Nouns Flashcards
Flamboyance (2 meanings)
the quality of being very confident in your behaviour, and liking to be noticed by other people, for example because of the way you dress or talk (feltűnőség)
Her flamboyance annoys some people but delights others.
the quality of being very noticeable in style, colour, etc. (pompa)
This classic Spanish revival building is unique in its elegance and flamboyance.
Decree
formal an official statement that something must happen (rendelet)
Synonyms: edict (formal), fiat(formal), order
More than 200 people were freed by military decree.
Compound (combination)
a chemical that combines two or more elements
Salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.
Ado
a lot of activity, worry, or excitement that is unnecessary or greater than the situation deserves
Synonym: fuss
Most state flags were adopted with little ado many years ago.
Without ado, it became the most widely used system in the world.
Occupant
formal a person who lives or works in a room or building
The previous occupants were an Italian family.
formal a person who is in a car, room, seat, place, or position
One of the occupants of the car was slightly injured.
upturn
(especially in economics) an improvement or a change to a higher level or value
There are fears that higher borrowing rates will threaten the economic upturn.
outfall
the place where water or liquid waste comes out of a pipe
Damaged and blocked outfalls will cause surface water problems.
outbreak
a time when something suddenly begins, especially a disease or something else dangerous or unpleasant
an outbreak of cholera/food poisoning/rioting/war
downfall
(something that causes) the usually sudden destruction of a person, organization, or government and their loss of power, money, or health
Rampant corruption brought about the downfall of the government.
downturn
a reduction in the amount or success of something, such as a country’s economic activity
There is evidence of a downturn in the housing market.
kinship
the relationship between members of the same family
Different ethnic groups have different systems of kinship.
ambience
the character of a place or the quality it seems to have
Despite being a busy city, Dublin has the ambience of a country town.
prospect (POSSIBILITY) (2 meanings)
Collocations:
prospect of
every prospect of
the possibility that something good might happen in the future
Is there any prospect of the weather improving?
[ + that ] There’s not much prospect that this war will be over soon.
There’s every prospect of success.
the idea of something that will or might happen in the future
The prospect of spending three whole days with her fills me with horror.
I’m very excited at the prospect of seeing her again.
despair
Collocations:
mood/sense of despair
in (the depth of)despair over/about
to someone’s despair
drive someone to despair
the feeling that there is no hope and that you can do nothing to improve a difficult or worrying situation
mood/sense of despair Hope began to fade, leaving a mood/sense of despair.
They’re in (the depths of) despair over/about the money they’ve lost.
to someone’s despair To her teacher’s despair, Nicole never does the work that she’s told to do.
drive someone to despair Their fourth year without rain drove many farmers to despair.
setting (POSITION)
the position of a house or other building
Their house is in an idyllic country setting.
row (ARGUMENT)
collocations:
have rows
rows over
rows between
a noisy argument or fight
My parents often have rows, but my dad does most of the shouting.
What was a political row over government policy on Europe is fast becoming a diplomatic row between France and Britain.
row (NOISE)
loud noise
I can’t concentrate because of the row the builders are making.
anticipation
Collocation: in eager anticipation
a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen in the near future
As with most pleasures, it’s not so much the experience itself as the anticipation that is enjoyable.
The postponement of the film’s sequel has held cinemagoers in eager anticipation for several months.
the sack
collocations:
give someone the sack for something
get the sack for something
a situation in which someone is removed from their job
give someone the sack for something They gave him the sack for being late.
get the sack for something Two workers got the sack for fighting in the warehouse.
brink
Collocations:
on the brink of sth.
to the brink of sth.
the point where a new or different situation is about to begin
on the brink of Scientists are on the brink of a major new discovery.
to the brink of Extreme stress had driven him to the brink of a nervous breakdown.
burden (2 meanings)
Collocation:
heavy burden
heavy burden
burden to someone
burden on someone
financial burden
a heavy load that you carry
heavy burden The little donkey struggled under its heavy burden
something difficult or unpleasant that you have to deal with or worry about
heavy burden I’m afraid this role may have become too much of a heavy burden for you.
burden to My elderly mother worries that she’s a burden to me.
burden on We need to avoid putting a burden on taxpayers with this project.
financial burden Buying a house often places a large financial burden on young couples.
aisle
a long, narrow space between rows of seats in an aircraft, cinema, or church
Would you like an aisle seat or would you prefer to be by the window?
mane
sörény
The horse tossed its mane and neighed.
lifetime
Collocation:
once-in-a-lifetime
the period of time during which someone lives or something exists
Enter our competition and this once-in-a-lifetime experience could be yours!
eye-opener
something that surprises you and teaches you new facts about life, people, etc.
Living in another country can be a real eye-opener.
spark (FIRE/ELECTRICITY)
a very small piece of fire that flies out from something that is burning, or one that is made by rubbing two hard things together, or a flash of light made by electricity (szikra)
You can start a fire by rubbing two dry pieces of wood together until you produce a spark.
spark (CAUSE)
a first small event or problem that causes a much worse situation to develop
That small incident was the spark that set off the street riots.
apprehension
worry about the future, or a fear that something unpleasant is going to happen
