UPPER INTERMEDIATE - VOCABULARY Flashcards
dis‧tin‧guish / dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ / Verb
Meaning:
- to recognize and understand the difference between two or more things or people
Collocation:
- distinguish between sth and sth
- distinguish sth from sth
Synonym: differentiate
Example:
- His attorney argued that Cope could not distinguish between right and wrong.
jus‧ti‧fy/ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ / Verb
Meaning:
- to give an acceptable explanation for something that other people think is unreasonable
Collocation:
- justify doing sth
- justify yourself
Example:
- How can we justify spending so much money on arms?
- Ministers must appear before Parliament and justify their actions.
per‧ceive/pəˈsiːv$pər- / Verb
Meaning:
- to understand or think of sth or sb in a particular way
- to notice, see, or recognize sth
Collocation:
- perceive sth as sth
- perceive sb to be sth
Example:
- Even as a young woman she had been perceived as a future chief executive.
- That morning, he perceived a change in Franca’s mood.
ac‧cel‧e‧rate/əkˈseləreɪt / Verb
Meaning:
- if a process accelerates or if sth accelerates it, it happens faster than usual or sooner than you expect
Example:
- measures to accelerate the rate of economic growth
col‧umn/ˈkɒləm$ˈkɑː- / Noun
Meaning:
- a tall solid upright stone post used to support a building or as a decoration
ex‧press/ɪkˈspres / Verb
Meaning:
- to tell or show what you are feeling or thinking by using words, looks, or actions
Collocation:
- express your views/opinions
- express sth in/by/through sth
- express thanks/ gratitude (for sth) (to sb)
Example:
- Finally, I’d like to express my sincere thanks to all those who have helped today.
grad‧u‧al/ˈɡrædʒuəl / Adjective
Meaning:
- happening slowly over a long period of time
Example:
- There has been a gradual change in climate.
re‧mark‧a‧ble/rɪˈmɑːkəbəl$-ɑːr- / Adjective
Meaning:
- unusual or surprising and therefore deserving attention or praise
Collocation:
- remarkable feat/achievement/accomplishment
- it is remarkable that
- remarkable for
Example:
- It is remarkable that women did not have the vote until that time.
sim‧ply/ˈsɪmpli / Adverb
Meaning:
- used to emphasize what you are saying
Synonyms: only, just
Example:
- This work is simply not good enough.
un‧like‧ly/ʌnˈlaɪkli / Adjective
Meaning:
- not likely to happen
Collocation:
- unlikely to do sth
- it is unlikely (that)
- in the unlikely event of sth
Example:
- The weather is unlikely to improve over the next few days.
- In the unlikely event of a fire, passengers should move to the top deck.
e‧ven‧tu‧al‧ly/ɪˈventʃuəli, -tʃəli / Adverb
Meaning:
- after a long time, or after a lot of things have happened
Example:
- Seventy-two percent of people eventually found work, but mainly in low-paid service jobs.
mi‧nor1/ˈmaɪnə$-ər / Adjective
Meaning:
- small and not very important or serious, especially when compared with other things
Collocation:
- minor injury/illness/operation etc
ma‧jor1/ˈmeɪdʒə$-ər / Adjective
Meaning:
- having very serious or worrying results
- very large or important, when compared to other things or people of a similar kind
Collocation:
- major role/part/factor etc
sen‧si‧tive/ˈsensətɪv /Adjective
Meaning:
- able to understand other people’s feelings and problems
- easily upset or offended by events or things that people say
Collocation:
- sensitive to
- sensitive about
Example:
- It’s made me much more sensitive to the needs of the disabled.
- Laura’s sensitive about her weight.
claim/kleɪm / Verb
Meaning:
- to state that sth is true, even though it has not been proved
- to officially demand or receive money from an organization because you have a right to it
- to state that you have a right to take or have sth that is legally yours
Collocation:
- claim (that)
- claim to do/be sth
- claim to have done sth
- claim responsibility/credit (for sth)
- claim sb/sth as sth
- claim sth back
Example:
- I don’t claim to be a feminist, but I’d like to see more women in top jobs.
- The girls claim to have seen the fairies.
- The group claimed responsibility for the bombings.
clas‧si‧fy/ˈklæsɪfaɪ /Verb
Meaning:
- to decide what group sth belongs to
- to regard people or things as belonging to a particular group because they have similar qualities
Collocation:
- classify sth as/under sth
Example:
- Scientists have discovered a new type of butterfly which has not yet been classified.
cir‧cum‧stance/ˈsɜːkəmstæns, -stəns$ˈsɜːr- / Noun
Meaning:
- the conditions that affect a situation, action, event etc
Collocation:
- in … circumstances
- under … circumstances
- normal/difficult/suspicious circumstances
Example:
- Prisoners can only leave their cells under certain circumstances.
- There may be particular circumstances in which this rule will not apply.
dif‧fer/ˈdɪfə$-ər / Verb
Meaning:
- to be different from sth in some way
- if two people or groups differ about sth, they have opposite opinions
Collocation:
- differ from
- differ between
- differ widely/greatly/significantly
Example:
- Modern teaching methods differ greatly from those fifty years ago.
- The two lawyers differed about how to present the case.
de‧sire1/dɪˈzaɪə$-ˈzaɪr /Noun
Meaning:
- a strong hope or wish
Collocation:
- desire to do sth
- desire for sth
- desire that
- have no desire to do sth (used to emphasize that you do not want to do sth)
- overwhelming/burning desire (very strong desire)
Example:
- It was Harold’s desire that he should be buried next to his wife.
- Paul had a burning desire to visit India.
en‧dan‧gered/ɪnˈdeɪndʒəd$-ərd / Adjective
Meaning:
- an endangered animal, bird etc is one that may soon no longer exist because there are so few of them
Example:
- The lizards are classed as an endangered species.
ex‧ist/ɪɡˈzɪst / Verb
Meaning:
- to happen or be present in a particular situation or placce
- to be real or alive
- to stay alive, especially in a difficult situation when you do not have enough money, food etc (SYN: survive)
Collocation:
- exist on
- really/actually exist
- already exist
- continue to exist
- cease to exist (stop existing)
- be known to exist
- the right to exist
Example:
- The custom of arraged marriages still exists in many countries.
- The hostages existed on bread and water.
- No company of that name exists.
- At the moment they are existing on a few dollars a day.
im‧mi‧grant/ˈɪməɡrənt / Noun
Meaning:
- someone who enters another country to live there permanently
Collocation:
- a/an legal/illegal immigrant
- a flood of immigrant
- an immigrant community
tech‧ni‧cal/ˈteknɪkəl / Adjective
Meaning:
- connected with knowledge of how machines work
Collocation:
- technical problem
gen‧u‧ine/ˈdʒenjuɪn / Adjective
Meaning:
- a genuine feeling, desire etc is one that you really feel, not one you pretend to feel (SYN: sincere)
- sth genuine really is what it seems to be (SYN: real)
gov‧ern/ˈɡʌvən$-ərn / Verb
Meaning:
- to officially and legally control a country and make all the decisions about taxes, laws, public services etc (SYN: rule)
- if rules, principles etc govern the way a system or situation works, they control how it happens
Example:
- The party had been governing for seven months.
prin‧ci‧ple/ˈprɪnsəpəl / Noun
Meaning:
- a moral rule or belief about what is right and wrong, that influences how you behave
- the basic idea that a plan or system is based on
Collocation:
- principle of
- principle that
- principle behind
Example:
- It’s against my principles to accept gifts from clients.
live‧ly/ˈlaɪvli / Adjective
Meaning:
- someone who is lively has a lot of energy and is very active
- a place or situation that is lively is exciting because a lot of things are happening
im‧pose/ɪmˈpəʊz$-ˈpoʊz /Verb
Meaning:
- if someone in authority imposes a rule, punishment, tax etc, they force people to accept it
- to force someone to have the same ideas, beliefs etc as you
Collocation:
- impose sth on sth/sb
Example:
- Teachers should try to avoid imposing their own beliefs on their students.
sake/seɪk / Noun
Turkish meaning:
- uğruna
Collocation:
- for the sake of sb/sth
- for God’s sake
Example:
- For your health’s sake, it is important not to let yourself get overweight.
rap‧id/ˈræpɪd /Adjective
Meaning:
- happening or done very quickly and in a very short time (fast, quick)
Collocation:
- rapid growth/expansion/development/increase
Example:
- The patient made a rapid recovery.
ac‧quire/əˈkwaɪə$əˈkwaɪr /Verb
Meaning:
- to obtain sth by buying it or being given it
- to gain knowledge or learn a skill
Example:
- Manning hoped to acquire valuable works of art as cheaply as possible.
re‧sem‧ble/rɪˈzembəl / Verb
Meaning:
- to look like or be similar to someone or sth
Example:
- The ancient tools discovered in Ethiopia strongly resemble those found in Tanzania.
as‧so‧ci‧ate1/əˈsəʊʃieɪt, əˈsəʊsi-$əˈsoʊ- /Verb
Meaning:
- to make a connection in your mind between one thing or person and another
Collocation:
- associate sb/sth with sth
- be associated (with sb/sth)
- associate with sb
Example:
- In this case an increase in gross output will be associated with an increase in both scale and diversity.
ac‧com‧plish/əˈkʌmplɪʃ$əˈkɑːm-, əˈkʌm- / Verb
Meaning:
- to succeed in doing sth, especially after trying very hard (SYN: achieve)
Example:
- We have accomplished all we set out to do.
ex‧pose/ɪkˈspəʊz$-ˈspoʊz/
Meaning:
- to show sth that is usually covered or hidden
- to put someone in a situation where they are not protected from sth dangerous or unpleasant
- to show the truth about someone or sth, especially when it is bad
Collocation:
- expose sth to sth
- expose sb to sth
- expose yourself to ridicule/criticism etc
- expose sb as sth
con‧struct1/kənˈstrʌkt / Verb
Meaning:
- to build sth such as a house, bridge, road etc
- to form sth such as a sentence, argument, or system by joining words, ideas etc together
Collocation:
- construct sth from/of/in sth
Example:
- There are plans to construct a new road bridge across the river.
re‧veal1/rɪˈviːl /Verb
Meaning:
- to make known sth that was previously secret or unknown
- to show sth that was previously hidden
Collocation:
- reveal (that)
- reveal yourself (as/to be sth)
Example:
- He may be prosecuted for revealing secrets about the security agency.
globe/ɡləʊb$ɡloʊb / Noun
Meaning:
- a round object with a map of the Earth
peak/piːk /Noun
Meaning:
- the time when sth or someone is best, greatest, highest, most successful etc
Collocation:
- at sth’s peak
- at the peak of sth
Example:
- Hotel rooms are difficult to find at the peak of the holiday reason.
con‧cen‧trate/ˈkɒnsəntreɪt$ˈkɑːn- /
Meaning:
- to think very carefully about sth that you are doing
- to be present in large numbers or amounts somewhere, or to cause people or things to be present in large numbers or amounts somewhere
Collocation:
- concentrate on
- be concentrated in/at sth
- concentrate in/at
Example:
- I’m trying to concentrate on my work.
- Italian industry is concentrated mainly in the north.
- Women concentrate in a small number of occupations.
sus‧pect/səˈspekt / Verb
Meaning:
- to think that sth is probably true, especially sth bad
- to think that sth bad has happened or is happening
Collocation:
- suspect (that)
- suspect murder/foul play
- suspect something/nothing/anything
- suspect sb of (doing) sth
Example:
- Police suspect Foster may have been involved in a fraud.
- He suspected that the problem would only get worse.
in‧come/ˈɪŋkʌm, ˈɪn- /Noun
Meaning:
- the money that you earn from your work or that you receive from investments, the government etc
Collocation:
- on an income
- income from
- provide an income
- a high/large/low/small income
Example:
People on higher incomes should pay more tax.
an‧tic‧i‧pate/ænˈtɪsəpeɪt / Verb
Meaning:
- to expect that sth will happen and be ready for it
- to think about sth that is going to happen, especially sth pleasant (SYN: look forward to)
Collocation:
- anticipate changes/developments
- anticipate problems/difficulties
- anticipate (that)
- anticipate doing sth
Example:
- A good speaker is able to anticipate an audience’s needs and concerns.
- It is anticipated that the research will have many different practical applications.
grant/ɡrɑːnt$ɡrænt / Verb
Meaning:
- to give someone sth or allow them to have sth that they have asked for
Collocation:
- grant sb sth
- grant sth to sb
- grant that (used in prayers)
Example:
- The council have granted him permission to build on the site.
pas‧sage/ˈpæsɪdʒ / Noun
Meaning:
- a long narrow area with walls on either side which connects one room or place to another
Example:
- We walked down a narrow passage to the back of the building.
en‧tire/ɪnˈtaɪə$-ˈtaɪr / Adjective
Meaning:
- used when you want to emphasize that you mean all of a group, period of time, amount etc (SYN: whole)
Example:
- Gary was so hungry that he ate an entire chicken for dinner.
di‧men‧sion/daɪˈmenʃən, də- / Noun
Meaning: the length, height, width depth, or diameter of sth (SYN: measurement)
Collocation:
- dimension of
Example:
- We’ll need to know the exact dimensions of the room.
en‧vy/ˈenvi / Verb
Meaning:
- to wish that you had someone else’s possessions, abilities etc
Collocation:
- envy sb sth
Example:
- He envied Rosalind her youth and strength.
jus‧tice/ˈdʒʌstɪs / Noun
Meaning:
- the system by which people are judged in courts of law and criminals are punished
Collocation:
- miscarriage of justice
Example:
- The killers will be brought to justice.
- Acts of terrorism must not escape justice.
jus‧ti‧fy/ˈdʒʌstɪfaɪ / Verb
Meaning:
- to give an acceptable explanation for sth that other people think is unreasonable
- to be a good and acceptable reason for sth
Collocation:
- justify doing sth
- justify yourself
Example:
- There is not enough evidence to justify such accusations.
in‧ter‧fere/ˌɪntəˈfɪə$-tərˈfɪr / Verb
Meaning:
- to delibaretely get involved in a situation where you are not wanted or needed (SYN: meddle)
Collocation:
- interfere in
Example:
- My daughter-in-law said that I was interfering, but I was only trying to help.
- It’s not the church’s job to interfere in politics.
com‧po‧nent/kəmˈpəʊnənt$-ˈpoʊ- /Noun
Meaning:
- one of several parts that together make up a whole machine, system etc (SYN: constituent)
Collocation:
- component of
- key/major/important etc component
Example:
- Exercise is one of the key components of a healthy lifestyle.
in‧stant/ˈɪnstənt / Adjective
Meaning:
- happening or producecd immediately (SYN: immediate)
Example:
- a system that provides instant access to client information
in‧sult/ɪnˈsʌlt / Verb
Meaning:
- to offend someone by saying or doing sth they think is rude
Collocation:
- insult sb by doing sth
- insult sb’s intelligence
Example:
- Nobody insults my family and gets away with it!
- I hope Andy won’t be insulted if I don’t come.
de‧tect/dɪˈtekt / Verb
Meaning:
- to notice or discover sth, especially sth that is not easy to see, hear etc
Collocation:
- difficult/impossible/easy/possible etc to detect
- detect a change/difference
- detect a note of sarcasm/irony/excitement etc
Example:
- Many forms of cancer can be cured if detected early.
han‧dle/ˈhændl /Verb
Meaning:
- to do the things that are necessary to complete a job
- to deal with a situation or problem by behaving in a particular way and making particular decisions.
Example:
- ı handled most of the paperwork.
- The headmaster handled the situation very well.
cope/kəʊp$koʊp / Verb
Meaning:
- to succeed in dealing with a difficult problem or situation
- if a system or machine copes with a particular type or amount of wok, it does it
Collocation:
- cope with
Example:
- He coped quite well as manager while still captaining the team.
na‧vy/ˈneɪvi / Noun
Meaning:
- the part of a country’s military forces that fights at sea
Collocation:
- in the navy
Example:
- Is your brother still in the navy?
