Révision 1 anglais Flashcards
(formal) to gradually get into a bad state
[phrasal verb; no passive] to descend into sth.
/dɪˈsend ˈɪntu/
- The country was descending into chaos.*
- Sri Lanka has descended into even greater violence and a more furious civil war*
- I came from a good family, my parents loved me, but they were helpless as I descended into this nightmare.*
to have sb./sth. as parts or members
syn.: ?
to comprise
/kəmˈpraɪz/
syn.: consist of
/kənˈsɪst əv/
to comprise sth. The collection comprises 327 paintings.
MCC’s main committee comprises 18 members.
to be comprised of sb./sth.The committee is comprised of representatives from both the public and private sectors.
The task force is comprised of congressional leaders and cabinet heads.
(formal) a person who supports a political party or set of ideas
syn.: ?
[countable] adherent
/ədˈhɪərənt/
syn.: supporter
/səˈpɔːtə(r)/
- The movement has many enthusiastic adherents.*
- We should not show animosity to adherents of other faiths.*
adherent to sth. Prescriptive grammarians are seen as blind adherents to outdated norms of formal usage.
(of two or more people) to disagree with sb.
[intransitive] to differ
/ˈdɪfə(r)/
The two parties differ on all the major issues.
to differ (with sb.) about/on/over sth. I have to differ with you on that.
to differ (as to sth.) Medical opinion differs as to how to treat the disease.
(finance) the act of giving money to sb. on condition that they pay it back over a period of time and pay interest on it.
[uncountable] lending
/ˈlendɪŋ/
- Lending by banks rose to $10 billion last year.*
- UK mortgage lending fell by a record £2.3bn in April.*
lending to sb. Lending to borrowers with lower credit scores increased sharply during 2005-6.
(specialist) to divide sth. into different parts
[often passive] to segment (sth.)
/seɡˈment/
- Market researchers often segment the population on the basis of age and social class.*
- The worm has a segmented body* (= with different sections joined together).
very unfriendly or aggressive and ready to argue or fight
hostile
/ˈhɒstaɪl/
The speaker got a hostile reception from the audience.
hostile to/towards sb./sth. She was openly hostile towards her parents.
The experience has made him generally hostile to women.
to resist sb.; to not accept bad treatment from sb. without complaining
[phrasal verb] to stand up to sb.
/’stænd ʌp tu/
- It was brave of her to stand up to those bullies.*
- Women are now aware of their rights and are prepared to stand up to their employers.*
- He hit me, so I hit him back–the first time in my life I’d stood up to him.*
the regular way in which sth. happens or is done
[countable] pattern
/ˈpætn/
- changing patterns of behaviour*
- Their actions follow a very predictable pattern.*
- The murders all seem to follow a pattern* (= happen in the same way).
sth. that is difficult to understand or explain; a complicated problem
syn.: ?
[usually singular] puzzle
/ˈpʌzl/
syn.: mystery
/ˈmɪstri/
- They are trying to solve the puzzle of how gravity works.*
- The deeper meaning of the poem remains a puzzle.*
- The detectives were beginning to solve the murder. All the pieces in the puzzle were falling neatly into place.*
(formal) to argue or state earnestly
syn.: ?
[transitive] to contend that…
/kənˈtend/
syn.: to maintain
/meɪnˈteɪn/
- I would contend that the minister’s thinking is flawed on this point.*
- The government contends that he is fundamentalist.*
- ‘You were just looking,’ contends Samantha. ‘I was the one doing all the work.’*
in a way that can convince sb. to do sth. or make them believe sth.
persuasively
/pəˈsweɪsɪvli/
- They argue persuasively in favour of a total ban on handguns.*
- We have good arguments and we can present them persuasively.*
- The public service must find its own ways to persuasively demonstrate progress to internal and external constituencies in each area.*
to vary between two particular amounts, sizes, etc., including others between them
[intransitive] to range
/reɪndʒ/
to range from A to B. Accommodation ranges from tourist class to luxury hotels.
to range in sth. His four daughters range in age from 9 to 15.
to range between A and B. Estimates of the damage range between $1 million and $5 million.
(of a person) believing strongly in a particular religion and obeying its laws and practices
devout
/dɪˈvaʊt/
- a devout Christian/Muslim*
- The devout churchgoer goes to mass every Sunday.*
- Anti-clerical in his youth, he became passionately devout in his later years.*
(prep.; formal) used to show the basis or reason for sth.
syn.: ?
/!: ?
upon
/əˈpɒn/
syn.: on
/ɒn/
/!: Although the word upon has the same meaning as on, it is usually used in more formal contexts or in phrases such as once upon a time.
- The decision was based upon two considerations.*
- Although the word upon has the same meaning as on, it is usually used in more formal contexts or in phrases such as once upon a time and row upon row of seats.*
(formal; of ideas, opinions, etc.) to be accepted, especially after a struggle or an argument
syn.: ?
[intransitive] to prevail
/prɪˈveɪl/
syn.: [intr.] to triumph
/ˈtraɪʌmf/
Fortunately, common sense prevailed.
to prevail over sth. Justice will prevail over tyranny.
to prevail against sth. The wishes of 20 million people ought to prevail against those of 200 thousand.
(esp. in contexts involving tangible description of things) to some extent; not completely
compare: ?
partly
/ˈpɑːtli/
compare: (esp. used to describle a more tangible thing) partially
/ˈpɑːʃəli/
- He was only partly responsible for the accident.*
- Two factors at least partly explain her success.*
- Some people are unwilling to attend the classes partly because of the cost involved.*
all people in the world, thought about as one large group
[uncountable] humankind
/ˌhjuːmənˈkaɪnd/
- These advances should be used for the benefit of all humankind.*
- This could mean a safer future, not just for humankind, but for the planet as a whole.*
- This could provide new clues about the origins of humankind.*
similar to sb./sth. else
comparable
/ˈkɒmpərəbl/
A comparable house in the south of the city would cost twice as much.
comparable to/with sb./sth. The situation in the US is not directly comparable to that in the UK.
Inflation is now at a rate comparable with that in other European countries.
comparable in sth. The two machines are comparable in size.
(idiom.; informal) at risk
(to put sth.) on the line
/ɒn ðə laɪn/
- If we don’t make a profit, my job is on the line.*
- He wouldn’t put his career on the line to help a friend.*
- Police officers put their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe.*
to mention a subject or start to talk about it
syn.: ?
[phrasal verb] to bring (sth.) up
/ˈbrɪŋ ʌp/
syn.: to raise
/reɪz/
- Bring it up at the meeting.*
- Why are you bringing it up now?*
- He brought up a subject rarely raised during the course of this campaign.*
(prep.) before a particular period of time has passed; during a particular period of time
within
/wɪˈðɪn/
- You should receive a reply within seven days.*
- The ambulance arrived within minutes of the call being made.*
- Two elections were held within the space of a year.*
the state of suffering and death caused by having no food
[uncountable] starvation
/stɑːˈveɪʃn/
- to die of/from starvation*
- Millions will face starvation next year as a result of the drought.*
- a starvation diet* (= one in which you do not have much to eat)
- They were on starvation wages* (= extremely low wages).
(adj.) that lasted 10 years
decade-long
/ˈdekeɪd lɒŋ/
- The penalty is the latest battle in a decade-long war between the Commission and Microsoft.*
- This follows on from a decade-long conflict, which has cost 11 000 lives.*
- The great tragedy is that this decade-long saga of corruption and mismanagement is funded by the poor old taxpayers.*
(formal) the action of making sb. do sth. that they do not want to do, using force or threatening to use force
[uncountable] coercion
/kəʊˈɜːʃn/
- He claimed he had only acted under coercion.*
- The army returned to more violent means of coercion.*
- The party dictatorship had terrifying powers of coercion.*
to take control of a place or situation, often suddenly and violently
[transitive] to seize (from sb)
/siːz/
- They seized the airport in a surprise attack.*
- The army has seized control of the country.*
- He seized power in a military coup.*
(of a plant) to grow its parts under the ground; to cause or encourage a plant to grow these parts
to root
/ruːt/
The trees failed to root and so died.
(fig.) Much violence in the world today is rooted in civil conflicts.
When the poor have an economic stake, then civil society and democracy will take root.
a way of acting in or dealing with a particular situation
also: ?
[countable] course
/kɔːs/
also: course of action
/ˌkɔːs əv ˈækʃn/
- The wisest course would be to say nothing.*
- If re-elected, the government would pursue the same course.*
- What course of action would you recommend ?*
- It was the best course of action to take in the circumstances.*
(not used with a negative) to some degree
syn.: ?
(rather informal) syn.: ?
quite
/kwaɪt/
syn.: fairly
/ˈfeəli/
(rather informal) syn.: pretty
/ˈprɪti/
- He plays quite well.*
- I quite enjoyed the film to be honest.*
quite a… He’s quite a good player.
in a way that is certain or that shows that you are certain
definitely
/ˈdefɪnətli/
- The date of the move has not been definitely decided yet* (= it may change).
- Please say definitely whether you will be coming or not.*
- I’m definitely going to get in touch with these people.*
the quality or state of being steady and not changing or being disturbed in any way
opp.: ?
[uncountable] stability
/stəˈbɪləti/
opp.: instability
/ˌɪnstəˈbɪləti/
- political/economic/social stability*
- price stability*
- the stability of the dollar on the world’s money markets*
- The country is now enjoying a period of relative stability and prosperity.*
to give sb. the wrong idea or impression and make them believe sth. that is not true
syn.: ?
[transitive, intr.] to mislead
/ˌmɪsˈliːd/
syn.: to deceive
/dɪˈsiːv/
- They were naive and easily misled.*
- Misleading the court in a trial is a serious offence.*
- Statistics taken on their own are liable to mislead.*
to mislead (sb.) (about sth.) He deliberately misled us about the nature of their relationship.
to mislead sb. into doing sth. The company misled hundreds of people into investing their money unwisely.
to have an image or idea of sth./sb. in your mind
[phrasal verb] to think of sb./sth.
/θɪŋk ɒv/
- When I said that I wasn’t thinking of anyone in particular.*
- I often think of Jane.*
to find out information and facts about a subject or problem by study or research
[transitive] to investigate
/ɪnˈvestɪɡeɪt/
to investigate sth. Scientists are investigating the effects of diet on fighting cancer.
The board will investigate the project’s feasibility.
to investigate how, what, etc… The research investigates how foreign speakers gain fluency.
We also continue to investigate what other new security measures may be appropriate.
(adj.) existing or happening over a large area or among many people
widespread
/ˈwaɪdspred/
- a geographically widespread species*
- The plan received widespread support throughout the country.*
- The use of steroids was widespread in many sports.*
a situation, number or quantity that can vary or be varied
[countable] variable
/ˈveəriəbl/
- Decisions could be made on the basis of price, delivery dates, or any other variable.*
- With so many variables, it is difficult to calculate the cost.*
- The temperature remained constant while pressure was a variable in the experiment.*
a statement, fact, or situation that tells you why sth. happened; a reason given for sth.
[countable, uncount.] explanation
/ˌekspləˈneɪʃn/
The most likely explanation is that his plane was delayed.
explanation for sth. I can’t think of any possible explanation for his absence.
explanation for doing sth. She didn’t give an adequate explanation for being late.
explanation of sth. The book opens with an explanation of why some drugs are banned.
explanation as to why… an explanation as to why he had left early
without explanation. She left the room abruptly without explanation.
to judge the importance, value or effect of sth.
syn.: ?
to measure
/ˈmeʒə(r)/
syn.: to assess
/əˈses/
to measure sth. It is difficult to measure the success of the campaign at this stage.
to measure how, what, etc… We have to measure what we have now and what we do better.
Valéry, a famous name in history, wrote that one can measure how great a civilization is by how it treats its minorities.
(of a person or an organization with authority) to say what should be done or how sth. should be done
(formal) syn.: ?
to prescribe
/prɪˈskraɪb/
(formal) syn.: to stipulate
/ˈstɪpjuleɪt/
to prescribe sth. The prescribed form must be completed and returned to this office.
to prescribe that… Police regulations prescribe that an officer’s number must be clearly visible.
to prescribe which, what, etc… The syllabus prescribes precisely which books should be studied.
to encourage sb. to do sth. or to encourage them to try harder to achieve sth.
to spur
/spɜː(r)/
to spur sb./sth. (on) to sth./to do sth. Her difficult childhood spurred her on to succeed.
My trainer spurred me to keep up a pace of four miles an hour.
to spur sb./sth. into sth. I was spurred into action by the letter.
to spur sb./sth. (on) The band has been spurred on by the success of their last single.
a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest
(officially) also: ?
capital: ?
Syria
/ˈsɪriə/
(officially) also: the Syrian Arab Republic
capital: Damascus
Syria was ranked last on the Global Peace Index from 2016 to 2018, making it the most violent country in the world due to the war.
