Word of the Day

Vocabulary Building


Monday, Feb. 13, 2017 – Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017

1.     Govern
(verb) to officially and legally control a country and make all the decisions about taxes, laws, public services etc; to rule. Example: They elected new leaders to govern the country.

(verb) if rules, principles etc govern the way a system or situation works, they control how it happens. Examples: There is new legislation governing the export of live animals; The universe is governed by the laws of physics.

     2.     Expect
To demand that someone does something because it is a duty or seems reasonable. Examples: I expect you to clean your room before you leave the house / The officer expects complete obedience from his troops.

To think that something will happen because it seems likely or has been planned. Examples: I expect to be back within a week / I didn’t 

      3.     Include (verb)
To make someone or something part of a larger group or set.  Example: The team is stronger now they’ve included John.

If one thing includes another, the second thing is part of the first. Example: Does the price include postage?

Similar words: comprise, consist of, made up of.

        4.     Evidence
(Noun) – facts or signs that show clearly that something exists or is true.  Example:  At present we have no evidence of life on other planets;  Do you have evidence that this treatment works?

(Verb) – to show that something exists or is true. Example: The volcano is still active, as evidenced by the recent eruption.

Similar word: Proof
  
      5.     Poverty
The situation or experience of being poor.
Example: Millions of elderly people live in poverty; We need an effective strategy to fight poverty.

      6.     Implement
(Verb) – to take action or make changes that you have officially decided should happen.
Example: We have decided to implement the committee’s recommendations;  It is time to implement our plan.

     7.     Strategy
(Noun) – A planned series of actions for achieving something; skillful planning.
Example:  The police force needs a new strategy for dealing with crime;  The company developed a new business strategy.

     8.     Challenge
(Noun) Something that tests strength, skill, or ability, especially in a way that is interesting.
Example: John now faces the biggest challenge of his career / I decided to take up the challenge to climb Mount Olympus.

     9.     Culture
(Noun) – the beliefs, way of life, art, and customs that are shared and accepted by people in a particular society.
Example Usage:  I love working abroad and meeting people from different cultures;  We speak Danish at home so that the boys don’t lose touch with their language and culture.

      10.   Schedule
(Noun) – A plan of what someone is going to do and when they are going to do it; A list that shows the times that buses, trains etc leave or arrive at a particular place.
Example Usage: The majority of holiday flights depart and arrive on schedule.

      11.     Issue
Noun – a subject or problem that is often discussed or argued about, especially a social or political matter that affects the interests of a lot of people.
Example Usage: We should discuss the issue of discrimination at our next meeting; we must resolve the issue with the neighbours.

Common Phrases:  ‘raise an issue’, ‘address an issue’, ‘resolve an issue’, ‘avoid an issue’

 12.            Appreciate
To recognise the significance, importance or value of something; To understand how good or useful someone or something is.

Example Usage: “We appreciate that caring for children is an important job”; “I really appreciate the help you gave me with my assignment”

      13.       Enhance
To improve something; to make greater, as in value, beauty, or effectiveness.
Example Usage:  The candlelight enhanced her beauty; Rarity enhances the value of old coins.

      14.          Diversity
The fact of including many different types of people or things.
Example Usage: The curriculum will take account of the ethnic diversity of the population.


Monday, Feb. 6, 2017 – Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017

Pursue
Meaning 1: to chase or follow someone or something, in order to catch them, attack them. Example:  The police officer decided to pursue the suspicious-looking man.
Meaning 2: to continue doing an activity or trying to achieve something over a long period of time. Example: I would like to pursue a career in politics.

Similar words: chase, follow

Anonymous
Unknown by name.  A person who wants to be anonymous sends, does or gives something without their name being known or revealed.
Example: The donor wished to remain anonymous;  The author of the collection of poems is anonymous.

Similar words:  unknown, nameless

Obedient
(Adjective) - Always doing what you are told to do, or what the law, a rule etc says you must do.
Example:  The students in her class were very obedient;  The soldiers were trained to be disciplined and obedient.

Similar word: compliant

Rescue
(Verb) - to save someone or something from a situation of danger or harm.
Example: Survivors of the crash were rescued by a helicopter
(Noun) - when someone or something is rescued from danger.
Example: It was a dangerous rescue

Stubborn
Determined not to change your mind, even when people think you are being unreasonable;  a very strong and determined refusal.
Example: Why are you being so stubborn?   Paul is refusing to go to the dentist, he is being very stubborn.

Perspective
A way of thinking about something, especially one which is influenced by the type of person you are or by your experiences.
Example: His father's death gave him a whole new perspective on life;  We have to look at everything from an international perspective.

Apologise
To tell someone that you are sorry that you have done something wrong.
Spelling: Spelt apologise in the UK and Australia and apologize in the USA.
Example: I think you better apologise to John for what you said to him this morning;  I apologise for losing my temper.

Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017
Catastrophe
(Noun) - A terrible event in which there is a lot of destruction, suffering, or death.
Example: The earthquake and tsunami in Japan has been a catastrophe.
Similar word: Disaster

Friday, Jan. 27, 2017
ESL Word of the Day – Compassion
Compassion
A strong feeling of sympathy for someone who is suffering, and a desire to help them
Examples: The Doctor felt compassion for his patient with cancer / The criminal had no compassion for his victim.
Similar word: empathy

Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017
Confess
(Verb) - to admit, especially to the police, that you have done something wrong or illegal. Example: Edward confessed to being a spy.
To admit something that you feel embarrassed about. Example: I must confess I don't visit my parents as often as I should.
Similar word: Admit

Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017
Vacancy
1. A job that is available for someone to start doing.  Example: We have no vacancies for photographers at the moment.
2. A room in a hotel or building that is not being used and is available for someone to stay in. Example: Let me see if we have a vacancy for tonight.

Monday, Jan. 30, 2017
Graduation
(Noun) - the time when you complete your education or a university degree course. Example: After graduation, Neil moved to Ohio to become an accountant.
(Noun) - a ceremony at which you receive a university degree or diploma. Example: I am looking forward to my graduation day.

Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017
Adventure
(Noun) - An exciting experience in which dangerous, unusual or fun things happen. Example: We had a great adventure in the jungle today;  Are there any adventure movies on at the cinema?
Willingness to try new things and take risks. Example: Come on - where's your sense of adventure?

0 Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017
ESL Word of the Day – Commute
Commute
(Verb) To make a journey between home and work. Example: Jim commutes to Manhattan every day.
(Noun) The journey to work each day. Example: My morning commute takes 45-minutes.
Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017
Promotion
1. A move to a more important job or position in a company or organization. Example: Your promotion to Senior Editor is now official.
2. An activity intended to help sell a product, or the product that is being promoted. Example: We are going to hold a Winter sales promotion.
3. The activity of persuading people to support something. Example: Next month will be the promotion our Summer range of clothes.

Friday, Feb. 3, 2017
Scrutiny
(Noun) Careful and thorough examination of someone or something (usually to try to find mistakes).
Examples: Careful scrutiny of the company's accounts revealed a whole series of errors.
The employee was under scrutiny.
Similar words: examination, study, inspection, analysis

Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017

Evanescent: Vanishing; fading away

Monday, January 23, 2017

Match the word from the first column with their meaning from the second column, and then use these words in sentences of your own.

Word
Meaning
Sentence
1.     Lapidary

A.   Cheerful readiness

2.     Transpire
B.   Cutter, polisher, or engraver of precious stones, e.g. gems

3.     Memento
C.   Develop or become known or apparent

4.     Alacrity
D.   Something that serves to warn or remind; souvenir



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