words from Cambridge English Compact advanced

quick-fire

(a series of things) done very quickly e.g. His _____-____ jokes were very popular with the audience.

overwhelm

(something) affects you very strongly, and you do not know how to deal with it e.g. Sightseers may be a little ______________ by the crowds and noise. She was ______________ by feelings of guilt. The beauty of the landscape ______________ me.

evolve

(v.) to develop gradually; to rise to a higher level e.g. Did humans ________ from apes? The company has ________ over the years into a multi-million dollar organization.

contention

Someone's _________ is the idea or opinion that they are expressing in an argument or discussion. If something is a cause of __________, it is a cause of disagreement or argument. e.g. This evidence supports their _____________ that the outbreak of violence was prearranged. They generally tried to avoid subjects of ______________ between them.

assertive (person)

Uses "I" messages. Chooses for self. Is direct, self- respecting, straight forward. Expresses own needs and wishes. Respects own and others rights. Makes others feel trusted, respected, and valued. e.g. You have become an ___________ person and others will respect you for it.

scorecard

a card or paper where you write the points, e.g. in a game.

grimace

a facial expression of fear, disapproval, or pain e.g. He tried to stand and ________ with pain. Helen made a _________ of disgust when she saw the raw meat.

courtship

a social interaction similar to dating but with the sole purpose of eventual marriage. e.g. They had a passionate ___________ and a long, loving marriage.

a spread (on bread)

a soft food which is put on bread. e.g. ...a wholemeal salad roll with low fat ______.

paywall

a system that stops the user of a website from seeing other pages on that site if they do not pay e.g. Most of their data is behind the _______.

sensible

actions or decisions based on reasons rather than emotions e.g. The _________ thing is to leave them alone. He _________ decided to lie low for a while.

draft

an early version of a letter, email, book, or speech to write the first version of smth. e.g. I rewrote his rough _____, which was published under my name. He _______ a standard letter to the editors

sorrow

an emotion of great sadness associated with loss e.g. He expressed his _________ at the news of her death.

an extract

an extract from a book or piece of writing is a small part of it that is printed or published separately e.g. They published an ________ from his autobiography.

demand (smth)

ask for information or action in a very forceful way e.g. Mr Byers last night __________ an immediate explanation from the Education Secretary 'What did you expect me to do about it?' she __________.

sole

being one only; single. e.g. My _____objective is to make the information more widely available. The _____ survivor of the accident was found in the water after six hours. The ____ reason Britain did not join was that the Government could not have won the promised referendum.

explicitly

definite, clearly stated e.g. I told you quite ____________ to be home by midnight. It should be ____________ stated exactly what the grant covers.

hysterical

emotionally out of control e.g. The singer had to leave by a side exit to flee 200 ______________ fans. He made headlines and received ______________ hate mail.

distress

extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain (something) causes you to be upset or worried e.g. The idea of Toni being in danger _________ him enormously. Jealousy causes _________ and painful emotions.

deafening

extremely loud. e.g. The music was ____________.

prominent

important; famous e.g. The government should be playing a more ______________ role in promoting human rights. She plays a ______________ role in the organization.

bring up

introduce particular subject into a discussion or conversation e.g. Why are you ___________ it __ now?

giggle

laugh in a childlike way; to laugh repeatedly in a quiet but uncontrolled way, often at something silly or rude or when you are nervous. e.g. Stop that ___________ in the back row! There were a few nervous ________ from people in the audience.

take off

leave the ground e.g. We eventually _____ ___ at 11 o'clock and arrived in Venice at 1.30.

man-made

made by people e.g. ___-_____ and natural disasters have disrupted the Government's economic plans. ___-_____ lakes. a variety of materials, both natural and ___-_____.

irritate

make (someone) annoyed, impatient, or angry. e.g. Their attitude ___________ me. Perhaps they were ___________ by the sound of crying. Wear rubber gloves while chopping chillies as they can ___________ the skin.

theme tune

melody that associated with particular tv-show

rapidly

moving, acting, or occurring with great speed.

up to

occupied with, think about smth, dependent on e.g. She's __ __ no good The decision is __ __ you

prospective (someone)

people who are expected to buy something, employ someone, become parents, etc. e.g. We've had three sets of ________________ buyers looking at the house. The careers fair gives students a chance to meet _______________ employers.

sour

potentially toxic acid e.g. The stewed apple was ____ even with honey. That ____ milk is no longer fresh

legible handwriting

readable handwriting e.g. Her handwriting is barely ____________.

to eliminate (smth)

remove or get rid of smth. e.g. If you think you may be allergic to a food or drink, __________ it from your diet.

contribute (to smth)

say or do things to help to make it successful e.g. The three sons also ___________ __ the family business. I believe that each of us can ___________ __ the future of the world.

increase

something becomes greater in number, level, or amount e.g. The population continues to __________. We are experiencing an _____________ number of problems.

at last

something has happened after you have been hoping for it for a long time e.g. I'm so glad that we've found you __ ____! __ ____ the train arrived in the station.

convenient

something that easy, or very useful or suitable for a particular purpose e.g. a flexible and ______________ way of paying for business expenses

disgust

strong feelings of dislike e.g. He ___________ many with his gross behaviour

seize

take hold of smth quickly, firmly, and forcefully e.g. 'Leigh,' he said, ________ my arm to hold me back. [VERB noun] ...an otter ________ a fish.

a demand

that showing how many people want to have it, do it, or buy it e.g. ___________ for coal is down and so are prices. The ___________ to see her work is much greater than expected.

to chat up

to flirt; talk to smbd in a friendly way because you are sexually attracted to them. e.g. He'd spent most of that evening __________ __ one of my friends. She was __________ one of the guys __.

descend

to go down e.g. The path __________ steeply into the valley. Jane __________ the stairs. The audience applauded wildly as the curtain __________ on the stage.

promote

to help or encourage smth to happen, increase, or spread e.g. You don't have to sacrifice environmental protection to __________ economic growth.

appall

to horrify to disgust you because it seems so bad or unpleasant. e.g. I was _________ by how my supposedly all-knowing professor could have made such hurtful mistakes It is complicated and I guarantee you will be _________ at what she has to say

to imply

to indicate or suggest without being explicitly stated e.g. I'm not ___________ anything about your cooking, but could we eat out tonight? I detected an __________ criticism of the way he was treated.

exaggerate

to indicate that something is, for example, worse or more important than it really is. e.g. He thinks I'm ___________________. Don't ___________________. Sheila admitted that she did sometimes ___________________ the demands of her job.

arrange

to make plans for it to happen e.g. She _________ an appointment for Friday afternoon at four-fifteen. I've _________ to see him on Friday morning.

to spread (smth)

to make smth be seen or used easily e.g. She _________ a towel on the sand and lay on it.

ensure (that/smth)

to make sure or certain that smth happens e.g. _______ that it is written into your contract. We must take steps now to _______ the survival of these animals.

ascend

to move upward e.g. They slowly _____________ the steep path up the mountain. Mobutu ____________ through the ranks, eventually becoming commander of the army.

wear on

to pass very slowly (about period of time). e.g. She felt less confident about finishing the work as the week ______ __.

attend

to present at meeting e.g. Thousands of people ___________ the funeral. The meeting will be ___________ by finance ministers from many countries.

to deposit

to put someone or leave someone there e.g. Fritz _________ a glass and two bottles of beer in front of Wolfe.

grasp

to take hold of something tightly with the hands e.g. He ________ both my hands.

seek (sought, sought)

to try to find smth to ask an advice from people e.g. They have had to _____ work as labourers (workers). Always _____ professional legal advice before entering into any agreement.

to impose (smth on people)

to use your authority to force someone to accept smth e.g. Parents of either sex should beware of ________ their own tastes on their children.

claim

try to get smth because you think you have a right to it. something which someone says which they cannot prove and which may be false e.g. Now they are returning to _____ what was theirs. He rejected _____ that he had affairs with six women.

frenzied

uncontrolled and excited, sometimes violent. e.g. The office was a scene of _________ activity this morning. As the evening wore on the dancing got more and more ___________.

submit (to smth)

unwillingly allow something to be done to you, send a proposal, report, or request to someone so that they can consider it or decide about it. e.g. In desperation, Mrs. Jones __________ to an operation on her right knee to relieve the pain. They __________ their reports to the Chancellor yesterday.

fierce

very aggressive or angry e.g. They look like the teeth of some ______ animal. 'I don't know,' she said ________.

to deafen

very loud noise makes you temporarily unable to hear the other sounds near you. e.g. The explosion permanently ____________ her in her right ear.

sharp

very thin point or edge that can cut through things very easily e.g. His nose was thin and _____. _____ knife

sensitive

you are when you show understanding and awareness of other people's needs, problems, or feelings e.g. The classroom teacher must be ___________ to a child's needs. The abuse of women (and men) needs to be treated seriously and ___________.