IELTS® Vocabulary Flashcard

Definition: Typical of a particular person, place, or thing;A feature or quality belonging typically to a person, place, or thing and serving to identify them

Example senences:

• Dishes in each region have their own set of characteristic flavours.

Logical describes something that comes from clear reasoning. Using a fire extinguisher to put it out a fire is a logical step. Trying to put it out with gasoline is not. Used in a sentence, “I want to find the most logical way to get from the airport to my hotel.”

Example sentences using the word logical:

• Since she helped us before, it's logical to assume that she'll help us again.
• He seems to be a logical choice for the job.
• She wasn't able to give me a logical explanation for her behavior.
• His arguments seemed perfectly logical.

If something is practical, you can actually use it, or practice it.

Example sentences:

• We can speculate about the future, but on a more practical level, we have to admit that we simply don't know what will happen.
• An engineer will address the design's practical problems.
• She has a lot of practical experience in dealing with these kinds of problems.
• The practical (meaning actual) effect of the change has been very slight.
• One of the practical advantages of living in the city is that you have access to public transportation.
• I have enough practical knowledge of German to get by.

Phrases

in practical terms

• In practical terms, the experiment is going to be difficult.

Collocations

practical experience

• You have to gain practical experience before you qualify as a solicitor.

practical work

• Archaeology students are required to do a certain amount of practical work.

practical problems/difficulties

• The local Social Services Department may be able to help with practical problems.

practical help/support (also practical assistance formal)

• There will be trained people available to listen and to provide practical help.

practical advice

• The booklets offer clear, practical advice on running your business.

practical use

• Knowledge without understanding is of little practical use.

practical considerations

• There are a number of practical considerations that must be taken into account when choosing a car.

practical implications

• He was well aware of the practical implications of his theory.

Practically means nearly, like being practically broke if you have three dollars left in the whole world. If you have practically no free time, you have nearly no free time. If your hair is practically blonde, it is almost blonde.

Example sentences:

• He'd known the old man practically all his life.
• I know people who find it practically impossible to give up smoking.
• We need to discuss the issue practically (meaning sensibly) before we make any decisions.
• Practically speaking, Alaska is too far to go for just a few days.
• The project is practically complete.
• Football is practically a religion in some places.

Anything that alternates can be described as alternating.

Let's paraphrase this sentence with "alternating".

• To make the appetizer, you should alternate layers of tomatoes and cheese. 

Here is the paraphrased version

• To make the appetizer, you should use alternating layers of tomatoes and cheese.

Let's look at more example sentences:

• The shirt has alternating red and yellow stripes.
• The principle of the Tesla coil is simple enough, as we have seen. It is essentially an air-core transformer or inductor in which an alternating current, when passed through a coiled wire, creates an 'oscillating' magnetic field. 

Definition: Relating to or using analysis or logical reasoning:

Example sentences:

• Actually, I've never really thought about this analytically

Definition: Find (something) out for certain; make sure of

Example sentences:

• It would be appreciated if you would ascertain this information in a timely manner.
• The jury made a decision based on its ascertainment of the facts.

The verb, broaden is to expand, and it is normally referring to expanding your views or change your opinion. The phrase "broaden/widen somebody's horizons " is often used. Here are example sentences

• Mt interests broadened as I grew up.
• Studying abroad can broaden the students' vision.
• A year of traveling, a gap year can broaden the students' horizons.
• This trip to the Far East has certainly broadened our family's horizons.​

It's kind of funny that the word broad can communicate such an expansive range of ideas since the word "expansive" is, in fact, a synonym for broad. 

This adjective can be used to describe actual physical spaces. A broad highway, for example, would be difficult to cross because of all the cars in the many lanes of the road. 

The word can also be used more figuratively. 

• American history covers a broad range of topics and events. 
• A broad-minded person is open to new ideas, while broad humor aims for a mass audience with obvious gags and stunts. 

Definition: for the most part

Example sentences:

• Heroin abuse is soaring, thanks chiefly to its cheap price and widespread availability.

Definition: A category into which something is put.

Example senences:

• Several classifications are used to categorize individual apple trees

Definition: resist or confront with resistance

Example sentences:

• The effect almost makes it look as if one can defy gravity.
• Scientists are often rewarded for delivering results that dazzle and defy expectation, but extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.

Definition: A great difference

Example sentences:

• Income and standards of living disparities in different regions of the country have become a growing problem.

Definition: Methodically cut up (a body or plant) in order to study its internal parts

Example sentences:

• From each plant one randomly chosen, fresh flower was dissected under a binocular microscope to separate the corolla, androecium and gynoecium.

Definition: twist and press out of shape; alter the shape of (something) by stress

Example sentences:

• Time and space are distorted when traveling at the speed of light.

To diversify means to have more different kinds of people or things.

• The country should diversify its energy sources.
• Farmers need to diversify their crops.
• Local agriculture has been diversified by the addition of peanuts and melons.
• Recently the economy has successfully been diversified into textiles, tourism, banking, and business outsourcing.

Diversify is often used to discuss risk in financial activities.

• You might diversify your investments by spreading your wealth among different types of stocks.

If you want to diversify your interests, that means you want to mix it up and do more than just play Dungeons and Dragons all the time — you might become active in sports, theater, and the math club.

When a company diversify, it means increasing the variety of goods, services, or range of operations

• Many publishing companies have diversified into online services.
• Our company expanded rapidly and diversified into computers.

When there's diversity, there's variety. Often, this word is used for diversity of race, class, or gender.

It is important for a workplace to have diversity, so there is a mix of opinions and ideas for how the workplace should succeed.

To have diversity, you need a mix of whatever you're talking about. If you like science fiction, romantic comedies, cartoons, and action movies, then you like a diversity of types of films. If you like nothing but kung fu films, then you don't like a diversity of films. No matter what kind of diversity you're talking about, there needs to be a real mix, kind of like a huge box of colored pencils.

Definition: A person who directs or produces movies for the theater or television.

Example sentences:

• Being a documentary filmmaker is hard work, and isn't as rewarding financially as making TV shows or feature films.

The adjective "fragrant" refers to having a pleasant or sweet smell. It is often used to describe things like flowers, herbs, spices, or other substances that emit a nice aroma. 

• The café was filled with the fragrant aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

• She wore a fragrant perfume that reminded me of spring flowers.

• The kitchen was fragrant with the smell of baking bread.

• The air was fragrant with a blend of spices and herbs.

The adjective "fundamental" describes something that is primary, essential, or serving as the foundation or base. 

• Understanding the fundamental principles of physics is crucial for engineers.

• Respect for human rights is fundamental to any democratic society.

• She lacks the fundamental skills necessary for the job.

Definition: giving pleasure or a feeling of accomplishment; showing thanks

Example sentences:

• The milestone is especially gratifying to the director, an early adopter of digital photography and an advocate of the Internet’s power to transform museums.
• It’s been incredibly gratifying to take this dream and make it a reality.

Definition: Suffer grief

Example sentences:

• she grieved for her father

Definition: A system in which members of an organization or society are ranked according to relative status or authority:

Example sentences:

• The most important thing in the election of the chairman was not professional competence in the field, but activity within the Party and a sufficiently high status in the political hierarchy.

Definition: A proposition made as a basis for reasoning, without any assumption of its truth.

Example sentences:

• What factors could affect the population of the CoT starfish that can cause it to suddenly rise? Several hypotheses which are still debatable up to the present time have been developed by various environmentalists.
• The only thing you can do is say the evidence suggests that the hypothesis is true.

The adjective internal describes something on the inside. If you're tempted by the second piece of cake, you may have an internal battle with yourself over whether you should eat the cake or not. You might have an internal struggle with whether or not you should go on the vacation because you are a little short of cash.

Internal can also describe something that takes place within a country or a group.You may have to write internal reports for your boss––reports that aren't supposed to be seen outside the company. 

Example sentences using "internal" as a representation of locating on the inside:

• The internal structure of the planet
• The theory has some internal inconsistencies

Countries and organizations have internal affairs. An example sentence of each is shown below:

• The office of internal revenue
• The new policy was spelled out in an internal memo

Internalize means to accept or absorb an idea, opinion, belief, etc. so that it becomes part of yours. Here are example sentences

• Children internalize their parents' values.
• When learning math, you should internalize mathematical concepts.
• If you are a debater who internalizes a topic, then you know it inside and out
• One way to know that you're internalizing a topic correctly is when you're reading a textbook and you start to guess or ask about something the author is just about to talk about.
• To internalize the grammar, knowing and understanding the rules is one thing, but then indeed one needs to have access to a significant amount of “samples” of sentence structures to keep in mind on an unconscious level.

If you internalize your emotions or feelings, you do not allow them to show although you think about them. For example, if you are hurt but don’t tell anyone, you internalize the pain. Another situation could be if you are heartbroken because your boyfriend broke up with you, you may internalize those feelings, so no one knows you are sad.

Definition: Not logical or reasonable

Example sentences:

• The more irrational and illogical someone becomes, the more logical and incisive I become

Definition: Sufficient to cause death

Example sentences:

• The gas acts like mustard gas, and can prove lethal to those with respiratory problems.

Definition: Relating to mathematics:

Example sentences:

• His interests are in discrete differential geometry and mathematical visualization.

Methodical means following a method. If you follow the same sixteen steps in the same order when you make a fire, you could be said to take a methodical approach to this activity.

Example sentences:

• Da Vinci was methodical in his research, carefully recording his observations and theories.
• Their methodical review of the evidence exposed some problems with the study's findings.
• She's a slow and methodical worker, and her drawings reflect the extra care she takes.

The prepositions “in”, “about” and “with” are often used.

Example sentences with the preposition “in”:

• He was methodical in his planning.
• We were methodical in making the decision.
• They should be methodical in their thinking.
• You should have an enquiring mind, a good eye for detail and be accurate and methodical in your work.

Example sentence with the preposition “about”:

• If more people were so methodical about their decision-making processes, the world would be a better place.

Example sentences with the preposition “with”:

• Really, you have to be methodical with security analyses.

Definition: worthy of notice

Example sentences:

• The last and more noteworthy finding was that students’ first impressions of their classmates tended to align with their classmates’ own self-assessments.

Definition: an idea; belief; or opinion

Example sentences:

• Others say this advice, which stems from the notion that eating saturated fat promotes heart disease, is not supported by scientific evidence.

Definition: (often as adjective oversimplified);Simplify (something) so much that a distorted impression of it is given

Example sentences:

• This desire for social engineering shows that the Treasury has a caricatured and oversimplified idea of the world outside, as one would expect from people widely insulated from real life.

Definition: a feeling of love for people; generous in assistance to the poor

Example sentences:

• We need entrepreneurs, politicians, philanthropic foundations, and development organizations working together to solve the unemployment crisis and make the city an engine of growth.
• The philanthropic work of the foundation benefits all sectors of society.

Definition: Relating or devoted to the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence

Example sentences:

• Many philosophers today deny that philosophical questions about knowledge have any special character

Definition:

Example sentences:

• I'm thinking maybe my problems are physiological rather than psychological.

If you postulate something, you suggest it as the basis for a theory, argument, or calculation, or assume that it is the basis. Example sentences:

• The theory postulates [=claims, posits] that carbon dioxide emissions contribute to global warming.
• Scientists have postulated the existence of water on the planet.

Practicality means the quality of being appropriate or suited for actual use. If you choose your new shoes based on their practicality, you'll probably buy a pair of sneakers, rather than knee-high boots with five-inch heels.

Example sentences:

• The debate on the practicality of wind as a source of renewable energy has been going on for decades.
• His optimism and practicality make him a skilled businessman.
• The size of the machine makes me doubt its practicality (meaning suitability) for use in the home.
• I know you like the dressy shoes better than the sneakers, but I think you should choose based on practicality, not style.

Definition: A previous statement or proposition from which another is inferred or follows as a conclusion:

Example sentences:

• If the premise is true, then the conclusion must be true. More formally, the conclusion of a deduction follows necessarily from the premisses.

Definition: by reasonable assumption

Example sentences:

• Presumably, this new application will encourage participants to eat better and be more physical active.

Definition: more than is needed, desired, or required

Example sentences:

• Now smartphone cameras are so good that point-and-shoot cameras seem almost redundant.

Definition: according to routine or established practice

Example sentences:

• Soccer players routinely sustain trauma on the pitch in any number of ways, and head-to-head collisions on contested headers commonly result in concussions.
• Patients are routinely asked to share their Social Security numbers when seeing a healthcare provider for the first time.

Selective means characterized by choice. If your mother only remembers the good things and not the bad, she has a selective memory. If a school chooses to offer only a few students spots, it is selective.

Example sentences:

• My dad always asked me if I had selective hearing because I wouldn’t follow directions. 
• Selective breeding may result in a greyhound running faster and seeing better than a wolf.
• Sales still happen, but buyers are more selective.
• We seem to have a selective memory for the best bits of the past.

Definition: to question the truthfulness of information presented as facts; to not trust

Example sentences:

• I have always been deeply ambivalent — if not outright skeptical — about this hardware feature on an cell phone.
• Some studies suggest that a skeptical brain works differently than a believing brain.

The noun "speculation" means the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.

• There is much speculation about the company's future.

• Speculation in the stock market can be risky.

• His resignation led to widespread speculation in the media.

The adjective "speculative" describes something that is based on conjecture rather than knowledge. 

• His latest business venture is highly speculative and could either result in substantial profits or significant losses.

• The scientist presented a speculative theory about the origin of the universe that sparked much debate.

• Investors were warned of the speculative nature of the stock, as its value could fluctuate wildly.

Use the adjective "systematic" to describe things that are orderly and efficient. Think about a multi-step process that you have found the fastest and best way to complete — you do it over and over. You might be systematic about packing for a long trip or the way you travel up and down the aisles at a grocery store, probably with a list in your hand. If your mother has several children, she is has probably learned to be very systematic with her planning.

Example sentences:

• We used a systematic approach to solve the problem.
• She made a systematic study of the evidence.
• He is very systematic (meaning methodical) in his work.
• They went about their business in a systematic way.

The prepositions “in”, “about” and “with” are often used.

Example sentences with the preposition “in”:

• Be regular and systematic in your practice.
• They are not systematic in their approach because they are so influenced by the mood of the moment.

Example sentences with the preposition “about”:

• To a large extent, I am systematic about making sure the reader immediately knows that these are not mine.
• Our nationwide health-care system makes it easier to be systematic about finding people with early symptoms of an autoimmune disease who might take part.

Example sentences with the preposition “with”:

• Success is a science and can be predictable, accelerated and systematic with this proven approach.

Use the adverb "systematically" when you describe something that's carried out in a deliberate way.

Example sentences:

• We approached the problem systematically.
• She began applying systematically to colleges.
• I systematically memorize every word in the dictionary, starting with A and working my way through the alphabet,

Definition: in theory; according to the assumed facts

Example sentences:

• Her argument was theoretically appealing, but not realistic.
• He notes that America's currently near-zero interest rates should theoretically encourage firms to borrow money needed for technological or structural expansion.

The adverb "underway" describes something that is currently happening or in progress. 

• The construction of the new bridge is already underway.

• Plans for the summer festival are well underway.

• The investigation into the case was underway within hours of the incident.

Definition: (Of a plant, animal, or cell) capable of surviving or living successfully, especially under particular environmental conditions:

Example sentences:

• In addition, their long shelf life eventually might translate into a reduced number of viable cells. The company says the rationalisation is necessary in order to secure the firm's viability.