| Sense(n) | The meaning of a word or phrase
EX: In one sense, they’re interchangeable. They both mean a particular point in a process. |
| Synonymous(a) | Having the same or nearly the same: đồng nghĩa với
EX: Are the words phase and stage synonymous? |
| Ambiguous(a) | Not clear, able to be explained in different ways = be open to interpretation
EX: It’s a bit ambiguous to say ‘she’s a good student’.
I think the meaning of the painting is open to interpretation. I think it shows that he liked dark color. |
| Interpret(v) | To decide what the intended meaning of sth is: giải thích, hiểu theo cách nào đó
EX: Any change of policy will be interpreted as a sign of weakness.
A jury should not interpret the silence of defendants as a sign of guilt. |
| Self-explanatory (a) | Easy to understand and not needing more explanation
EX: I just use a few basic and self-explanatory, for the most part crossing out the errors and inserting the correct version. |
| Virtually(a) | Almost, nearly (virtually the same/ impossible/ certain)
EX: Well, it’s virtually the same as spirit – the part of you that is believed to exist after your death. |
| Transparent (a) | Obvious; be honest, without secrets
EX: We are commited to being totallly transparent about our charges.
Companies need to be transparent about their goals and policies. |
| Ironic (a) | The use of words to say the opposite of what you mean, often humourously: mỉa mai, châm biếm (Irony(n)) – A Trace/ Hint of irony = a little irony
EX: ‘Thank you, Sam’, she said, with heavy irony. Sam had hardly helped us at all. |
| Old – fashioned = dated | No longer modern or fashionable (opp In current use)
EX: Spiffing means ‘great’, but it’s very old-fashioned. |
| Sarcastic (a) | Using remarks that clearly mean the opposite of what you say, in order to hurt someone’s feelings or to humorously criticize sth (noun Sarcasm)
EX: ‘I’ve broken your CD’ – ‘Oh, that’s just great’, was her sarcastic reply. |
| Literary(a) | Connected with literature, used of the kind of language you find in stories or poems
EX: Her internationally acclaimed novel has won several literary prizes.
Her written work is very literary, it's a bit like reading a novel by Charles Dickens. |
| Pejorative(a) = derogatory | Expressing disapproval or criticism
EX: His pejorative comments/remarks about my essays upset me.
The word 'pig' is a derogatory term for policemen. |
| Make fun of = Poke fun at | Making jokes about someone in an unkind way
EX: Stop making fun of her ! |
| Mock(v) | Making fun of someone, often by copying what they say or do
EX: He's always mocking her country accent. |
| On the spot | At that moment/place
EX: An enormous sycamore had grown on the spot where the vestry had once stood. |
| See to something | Deal with something
EX: These letters need posting - I'll see to it later. |
| See to it that | Make sure that
EX: Please see to it that no one comes without identification. |
| Prod(v) - Give sb a prod (n) | To push sth or sb with a pointed object; To encourage sb to take action, esp when they are being slow or unwilling
EX: I prodded her to get her attention.
No matter how much I prod, he will not tell me what happened.
She hasn't ordered that book for me yet - I must give her a prod |
| Merchant (n) | A person whose job is to sell and buy products in large amounts, esp by trading with other country: thương gia
EX: A wine/grain/cotton merchant. |
| Merchant* (n) (pejorative meaning) | Someone who involved in or enjoy dong something annoying or unpleasant to others
EX: A gossip/speed merchant. |
| Proprietor (n) | A person who owns a particular type of business, esp a hotel, a shop, or a company that makes newspaper: chủ sở hữu
EX: A paper/hotel proprietor.
He is the proprietor in one of the best hotels in Orlando. |
| Vague (a) | Not clearly expressed, known, described or decided: mập mờ
EX: I do have a vague memory of meeting her many years ago.
She can only give a vague description of an attacker who approached her. |
| Vague* (a) | Not able to think clearly, or give an impression of not thinking clearly in order to hide real thoughts: lơ đãng
EX: Our teacher is genuinely vague and disorganized. |
| custody (n) | The state of being kept in prison, esp while waiting to go to the court for trial: sự tạm giam
EX: You will be remanded in custody until your trial. |
| convulse (v) | To shake suddenly with uncontrolled movements: làm chấn động
EX: Japan was convulsed by earthquakes.
Riot convulsed the city. |
| Nationwide(a)
A nationwide network/chain of stores
A nationwide survey/referendum | Existing or happening in all parts of particular country.
EX: Some miners are calling for a nationwide strike in support of their sacked colleagues.
He is a famous proprietor owning a nationwide chain of restaurants. |
| restrain (v) | To control the actions or behaviors of someone by force to stop them from doing sth: kiềm chế
EX: She was so angry that she could hardly restrain herself.
Growth in car ownership could be restrained by increasing taxes. |
| In tatters (literal) | Badly torn: rách rưới
EX: Her clothes were old and in tatters. |
| In tatters (literary) | Badly damaged or completely spoiled: lụi tàn, bị huỷ hoại
EX: After the newspaper story appeared, his reputation was in tatters. |
| Compel (v) | To force someone to do something: ép buộc
EX: The new circumstances virtually compel a change in policy.
As a schoolboy, he was compelled to wear shorts even in winters. |
| Compel* (v) | Produce a strong feeling or reaction: thôi thúc
EX: Over the years, her work has compelled universal admiration and credit. |
| Compelling (a) | Forceful and persuasive
EX: His account of his life is one of the most compelling autobiographies I've ever read. |
| Conspire (v) | To plan secretly with someone to do sth bad, illegal or against sb's wishes: âm mưu
EX: Moore conspired with Graham to overthrow the government. |
| Conspire* (v) | Manage to do sth despite difficulty
EX: They somehow conspired to keep the theater alive when all government funding ended. |
| Conspire against (phr) | If events or conditions conspire against sth or conspire to do sth, they combine in such a plan that spoils your plan
EX: They weather had conspired to ruin their day out.
I'd planned a romantic evening together, but circumstances conspired against it - friends arrived unexpectedly and then Dave was called out to an emergency. |
| Off the charts (phr) | At the every high level; more than expected
EX: Her blood pressure was off the charts.
His enthusiasm was off the charts. |
| Off the charts* (phr) | Extremely popular or successful
EX: The new restaurant of that well-known proprietor is dominantly off the charts. |
| Under the table (phr) | Secretly or illegally
EX: They offered him money under the table to change his mind.
If you want to get a good apartment, you may have to give the manager some money under the table. |
| Odd jobs (phr) | Small jobs of different types, esp those involved repairing tor cleaning things
EX: Odd jobs are virtually paid under the table.
He's been doing odd jobs this summer to earn a little extra money. |
| Hinge on/upon sth (phr) | If one thing hinges on another, the first thing depends on the second thing or be influenced by it
EX: All affairs predominantly hinges on all these nationwide influential conferences. |
| On track (phr) | Making progress and likely to succeed; developing as expected
EX: They're on track to make record profits. |
| Behind schedule (phr) | To do sth later than expected or planned; take longer than planned or expected: chậm tiến độ
EX: We were behind schedule on this job, but we're back on track now.
The project is running behind schedule. |
| Anomaly (n) = Abnormality (n) | Sth that is unusual enough to be noticeable or seem strange: điều dị thường
EX: The government does computer checks of tax returns thoroughly in order to find anomalies that might indicate fraud. |
| Tax return (phr)
A corporate/personal tax return
To complete/fill in/file a tax return | A document on which you report your income annually to calculate your taxes
EX: You need to file a tax return each year. |
| Sedulous (a) = Assiduous (a)
Assiduous efforts/researches | Diligent. careful and using a lot of effort: cần cù, kiên trì
EX: She was sedulous in not sleeping with her lovers: She married with six of them.
The government was very assiduous in the fight against inflation. |
| Indifferent (a) | Not showing interest or feeling: thờ ơ
EX: She was utterly indifferent to their appeals.
He found it hard teaching a class full of indifferent students. |
| Indifferent* (a) | Not good, but also not bad
EX: |
| Indifferent* (a) | Not good, but also not bad
EX: We don't like the restaurant much - the food was indifferent and service rather slow. |
| Conscience (n) | The part of you that judges how moral your own actions are and makes you feel guilty about what you've done or things you feel responsible for: lương tâm
EX: He's got no conscience at all about leaving me to do the housework. |
| Besiege (v) | Harass, as with questions and requests
EX: The teacher was besieged with an array of questions from her pupils.
Harry was besieged by many of his fans at the airport.
If you get many spams sending to your email, you are besieged with advertisements. |
| Falsehood (n) = Deception (n) | A lie or a statement that is not correct: sự lừa dối
EX: Perhaps they come up with falsehoods and inaccuracies, but that is part of the game.
She doesn't seem to recognize the difference between truth and falsehood. |
| Arouse (v) | Cause someone to have a particular feeling: khơi dậy, gợi lên
EX: His strange behavior aroused his neighbors' suspicions. |
| Inflammatory (a) | Intended to cause anger or hatred
EX: The men were using inflammatory language/making inflammatory remarks about the their opponents' supporters. |
| Trepidation (n) | Fear or worry about what is going to happen
EX: With some trepidation, I set out to find my first job. |
| Nefarious (a) = Vicious (a) | Morally bad, criminal, malicious or wicked: hiểm ác, tàn độc
EX: The company's CEO seems to has been involved in some nefarious practices/activities.
They were the victims of a vicious racist attack. |
| At sb's disposal (phr) | If sb has sth at their disposal, they are able to use it whenever they want or for whatever purpose they want: tuỳ ý sử dụng
EX: I am at your disposal.
He threatened to use all these weapons at his disposal. |
| Surveillance (n) | The careful watching of a person or a place, esp by the police or the army, because of a crime that has happened or is expected: sự giám sát
EX: The police have kept the nightclub under surveillance because of suspected illegal drug activities. |
| Premise (n)
On the premise that (phr) | An idea or theory on which a statement or action is based: giả thuyết
EX: The advice to young investors was based on the premise of the continuous decrease of interest rate. |
| Pandemonium (n) = Turmoil (n) | A state of confusion, uncertainty and disorder
EX: The country is in the state of political turmoil.
The legislation for marital pandemonium, or if we prefer, the law of jungle.
Pandemonium erupted in the courtroom when the verdict was read. |
| Genuine (a) | If something is genuine, it is real and exactly what it appears to be
EX: It is a genuine Michelangelo drawing, it will sell for millions. |
| Genuine* (a) | If people or emotions are genuine, they are honest and sincere.
EX: He's a very genuine person. |
| Allege (v) | To say that someone has done something illegal without giving proof: gán tội
EX: It was alleged that John had struck him on the road.
The two men alleged that the police forced them to give false confessions. |
| Allege* (v) | To bring forward as a reason or excuse: viện cớ
EX: He alleged illness as the reason for his absence. |
| In/Under the spotlight (phr) | Receiving a lot of public attention
EX: The senator has been under the spotlight recently since the revelation of his tax fraud. |
| On behalf of (phr) | For the good of or because of (purpose)
EX: The company was set up to buy and sell shares on behalf of their investors. |
| Demographic (n) | A group of people, esp customer, who are similar in age, social class
EX: Our target demographic is college-educated urban females aged 25-30
Marketing to baby boomers is not easy, but in order to be successful, you need to reach this demographic. |
| Across the board (phr) | Happening or having effect on people at every level and in every area: toàn diện, toàn mặt
EX: The improvement has been across the board, with all divisions either increasing profits or reducing losses. |
| Acute (a) = Extreme (a) | Very serious, extreme or severe: to lớn, nghiêm trọng
EX: The area has an acute water shortage. |
| Acute* (a) | Aware of being able to recognized small differences between things, or being accurate on judging things: sắc sảo, tinh tế
EX: Her judgement is acute. |
| Amid | In the middle of or surrounded by, among
EX: Amid all the rush and confusion, she forgot to say good bye. |
| Synthesize (v) | To put separate facts together to form a complete single piece of work: tổng hợp
EX: The assessment tasks focus on the ability to synthesize information from a range of sources. |
| Economize (v) | Try to save money by reducing the amount that you are spending: tiết kiệm
EX: You can economize on food by not eating in restaurants all the time.
Shoppers are going less for expensive foods in an effort to economize. |
| Asset (n) | A useful or valuable quality, skill, feature or person
EX: He'll be a great asset to the team.
Her eyes are her best assets. |
| Asset* (n) | Something valuable belonging to a person or an organization that can be used for the payment of debts
EX: A company's assets can consist of cash, investment, specialist knowledge or copyright material. |
| Accomplish (v)
Accomplish one's task
Accomplish one's promise
Accomplish one's objective | To finish something successfully or achieve something
EX: The students accomplish the tasks in less than 10 minutes.
I feel as if I've accomplished nothing since I left the job. |
| Objective (n) | Something that you plan to do or achieve
EX: Her main/prime objective now is simply to stay in power.
Can the sales team meet/achieve their financial objectives? |
| Objective* (a) | Based on real fact and not influenced by personal beliefs or feeling: khách quan
EX: I can't really be objective when I'm judging my daughter's work. |
| Versatile (a) | Flexible, able to change from an activity to another or able to be used for different purposes
EX: Teachers have to be versatile to cope with different ability levels. |
| Blast (v) | To criticize somebody or something severely
EX: The administration was blasted for failing to create jobs. |
| -mongering (n) | The act of encouraging a particular activity, esp one that causes trouble
EX: They accused him of rumor-mongering/scandal-mongering.
She accuses some of the tabloids of racist hate-mongering. |
| Ramble (v) | To walk for pleasure, esp in the countryside
EX: I love to ramble through the fields and lanes in this part of country.
Let's go rambling tomorrow. |
| Ramble* (v) | To talk or write in a confused way, often for a long time
EX: Sorry, I'm rambling (on) - Let me get back to the point. |
| Endorse (v)
Endorse a decision/plan/proposal
Enthusiastically/Strongly/Vigorously endorse | To make a public statement of your approval or support of something or somebody: ủng hộ, tán thành
EX: I fully endorse everything the Chairperson has said.
State governors are being urged to endorsed the proposals. |
| Endorse* (v) | To appear in an advertisement, saying that you use and like a particular product
EX: They paid $2 million to the world champion to endorse their aftershave. |
| Regard (v) | To consider or have opinion about something or someone
EX: Her parents always regard her as the smartest child of the family.
He regards e-commerce as an indivisible part of modern retail. |
| As regards something (phr) | In connection with
EX: There is no problem as regards the financial arrangements. |
| In/with regard to somebody/something | In connection with
EX: The qualitative analyses focus on the learners' metalinguistic knowledge with regard to article selection. |
| At the expense of something (phr) | Resulting in the loss of something
EX: Do you want to speed the process up at the expense of safety? |
| Outrageous (a) | Shocking and morally unacceptable; or unusual
EX: These prices are just outrageous.
It is outrageous that these buildings remain empty while thousands of people have no homes. |
| Ascendancy (n) | A position of power, strength or success: uy thế
EX: They are in danger of losing their political ascendancy. |
| Imbue sb/sth with sth (phr) | To fill someone or something with a particular feeling, quality or idea: thấm đầy
EX: His poetry was imbued with deep, religious feeling. |
| Embrace (v) | To accept something enthusiastically
EX: We are always eager to embrace the state-of-the-art technology.
Corporate America quickly embrace the Web as the a new vehicle for advertising. |
| Embrace* (v/n) | To hold someone tightly with both arms to express love, liking or sympathy, or when greeting or leaving someone
EX: We saw them embrace at the station platform.
She leaned over to embrace the child.
She greeted me with a warm embrace. |
| Embrace** (v) | To include something, often as one of a number of things: bao gồm
EX: Linguistics embraced a diverse range of subjects such as phonetics and stylistics. |
| Anticipate (v) | To imagine or expect that something will happen, sometimes taking action in preparation for it
EX: At this stage, we can't anticipate what will happen.
It's always best to anticipate problems before they arise.
Principally, the participants took longer than anticipated to make their choices. |
| In anticipation of something (phr) | In preparation of something happening
EX: She's even decorated the spare room in anticipation of your visit. |
| Intrigue (v) | To interest somebody a lot, esp by being strange, unusual or mysterious
EX: Throughout history, people have been intrigued by the question of whether there is an intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.
Some of the members had been intriguing to get the secretary dismissed. |
| Intrigue (n) | A secret plan to do something, esp something that will harm another person
EX: A tale of political intrigue |
| Straightforward (a) | Easy to understand or simple, obvious
EX: It's a very complex issue to which there is no straightforward answer. |
| Shades of grey (phr) | A fact of not being clear in a situation what is right and wrong
EX: The film represents a straightforward choice of good and evil, with no shades of grey. |
