Speakout 3rd Edition C1-C2 Vocabulary Review

Vocabulary and definitions from the Speakout 3rd Edition C1-C2 wordlist across various topics including culture, politics, environment, and education.

long-term benefits

benefits that will continue for a long period of time

do more harm than good

to make something worse when you are trying to improve it

end up stuck with

to find yourself in a situation that you hadn't planned/wanted

facilitate cultural development

to make it easier for cultural development to take place

give the cultural life of that city a boost

to increase or improve the cultural life of the city

have a detrimental effect

to cause harm or damage

raise the cultural profile

if an organisation raises its cultural profile, its cultural life gets more attention from the public

showcase the best

to show the best qualities of a person, organisation, product etc

tangible benefit

benefits that are clear enough or definite enough to be easily seen or noticed

by and large

used when making a general statement

cut and dried

a situation, decision, result etc that is cut and dried cannot now be changed

give or take

used to say that the amount or figure that you have just mentioned is nearly correct

hustle and bustle

busy and noisy activity

live and learn

used to say that you have just learned something that you did not know before

make or break

to cause something or someone either to be very successful or to fail completely

out and about

to go to different places

peace and quiet

free from stress and interruptions

pick and choose

to choose only the best people or things, or only the ones that you really like

short and sweet

brief but pleasant/interesting

slowly but surely

used to emphasise that a change is happening, although it is happening slowly

sooner or later

used to say that something is certain to happen at some time in the future

Accept

to decide that there is nothing you can do to change a difficult and unpleasant situation

acknowledge

to admit or accept that something is true or that a situation exists

call for

to ask publicly for something to happen

Cite

to mention something as an example, especially one that supports, proves, or explains

Echo

to repeat what someone else has just said

Illustrate

to make the meaning of something clearer by giving examples

Maintain

to strongly express your belief that something is true

Ponder

to spend time thinking carefully and seriously about a problem or a difficult question

Question

to have or express doubts about whether something is true, good, necessary etc

Raise

to begin to talk or write about a subject that you want to be considered or a question to be answered

Voice

to tell people your opinions or feelings about a particular subject

back someone up

to say or show that what someone is saying is true

fill someone in

to tell someone about recent events, especially because they have been away

reel off

to repeat a lot of information quickly and easily

talk someone into

to persuade someone to do something

tip someone off

to give someone such as the police a secret warning or piece of information

commonplace

happening or existing in many places, and therefore not special or unusual

deeply rooted

a habit, idea, or belief so strong in a person or society that it is very difficult to change

frown upon

to disapprove of someone or something, especially someone's behaviour

irrespective of

used when saying that a particular fact has no effect on a situation and is not important

long-standing

having continued or existed for a long time

be peculiar to

if something is peculiar to a particular person, place, or situation, it is a feature that only they have

stereotypical

having a belief or idea of what a particular type of person or thing is like

assault on the senses

if a feeling, sound, smell etc affects you in a way that makes you uncomfortable

favourite topping

favourite thing you put on top of food to make it look nicer or taste better

fuse interesting flavours

to combine interesting flavours

intriguing smells

smells that are interesting because they are unexpected

traditional dish

a dish that is part of the traditions of a people or place

unique cuisine

a unique/original style of cooking

identify your strong selling points

to recognise the particular qualities that make you attractive to employers, etc

warrant a second look

to be worth examining, looking at again more closely

play to your particular strengths

to use your particular strengths in order to get what you want

leave a problematic digital footprint

to leave information on the internet as a result of your activity online which could later cause problems

jeopardise a person’s chance

to risk losing or spoiling an opportunity that a person has

spread the word

to tell other people about something

aggravate the problem

to make the problem worse

alleviate boredom

to make boredom less difficult to deal with

boost morale

to increase or improve levels of confidence and positive feelings

ease stress levels

if you ease stress, it gradually improves or becomes less

engender distrust

to be the cause of the feeling that someone cannot be trusted

exacerbate divisions

to make the problem of disagreements within a group worse

strengthen bonds

to make the relationship/things that unite people stronger

be a wet blanket

to spoil other people’s fun, for example by refusing to join them in something enjoyable

be flooded with spam

to receive so many unwanted/unsolicited messages that you cannot deal with them all

ideas flow

ideas come steadily and continuously, without anything stopping or interrupting them

keep your head above water

to manage to continue to live on your income or keep your business working when experiencing financial problems

pour out your frustrations

to tell someone all about your feelings of frustration and why you are unhappy

take a long time to trickle down

to take a long time for the people in a lower group to start to feel the effects of something happening in a higher one

water something down

to make a statement, report etc less forceful by changing it or removing parts that may show disapproval

screen freezes

if a computer screen freezes, the image will not change because of a problem with the computer

allocate resources

to give resources to a particular person, organisation etc

bridge the gender pay gap

to reduce or get rid of the difference in the pay between women and men

eliminate discrimination

to put an end to the practice of treating one person or group differently from another

encourage diversity

to make the inclusion of many different types of people more likely

enforce regulations

to make people obey regulations

shape policy

to influence a way of doing something and make it develop in a particular way

stand up for

to support or defend a person or idea when they are being attacked

tackle inequalities

to deal with problems of unfair situations in which some groups in society have more power than others

cast a vote

to vote in an election

exit polls

the activity of asking people how they have voted in an election in order to discover the likely result

far right/left

having extreme left-wing or right-wing political opinions

head of state

the main representative of a country, such as a queen, king, or president

hereditary monarch

king or queen who can pass on the title to a younger person in the same family

liberal political views

political opinions in favour of gradual political and social changes

manifesto

a written statement by a political party, saying what they believe in and what they intend to do

on the left

favouring left-wing views

right-wing

a person or group that supports the ideas and beliefs of capitalism

secret ballot

a way of voting in which people write their choices on a piece of paper in secret

spin

to describe a situation or information in a way intended to influence the way people think about it

written constitution

a written set of basic laws and principles that a country or organisation is governed by

field of work

an area of activity that people are involved in as part of their work

prioritise

to put several things or problems in order of importance

shared values

values that people have in common

social aspect

the social part of a situation, idea, or plan that has many parts

sound financial footing

financial conditions that are good, and likely to produce the right results

toxic culture

a culture that is disrespectful, abusive or unethical

back a project

to support someone or something, especially by giving them money or using your influence

fuel your motivation

to increase your motivation or make it stronger

pursue an ambition

to try to achieve your ambition over a long period of time