Oxford word skills (chapter 1 - 15)

accurate

exact and correct; without mistakes

synonymous

having the same, or nearly the same meaning

restricted

controlled or limited

ambiguous

not clear, able to be explained in different ways

interpret

explain the meaning of sth

self-explanatory

easy to understand and not needing more explanation

precise

clear and accurate

virtually

almost, very nearly

ironically

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

literal

being the basic or usual meaning

figuratively

not used in the basic or usual way, but in a way that makes a description more interesting

metaphor

a word or phrase used to describe sb/sth else in a way that is different from its normal use

disapproving

showing that sth 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

insulting

rude or offensive

crawl (of a vehicle)

move very slowly

have second thoughts (about sth)

start having doubts about a decision you have made

be in two minds about smt

be unable to decide what to do about sth

sweet (of sb)

kind

be tied up

be busy and unable to do other things

strike sb (that) …

(of a thought or idea) suddely come into sb’s mind

thick

stupid

be the last thing on sb’s mind

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

get out of sth

avoid doing sth

you’re not gonna believe this

used to introduce surprising and often unwelcome news

get sb/sth to do sth

make or persuade sb/sth to do sth

see what/how, etc… (let’s see what happens)

find out sth by looking, asking or waiting

keep (We must eat the grapes, they won’t keep.)

remain fresh

put (put sth into words)

say or write sth in a particular way

push sb/yourself

make sb work harder

leave sth to/with sb

allow sb to take care of sth

make sth sth (My watch says 10.20. What time do you make it? - He bought ten more; I make that 25 now.)

think or calculate sth to be a particular time or number

bring sb/sth + adverb/preposition (What brings you here?)

cause sb/sth to reach a particular condition or place

come with/in sth (the chairs come in 4 - The radio comes with batteries)

be sold or produced with a particular feature

do (for sb/sth) (Will these shoes do for the wedding?)

be enough/acceptable in a particular situation

mistake sb/sth for sb/sth

wrongly think that sb/sth is sb/sth else

certainty

the state of being completely sure about sth

problematic

difficult to deal with; full of problems

possess

have or own smt

beneficial

having a good or useful effect

requirement

sth 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 sth happening

handling

the way sb deals with sth/sb

guidelines

official rules

guidance

help or advice

apologetic

showing you’re sorry

noticeable

easily seen/noticed

inclusive (of the cost of sth)

including everything

inclusion

the fact of including sb/sth; the fact of being included

comparable

able to be compared

replacement

a thing that replaces sth that is old, broken, etc.

irreplaceable

cannot be replaced

humanity

all the people in the world

humanitarian

concerned with trying to make people’s lives better

racism

the unfair treatement of people who beling to a different race

recognition

the fact that you can identify sb/sth that you see

make an effort (to do sth)

attempt to do sth, especially when it is diffucult

set an example (to sb)

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

treat sb with respect

behave towards sb in a polite and caring way

take responsibility (for sth/sb)

accept a duty to deal with sb/sth, so that it is your fault is sth goes wrong

get the credit (for sth)

be admired and given praise for doing sth successfully

take the blame (for sth)

accept responsibility for sth that goes wrong

spread a rumour

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

keep (sth) a secret

not tell anyone about sth that others must not know

break the news

be the first person to tell others about sth important

roar with laughter

laugh loudly or a lot

detailed description (<=> brief description)

a description full of information

strong accent (<=> slight accent)

a very noticeable accent

main concern (= principal concern)

most important worry

typical example (= perfect example)

very good example

utter chaos (ALSO utter nonsense)

complete confusion (ALSO ideas that you think are stupid or not true)

narrow escape

they were lucky to escape safely

a familiar face

a person you recognize and know

vast majority

a very large majority

pure gold (ALSO pure slik/cotton)

not mixed with anything else

the complete opposite (= the exact opposite)

a person or thing that is as different as possible from sb/sth else

driving licence

an official document that shows you’re qualified to drive

birth certificate

an official document showing when and where someone was born

loyality 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 that a person is likely to live

shortcut

a path or route that is quicker than the normal way

mother tongue

the language that you first learn to speak as a child

junk food

food that is quick and easy to prepare and eat but not good for your health

role model

a person that you admire and try to copy

last-minute

happening at the last possible moment

well behaved (a well-behaved child)

(compounds with well are hyphenated before a noun but not after a noun) behaving in a way that people think is correct and polite

long-standing

that has existed or lasted for a long time

worn out

1 (of a thing) no longer useful because it has been used so much

2 (of a person) exhausted from work or exercise

hard-wearing

(of a product) remaining in good condition for a long time

self-righteous

believing that what you say or do is right and other people are wrong

bad-tempered

often angry and easily annoyed

cute

pretty and attractive, often used to descrive babies, puppies, etc.

chubby

slightly fat, but in an attractive way