Vocabulary Flashcards
a cappella
Adj
sung by a group of people without any musical instruments
accompaniment
Noun
music that is played with someone who is singing or playing the main tune:
= a song with piano accompaniment
=humorous We worked to the accompaniment of (= while hearing the sound of) Mr French’s drill.
a priori
Adj
relating to an argument that suggests the probable effects of a known cause, or using general principles to suggest likely effects:
= “It’s freezing outside; you must be cold” is an example of a priori reasoning.
probable
Adj
likely to be true or likely to happen
=The probable cause of death was heart failure.
=An election in June seems increasingly probable.
=[ + that ] It is probable that share prices will fall even more.
Syn:
adj.likely to happen;
apparent credible feasible plausible possible presumed reasonable
aback
be taken aback
Adverb
to be very shocked or surprised:
I was somewhat taken aback by her honesty.
Somewhat
ค่อนข้าง
Adv
= The resort has changed somewhat over the last few years.
=She’s somewhat more confident than she used to be.
=We were somewhat tired after our long walk.
= His reply to my question was somewhat ambiguous.
=Most characters in his films are somewhat larger than life.
=The minister suggested that the dire prophecies of certain leading environmentalists were somewhat exaggerated.
=Dinner was somewhat delayed on account of David’s rather late arrival.
=He looked somewhat shamefaced when he realized his mistake.
dire
Adj
very serious or extreme:
= These people are in dire need of help.
=He gave a dire warning that an earthquake was imminent.
=This decision will have dire consequences for local people.
bad weather, conditions, situations, etc.
bad If the weather is bad, we’ll have to find something else to do.
poor She’s 87 and in poor health.
dire. The predictions for the economy are dire.
grim. She was quickly brought back to the grim reality of her life.
awful. The smell from the bins was awful.
consequence
Noun
a result of a particular action or situation, often one that is bad or not convenient:
=Not making a will can have serious consequences for your children and other family members.
=Scientists think it is unlikely that any species will actually become extinct as a consequence of the oil spill.
=I told the hairdresser to do what she wanted to my hair, and look at the consequences!
=Well, if you insist on eating so much, you’ll have to suffer/take (= accept and deal with) the consequences!
the result of something
result. His firing was a direct result of his refusal to follow the employment policies.
effect. The radiation leak has had a disastrous effect on the environment.
consequence. Failure to do proper safety checks may have serious consequences.
outcome. It’s too early to predict the outcome of the meeting.
upshot. The upshot of the discussions is that there will be no further redundancies.
end result. The end result of these changes should be a more efficient system for dealing with complaints.
abacus
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/images/thumb/abacus_noun_002_00036.jpg?version=5.0.176
abandon
Verb
to leave a place, thing, or person, usually for ever:
= We had to abandon the car.
=By the time the rebel troops arrived, the village had already been abandoned.
=As a baby he was abandoned by his mother.
=We were sinking fast, and the captain gave the order to abandon ship.
to stop doing an activity before you have finished it:
= The game was abandoned at half-time because of the poor weather conditions.
=They had to abandon their attempt to climb the mountain.
=The party has now abandoned its policy of unilateral disarmament.
Syn: to cancel something
cancel. Sorry, I have to cancel our plans tonight.
call off. The game has been called off because of the weather.
off. The meeting’s off because James is ill.
scrap. We’ve scrapped our plans for a trip to France.
suspend. The ferry service has been suspended for the day because of bad weather.
postpone. We’ve postponed the wedding until next year.
Desert
: an area, often covered with sand or rocks, where there is very little rain and not many plants:
= They were lost in the desert for nine days.
=We had to cross a large area of arid, featureless desert.
=the desert sun
= The flatness of the desert was broken only by a few large piles of rocks.
=She gave a hair-raising account of her escape through the desert.
=Living rough in the desert hardened the recruits a lot.
=The terrorists assumed control of the plane and forced it to land in the desert.
=At night, adult scorpions prowl the desert for insects.
Verb(run away)
to leave the armed forces without permission and with no intention of returning:
=Soldiers who deserted and were caught were shot.
=How many people desert from the army each year?
Verb(leave behind)
to leave someone without help or in a difficult situation and not come back:
= He deserted his wife and family for another woman.
forsake
Verb
to leave someone for ever, especially when they need you:
=Do not forsake me!
Verb(stop)
to stop doing or having something:
= He decided to forsake politics for journalism.
abase
: abase yourself
Verb
to make yourself seem to be less important or to not deserve respect
Deserve
Verb
to have earned or to be given something because of the way you have behaved or the qualities you have:
= After all that hard work, you deserve a holiday.
=Chris deserves our special thanks for all his efforts.
=I hope they get the punishment they deserve.
=[ + to infinitive ] They certainly deserved to win that game.
= They deserve praise for all their hard work.
=The proposals that you have put forward deserve serious consideration.
=A business as poorly managed as that one doesn’t deserve to succeed.
=You should treat those remarks with the contempt that they deserve.
=He was a good strong leader, she said, who deserved his party’s unreserved support.
Respect
Noun
admiration felt or shown for someone or something that you believe has good ideas or qualities:
= He inspired respect and devotion from his pupils.
=She won the grudging respect of her boss.
=You should show more respect to your parents.
=He has no respect for authority whatsoever.
=Certainly in our society teachers don’t enjoy the respect that is accorded to doctors and lawyers.
