication, its leader too.
the effect that an action or decision will have on something else in the future:
- The company is cutting back its spending and I wonder what the implications will be for our department.
- What are the implications of the new law?
the fact of suggesting or showing that someone is involved in something illegal or morally wrong
- the government’s implication in illegal arms trading
- the implication of senior officers in the affair
imply
to communicate an idea or feeling without saying it directly:
- Are you implying (that) I’m fat?
- I’m not implying anything about your cooking, but could we eat out tonight?
- I detected an implied criticism of the way he was treated.
to involve something or make it necessary:
- Socialism implies equality.
interfere
to involve yourself in a situation when your involvement is not wanted or is not helpful:
- It’s their problem and I’m not going to interfere.
- I’d never interfere between (US with) a husband and wife.
- Interfering in other people’s relationships is always a mistake.
- Even a little noise interferes with my concentration.
interference
an occasion when someone tries to interfere in a situation:
- She seems to regard any advice or help from me as interference.
- The government’s interference in the strike has been widely criticized.
noise or other electronic signals that stop you from getting good pictures or sound on a television or radio
interfering
An interfering person gets involved in other people’s lives in an unwanted and annoying way:
- He’s an interfering old busybody - who I go out with is none of his business!
observe (watch)
to watch carefully the way something happens or the way someone does something, especially in order to learn more about it:
- The role of scientists is to observe and describe the world, not to try to control it.
- He spent a year in the jungle, observing how deforestation is affecting local tribes.
- Children learn by observing adults.
observe (notice/see)
to notice or see:
- Jack observed a look of anxiety on his brother’s face.
- [ + question word ] The guards failed to observe who delivered the package.
- [ + that ] In all these films one observes that directors are taking a new interest in Native American culture.
- [ + infinitive without to ] A teacher observed her climb over the gate.
observe (obey)
to obey a law, rule, or custom:
- People must observe the law. Nobody should be an exception.
- The old people in the village still observe the local traditions.
- Do you observe Passover?
observation (watching)
the act of observing something or someone:
- close observation of nature/human nature/animal behaviour
- The police are keeping the suspect under observation.
- She was admitted to hospital for observation (= so that doctors could watch her and see if anything was wrong with her).
observation (noticing)
the fact that you notice or see something:
- She has remarkable powers of observation (= is very good at noticing things).
a remark about something that you have noticed:
- The book is full of interesting observations on/about the nature of musical composition.
- May I make an observation?
observable
that can be noticed or seen:
- There’s no observable connection between the two events.
- Large new buildings often have readily observable impacts on wildlife habitats.
readily
quickly, immediately, willingly, or without any problem:
- He readily agreed to help.
- Larger sizes are readily available.
marginally
slightly:
- marginally more expensive
marginal
very small in amount or effect:
- The report suggests that there has only been a marginal improvement in women’s pay over the past few years.
margin
the profit made on a product or service:
- Our increased profits are due to improved margins and successful cost control.
- Using cheap labour increases profit margin.
something that makes a particular thing possible, such as an extra amount of money, time, etc. allowed that makes it possible to deal with an emergency:
- There is not much margin for creativity in a job like this.
- They allow an additional safety margin of five minutes between planes taking off.
- The election was won by the very narrow margin of only 185 votes.
- She won the presidency by a wide margin.
- The president won the election by a razor-thin margin.
a margin for error
A margin for error is the amount by which you can make a mistake without risking complete failure:
- There is no margin for error – it’s got to work the first time.
reactionary
a person who is opposed to political or social change or new ideas:
- Reactionaries are preventing reforms.
restriction
a rule, action, or situation that limits or controls someone or something
- trade/travel/speed/parking restrictions
- restriction on: The county faces restrictions on the use of water for irrigating crops.
- impose/place restrictions (on): The judge had imposed restrictions on the reporting of the case.
- lift/remove restrictions (on): We have been asking the government to lift all restrictions on food shipments.
restrict
to keep something within strict limits
- Travel is a dream of mine, but a busy working life has restricted my opportunities.
- restrict something to something: Doctors have restricted the number of visits to two per day.
to physically limit or control the movement of something or someone
- The drug restricts blood flow.
- New roads and communities restrict the migration of the elk.
restricted
intended only for people who have been given special permission
- The officers were caught photographing in a restricted military zone.
- Access is restricted to the elderly. (only for elderly)
-
substantially
to a large degree:
- The new rules will substantially change how we do things.
generally:
- This model has leather seats, but the two cars are substantially the same.
substantial
large in size, value, or importance:
- The findings show a substantial difference between the opinions of men and women.
- She inherited a substantial fortune from her grandmother.
- The first draft of his novel needed a substantial amount of rewriting.
relating to the main or most important things being considered:
- The committee was in substantial agreement (= agreed about most of the things discussed).
Technical
involving science or industry
- technical experts
- The job requires someone with specialized scientific and technical knowledge.
technical language is difficult to understand for people who do not know a lot about the subject
- The text is interesting and informative, without being too technical.
- a technical term: a technical term in philosophy
relating to the skills needed to do a particular activity, especially in sport or art
- The dancers reached extremely high levels of technical skill and ability.
Technically
according to an exact understanding of rules, facts, etc.:
- Technically, the country’s economic problems are over, but recovery will be slow.
- young people who are technically still children
in a way that relates to the knowledge, machines, or methods used in science and industry:
- technically advanced weapons
variable
something that can change and affect the result of a situation
- All these variables can affect a student’s performance.
vary
to be different in different situations
- vary according to/depending on: Car taxes will now vary according to the amount of carbon dioxide a particular car emits.
- vary with: Fees vary with the size of the job.
- vary considerably/greatly/widely/enormously: People’s reactions to the drug can vary widely.
- vary from… to…: The planning laws vary from town to town.
to change something
- I’m trying to vary the children’s diet a little.
- The software allows you to vary the size of the print.
occur
to happen, especially unexpectedly
- The police said that the accident occurred at about 4.30 pm.
- occur in: Complications occurred in only 5% of patients.
to exist or be found somewhere
- occur in/on etc: This small tree also occurs in central and southern India.
- These are just some of the elements that occur on our planet.
occurrence
something that happens, especially something unexpected and unpleasant
- Unfortunately, computer errors are a common occurrence.
- an increase in the occurrence of skin cancer
precaution
something done to protect people or things against possible harm or trouble
- as a precaution: Residents along the coast were evacuated as a precaution.
- take precautions: Doctors recommend taking precautions to protect your skin from the sun.
- Many people have been stockpiling food as a precaution against shortages.
- They failed to take the necessary precautions to avoid infection.
precautionary
intended to prevent something unpleasant or dangerous from happening:
- The company has withdrawn the drug as a precautionary measure.
- Hospital staff are stressing the tests are purely precautionary and say the chances of anyone catching the disease are a million to one.
- He was taken to hospital for a precautionary examination.
- a precautionary step/measure
procedure
a way of doing something, especially the correct or usual way
- Companies use a variety of testing procedures to select appropriate candidates.
- procedure for: The procedure for doing this is explained fully in Appendix 3.
- follow a procedure: Those ticket holders who followed the proper procedure will receive a full refund.
- standard/proper procedure: Apparently the way we were treated is standard procedure in the department.
a medical operation that is done in a particular way
- It’s a difficult procedure that can take 7 or 8 hours.
procedural
relating to a procedure, especially a legal one
- procedural rules/requirements
publisher
a person or company that manages the development and production of books, magazines, games, software etc and makes them available to the public
- My father was the editor and publisher of a small town newspaper.
- Gameloft is one of the biggest mobile game publishers for iOS and Android.
publish
to make information available to people, especially in a book, magazine, or newspaper, or to produce and sell a book, magazine, or newspaper:
- She’s just had an article published in their weekend supplement.
- The government publishes figures every six months showing how many people are unemployed.
- The names of the winners of the competition will be published in June.
- She was only 19 when her first novel was published.
