Oxford Word Skills: UI/A: EXPAND YOUR VOCABULARY (1-6)

accurate

exact and correct; without mistakes

synonymous

having the same, or nearly the same meaning

restricted

controlled or limited

interpret

explain the meaning of something

self-explanatory

easy to understand and not needing more explanation

precise

clear and accurate

virtually

almort, very nearly

ironically

using words to say the opposite of what you mean, often humorously

literal

being the basic or usual meaning

figuratively

noot used in the basic or usual way, but in a way that makes a description more interesting

golden

wonderful, special

a heart of gold

being very kind

metaphor

a word of phrase used to describe somebody/something else in a way that is different from its normal use

dissaproving

showing that something is bad or wrong

slang

very informal words and phrases, used by particular groups of people in spoken language

offensive

rude in a way that causes you to be upset or angry

appropriate

suitable or correct

insulting

rude or offensive

swear words

rude or offensive language

swear

to make a serious promise to do something

crawl

move very slowly

have second thoughts (about something)

start having doubts about a decision you have made

be in two minds about something

be unable to decide what to do about something

sweet (of somebody)

kind (of somebody)

be tied up

be busy and unable to do other things

strike somebody (that)

suddenly come into somebody’s mind

thick

stupid

be the last thing on somebody’s mind

be the thing that somebody is least likely to be thinking about

get out of something

avoid doing something

you’re not gonna believe this

used to introduce surprising and often unwelcome news

get somebody/something to do something

make or persuade somebody/something to do something

see what/how…

find out something by looking, asking or waiting

keep

remain fresh

put something into words

say or write something in a particular way

push somebody/yourself

make somebody work harder

leave something to/with somebody

allow somebody to take care of something

make something something

think or calculate something to be a particular time or number

bring somebody/something + adverb/prepostition

cause somebody/something to reach a particular condition or place

come with/in something

be sold or produced with a particular feature

do (for somebody/something)

be enough/acceptable in a particular situation

mistake somebody/something of somebody/something

wrongly think that somebody/something is somebody/something else

certainly

the state of being completely sure about something

problametic

difficult to deal with; full of problems

possess

have or own something

beneficial

having a good or useful effect

requirement

something that you need or that you must have or do

housing

buildings for people to live in

household

all the people who live in one house

likelihood

the chance of something happening

handling

the way somebody deals with something/somebody

guidelines

official rules

guidance

help or advise

apologetic

showing you are sorry

noticeable

easily seen/noticed

inclusive

including everything

inclusion

the fact of including somebody/something; the fact of being included

comparable

similar; able to be compared

replacement

a thing that replaces something that is old, broken…

irreplaceable

cannot be replaced

humanity

all the people in the world

humanitarian

concerned with trying to make people’s lives better

racism

the unfair treatment of people who nelong to a different race

recognition

the fact that you can identify somebody/something that you see

worth

having a particular value; used as a way of recommending

worthless

without value

worthy

one who deserves something

worthwhile

important, interesting…

make an effort (to do something)

attempt to do something, especially when it is difficult

set an example (to somebody)

do something good or well that people can try to copy or achieve

treat somebody with respect

behave towards somebody in a polite and caring way

treat somebody like dirt

behave towards somebody in a bad or mean way

take responibility (for something/somebody)

accept a duty to deal with something/somebody, so that it is your fault if something goes wrong

pass the buck

make somebody else responsible for a difficult situation

get the credit (for something)

be admired and given the praise for doing something succesfully

take the blame (for something)

accept responsibility for something that goes wrong

spread a rumour

tell a lot of people about a piece of news or information that may not be true

keep (something) a secret

not tell anyone about something that others must not know

break the news

be the first person to tell others about something important

roar with laughter

laugh loudly or a lot

detailed description

a description full of information

brief description

a description without much information

strong accent

a very noticeable accent

slight accent

a not very noticeable accent

main concern

most important worry

typical example

very good example

utter chaos

complete confusion

utter nonsense

ideas rhat you think are stupid or not true

narrow escape

a situation in which an accident or other unfortunate incident is only just avoided

familiar face

a person you recognize and know

vast majority

a very large majority

pure gold

not mixed with anything else

the complete opposite

a person or thing that is as different as possible from somebody/something else

driving licence

an official document that shows you are qualified to drive

birth certificate

an official document showing when and where someone was born

loyalty card

a card given to customers by a shop to encourage them to shop there regularly. Each time they shop, they get money off goods they buy in the future.

spare part

a part for a car or machine to replace an old or broken part

self-confidence

confidence in yourself and your abilities

life expectancy

the number of years thet a person is likely to live

shortcut

a path or route tat is quicker than the normal way

mother tongue

th elanguage that you first learn to speak as a child