Text editing Exercise - Singligh slang in Singapore Flashcards
smorgasbord
Type of word: Noun
Meaning: A wide variety or assortment of different dishes, foods, or items presented together, often as a buffet-style meal; a selection of diverse options.
Chinese Meaning: 自助餐，大杂烩
Antonym(s): Limited selection
Synonym(s): Buffet, assortment, variety
Sample sentence: The holiday feast featured a smorgasbord of dishes from various cuisines, satisfying everyone’s different tastes and preferences.
little wonder
Type of word: Idiomatic expression
Meaning: A phrase used to express that something is not surprising or unexpected given the circumstances; a situation or outcome that can be easily understood or explained.
Chinese Meaning: 不足为奇，难怪
Antonym(s): Big surprise
Synonym(s): Not surprising, unsurprising
Sample sentence: With her dedication and hard work, it’s little wonder that she achieved such remarkable success in her career.
conflates
Type of word: Verb
Meaning: To combine or blend two or more things, ideas, concepts, or meanings into a single entity, often resulting in confusion or misinterpretation; to mix together elements that should be kept distinct.
Chinese Meaning: 混淆，合并
Antonym(s): Differentiate, separate
Synonym(s): Blend, merge, amalgamate
Sample sentence: The article unintentionally conflated two unrelated studies, leading to a misrepresentation of the research findings.
peculiar
Type of word: Adjective
Meaning:
- Strange, unusual, or odd in a way that is distinctive or uncommon.
- Specific to a particular person, group, place, or situation; characteristic of a particular individual or thing.
Chinese Meaning:
- 奇怪的，古怪的
- 特有的，独特的
Antonym(s): Typical, ordinary
Synonym(s): Unusual, strange, distinct
Sample sentence:
- The old house had a peculiar smell that was a mix of dampness and nostalgia.
- The peculiar markings on the butterfly’s wings made it easy to identify within its species.
predominant
Type of word: Adjective
Meaning: Having the highest degree of influence, importance, or control within a certain context; being the most common, widespread, or prevalent.
Chinese Meaning: 占主导地位的，占优势的
Antonym(s): Subordinate, secondary
Synonym(s): Dominant, prevailing, primary
Sample sentence: In the coastal regions, fishing is the predominant industry, shaping the local economy and way of life.
academics
Type of word: Noun
Meaning:
- The field of study and research concerned with educational institutions, scholarly activities, and the pursuit of knowledge.
- The academic community or environment, including educators, researchers, students, and institutions.
Chinese Meaning:
- 学术，学术领域
- 学术界，学术环境
Antonym(s): Non-academic, non-scholarly
Synonym(s): Scholarship, learning, education
Sample sentence: The conference brought together academics from various disciplines to discuss the latest research and trends in their fields.
pidgin
Type of word: Noun
Meaning: A simplified language that develops as a means of communication between groups of people who do not share a common language; often characterized by a mixture of vocabulary and grammar from different languages.
Chinese Meaning: 洋泾浜话，洋涌浜话
Antonym(s): Standard language, fluent language
Synonym(s): Creole, jargon, vernacular
Sample sentence: The sailors used a pidgin language to trade and communicate with local merchants in the port city.
creole
Type of word: Noun
Meaning:
- A stable natural language that has developed from a combination of different languages, often due to historical contact between diverse linguistic groups.
- A person of mixed European and African descent, especially in the Caribbean.
Chinese Meaning:
- 混合语言，克里奥尔语
- 混血儿，克里奥尔人
Antonym(s): Standard language, native language
Synonym(s): Pidgin, vernacular, dialect
Sample sentence:
- Haitian Creole is a creole language that developed from French and African languages and is spoken in Haiti.
- She is a creole, with ancestry tracing back to both European and African roots.
jargon
Type of word: Noun
Meaning: Specialized or technical language that is used by a particular profession, group, or field and is often difficult for those outside that group to understand; terminology or vocabulary that is not easily comprehensible to the general population.
Chinese Meaning: 行业术语，行话
Antonym(s): Plain language, common language
Synonym(s): Lingo, terminology, slang
Sample sentence: The article was full of medical jargon that made it hard for the average reader to grasp the concepts being discussed.
comprehend
Type of word: Verb
Meaning:
- To understand or grasp the meaning, significance, or nature of something; to mentally grasp or make sense of information or concepts.
- To include or encompass something within one’s understanding.
Chinese Meaning: 理解，领会
Antonym(s): Misunderstand, confuse
Synonym(s): Understand, grasp, apprehend
Sample sentence: It took her a while to comprehend the complex scientific theories, but with diligent study, she finally gained a clear understanding.
tertiary
Type of word: Adjective
Meaning:
- Third in order, rank, or level.
- Relating to or characteristic of higher education beyond secondary or primary levels, typically referring to universities, colleges, and vocational institutions.
Chinese Meaning:
- 第三的，第三阶段的
- 高等教育的，大学的
Antonym(s): Primary, secondary
Synonym(s): Third, higher-level
Sample sentence: After completing secondary education, she decided to pursue a tertiary degree in computer science at a renowned university.
tertiary institutions
Type of word: Noun phrase
Meaning:
Educational institutions that offer higher education beyond secondary schooling, typically including universities, colleges, vocational schools, and technical institutes; institutions that provide advanced learning and specialized training.
Chinese Meaning:
高等教育机构，大学，学院
Antonym(s): Secondary schools, primary schools
Synonym(s): Higher education institutions, colleges, universities
Sample sentence: Tertiary institutions play a crucial role in preparing students for specialized careers and providing opportunities for advanced academic studies.
augmenting
Type of word: Verb
Meaning:
To increase, enhance, or enlarge something in size, quantity, or degree; to make something greater or more substantial.
Chinese Meaning: 增加，增强
Antonym(s): Decreasing, reducing
Synonym(s): Increasing, expanding, enhancing
Sample sentence: The company is considering hiring additional staff to assist in augmenting its production capacity to meet growing demand.
fuss
Type of word: Noun or Verb
Meaning:
As a noun:
1. Unnecessary or excessive excitement, activity, or attention over something relatively minor or unimportant.
2. A state of agitation or worry.
As a verb:
1. To make a big deal out of something trivial; to show unnecessary concern or excitement.
2. To bother or make a commotion about something.
Chinese Meaning:
As a noun:
1. 小题大做，过分关注
2. 焦虑，忧虑
As a verb:
1. 大惊小怪，过分关心
2. 打扰，闹事
Antonym(s): Indifference, nonchalance
Synonym(s): Commotion, commotion, agitation
Sample sentence:
As a noun:
1. There’s no need to make a fuss about a minor mistake; it’s easily fixable.
2. She was in a fuss because she couldn’t find her keys.
As a verb:
1. Don’t fuss over the decorations too much; they look great as they are.
2. The children were fussing in the back seat during the long car ride.
what all the fuss is about
Type of word: Idiomatic expression
Meaning: A phrase used to express confusion or skepticism about the significance or importance of a situation, event, or topic that is causing a lot of excitement, attention, or concern.
Chinese Meaning: 不知道是怎么回事，为什么这么大惊小怪
Antonym(s): Fully understand, see the point
Synonym(s): What’s the big deal, what’s going on
Sample sentence: He couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about regarding the new movie; to him, it seemed like any other film.
