UNITS 9&10 • TOPIC Flashcards
allege
uk |əˈledʒ| us |əˈledʒ|
verb
1. to say that someone has done something illegal or wrong without giving proof
* ”[+ (that)] The two men allege (that) the police forced them to make false confessions.”
* ”[+ to infinitive] She is alleged to have been at the centre of an international drug ring.”
* ”[+ that] It was alleged that Johnson had struck Mr Rahim on the head.”
ambiguous
uk |æmˈbɪɡ.ju.əs| us |æmˈbɪɡ.ju.əs|
adjective
1. having or expressing more than one possible meaning, sometimes intentionally
* “His reply to my question was somewhat ambiguous.”
* “The wording of the agreement is ambiguous.”
* “The government has been ambiguous on this issue.”
assert
uk |əˈsɜːt| us |əˈsɝːt|
verb
blunt
uk |blʌnt| us |blʌnt|
adjective
1. A blunt pencil, knife, etc. is not sharp and therefore not able to write, cut, etc. well.
2. saying what you think without trying to be polite or considering other people’s feelings
* “I’ll be blunt - that last piece of work you did was terrible.”
blunt
uk |blʌnt| us |blʌnt|
verb
1. to make something less sharp
2. to make a feeling less strong
* “My recent bad experience has blunted my enthusiasm for travel.”
blunt
uk |blʌnt| us |blʌnt|
noun
1. a large cigarette or cigar containing the drug cannabis [slang]
boast
uk |bəʊst| us |boʊst|
verb
1. to speak too proudly or happily about what you have done or what you own [I/T disapproving]
* “He didn’t talk about his exam results in case people thought he was boasting.”
* “Parents enjoy boasting about their children’s achievements.”
* ”[+ that] They boasted that they had never lost a single game.”
2. to have or own something to be proud of [T not continuous]
* “Ireland boasts beautiful beaches, great restaurants, and friendly locals.”
boast
uk |bəʊst| us |boʊst|
noun
1. something you are proud of and like to tell people about
* ”[+ that] It is her proud boast that she has never missed a single episode of the show.”
clarification
uk |ˌklær.ɪ.fɪˈkeɪ.ʃən| us |ˌkler.ə.fəˈkeɪ.ʃən|
noun
1. an explanation or more details that makes something clear or easier to understand
* “Some further clarification of your position is needed.”
colloquial
uk |kəˈləʊ.kwi.əl| us |kəˈloʊ.kwi.əl|
adjective
1. (of words and expressions) informal and more suitable for use in speech than in writing
* “colloquial speech”
comprehend
uk |ˌkɒm.prɪˈhend| us |ˌkɑːm.prəˈhend|
verb
1. to understand something completely
* “I fail to comprehend their attitude.”
* “He doesn’t seem to comprehend the scale of the problem”
* ”[+ question word] I’ll never comprehend why she did what she did.”
* ”[+ that] I don’t think he fully comprehends that she won’t be here to help him.”
confide
uk |kənˈfaɪd| us |kənˈfaɪd|
verb
1. to tell something secret or personal to someone who you trust not to tell anyone else
* ”[+ that] He confided (to her) that his hair was not his own.”
* ”[+ speech] “My husband doesn’t know yet, but I’m going to leave him,” she confided.”
confirm
uk |kənˈfɜːm| us |kənˈfɝːm|
verb
1. to make an arrangement or meeting certain, often by phone or writing [I/T]
* ”[+ that] Six people have confirmed that they will be attending and ten haven’t replied yet.”
* “Flights should be confirmed 48 hours before departure.”
* “I’ve accepted the job over the phone, but I haven’t confirmed in writing yet.”
2. to prove that a belief or an opinion that was previously not completely certain is true [T]
* ”[+ question word] The smell of cigarette smoke confirmed what he had suspected: there had been a party in his absence.”
* ”[+ (that)] Her announcement confirmed (that) she would be resigning as CEO.”
* “The young man’s kindness confirmed her faith in young people.”
3. to accept someone formally as a full member of the Christian Church at a special ceremony [T]
context
uk |ˈkɒn.tekst| us |ˈkɑːn.tekst|
noun
1. the situation within which something exists or happens, and that can help explain it
* “[in context] It is important to see all the fighting and bloodshed in his plays in historical context.”
* “[in the context of] This small battle is very important in the context of Scottish history.”
2. the text or speech that comes immediately before and after a particular phrase or piece of text and helps to explain its meaning
* “In this exercise, a word is blanked out and you have to guess what it is by looking at the context.”
contradict
uk |ˌkɒn.trəˈdɪkt| us |ˌkɑːn.trəˈdɪkt|
verb
1. (of people) to say the opposite of what someone else has said, or (of one fact or statement) to be so different from another fact or statement that one of them must be wrong
* “If you’re both going to lie, at least stick to the same story and don’t contradict each other!”
* “[contradict yourself] He kept contradicting himself when we were arguing - I think he was a bit confused.”
* “How dare you contradict (me)!”
* “Recent evidence has contradicted established theories on this subject.”
convey
uk |kənˈveɪ| us |kənˈveɪ|
verb
1. to express a thought, feeling, or idea so that it is understood by other people
* “His poetry conveys a great sense of religious devotion.”
* “[convey something to someone] Please convey our condolences to the family.”
* ”[+ question word] I tried to convey in my speech how grateful we all were for his help.”
* “[convey that] You don’t want to convey the impression that we’re not interested.”
2. to take or carry someone or something to a particular place
* “The goods are usually conveyed by rail.”
* “[convey something to someone] Could you convey a message to Mr Merrick for me, please?”
declare
uk |dɪˈkleər| us |dɪˈkler|
verb
1. to announce something clearly, firmly, publicly, or officially [T]
* “They declared their support for the proposal”
* ”[+ (that)] She declared (that) it was the best chocolate cake she had ever tasted.”
* ”[+ obj + (to be) + noun/adj] They declared themselves (to be) bankrupt.”
* ”[+ speech] “I won’t do it!” he declared.”
* “[declare war on] America declared war on Japan in 1941 (= announced officially that it was at war).”
* “[figurative] The government has declared war on (= announced that they intended to stop) the drug dealers.”
* “The country declared independence in 1952 (= announced that it was no longer under the control of another country).”
2. to officially tell someone the value of goods you have bought, or the amount of money you have earned because you might have to pay tax [T]
* “Nothing to declare.”
* “Goods to declare.”
* “You have to declare any earnings over a certain amount.”
3. If a cricket team declares, they stop batting (= hitting the ball) because they think they already have enough runs (= points) to win [I]
* “[declare at] Pakistan declared at 350 for 7.”
denounce
uk |dɪˈnaʊns| us |dɪˈnaʊns|
verb
1. to criticize something or someone strongly and publicly
* “The government’s economic policy has been denounced on all sides.”
* “He angrily denounced the decision not to allow him to speak.”
* “We must denounce injustice and oppression.”
* “[denounce someone/something as something] Some denounced the plan as inadequate and vague.”
disclose
uk |dɪˈskləʊz| us |dɪˈskloʊz|
verb
1. to make something known publicly, or to show something that was hidden
* “The company has disclosed profits of over £200 million.”
* ”[+ that] The police have disclosed that two officers are under internal investigation.”
exaggerate
uk |ɪɡˈzædʒ.ə.reɪt| us |ɪɡˈzædʒ.ə.reɪt|
verb
1. to make something seem larger, more important, better, or worse than it really is
* “[be greatly exaggerated] The threat of attack has been greatly exaggerated.”
* “Don’t exaggerate - it wasn’t that expensive.”
* “I’m not exaggerating - it was the worst meal I’ve ever eaten in my life.”
flatter
uk |ˈflæt.ər| us |ˈflæt̬.ɚ|
verb
1. to praise someone in order to make them feel attractive or important, sometimes in a way that is not sincere
* “I knew he was only flattering me because he wanted to borrow some money.”
gist
uk |dʒɪst| us |dʒɪst|
noun
1. the most important pieces of information about something, or general information without details
* “[get the gist] We got the gist, but not every word.”
* “[the gist of] I was just about able to grasp the gist of their argument.”
* “[for gist] Reading for gist requires less detailed comprehension.”
hint
uk |hɪnt| us |hɪnt|
noun
1. something that you say or do that shows what you think or want, usually in a way that is not direct [C]
* ”[+ that] He’s dropped (= given) several hints to the boss that he’ll quit if he doesn’t get a promotion.”
* “[give someone a hint] Did she give you any hints about where she was going?”
* “[take a hint] You can’t take (= understand) a hint, can you? Just go away and leave me alone!”
hint
uk |hɪnt| us |hɪnt|
verb
1. to say or do something that shows what you think or want, usually in a way that is not direct
* ”[+ (that)] Mum’s hinted (that) she might pay for my trip to Mexico.”
* “[hint at] He’s hinted at the possibility of moving to Canada.”
illegible
uk |ɪˈledʒ.ə.bəl| us |ɪˈledʒ.ə.bəl|
adjective
1. (of writing or print) impossible or almost impossible to read because of being very untidy or not clear
* “His writing is almost illegible.”
inkling
uk |ˈɪŋ.klɪŋ| us |ˈɪŋ.klɪŋ|
noun
1. a feeling that something is true or likely to happen, although you are not certain
* ”[+ that] I didn’t have the slightest inkling that she was unhappy.”
* “[inkling of] He must have had some inkling of what was happening.”
insist
uk |ɪnˈsɪst| us |ɪnˈsɪst|
verb
1. to say firmly or demand forcefully, especially when others disagree with or oppose what you say
* ”[+ (that)] Greg still insists (that) he did nothing wrong.”
* “Please go first - I insist!”
* “[insist on] She insisted on seeing her lawyer.”
jargon
uk |ˈdʒɑː.ɡən| us |ˈdʒɑːr.ɡən|
noun
1. special words and phrases that are used by particular groups of people, especially in their work
* “military/legal/computer jargon”
literal
uk |ˈlɪt.ər.əl| us |ˈlɪt̬.ɚ.əl|
adjective
1. The literal meaning of a word is its original, basic meaning
* “The literal meaning of “television” is “seeing from a distance”.”
* “You will need to show more than just a literal understanding of the text.”
: A literal translation of a text is done by translating each word separately, without looking at how the words are used together in a
|Her translation is too literal, resulting in unnatural-sounding prose.
phrase
mumble
uk |ˈmʌm.bəl| us |ˈmʌm.bəl|
verb
1. to speak quietly and in a way that is not clear so that the words are difficult to understand
* “She mumbled something about being too busy.”
* ”[+ speech] “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.”
murmur
uk |ˈmɜː.mər| us |ˈmɝː.mɚ|
verb
1. to speak or say something very quietly [I/T]
* ”[+ speech] “I love you,” she murmured.”
* “He was murmuring to himself.”
* “[humorous] He murmured sweet nothings (= romantic talk) in her ear.”
2. to complain about something that you disagree with or dislike, but not in a public way [I]
* “They were murmuring about the boss’s nephew getting the job.”
