Essential English Vocabulary: Meanings and Examples
Page 8
Distinctive: different, easily recognised because it has special features.
Sweep: to move very fast.
Deaf / Deafen / Deafening: when you can't hear, or make someone deaf.
To be stuck by: what strikes me, be shocked.
Overlooking: the places you can see from a spot.
Sight: vision / place / a place of interest.
Within / in sight: out of sight: Madrid is out of sight from here.
In sight: something will be happening soon.
To be fuelled: to be powered by something, e.g., this laptop is fuelled by electricity.
See it from yourself: go and check it, e.g., I can't believe it, go and see it from yourself.
Attempt: intend, make an attempt.
Companion: partner.
On this / that scale: extent, proportion, measuring something, e.g., misbehaving on this scale...
To soak: to get wet.
To apply / application / appliance: e.g., the things / machines we have at home to help us.
Alarm: we can alarm someone / we can play the alarm / make someone worried.
Appalling / appalled: shocked, e.g., the noise is appalling.
Distressed: to feel upset and worried.
Help / helpless / helpful / helping.
Hysteria / Hysterical: unable to control your feelings, panic attacks.
Irritable / irritating / irritated: annoying, bothered.
Overwhelmed / overwhelming: feeling sudden strong emotions.
Speechless: make, give, deliver a speech / he was speechless.
Safe / Safety / Unsafe / Unsafety
Secure / Security / Insecure / Insecurity.
Pages 10, 11
Current affairs: news in politics, on daily happenings.
To be bound to happen: most likely to happen, definitely.
To plummet: dropped, go down, decline.
To soar: increasing.
Year on Year: to compare the previous year to this one.
To boom: to increase suddenly, e.g., there was a boom in economy.
Decline: drop, go down.
Mere: non-significant, not important to compare to something else / pure.
To assume / assumption: to be under the assumption, to admit, to guess.
Adrift: floating or without a purpose.
To drift: to leave slowly, your thought can we leave slowly.
Circulation of newspaper: how many newspapers are sold.
To cover news story / received media coverage: e.g., when children disappear.
Demography: the study of people in relation to age, sex and other stuff.
Phenomenon: phenomenon / Phenomena: event.
Readership: the number of people who read newspapers.
Revenue: all the money the government can make / Inland revenue / Advertising revenue: how much money is made by my advertising business.
Run-show: publish something, to cover a story in the newspaper.
Subscribe / Subscription: to pay for a service.
Transition: some kind of change.
Pages 12, 13
Gasp: take, hold, grab, catch, grip, to understand.
A good grasp of something: a good knowledge of something.
Seize: is more formal, take, hold, be arrested, e.g., the criminals were seized...
Trap: capture, take.
To sour: embitter, to become less friendly, less enjoyable, to alienate.
To break the news / breaking news: to tell someone bad news.
Source: base which something comes from.
Imply: to communicate an idea. / Implications: difficulties. / To implicate: to be involved in something.
Infer: what the listeners understand.
Sensible: sensato / Sensitive: sensible.
To bring up: what our parents do / create / grow up for yourself.
Raise: to move it to a higher position / Rise: stand up.
Economic: related to economy. / Economical: cheap.
Lie (down): echarse, tumbarse. / Lay (down): poner, extender.
Occasion: time when something happens. / Opportunity: situation which is possible.
Attend / attendance: to come, to join.
Assist / Assistance: help someone.
Pages 16, 17
Allude to: mention someone or something not directly.
Discourse: speech.
Enhance / ing / ed: improve.
Motivate / motivation / motivating / motivated: encourage.
Hence: reason or explanation for something.
Scenario: description of possible actions or events.
Symptomatic: sign that shows you something is not okay.
Symptomatic: if something bad is symptomatic of something else, it is caused by the other thing.
Whilst: while.
Voluntary: on your own. / Volunteer: person who on his own decides to do something for free.
Neglect: to not pay attention. / Negligible: not important, e.g., can be neglected.
Ethics: science. / Ethical: according to rules. / Ethically: according to rules.
Spoil: to destroy. / Spoilt: have everything in life. / Unspoilt: untouched.
To require: something I need. / Requirement: what you are asked about.
Altruism: selflessness. / Altruist: work for free. / Altruistic: characteristic.
To benefit: to gain something. / Benefit: to be on the dole.
In favour: opposite of: Against.
Accrue: to increase gradually.
Accrue to something: added to over a period of time.
To reap: to collect / enjoy benefits.
Advance / Advancements
Aware / Awareness / Of: not the same as: unaware.
To sustain / sustainable / unsustainable: support, exist.
Poor / Poverty: not have money.
Bypass: skip / avoid something.
Eschew: eradicate / eliminate / abandon.
Commendable: admirable.
Cynic / Cynicism: to not believe in everything you see.
To merge into: to take two into parts uniquely.
Equal / ity: same.
Unequal / ity: not the same as: Equal / ity.
Page 19
Bilingual:
Inevitable / inevitably:
Luxury / Luxurious:
Mislead / ing: to give false info.
Outnumber: large in number than
Crowd / Overcrowded / ed: too many.
Redevelop: to do it again.
Re / fresh / ed / ing / refreshments: let's have a break and have some refreshments.
Refreshing: when something becomes cooler
In / convenient / ce:
Precise / precision / imprecise:
In / capable:
Non-existence:
Un / realistic:
Un / interrupted:
In / experienced:
Sure / ensure / assure:
Page 20
Applaud / Applause:
Feast: banquet
Gather / ing: meeting.
Itinerary: a plan.
Participate / Participant.
Procession: a group of people.
Rehearse / Rehearsal: to practice something.
Blend: mixture.
Refer / Reference: on books (dictionary).
Onlooker: person who just watches and doesn't take part.
Resemble: to look like, to take after.
To recall: remember.
On account of: because of / due to...
To be accustomed to: to be used to.
To marvel at: admire.