Vocabulary Flashcards
(collocation, adjective-noun)
When the economy is doing badly; A recession.
In 2009 there was a major ____ ____ .
economic downturn
(phrasal verb)
To be confident that you can depend on someone.
Life is easier if you can ___ ___ someone.
count on
(idiomatic expression)
Later ; in the future (not at a specific time).
Let’s catch up ___ ___ ___ to see if any changes need to be made.
down the line
(idiomatic expression)
A situation in which you can enjoy the advantages of two very different things at the same time.
I had __ ___ ___ __ ___ because my parents are from different cultures.
(to have) the best of both worlds
(noun)
‘mask’ you put on a dog to stop it biting others.
I don’t want to make the dog wear a ____ but since it bit that man, we’ve had to.
muzzle
(verb expression) to want (something) in this moment
‘What do you ___ ___ doing today?’
‘Let’s go for a walk’
feel like
(verb)
- to want in this moment ; to feel like
- to be physically attracted to someone
This weekend I ____ going freediving.
I ______ Mari Samuelsen because she’s beautiful and talented.
fancy
(verb)
to publicly blame a group of people for something, when often it is not their fault.
Immigrants are often _____ for many of society’s problems.
scapegoat
(adjective)
becoming weaker or not functioning properly.
The ___ economy meant many people were unemployed.
ailing
(verb)
Give someone the confidence or control to do something which will make their situation better.
We are trying to ____ all our workers to use English in their daily lives as much as possible.
empower
(noun)
Something which you have responsibility for but causes problems or difficulties.
I want to sell my car as it is just a ___ to me; I spend a lot on it but barely use it.
burden
(verb)
Repeat a word or phrase continuously.
Fans love _____ at football games to support their team.
chant
(verb)
to make something stronger
Knowledge about computer science will ______ the team’s productivity.
strengthen
(expression)
to sleep enough during the night so that the next day you feel well and rested
If I don’t __ __ ___ __ __ I can’t focus on my tasks the next day.
get a good night’s sleep
(adjective)
damaging or causing harm
Eating junk food is _____ to our body.
detrimental
(verb)
to walk slowly and in a relaxed
way or without any specific destination
I love _____ around my neighborhood to relax or to release stress.
wander
(phrasal verb)
to stop someone from doing something they are enjoying or are focused on, usually because they have to do something else
I wasn’t easy to ____ myself _____ from that video about algorithms.
tear (sb) away
(adjective)
selfish and only interested in yourself and your activities
___-___ people talk about themselves all the time.
self-involved / self-centred
(verb expression)
see something only a for a moment or partially
I went to see Shakira in concert but I was so far from the stage that I only ___ ____ ____ of her.
catch a glimpse
(adjective)
synonym of ‘obligatory’ and ‘mandatory’
Hitting the brakes when the traffic light is red is ______ .
compulsory
(noun)
a person who you respect and whose behaviour you follow as a guide.
My mother is my ___ -____ , I look up to her a lot.
role model
(collocation , verb-adjective)
to not go to school without having a good reason
When I was at school I used to ___ ___ and play soccer or get drunk with my friends.
to play truant
(noun)
a characteristic/feature (especially when talking about personality)
His best _____ is his sense of humor.
trait
(noun)
an activity, object, or idea that is extremely popular, usually for a short time.
Dancing has always been a ______ in Colombia.
craze
(noun)
‘hair’ on animals
And what is the adjective?
fur
furry
(noun)
a dog’s feet (also felines and other mammals)
paws
(idiomatic expression)
without hesitation or delay
My older sister goes from despair to elation __ __ __ __ __ __ .
at the drop of a hat
(adjective)
covered with or full of fat or oil
greasy
(verb)
to prevent something, especially a system, process, or event, from continuing as usual or as expected.
I hate it when someone ______ our meetings for something unnecessary.
disrupt
(noun)
A photograph taken or scene shot from a short distance that gives a very detailed picture
I used to take ___-___ of ants when I was a child so I could see all the details.
close-up
(verb/noun)
to try and take the ball from another player in a sports match
He ____ the other player, who fell to the ground.
tackle
(verb/noun)
When a creature (usually dogs etc.) make a low, angry sound.
Some animals ____ when they are angry.
growl
(noun)
informal synonym: vaccination
It’s important to get some ____ in order to stay healthy.
shot / jab
(noun)
what birds are covered with
My mum loves wearing ______ earrings.
feather
(noun)
Public celebration where people travel in vehicles along a street all going in the same direction, E.g. gay pride, feria de flores
In La Feria De Las Flores there are some ______ .
parade
(phrasal verb)
Medellin is always ___ ___ at Christmas.
light up
(verb)
refuse to obey someone or something
If you prevent me from going out I’m goin to _____ you.
defy
(phrasal verb)
To enjoy / like something
I’ve _____ _____ puzzles since I was a child.
be into
(phrasal verb)
To contact someone to find out the status of something they promised to do.
My manager gets annoyed when she has to ___ us ___ on our tasks.
chase down (USA) chase up (UK)
(phrasal verb)
Receive
I’m very anxious because I’m waiting for my test results to ___ ____ .
come through
(phrasal verbs) Finish something (when there are several of them / a lot of it. )
I didn’t ___ ___ enough work this week so I’ll have to do some on the weekend.
get through
(phrasal verb)
Involve someone in something (work context)
I think Sarah will be able to help with this, let’s ____ her ____ .
loop in
(noun)
The crime of stealing something
I reported the ____ to the police.
theft
(noun)
A group of criminals who work together.
The ____ has been extorting money from the people in the neighborhood in exchange for ‘protection’.
gang
(noun)
Comfort and help when you are feeling sad or worried.
Many lonely people find ____ in their pets.
solace
(verb)
To give something a new name or nickname.
Medellin has been _____ the city of eternal spring.
dub
(verb)
When a price or value increases a lot quickly.
The value of bitcoin recently _____ .
skyrocket
(idiomatic expression)
Something you say when someone else mentions something and it is familiar to you but you don’t remember the details.
Her name __ ___ ___ . Does she live in this neighborhood?
ring a bell
(noun phrase)
experience that you have directly, you were in that situation
I have ___ ___ ____ of the unfairness of the judicial system.
first hand experience
(noun)
The crime and the criminal of setting some private property on fire.
He was found guilty of ____ .
The _____ was sentenced to a year in prison.
arson / arsonist
(noun / verb)
An attempt to make someone do something for you by giving them money or something else they want.
_____ and corruption are rife among politicians.
My mum always used to ____ us with candies.
bribery / bribe
verb / noun (person) / noun (crime)
To steal from a person in a public place, using intimidating or force. A type of robbery.
Sarah was _____. The thief took her phone.
Sarah recognized the _______ when the police showed her a photo of him.
_______ are very common in cities.
to mug / mugger / mugging
noun (crime) / noun (person) / verb
To break into private property and steal.
The number of ______ has decreased slightly during the pandemic.
Their dog attacked the _____ after she climbed through the window.
He has been _____ houses for ten years.
burglary / burglar / to burgle
(noun)
The crime of falsifying information and attempting to deceive people.
If you don’t declare all your earnings you could be charged with tax ______ .
fraud
(verb/noun)
The act of making someone do what you want by threatening them.
He was ______ into giving her a huge amount of money.
blackmail
noun (crime)/verb
noun (criminal)
Stealing from someone’s pocket or bag without them noticing in a public place.
_______ is very common on public transport.
Have you ever been _______ ?
Be careful! There are a lot of _____ around.
pickpocket
pickpocketing
(adjective - noun)
The crime of attempting to steal money from a person by threatening them with a gun.
The movie is about an ____ ____ in a bank that goes wrong.
armed robbery
(verb)
The crime of stealing from a store without being noticed.
When he didn’t have enough money to eat, he resorted to ______ .
shoplift
(noun)
A sum of money you have to pay as a penalty for breaking the law.
A camera caught me driving over the speed limit, so I received a ____ .
fine
(noun)
The punishment of being put into prison (3 ways to say it)
Because it wasn’t her first offence, she received a ____ ____ .
________ is the punishment given for serious crimes or to repeat offenders.
prison sentence
imprisonment / incarceration
(noun / adjective)
The state of not having enough water in your body.
He ran out of water and quickly started suffering from ______ .
I need some water, I’m so ______ .
dehydration / dehydrated
(noun)
the state of extreme hunger
The animal died of _____ .
starvation
(adjective)
attractive ; something you want (to do) but probably shouldn’t.
It’s tough to keep working on a task when someone makes a ______ proposal.
tempting
(adjective)
the largest amount allowed or possible
M_______ capacity in this theatre is 500 people.
The stereo was turned up to the m______ volume.
maximum
(adjective / noun)
Extremely happy and satisfied
We spent a b______ two weeks in Italy.
When I got the job I was in a state of b____ .
blissful / bliss
(verb / adjective)
(causing) a state of shock and pain for a long time.
She was ______ by her parents’ divorce.
It was horrible; a ______ experience.
traumatized / traumatic
(verb)
to convince someone NOT to do something
I ______ my sister from going to the party cos it was too late.
(I persuaded her not to go)
dissuade (from)
(adjective)
living and behaving in a way that you have as much pleasure as possible. Usually linked to alcohol, sex, drugs.
The rock star had a very _______ lifestyle.
hedonistic
(adjective)
An extremely important and basic characteristic of something or someone.
Is pain an ______ part of life?
intrinsic / inherent
(noun)
a long, flat board fixed horizontally so that objects can be stored on it.
The plates are on the _____ in the kitchen.
shelf
(verb expression)
to ‘start’ a diet.
I’ve put on some weight recently, I’m going to ___ ____ a diet
go on (a diet)
(noun)
A picture, short film, song etc. that tries to persuade people to buy a product.
(full name / abbreviation / British vs American)
A saw an _____ on TV for that product and I decided to buy it.
advertisement
ad / advert (abbreviations)
commercial (US - TV)
(verb)
to limit the ability/development of someone or something.
A bad diet can ______ mental and physical growth.
hinder
(phrasal verb)
to see someone by chance
I ____ ____ Sam in the supermarket the other day, I hadn’t seen her for ages!
run into
(adjective)
detailed and careful
People look up to me at work because I’m very _____.
thorough
(phrasal verb)
postpose / delay something
put off
(phrasal verb)
disappoint / to not meet expectations
let down
(expression)
To have a negative impact/consequences, often over time.
take a toll
