I.
noun
1 unit of language
ADJECTIVE
▪ two-letter , three-letter , etc.
▪ monosyllabic , polysyllabic
▪ two-syllable , three-syllable , etc.
▪ big , difficult , fancy , hard , long
▪
He uses big ~s to impress people.
▪
‘Mendacity’ is just a fancy ~ for ‘lying’.
▪ polite
▪
a more polite ~ for the same thing
▪ unfamiliar
▪ simple
▪
The book uses simple ~s and pictures to explain complex processes.
▪ compound , portmanteau ( esp. BrE )
▪
The portmanteau ~ ‘synergy’ combines ‘synthesis’ and ‘energy’.
▪ native
▪ borrowed , loan
▪
When a new fruit is first imported, its name is usually also imported as a loan ~.
▪ foreign
▪ Greek , Hebrew , Latin , etc.
▪
‘Technology’ comes from the Greek ~ ‘techne’.
▪ content , function
▪ rhyming
▪
The children are asked to think of rhyming ~s.
▪ exact , precise , very
▪
His exact ~s were, ‘There's nothing we can do about it.’
▪
Those were her very ~s.
▪ clear , plain
▪ ambiguous
▪ loaded
▪
She used loaded ~s like ‘bully’ when describing his actions.
▪ abstract , concrete
▪ everyday
▪
I find even everyday ~s difficult to spell.
▪ archaic , obsolete
▪ key
▪
He wrote down a few key ~s to help him remember what to say.
▪ operative
▪
He seemed nice. But ‘seemed’ was the operative ~.
▪ right , wrong
▪
You can't always find the right ~ when you're translating.
▪ misspelled
▪
I found several misspelled ~s and grammatical errors.
▪ bad , curse ( AmE ), cuss ( AmE , informal ), dirty , four-letter , naughty , obscene , rude , taboo
▪
The play is full of four-letter ~s.
▪
Work is a dirty ~ to Frank. ( figurative )
(see also swear word )
▪ slang
▪
It's a slang ~ meaning ‘boy’ or ‘person’.
▪ household
▪
His name has become a household ~ since he first appeared in the series.
▪ code
▪
The police use code ~s for their major operations.
▪ buzz (usually buzzword ) , vogue
▪
E-marketing is the current buzzword.
▪ magic
▪ printed , spoken , written
▪
She combines visual images and the spoken ~ to great effect in her presentations.
VERB + WORD
▪ have
▪
Spanish has no ~ for ‘understatement’.
▪ use
▪
He uses lots of long ~s.
▪ mention
▪
I daren't even mention the ~ ‘money’ to him.
▪ form , make
▪
Rearrange the letters to form a ~.
▪ pronounce
▪
How is this ~ pronounced?
▪ mispronounce
▪ spell
▪ misuse
▪
a ~ that is often misused
▪ know , speak , understand
▪
I don't speak a ~ of Swedish.
▪ look up
▪
She looked the ~ up in the dictionary.
▪ find
▪
I couldn't find the right ~ to express the concept.
▪ choose , pick
▪
He chose his ~s carefully when commenting on her work.
▪ translate
▪ coin , invent
▪
The ~ ‘e-commerce’ was coined to refer to business done over the Internet.
WORD + VERB
▪ mean sth , signify sth
▪ refer to sth , relate to sth
▪ convey sth , describe sth , express sth
▪
~s describing body parts
▪
Words can't express how happy I am.
▪ conjure sth up , evoke sth
▪
The ~ ‘cruise’ conjures up images of a luxury.
▪ imply sth
▪ denote sth
▪
Bold ~s denote chapter headings.
▪ carry sth , have sth
▪
The same ~ can carry numerous meanings.
▪
The ~ has two meanings.
▪ be derived from sth , come from sth , derive from sth
▪
‘Window’ derives from a Norse ~ meaning ‘eye of the wind’.
▪ begin with sth , end in sth , end with sth
▪
a ~ beginning with ‘c’
▪ rhyme (with sth) , sound like sth
▪
The ~s at the end of the lines all rhyme.
▪
I'm not sure what he said but the ~ sounded like ‘bull’.
▪ fail sb
▪
Words fail me (= I cannot express how I feel) .
WORD + NOUN
▪ game , puzzle
▪ identification , recognition
▪
These students have very poor word-recognition skills.
▪ choice
▪ association
▪ formation
▪ list
PREPOSITION
▪ in sb's ~s
▪
The students had to retell the story in their own ~s.
▪ ~ for
▪
What's the French ~ for ‘snail’?
▪ ~ in
▪
one of the most common ~s in the English language
PHRASES
▪ in all senses of the ~
▪
She was a true friend in all senses of the ~.
▪ in other ~s
▪
They're letting me go—in other ~s, I've been sacked.
▪ in so many ~s
▪
They told me in so many ~s (= directly) that I was no longer needed.
▪ in the true sense of the ~
▪
People who overeat are not addicts in the true sense of the ~.
▪ in ~s of one syllable (= using very simple language)
▪
Could you say that again in ~s of one syllable?
2 a word that you say or write
ADJECTIVE
▪ angry , cross ( esp. BrE ), hard , harsh
▪
He never says a harsh ~ about his experiences.
▪ hurtful , unkind
▪ friendly , good , kind , nice
▪
He hasn't a good ~ to say for anybody.
▪ final , last (no plural)
▪
The Chairman always has the last ~ (= the final decision) on financial decisions.
VERB + WORD
▪ put in , say , speak , utter
▪
If you run into the boss, put in a good ~ for me!
▪
Nobody's uttered a ~ to me about it.
▪
Every ~ he utters is is considered sacred.
▪ give , say
▪
Just say the ~ and I'll go.
▪ scream , shout , yell
▪
He kept shouting the ~ ‘No!’
▪ repeat
▪ whisper
▪
He whispered the ~ to me.
▪ slur
▪
I knew he'd been drinking because he was slurring his ~s.
▪ enunciate
▪
He enunciated the ~ with extreme care.
▪ not breathe
▪
Don't breathe a ~ to anyone about what I've told you!
▪ type , write
▪ scrawl , scribble
▪ inscribe
▪ hear , read
▪ mishear , misread
▪
I misheard the ~ ‘sick’ as ‘thick’.
▪ cross out , delete , erase , rub out ( BrE )
▪ insert , substitute
▪
She deleted ‘girl’ and substituted the ~ ‘woman’.
▪ emphasize , stress
▪
By emphasizing particular ~s you can change the meaning.
▪ hang on
▪
The journalists hung on his every ~ as he spoke of his ordeal.
WORD + NOUN
▪ count
▪
Don't waffle in your essay just to get the right ~ count.
PREPOSITION
▪ in a ~
▪
‘Would you like to help us?’ ‘In a ~ (= briefly) , no.’
▪ without a ~
▪
She left without a ~.
▪ ~ about
▪
We never heard anyone say an unkind ~ about her.
▪ ~ from
▪
And now a ~ from our sponsors …
▪ ~ of
▪
a ~ of advice/warning
PHRASES
▪ get a ~ in , get a ~ in edgeways ( BrE ), get a ~ in edgewise ( AmE )
▪
I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't get a ~ in.
▪ a man of few ~s , a woman of few ~s (= a person who speaks very little)
▪ sb never spoke a truer ~ , never was a truer ~ spoken
▪
You said we were about to make a big mistake, and never was a truer ~ spoken!
(= you were right)
▪ not a single ~ , not a ~
▪
Remember—not a ~ to (= don't tell) Peter about any of this.
▪
We didn't say a single ~ to each other all day.
▪ not believe a ~
▪
I don't believe a ~ of what she said.
▪ ~ for ~ (= exactly)
▪
He repeated ~ for ~ what the boy had said to him.
▪ (by) ~ of mouth
▪
The restaurant does not advertise, but relies on ~ of mouth.
▪ ~s per minute , ~s per second
▪
He chatters away at about 200 ~s per minute.
▪
He types 80 ~s per minute.
▪ a ~ to the wise (= a piece of advice)
▪
A ~ to the wise: just because it's a bargain doesn't mean you have to buy it.
3 words what sb says; talk
ADJECTIVE
▪ few
▪
I want to say a few ~s ( = talk ) about Christina.
▪ good , friendly , kind
▪
Thank you for those kind ~s.
▪ unkind
▪ angry , bitter , blunt , choice ( ironic ), cross , hard , harsh , strong
▪ hurtful
▪ polite
▪
She was charmed by his friendly smile and polite ~s.
▪ flattering , honeyed
▪ comforting , encouraging , soothing
▪
He tried to calm her with soothing ~s.
▪ discouraging
▪ empty , fine ( ironic ), meaningless
▪
Despite all their fine ~s, the council have never done anything to improve road safety.
▪ weasel
▪
The government's promises on nurses' pay turned out to be weasel ~s (= deliberately unclear) .
▪ bold , brave
▪
Despite his brave ~s, I don't believe he can save the factory from closure.
▪ wise
▪ well-chosen
▪
He ruined her self-confidence with a few well-chosen ~s.
▪ cautionary
▪ soft , whispered
▪
They exchanged whispered ~s of love.
▪ unspoken
▪
The look in her eyes filled in the unspoken ~s in her sentence.
▪ dying , last
▪
Her last ~s were for her children.
▪ parting
▪
Her parting ~s were ‘I'll be back’.
▪ famous , immortal
▪
the immortal ~s of Neil Armstrong as he stepped onto the moon
▪ fateful , prophetic
▪
Seconds after uttering the fateful ~s ‘this is easy!’ he crashed.
VERB + WORDS
▪ have
▪
She had some harsh ~s to say about her colleagues.
▪ say , speak
▪
Before we begin, I'd like to say a few ~s about who I am.
▪ chant , intone , recite , sing
▪ repeat
▪ mouth
▪
The audience mouthed the ~s to all the songs.
▪ whisper
▪
He whispered a few ~s of prayer.
▪ blurt , blurt out
▪
She had blurted the ~s out before she realized it.
▪ mumble , murmur , mutter
▪ spit , spit out
▪
She was so furious, she almost spat the ~s out: ‘You idiot!’
▪ bandy , exchange , have
▪
I usually exchange a few ~s with him when I see him.
▪
Words were exchanged (= there was an argument) .
▪ memorize
▪
She had memorized all the ~s to the song.
▪ recall , remember
▪
We recall the ~s of Martin Luther King, ‘Free at last’.
▪ heed
▪
She has given us a warning, and we should heed her ~s.
▪ quote
▪ distort , twist
▪
She felt angry at how the journalist had twisted her ~s.
▪ borrow , echo
▪
In her speech she echoed the President's ~s.
▪ regret
▪
She instantly regretted her ~s.
▪ eat , take back
▪
When he told her she would fail, she swore she would make him eat his ~s.
▪ drown , drown out
▪
Her ~s were drowned out by the roar of the engine.
▪ not mince
▪
He doesn't mince his ~s when he talks about his ex-boss.
WORDS + VERB
▪ conjure sth up , evoke sth
▪
Her ~s conjured up a strange picture in her mind.
▪ come , come out , emerge , leave sb's lips , leave sb's mouth
▪ burst from sb , escape , fall , flow , pour out , slip out , spill out , tumble out
▪
He was nervous, and his ~s came out in a rush.
▪
His ~s fell into the silence like stones.
▪ stick in your throat
▪
He wanted to tell her how he felt about her, but the ~s stuck in his throat.
▪ drift , float , hang in the air
▪
I let my ~s hang in the air. Maggie was no fool: she must realize I meant it.
▪ haunt sb , linger
▪
Those mocking ~s haunted me for years.
▪
The ~s lingered in his mind long after they were spoken.
▪ echo , resonate , resound , reverberate , ring
▪
Her teacher's ~s echoed in her ears.
▪ fade , fade away , tail away , tail off , trail away , trail off
▪
His ~s faded to silence as he saw she didn't believe him.
▪ hit home , strike a chord , strike home , touch a chord
▪ hurt , sting
▪ sink in
▪
She could feel her temper boiling as his ~s sank in.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~s of
▪
She whispered ~s of comfort in his ear.
▪
I listened to his ~s of wisdom.
PHRASES
▪ (you) mark my ~s (= believe me)
▪
Mark my ~s, this film will win an Oscar.
4 a word conversation
ADJECTIVE
▪ quick
▪ quiet
▪
The manager had a quiet ~ with Alison, and she gave him no more problems.
VERB + A WORD
▪ have
▪
I've had a few ~s with John, and he's quite happy for you to stay.
▪
I've had a ~ with John, and he's quite happy for you to stay.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ with
▪
Can I have a quick ~ with you?
PHRASES
▪ a ~ in sb's ear ( BrE )
▪
Can I have a ~ in your ear about tomorrow's presentation?
5 promise
ADJECTIVE
▪ solemn
▪
She gave him her solemn ~ that she would give up drugs.
VERB + WORD
▪ give sb
▪ be as good as , be true to , keep
▪
He promised to help and was as good as his ~.
▪
True to her ~, she returned next day.
▪ break , go back on
▪
Once he has made a promise, he never goes back on his ~.
▪ believe , trust
▪
She gave me a promise, and I'm willing to trust her ~.
▪ doubt
▪
I'm sorry I doubted your ~.
PHRASES
▪ have sb's ~ for sth ( esp. BrE )
▪
We only have her ~ for it that she sent the payment.
▪ a man of his ~ , a woman of her ~
▪
You needn't worry about him not paying you back—he's a man of his ~.
▪ take sb at their ~
▪
He said I could stay at his house any time, so I took him at his ~.
▪ take sb's ~ for sth
▪
I haven't seen his work, but I'll take his ~ for it that it's finished.
▪ your ~ against sb's
▪
If it's your ~ against the police officer's, the jury are going to believe him.
▪ sb's ~ is their bond
▪ ~ of honour/honor
▪
He gave me his ~ of honour/honor that he wouldn't tell anyone.
6 information/news
VERB + WORD
▪ bring , get , send
▪
He sent ~ to his family that his captors were treating him well.
▪ get , hear
▪
We didn't get ~ of her arrest until the next day.
▪ spread
WORD + VERB
▪ get out , leak , leak out
▪
If ~ gets out about the affair, he will have to resign.
▪ spread
▪
Word that he had died spread fast.
▪ be , have it
▪
The ~ is they've split up.
▪
Word has it that she's leaving.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ about
▪
Health workers spread the ~ about the benefits of immunization.
▪ ~ of
▪
We soon got ~ of his arrival.
PHRASES
▪ the ~ on the street is (= people are saying)
▪
The ~ on the street is there's going to be a takeover.
▪ what's the ~? (= what are people saying?)
II.
verb
ADVERB
▪ carefully , cautiously
▪
We need to ~ our question carefully.
▪ ambiguously , vaguely
▪ broadly , loosely
▪ poorly
▪
a poorly ~ed request that resulted in confusion
▪ strongly
▪
He issued a very strongly ~ed statement denying any involvement in the plot.
▪ differently
▪
It's the same sentiment, though ~ed rather differently.