O Levels Flashcards
Cultivate
- Prepare and use land for crops and gardening
- Develop a quality/ skill
eg. Cultivate my leadership skills
eg. Cultivate others/ self-cultivation
Derogatory
showing a disrespectful, critical attitude
eg. he made a derogatory remark towards the Indian
indispensable
absolutely necessary/ obligatory/ imperative
when someone is indispensable:
things cannot function without them
eg. Volunteering is an indispensable component in ensuring the well-being of the community.
escapade
an act or incident involving excitement, daring, or adventure
eg. enriched my relationships with a circle of dead friends through escapades
perennial problem
everlasting problem
acrid
pungent/ unpleasant smell
eg. a lingering acrid smell is not unfamiliar
Achilles’ Heel
weakness in spite of overall strength
eg. Singaporeans have our strong suits, but our Achilles’ Heel shows when it comes to taming our tempers.
succinctly
in a brief and clear manner
culmination
the climax of something, especially as attained after a long time
eg. Winning first prize was the culmination of years of practice and hard work.
a Herculean task
requiring great strength or effort
see eye to eye
completely agree
eg. Mr. Satish and Mr. Kunal were shown eye to eye on their business partnership.
hand to mouth
To have enough resources just to survive/ stay alive.
eg. a hand-to-mouth existence
disparate
essentially different in kind; not able to be compared
eg. they inhabit disparate worlds of thought
concrete jungle
Is like to describe our environment
eg. I was drawn to the purpose of equipping participants with the ability to survive in a rural jungle, a vastly disparate environment from the concrete jungle i have grown up in.
prime candidate
most suited (is like persuasive)
golden opportunity
exclusive opportunity
__ is the key to success is most endeavours in life
very important
instead of “learn more about myself”
use “form a deeper connection with myself”
existential threat
An event that could cause human extinction or permanently and drastically curtail humanity’s existence or potential is known as an “existential risk.”
eg. Climate change is an existential threat of our times
substantiated
provide evidence to support or prove the truth of
eg. they had found nothing to substantiate the allegations
ethnocentrism
evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating from the standards and customs of one’s own culture
the attitude that one’s own group, ethnicity, or nationality is superior to others.
eg. Yet enquiry into the nature of good governance need not be scuppered by ethnocentrism.
equity
that quality of being fair and impartial
eg. In making these decisions we should be governed by the principle of equity.
segregationist
Someone who believes that people of different races shouldn’t live, work, or go to school together is a segregationist
eg. As the laws about racial segregation have changed, it’s become less and less socially acceptable to openly be a segregationist
de facto
being such in effect though not formally recognized. a de facto state of war
eg. Although his title was prime minister, he was de facto president of the country
depicts
: to show (someone or something) in a picture, painting, photograph, etc.
The photograph depicts the two brothers standing in front of a store.
instead of “show”
illustrates, depicts, highlights, emphasises, describes
instead of “for example”
- for instance
- to illustrate
- suppose that
- to give you an idea
- let’s say
- in particular
- case in point
case in point
example
eg. the ‘green revolution’ in agriculture is a good case in point
cortisol level increase
stress increase
copious
abundant
eg. copious amounts of homework
consensus
a general agreement
eg. that general consensus here is that sports ccas are much more bonded than non-sport ones
Granted/ Admittedly
You use granted to say that you accept that something is true, often before you adding contrasting information.
eg. Granted, he did fail that one test, but I think there were good reasons for that.
Granted, what you’re saying could have worked, but that doesn’t mean it did.
food for thought
something that warrants serious consideration.
instead of “however”
use
- nonetheless
- nevertheless
- yet
- even so
- although
- anyhow
- regardless
- despite that
- in spite of that
technophile
someone that is enthusiastic about new technology
render assistance
eg. He saw the police car headed up the hill towards it, and he thought to render assistance.
fall through the cracks
be overlooked
eg. Little details often fall through the cracks.
fall between two stools
eg. trying to be both teacher and parent, she fell between two stools.
instead of building/developing/growing,
use fostering
eg. fostering a kinder, more inclusive environment
Technology quote
“We are all connected by the internet, like neurons in a giant brain”
- Stephen Hawking
Will quote
“You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche
education quote
“One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.”
- Malala Yousafzai
