04/03 

Children's Day

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Words of a day

03/30

‧deplore (v.) [dɪˋplor]

a.       to say or think that something is very bad

e.g.: He said that he deplored all violence.

‧twitch (v.) [twɪtʃ]

a.  (to cause) to make a sudden small movement with a part of the body, usually without intending to

e.g.: He tried to suppress a smile but felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

a.       to give something a sudden light pull

e.g.: You'll feel something twitch the line when you get a fish.

‧presumably (adv.) [prɪˋzuməblɪ]

a.       used to say what you think is the likely situation

e.g.: They can presumably afford to buy a bigger apartment.

‧relieve (v.) [rɪˋliv]

a.       to make an unpleasant feeling, such as pain or worry, less strong

e.g.: She was given a shot of morphine to relieve the pain.

b.      to improve an unpleasant situation

c.       to provide relief for a bad situation or for people in need

d.      to take the place of someone and continue doing their job or duties

e.g.: I'm on duty until 2 p.m. and then Peter is coming to relieve me.

e.       to free a place that has been surrounded by an enemy army by military force

e.g.: An armoured battalion was sent to relieve the besieged town.

‧offer (n.) [ˋɔfɚ]

a.       to ask someone if they would like to have something or if they would like you to do something

b.      to say a prayer or make a sacrifice (= an act of killing or giving up something) to a god

03/31

‧irritation (n.) [͵ɪrəˋteʃən]

a.       the feeling of being angry or annoyed, or something that makes you feel like this

e.g.: That kind of behaviour is sure to cause irritation.

b.      a painful or sore feeling in a part of the body

‧monopolize (v.) [məˋnɑp!͵aɪz]

a.       in business, to control something completely and to prevent other people having any effect on what happens

b.      If someone monopolizes a person or a conversation, they talk a lot or stop other people being involved

e.g.: She completely monopolized the conversation at lunch.

‧despondently (adj.) [dɪˋspɑndəntlɪ]

a.       unhappy and with no hope or enthusiasm

e.g.: He became/grew increasingly despondent when she failed to return his phone calls.

‧haze (n.) [hez]

a.       something such as heat or smoke in the air that makes it less clear, so that it is difficult to see well

e.g.: The road through the desert shimmered in the haze.

‧blunder (n.) [ˋblʌndɚ]

a.       a serious mistake, usually caused by not taking care or thinking

e.g.: He said that the tax was a major political blunder.

‧sedulous (adj.) [ˋsɛdʒələs]

a.       careful and using a lot of effort

e.g.: It was agreed that the few students sedulous enough to read the book deserved top marks for diligence.

04/01

‧grant (n.) [grænt]

a.       an amount of money given especially by the government to a person or organization for a special purpose

e.g.: They gave/awarded her a grant to study abroad for one year.

‧plunge (v.) [plʌndʒ]

a.       to (cause someone or something to) move or fall suddenly and often a long way forward, down, or into something

e.g.: We ran down to the beach and plunged into the sea.

‧gratifying (adj.) [ˋgrætə͵faɪɪŋ]

a.       pleasing and satisfying

e.g.: It must be very gratifying to see all your children grown up and happy.

‧discourse (n.) [ˋdɪskors]

a.       communication in speech or writing

b.      a speech or piece of writing about a particular, usually serious, subject

‧tempestuously (adj.) [tɛmˋpɛstʃʊəslɪ]

a.       If something such as a relationship or time is tempestuous, it is full of strong emotions

e.g.: They got divorced in 2010 after a tempestuous marriage.

04/02

‧catastrophe (n.) [kəˋtæstrəfɪ]

a.       a sudden event that causes very great trouble or destruction

e.g.: They were warned of the ecological catastrophe to come.

b.      a bad situation

e.g.: The emigration of scientists is a catastrophe for the country.

‧flea (n.) [fli]

a.       a very small jumping insect that feeds on the blood of animals and humans

‧demure (adj.) [dɪˋmjʊr]

a.       (especially of women) quiet and well behaved

e.g.: She gave him a demure smile.

‧comparison (n.) [kəmˋpærəsn]

a.       the act of comparing two or more people or things

e.g.: They made a comparison of different countries' eating habits.

‧conduct (v.) [kənˋdʌkt]

a.       to organize and perform a particular activity

04/03

‧inwardly (adv.) [ˋɪnwɚdlɪ]

a.       inside your mind and not expressed to other people

e.g.: He was inwardly relieved that the test was cancelled.

‧curse (v.) [kɝs]

a.       to use a word or an expression that is not polite and shows that you are very angry

e.g.: We could hear him cursing and swearing as he tried to get the door open.

b.      to say magic words that are intended to bring bad luck to someone

‧implicate (v.) [ˋɪmplɪ͵ket]

a.       to show that someone is involved in a crime or partly responsible for something bad that has happened

e.g.: Have they any evidence to implicate him in the robbery?

‧unequal (adj.) [ʌnˋikwəl]

a.        different in size, level, amount, etc.

b.        not treating everyone the same; unfair