Nouns Flashcards
Congestion
-the state of being crowded and full of traffic
•traffic congestion and pollution
Farce
-a funny play for the theatre based on silly and unlikely situations and events; this type of writing or performance
•a bedroom farce
Courtesy
-polite behaviour that shows respect for other people
-SYNONYM politeness
•I was treated with the utmost courtesy by the staff.
•We asked them, as a matter of courtesy, if we could photograph their house.
•It’s only common courtesy to tell the neighbours that we’ll be having a party (= the sort of behaviour that people would expect).
Remedy c1
-a way of dealing with or improving an unpleasant or difficult situation
-SYNONYM solution
•When the reservoir becomes blocked, the only remedy lies in cleaning the entire system.
-remedy for something
•There is no simple remedy for unemployment.
Strain c1
-pressure on a system or relationship because great demands are being placed on it
•The transport service cannot cope with the strain of so many additional passengers.
-under strain
•Their marriage is under great strain at the moment.
Pamphlet
-very thin book with a paper cover, containing information about a particular subject
-SYNONYM leaflet
•The government provides a pamphlet for all immigrants, outlining their rights.
Inception
-the start of an institution, an organization, etc.
•The club has grown rapidly since its inception in 2007.
Constellation
-a group of stars that forms a shape in the sky and has a name
Courtesy c1
-polite behaviour that shows respect for other people
-SYNONYM politeness
•I was treated with the utmost courtesy by the staff.
•We asked them, as a matter of courtesy, if we could photograph their house.
Cost-effective approach
Recollection
-the ability to remember something; the act of remembering something
-SYNONYM memory
-recollection (of doing something)
•I have no recollection of meeting her before.
Relic
-an object, a tradition, a system, etc. that has survived from the past
-The building stands as the last remaining relic of the town’s cotton industry.
Marauder c2
-a person who goes around a place in search of things to steal or people to attack
•a band/gang of marauders
Focal point
-a thing or person that is the centre of interest or activity
•In rural areas, the school is often the focal point for the local community.
Vocation
-a type of work or way of life that you believe is especially suitable for you
-SYNONYM calling
•Nursing is not just a job—it’s a vocation.
Stimulus pl. Stimuli c1
-something that helps somebody/something to develop better or more quickly
-stimulus for something
•Books provide children with ideas and a stimulus for play.
Longevity
-long life; the fact of lasting a long time
•We wish you both health and longevity.
Scope c1
-the opportunity or ability to do or achieve something
-SYNONYM potential
-scope for something
•There’s still plenty of scope for improvement.
•Her job offers very little scope for promotion.
-scope (for somebody) (to do something)
•The extra money will give us the scope to improve our facilities.
Devotee
-devotee (of somebody/something) a person who admires and is very enthusiastic about somebody/something
•a devotee of science fiction
Compound
-a thing consisting of two or more separate things combined together
•compounds derived from rainforest plants
Foreboding
-a strong feeling that something unpleasant or dangerous is going to happen
•She had a sense of foreboding that the news would be bad.
Moniker
Name
Summit c1
-the highest point of something, especially the top of a mountain
•We reached the summit at noon.
Testament
-testament (to something) a thing that -shows that something else exists or is true
-SYNONYM testimony
•The new model is a testament to the skill and dedication of the workforce.
Cohesion
-the act or state of keeping together
-SYNONYM unity
•the cohesion of the nuclear family
•social/political/economic cohesion
Composure
-the state of being calm and in control of your feelings or behaviour
•to keep/lose/recover/regain your composure
•He maintained his composure despite a desperate desire to laugh.
Reluctance
-the feeling of being unwilling to do something and hesitating before you do it, because you do not want to do it or because you are not sure that it is the right thing to do
-reluctance to do something
•There is still some reluctance on the part of employers to become involved in this project.
Crow
-a large bird, completely or mostly black, with a rough unpleasant call
Coop
-a cage for chickens, etc.
Cockerel
-a young male chicken
Groan
-to make a long deep sound because you are annoyed, upset or in pain, or with pleasure
-SYNONYM moan
•He lays on the floor groaning.
Avail (of little/no)
-of little or no use
•Your ability to argue is of little avail if the facts are wrong.
Commerce
-the activity of making, buying, selling or supplying goods or services for money
•SYNONYM, trade, business
Behaviour
-the way that somebody behaves, especially towards other people
Criticism
-
Emphasis (pl. Emphases)
-special importance that is given to something
-SYNONYM stress
-emphasis on/upon something
•Since the elections there has been a greater emphasis on education.
Merit
-the quality of being good and of deserving praise or reward
-SYNONYM worth
•a work of outstanding artistic merit
-without merit
•The plan is entirely without merit.
Viper
-a small poisonous snake
Revelation
-a fact that people are made aware of, especially one that has been secret and is surprising
-SYNONYM disclosure
-revelation about/concerning something startling/sensational revelations
•about her private life
Reproof
-blame or disapproval
•His words were a mixture of pity and reproof.
Denominator c2
-the number below the line in a fraction showing how many parts the whole is divided into, for example 4 in ¾
Facet
-a particular part or aspect of something
•Now let’s look at another facet of the problem.
Advertisement
-a notice, picture or film telling people about a product, job or service
Expertise
-expert knowledge or skill in a particular subject, activity or job
Variety
-
Tolerance
-
Councellor
-
Opportunity
-
Procedure
-
Downpour
-heavy fall of rain that often starts suddenly
•We got caught in a torrential downpour.
Upturn
-a situation in which something improves or increases over a period of time
-SYNONYM upswing
•an upturn in the economy
Setback c1
-a difficulty or problem that delays or prevents something, or makes a situation worse
•The team suffered a major setback when their best player was injured.
Input (into, to, of)
-time, knowledge, ideas, etc. that you put into work, a project, etc. in order to make it succeed; the act of putting something in
•I’d appreciate your input on this.
Output
-the amount of something that a person, a machine or an organization produces
•Manufacturing output has increased by 8 per cent.
Freshness
-
Behaviour
-
Groundwork
-groundwork (for something) work that is done as preparation for other work that will be done later
•Officials are laying the groundwork for a summit conference of world leaders.
Revelation
-a fact that people are made aware of, especially one that has been secret and is surprising
-SYNONYM disclosure
-revelation about/concerning something startling/sensational •revelations about her private life
revelation that
•He was dismissed after revelations that confidential files were missing.
Overdraft
-the amount of money that you owe to a bank when you have spent more money than is in your bank account; an arrangement that allows you to do this
•She had run up an overdraft of £3 000.
Bankruptcy- Insolvency
-the state of not having enough money to pay what you owe; an occasion when this happens
Allure
-the quality of being attractive and exciting
•the allure of the big city
Racket
-a loud unpleasant noise
-SYNONYM din
•Stop making that terrible racket!
Deceit
-dishonest behaviour that is intended to make somebody believe something that is not true; an example of this behaviour
-SYNONYM deception
•He was accused of lies and deceit.
Dwelling
-a house, flat, etc. where a person lives
•The development will consist of 66 dwellings and a number of offices.
•an application to convert the old barn into a dwelling
Rowdy
-a person who makes a lot of noise or is likely to cause trouble
•rowdies and troublemakers
Starling
-a common bird with dark shiny feathers and a noisy call
•a flock of starlings
Loudmouth
-a person who is annoying because they talk too loudly or too much in an offensive or stupid way
Ethos
-the moral ideas and attitudes that belong to a particular group, society or person
• an ethos of public service
Menace
menace (to somebody/something)
-a person or thing that causes, or may cause, serious damage, harm or danger
-SYNONYM threat
Rogue
-a person who behaves badly, but despite this is quite attractive
• He’s a bit of a rogue, but very charming.
Virtue
-behaviour or attitudes that show high moral standards
Feint
-(especially in sport) a movement that is intended to make your opponent think you are going to do one thing when you are really going to do something else
