The drill deck is what isn't learned yet. The glossary below is the full reference.
Failed or shaky when actually quizzed.
These showed up in a lesson but have never actually been tested. They are not known yet — learn the meaning here first, then force them into a sentence before treating them as active vocabulary.
Fixed order, no logic to guess from — rote is the right tool.
| Certainty | be bound to /baʊnd/ · be guaranteed to · will undoubtedly · will inevitably · it's a given that |
| Probability | there's a strong likelihood that · in all probability · the odds are that · there's a chance that · it's highly likely that · it's expected that · may well · I would guess |
| Improbability | it's highly unlikely that · it seems totally unimaginable that |
| Necessity | it's crucial / vital / essential / imperative that · a requirement is that |
| Obligation | be expected to · be supposed to · it's obviously your responsibility to |
| Ability | being able to · be capable of + -ing · have an aptitude for · have a flair for |
Synonyms for "important": significant · vital (strongest) · crucial · essential · critical · prominent · instrumental · fundamental · of paramount importance
| Term | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| complete fallacy | a false idea many believe | |
| an element of truth | one part of it is true | There's an element of truth in the story. |
| patently not true | very clearly untrue | |
| ring true | you believe it even if unsure | |
| spot on | exactly right | |
| strike a chord (with sb) | resonate, match their experience | |
| a sweeping statement | too general, ignores the facts | |
| trot out a trite phrase | wheel out a boring, overused line | |
| vacuous | showing no intelligence, empty | a vacuous comment |
| way too oversimplistic | flattens something complex | |
| be cut out for sth | naturally suited to it | I wasn't cut out for farming. |
| change tack | switch approach | |
| fly in the face of sth | contradict what's reasonable/accepted | |
| get hung up about/on sth | worry about it too much | get + hung, not hang |
| give sth a go | try it | also a shot / a try; opposite: give sth a miss |
| go along with sb/sth | agree with, support | |
| have your fair share of sth | have had plenty of it | |
| knock your confidence | damage your belief in yourself | not lower / decrease |
| make strides in sth | make real progress | |
| throw in the towel | give up, admit defeat | |
| deliver a quality curriculum | provide a high-standard course | the verb is deliver |
| develop a nurturing environment | create a place people feel cared for | /ˈnɜː.tʃər.ɪŋ/ |
| establish mutual respect | respect felt and shown both ways | |
| find your own path | find your own route in life | |
| focus on individuality | not treat everyone the same | |
| foster good relationships | help relationships grow | |
| fulfil your potential | develop your ability fully | /fʊlˈfɪl/ |
| maintain rigorous standards | keep exact, demanding standards | /ˈrɪɡ.ər.əs/ |
| strive for excellence | make a great effort to be very good | |
| a creative genius | someone with huge creativity | |
| creative thinking | coming up with original solutions | |
| a fertile imagination | invents interesting, unusual things | ≠ fragile |
| a flash of inspiration | a sudden clever idea | |
| innate | born with it | /ɪˈneɪt/ |
| insight | sudden clear understanding | |
| instinct | natural tendency to act a certain way | |
| a novel idea | new, unknown before | ≠ latest |
| out of the blue | completely unexpectedly | |
| raw talent | naturally good, undeveloped | |
| spark ideas | cause new ideas | ideas are sparked by… |
| think outside the box | think in a new, unusual way |
| Term | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| bring long-term benefits | benefits that last | |
| do more harm than good | make it worse while trying to help | |
| end up stuck with sth | be left with what you never wanted | |
| facilitate cultural development | make it easier to happen | /fəˈsɪl.ɪ.teɪt/ |
| give the cultural life a boost | improve it | |
| have a detrimental effect | cause damage or harm | not decremental |
| raise the cultural profile | get more attention for it | |
| showcase the best of sth | display its best qualities | |
| tangible benefits | clear enough to be seen or touched | not touchable |
| give or take | approximately | €5 million, give or take |
| first and foremost | most importantly | |
| part and parcel of sth | an inseparable part of it | |
| accept | admit nothing can be done | summarising verb |
| acknowledge | admit sth is true or exists | |
| call for | ask publicly for sth to happen | |
| cite | mention as an example / as proof | |
| echo | repeat what someone just said | |
| illustrate | make it clearer with an example | |
| maintain | strongly insist sth is true | |
| ponder | think about it carefully, at length | |
| question | express doubt about sth | |
| raise (an issue) | start talking about it | |
| voice (a concern) | say what you feel about sth | |
| back sb up | say that what they're saying is true | |
| fill sb in (on sth) | tell them what they missed | |
| reel off | repeat a lot of information quickly | |
| talk sb into sth | persuade them to do it | |
| tip sb off | give a secret warning | |
| commonplace | happens often, so not special | |
| deeply rooted | goes far back, hard to change | not deeply standing |
| frowned upon | socially disapproved of | |
| irrespective of | regardless of, has no effect on it | |
| long-standing | has existed a long time | |
| be peculiar to sth | found only there | |
| stereotypical | fixed idea of what a group is like | |
| an assault on the senses | overwhelming sound/smell/sight | |
| fuse interesting flavours | combine them | |
| intriguing smells | interesting because unexpected |
| Term | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| warrant a second look | be good enough to be looked at again | |
| identify your strong selling points | work out what you're offering | |
| play to your particular strengths | suit what you're already good at | |
| leave a problematic digital footprint | your online trail counts against you | |
| jeopardise your chances of success | put them at risk | |
| spread the word | let your network know | |
| tick all the boxes | meet every stated requirement | |
| to muck in (with sb) | share out the work so it gets done — UK informal, /mʌk/ | |
| turn your hand to anything | be willing to do any task | |
| do sth grudgingly | unwillingly, resentfully | |
| not in my remit | not part of my responsibilities | |
| step up | do what needs doing without being asked | |
| go down well | be received well | |
| traceable / without a trace | findable / leaving nothing to find | |
| by pull · pull strings · nepotism · a nepo baby | getting things via who you know («по блату») | |
| a conflict of interest · biased |