Units 1-5 Flashcards
Ambiguity (n)
/ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːəti/
Having more than one meaning and might be explained in different ways. Therefore its unclear.
Ambiguous (adj)
Virtually (adv) /ˈvɜːrtʃuəli/
Almost
Shrink (n) /ʃrɪŋk/
(slang,humorous)apsychiatristor psychologist
Crawl (n,v) /krɒːl/
Move very slowly in traffic
To have second thoughts (about sth)
To become dubious about a decision you’ve made
To be in two minds about sth
be unable to decide what to do about sth
Sweet of sb
Kind of sb
To be tied up
Be busy and unable to do other things
it strikes somebody (that)
(of a thought or idea) suddenly come into sb’s mind
Be the last thing on sb’s mind
Be the thing that sb is least likely to be thinking about
Get out of sth
Avoid doing sth
You’re not gonna believe this, but…
Used to introduce surprising and often unwelcome news
Get sb/sth to do sth
Make or persuade sb/sth to do sth
Keep (v)
(of food) remain fresh
Put sth into words
say or write sth in a particular way
Push sb/yourself
make sb/yourself work harder
Leave sth to/with sb
allow sb to take care of sth
Bring sb/sth + adverb/preposition
Cause sb/sth to reach a particular condition or place
Example: it was the war that brought him to power
Come with/in sth
be sold or produced with a particular feature
Example: The radio comes with batteries. The chair come in four different colors.
Peel (off) (v)
To remove the outer layer of sth (mostly food or fruit)
Mistake sb/sth for sb/sth else
Wrongly think that sb/sth is sb/sth else
Possess (v), Possession (n)
[formal]
1) To have or own sth
Ex: He was charged with possessin a shotgun without a licence.
2) to have a particular feature
Ex: Iʼm afraid he doesnʼt possess a sense of humour.
Certainly (adv)
1) Definitely
2) ofcourse (as an answer to a question)
Useful forms of certain:
- It’s certain that…
- sb is certain to do sth
possessionisninetenthsofthelaw (saying)
ifyoualreadyhaveorcontrolsomething,itisdifficultforsomebodyelsetotakeitawayfromyou,eveniftheyhavethelegalrighttoit
Housing (n)
/ˈhaʊzɪŋ/
[uncountable]houses,flats/apartments,etc.thatpeoplelivein,especiallywhenreferringtotheirtype,priceorcondition
• public/privatehousing
• poorhousingconditions
• thehousingshortage
• thehousingmarket(=theactivityofbuyingandsellinghouses,etc.)
• low-cost/cheaphousing
Household (n, adj)
Noun: all the people living in a flat together
• Most households own at least one car.
• low-income/one-parent, etc. households
• the head of the household
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Adjective: connected with a house or flat and the people living in it
•household bills/chores/goods
Likelihood (n)
[Uncountable, singular]
Probability
Useful forms:
• in all likelihood (=very probably)
• the likelihood is that … (= it’s likely that)
Likely (adj, adv)
1) probable or expected
Ex: the most likely outcome
2) seeming suitable for a purpose
Ex: She seems the most likely candidate for the job.
Apologetic (adj)
/əˌpɑːləˈdʒetɪk/
feelingorshowingthatyouaresorryfordoingsomethingwrongorforcausingaproblem
• to be apologetic about/for sth
Inclusion (n)
/ɪnˈkluːʒn/
Antonym = exclusion (n)
1) [uncountable]thefactofincludingsomebody/something;thefactofbeingincluded
Ex: Hisinclusionintheteamisindoubt.
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2) [countable]apersonorthingthatisincluded
Ex: Thereweresomesurprisinginclusionsinthelist
Humanitarian (n, adj)
Noun: apersonwhoisconcernedwithreducingsufferingandimprovingtheconditionsthatpeoplelivein
Adjective: concernedwithreducingsufferingandimprovingtheconditionsthatpeoplelivein
To be an effort
To be difficult or painful to do
Ex: I was so sick that even standing up was an effort.
Ex: Convincing that is always an effort!
Make an effort
Or
Make the effort
Attempt to do sth, especially when it’s difficult
Ex: I made an effort to get her number infront her dad.
Ex: Studying after the midnight is never easy, but I decided to make the effort.
Also:
Make every effort to do sth
Make no effort to do sth
Put effort into (doing) sth
Try hard to do sth
Ex: all you need to do is put effort into learning Python.
Take the effort out of sth
To make something easier.
Ex: an automatic car takes the effort out of driving.
It takes effort to do sth
Or
Sth takes effort
You have to try hard
Ex: it takes effort to get into Harvard.
To be (well) worth the effort
Used to say sth is worth doing even though it’s hard
Ex: it’s a difficult place to get to, but it’s well worth the effort.
With effort [formal]
Without effort
To do sth after trying hard, or easily
Ex: With great effort, he passed the final course.
Ex: He jumped over the fence without effort.
Set an example (to sb)
To show by your behaviour how other people should behave
Ex: you should set an example to your brother!
Treat (v)
To behave towards sb or sth in a particular way
Useful collocations:
• treat sb like/as sth : They treat me like one of the family.
• treat sb with respect/suspicion/anger etc. : If you treat her with respect, she won’t reject your request.
• treat sth as sth: please treat this info as completely confidential.
Treat sb like dirt/ a dog [informal]
Treat sb very badly and without respect
Ex: I don’t know why she treat him like dirt.
Feel/look like a million bucks
[Informal, AE]
To feel or look healthy, happy and beautiful
Ex: what’s Nick? You look like a million bucks.
Pass the buck
To make someone else responsible for sth you should deal with
Ex: don’t pass the buck or blame someone else for you failure.
The buck stops with sb
Used to say that a particular person is responsible for something
Ex: it was my decision to purchase the package; the buck stops with me.
Buck naked
Not wearing any clothes
Ex: she was standing by the road buck naked.
Buck up (v)
1) to become happier or to make sb happier
Ex: you need something to buck you up!
2) [informal] to improve or to make sth improve
Ex: our company should get through some difficulties before the situation bucks up.
Buck for sth (v)
To try very hard to get sth, especially a good position at work
Ex: James is bucking for promotion.
Get the credit (for sth)
Be admired and given the praise for doing sth successfully
Ex: he got the credit for launching the project successfully.
On the credit side
Used to talk about the good things about sb or sth
Ex: on the credit side, the movie has a good plot.
