Personal development Flashcards
At or in a former time; in the past
Formerly /ˈfɔː(r)mə(r)li/
ADVERB
Informal noun for a place where you can buy and eat food.
Eatery /ˈiːtəri/
eateries
To suddenly start sleeping, usually when you are very tired
Crash out
I crashed out around ten in front of the TV.
When you ——- an activity or task, you organize it and carry it out.
Conduct /kənˈdʌkt/
VERB
-According to recent research conducted by the Open University in the UK…
conducting - past tense, past participle conducted
In a better situation
Better off
ADJECTIVE
-Because of his asthma, he would be better off in a different climate
Intolerable, unbearable
Can’t stand
Difficult to use, do, or deal with.
Difficult, Hard, complicated, complex.
Awkward
/ˈɑː.kwɚd/
Adjective
-Some of the questions were rather awkward.
-It was an awkward ascent, but we reached the top eventually.
-He’s an awkward customer (= a difficult person to deal with).
If you —- - —- – someone, you make them seem silly by telling people about something stupid that they have done, or by tricking them.
Make a fool of
-He’d been made a fool of.
-He was drinking and making a fool of himself.
A socially embarrassing action or mistake.
Faux pas
/foʊ pɑː/
-It was not long before I realised the enormity of my faux pas.
When something —— – or when you —– it –, it moves or travels faster.
Speed up
-I had already taken steps to speed up a solution to the problem.
-With life speeding up
Something that is ———– makes you feel shy or ashamed.
Embarrassing
/ɪmˈber.ə.sɪŋ/
Adjective
-That was an embarrassing situation for me.
-My most embarrassing moment was trying to introduce a woman whose name I couldn’t remember.
A person who is embarrassed feels shy, ashamed, or guilty about something.
-I was too embarrassed to admit that I was scared.
-He was ashamed that he had been caught stealing.
Easily annoyed and complaining.
Grumpy
/ˈɡrʌm.pi/
Adjective
-I hadn’t had enough sleep and was feeling kind of grumpy.
-a grumpy old man
If you ——- someone, you hear what they are saying when they are not talking to you and they do not know that you are listening.
Overhear
/ˌoʊ.vɚˈhɪr/
Verb
overhears, overhearing, past tense, past participle overheard
If you have something – —- ——–, you are able to use it whenever you want, and for whatever purpose you want. If you say that you are – ——— ——–, you mean that you are willing to help them in any way you can.
At one’s disposal
-Do you have this information at your disposal?.
-He has said he will use all the weapons at his disposal.
If you tell someone that they can —- ——– about something, you mean that they can feel confident that it is true or that it will happen:
Rest assured
/rɛst əˈʃʊrd/
-You can rest assured that I shall be there as promised.
-Rest assured, things are not as bad as they seem. /ju kæn rɛst əˈʃʊrd ðæt aɪ ʃæl bi ðɛr æz ˈprɑməst.
/
Happy and not serious.
light-hearted
//ˌlaɪtˈhɑːr.t̬ɪd//
Adjective
-It was a fairly light-hearted discussion.
If you feel ————-, you feel weak and as if you are going to lose your balance.
Light-headed
/ˌlaɪtˈhed.ɪd/
Adjective
-She’d had a couple of glasses of champagne and was starting to feel light-headed.
To finish something in an enjoyable or successful way
top something off
-The evening was topped off by a special showing of the museum’s new Degas exhibit.
If someone —- ——— at something you say or do, they feel upset, often unnecessarily, because they think you are being rude to them.
take offense
Doing something in an unplanned or unwanted way.
Unintentionally
/ˌʌn.ɪnˈten.ʃən.əl.i/
Adverb
To be extremely bad or unpleasant, awful, scandalous.
Stink
/stɪŋk/
Verb
-I think her whole attitude stinks.
-His acting stinks but he looks good
Stank - stunk
Existing or happening over a large area or among many people
Widespread
/ˈwaɪdspred/
Adjective
-There is widespread dissatisfaction with the teacher.
-There seems to be a widespread belief that living standards are rising.
Moving or doing things in a way that is not smooth or steady or careful
Clumsy
/ˈklʌmzi/
Adjective
-I spilt your coffee. Sorry, that was clumsy of me.
-His clumsy fingers couldn’t untie the knot.
To feel very embarrassed and uncomfortable about something.
To move back and/or away from somebody because you are afraid.
Cringe
/krɪndʒ/
verb
-I cringe when I think of the poems I wrote then.
-She felt herself cringe with embarrassment at the memory.
To resist somebody; to not accept bad treatment from somebody without complaining.
stand up to somebody
/stænd/ - stood
-Nobody thought he would be brave enough to stand up to her.
Someone who reports dishonest or illegal activities within an organization to someone in authority.
whistle-blower
/ˈwɪsl bləʊər/
Noun
-A whistle-blower might be fired from their job due to releasing sensitive information to public.
A person with ideas that other people find strange.
crank
/kræŋk/
noun
-Having different ideas doesn’t mean people will automatically call you a crank.
Having a lot of money and a good standard of living
affluent
/ˈæfluənt/
adjective
-Affluent Western countries.
-A very affluent neighbourhood.
To appear or happen, especially when it is not expected.
**crop up **
phrasal verb
-His name just cropped up in conversation.
Somebody: To encourage somebody to do something; to make somebody feel they must do something.
Something: To try to cause arguments or problems.
**stir up **
phrasal verb
-Whenever he’s around, he always manages to stir up trouble.
-We’ve got enough problems without you trying to stir things up.
To become more powerful or effective; to make somebody/something more powerful or effective.
strengthen
/ˈstreŋkθn/ - strengthened
verb
-The exercises are designed to strengthen your stomach muscles.
-Repairs are necessary to strengthen the bridge.
To be fully understood or realised
sink in
-He paused to allow his words to sink in.
-The full scale of the disaster has yet to sink in.
To annoy somebody, especially by asking them something many times
pester
/ˈpestə(r)/
verb
-He has been pestering her with phone calls for over a week.
-The kids kept pestering me to read to them.
Extreme happiness.
bliss
/blɪs/
noun
-My idea of bliss is a month in the Bahamas.
-Swimming on a hot day is sheer bliss.
In the direction of somebody/something
towards
/təˈwɔːdz/
preposition
-They were heading towards the German border.
