Flashcard de vocabulário de IELTS

When something is very, very, VERY big, it can be called enormous. To help you remember this word, remember enormous is something that is much bigger than what is normal.

The following collocations are often used:

• enormous amount of something = immense amount of something = vast amount of something
• enormous pain
• immense talent
• enormous pressure
• enormous popularity

Example sentences:

• They live in an enormous house.
• We chose not to undertake the project because of the enormous costs involved.
• He enjoys enormous popularity.

We can say something is very big but not we do not say something is "very enormous"

Something is exclusive is something people don't often have access to.  Exclusive can also mean sole or only. For example:

• The only way you might get reservations at one of the most exclusive restaurants in Los Angeles is to become famous.  
• The company became the exclusive soda vendor at the new stadium.
• The local newspaper got an exclusive interview and broke the news. 
• The company has exclusive rights to use the logo.
• In a peaceful and restful place, between sea and land, The Hotel Celeste offers exclusive and unforgettable stays. Away from the noise of cars and motorcycles, our guests are ravished by the swash of waves and the slow-paced life of the fishermen.
• The community area located on the first floor which includes a beauty shop, laundry, recreational and assembly hall, lounges and game rooms is for the exclusive use of our residents.  
• Our ranch has one 2,200 sq ft conference room and four midsize conference rooms, as well as many outdoor venues for activities. Groups with 60 or more people can rent the ranch for their exclusive use of overnight visits, meetings, workshops and other events. 
• The superior rooms in our hotel offer exclusive furnishings, and many feature a view of the hotel garden.

Exclusive of something = not including. For example:

• There is a sale on all merchandise exclusive of electronics.
• The rent is $1200 a month, exclusive of utility bills.

In today's slang, “exclusive” can also refer to dating, for example “Are you and Tom exclusive?” This means is Tom the only person you are dating?

Anything that's so old-fashioned that it's unstylish or not useful is outdated.

Example sentences:

• Outdated laws and regulations are failing to keep crime on the Internet in check.
• This estimate was made on the basis of outdated figures.
• Gender stereotypes actually seem very outdated in today’s modern culture.
• The whole purpose of buying an S3 is that it's the best phone on the market, and once you buy it you're not in risk of becoming outdated in six months.
• Because they only bring out 1 iPhone a year their technology soon becomes outdated by the competition.

A proposal is a suggested plan or offer. When making a marriage proposal, get down on one knee. When making a business proposal, try to stay off the floor. Used in a sentence, “I asked my client if they had considered the proposal.”Example sentences:

• They put forth a proposal to sell the company.
• The committee is reviewing the proposal for a new restaurant.
• Hello! This is Amy Kingston calling. I'd like to speak to Mr. Gladstone about the design proposals he sent me for my garden.

​

The verb "propose" means "to suggest a plan". There are three patterns:

• propose  something
• propose+ Verb-ing
• propse+ that + Subject + Verb

Example sentences:

• The scientists proposed a new theory.
• The mayor proposed a plan for a new bridge.
• Several senators have proposed raising the tax. (Notice the verb "raise" is changed to "raising")
• If a factory were proposed for my community I would feel obligated to support the construction because the positive effects outweigh the negative influences.    
• Britain is about to propose changes to some institutions.
• Federal authorities proposed a ban on smoking in public housing.

If you propose to your girlfriend, you propose getting married. 

Definition: The quality of being worthy of attention; importance:

Example senences:

• Adolescent education was felt to be a social issue of some significance. The significance of the imports is that those books are priced much lower.

Definition: Sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention;

Example senences:

• a significant increase in sales. There was a significant difference between the colour of an apple and the colour of a banana.

Something substantial is large in size, number, or amount: If you want to say someone spent a lot of money without being too specific, you could say they spent a substantial amount of money. It is used as a way to be vague about just how large something is.

Example sentences:

• A substantial number of people commute to work each day.
• This will save us a substantial (meaning considerable) amount of money/time.
• Activities like that pose a substantial risk of injury.
• She purchased her tickets at a substantial discount.
• Radio astronomy has led to substantial increases in astronomical knowledge.
• There is substantial evidence that certain forms of solar energy either now or within a few years will be economically competitive with conventional sources of heat and power.

Sufficient means enough — not too much, not too little, just right. Example sentences:

• This recipe should be sufficient for five people.
• When orders are taken, the shipping staff must know that there is sufficient inventory of the product on hand to fulfill the request.
• If you send a first-class letter or package without sufficient postage to get it to its destination, the post office will try to deliver the mail and ask the recipient to pay for the insufficient postage.
• Typically, apartments lower down in an apartment complex will have sufficient water pressure, with the pressure reducing the higher up you go in the building. This can occur for many reasons, from temporarily reduced supply due to a leak or maintenance, or even insufficient infrastructure in your area. 

Tremendous means extraordinarily large in size, extent, amount, power, or degree.  We often use tremendous when something is very large but in a good way. For example, “Wow that cake is tremendous!” or “I would like a tremendous amount of money. “

Example sentences:

• He has a tremendous amount of energy.
• The engine's power is tremendous.​
• To become a lawyer, you have to learn a tremendous amount of information by heart
• Walking along the Great Wall of China was a tremendous experience.
• She is a writer of tremendous talent.
• That performance was tremendous!​
• This is a tremendous opportunity.

Abundance is a noun that refers to a large quantity, more than what is needed. It's often used to describe positive qualities, such as "an abundance of love."

Let's paraphrase this sentence using the noun "abundance".

• Fine restaurants are abundant in this city.

Here are paraphrased sentences:

• This city has an abundance of fine restaurants.
• The city has fine restaurants in abundance.​

In the last sentence, we used the phrase "in abundance'.

Here are more example sentences:

• The city has fine restaurants in abundance.
• The flowers grew in great abundance.
• The area has an abundance of wildlife.

If you advocate (for) a particular action or plan, you recommend it publicly. There are three patterns:

• advocate (for) something
• advocate + Verb-ing
• advocate + that + Subject + Verb

Here are example sentences:

• I advocate (for) traditional teaching methods.
• They advocate abolishing the income tax. = They advocate that the income tax should be abolished.
• The plan is advocated by the president.
• They formed a group advocating for changes in the school system.

Definition: Enough or more than enough; plentiful

Example sentences:

• A landing between the ground and first floors is ample enough to be used as a study.

Definition: so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period

Example sentences:

• The trailer remake—with its cheesy music, antiquated graphics and gimmicky sound effects—catapults you back into 007’s past.
• The committee has recommended that all antiquated legal procedures should be simplified.

Definition: Attractive or interesting:

Example sentences:

• Hopefully more people will use the route for exercise and it can also be marketed as an appealing attraction from a tourist point of view.
• Working abroad is appealing to many young people

Attain and obtain are two different words that are often confused with each other by writers but both have their own distinct meanings.

Attain is a verb that means to accomplish, reach, or achieve something through effort. You can attain a goal that you set for yourself or attain a high-ranking position at your job. For example,

• After six months, I attained my goal of losing 15 pounds.
• Joe worked so hard he attained the position of Vice President.
• My parents were able to attain the American Dream and so was I.

Obtain is also a verb, but it means to get, to acquire, or to gain possession of something. For example,

• I obtained the latest copy of The Wall Street Journal.

While attain implies there was some effort put forth to produce an outcome, that is not necessarily the case with "obtain". For example,

• In college, you work hard to attain a degree.

-but-

• Once you graduate you will obtain your diploma.

This is a very subtle difference, but it is important to recognize it. In this example, you are working hard to attain your academic degree, but you physically obtain and take ownership of the piece of paper that is your diploma once you graduate.

The verb "clarify" means to make something clear or easier to understand by explaining it more fully.

• Please clarify your statement so everyone can understand.

• The teacher asked the student to clarify his answer.

• Can you clarify the instructions for assembling this furniture?

Colossal can refer to an item's physical size, like a giant redwood tree, but it can also be used to describe the force or scope of something — like the colossal force of a thunderstorm that knocked down the redwood tree, or the colossal scope of your school project on the history of the redwoods that seems like it will never, ever end.  

Example sentences:

• Their business partnership turned out to be a colossal (meaning massive) failure.
• The meeting was a colossal (meaning huge, enormous) waste of time.
• There has been a colossal waste of public money.
• The task they face is colossal.
• The scope of this project is colossal.

The word conform means following or complying with the rules or law. Someone who usually agrees without giving trouble is a conformist. The word can mean to agree or obey. It is sometimes used with the prepositions to or with minus an object.

Example sentences:

• The animals' behavior conforms to a common pattern.
• Our budget numbers conform with official estimates.
• The building doesn't conform to local regulations.
• She refuses to conform to society's traditional image of a mother.
• Employees have to conform with company rules.
• Citizens should conform to the laws of the land.

Conform is also used to describe the act to do what other people do or to behave in a way that is accepted by most people. Look at the example below:

• Most teenagers feel pressure to conform.

Definition: Compliance with standards, rules, or laws

Example senences:

• The staff expressed the hope that the administration and governing board would act in conformity with these standards. (be in conformity with)

Definition: to communicate; to make something known to others

Example sentences:

• It is extremely rare for a government to refuse publicly to accept an ambassador, meaning that most rejections are conveyed privately.
• A logo should immediately convey a company’s identity.

Definition: expression of an unfavorable opinion

Example sentences:

• The diplomat explained that people were booing, an expression of disapproval.

Definition: Pay no attention to; ignore:

Example sentences:

• They disregarded the no parking signs and were ticketed by the police

Definition: something that captures the imagination

Example sentences:

• The dramatic finish to the game left us speechless.
• Half an hour of exercise a day can have a dramatic effect on your physical well being.

Definition: to make something more than what it is

Example sentences:

• Narcissists typically enjoy conflict and will readily lie or exaggerate to gain the upper hand.
• Like other controversial topics, it is a subject where media coverage is likely to play a role in exaggerating misconceptions.

Definition: to an extreme degree

Example sentences:

• The camera app itself is similar to the stock Android one, and photos are taken exceedingly quickly.

Excess is too much of something, like big-time overindulgence. It is often used in phrases like 'to excess' and "in excess of". 

The phrase “to excess" refers to exceeding the proper amount or degree. For example:

• Eating to excess makes your stomach hurt.
• Spending to excess means you can't pay your credit card bills.

The phrase “in excess of” refers to more than. For example:

• Avoid deposits in excess of $20,000, you will be taxed too much = This means, don’t deposit more than $20,000 at one time, as you will incur high taxes.
• Last year's profits were in excess of one billion dollars.

Excess can also be an adjective to describe "more than is required or needed". For example:

• Excess water spills over the top of the bathtub.
• The oceans and ecosystems can only absorb 3.1 billion tons of carbons leaving an excess of 4.1 billion tons unable to be absorbed. The excess carbon remained in the atmosphere and increased the advancement of climate change.​

Excessive means beyond what is typical or normal. When something is excessive, there's way too much. 

• In today's world with overpopulation and excessive pollution, the environment is in serious trouble. 
• Excessive consumption of carbs and fats occurs when you eat more than the recommended daily values.
• Excess calories from fast-food meals can cause weight gain. 
• Excessive nutrient intake may result in excessive weight gain during pregnancy.
• Mia drinks excessive amounts of coffee. No wonder she's having trouble falling asleep at night.
• On average, we yawn five to ten times a day. However, if you feel that you're experiencing excessive yawning, talk to your doctor. Keep track of other symptoms you experience in addition to the yawning, such as drowsiness or fatigue. 

Doing something excessively means you are doing it more than a normal amount.

• A person who suffers from OCD may excessively wash their hands.
• People who win the lottery typically spend their money excessively.
• Restaurant meals are often portioned excessively, and some meals can contain as much as an entire day's worth of calories.

Expenditure is money spent on something. Expenditure is often used when people are talking about budgets. It is the government's job to decide what to do with tax money collected, or in other words, to determine the expenditure of public funds. The word is more than a long way of saying expense.  In business, expenditure implies an investment, something that will bring value over time. 

Here are some example sentences using the word expenditure:

• There's a significant increase in military expenditure last year.
• In 2020, the total expenditure on education in Taiwan increased to around 928.4 billion New Taiwan dollars.
• The company allocated a huge part of its expenditure on its expansion project.

An expense is a cost, but you can also use this word to mean the figurative cost of something. When you give one thing up in order to get something else, its cost or sacrifice is the expense of getting what you want.  Take a look at these sentences using the word expense to represent

• Overhead expenses are what it costs to run a business, including rent, insurance, and utilities.
• Many businesses are moving out of New York because the overhead expenses there are so high.
• The company's cost-cutting program is expected to reduce expenses by $20 million next year.
• Our company will reimburse employees for travel expenses.
• I'm concerned about the project's hidden expenses.
• Our paychecks barely cover our monthly expenses.
• Their expenses were getting far ahead of their income.
• Our biggest expense this year was our Christmas holiday.
• According to the Ministry of Finance, the basic living expenses per person for 2021 are NT$192,000, which applies to deductions on individual income tax to be filed in May of 2022

The word expense is often used after the preposition “at”. For example:

• These items were imported at considerable expense. 
• We were able to fix the problem at very little expense.

There are several phrases used with the word expense. Let's take a look:

• at the expense of
• at someone's expense
• go to (the) expense

The first phrase, “at the expense of” means in a way that harms (something or someone).

Here are some example sentences:

• Malls flourished at the expense of small stores downtown.
• She acquired power at the expense of friendships.

The second phrase, “at someone's expense” means paid for by someone. Take a look at the example sentences below:

• The tour is free, but all meals are at your own expense. [=you must pay for your meals]

The last phrase, “go to the expense” means to spend money on something.

Ok! Let's look at some examples:

• Why go to the expense of installing something you'll never use?
• She went to great expense to have this party.

Gigantic is an adjective used to describe something that's really big, as though it were made for a giant. You might call a skyscraper a gigantic building, especially if it towers over other buildings nearby.

Example sentences:

• Gigantic (meaning huge, monstrous) waves were crashing on the beach.
• He made a gigantic (meaning huge) mistake when he quit his job.
• She owns a gigantic house.
• She has a gigantic appetite.

Immense is an adjective that means very large in size, amount, or degree.

The following collocations are often used:

• immense amounts of something = enormous amount of something = vast amount of something
• immense pain
• immense talent
• immense fortune/wealth
• immense pressure
• immense popularity

Example sentences:

• Ragtime is a musical genre that is best known for its syncopated rhythms, and it enjoyed immense popularity between 1895-1918
• He inherited an immense fortune.
• Her movies continue to enjoy immense (or enormous) popularity.
• She is an artist of immense talent.
• I felt immense pain.
• They’ve spent immense amounts of money on building an enormous conservatory in their back garden.
• I’m under immense pressure at work.
• With immense relief, I stopped running.
• With a growing population and immense wealth, the ancient Romans developed great monuments and cities.
• The ocean releases immense amounts of heat into the atmosphere.

Definition: of little importance or influence or power; of minor status

Example sentences:

• If the company can get over entrenched competition and some not insignificant cultural barriers, there’s no reason why America couldn’t get hooked on Line.

Definition: of great size or importance

Example sentences:

• The magnitude of shock waves determines the damage that occurs during an earthquake.
• Industrial transformations of this magnitude didn’t just pop up every day, and the potential for growth was mind-boggling.

Definition: be amazed at; express astonishment or surprise about something

Example sentences:

• It was absolutely a marvel to see exactly how many different websites the free applications would make connections back to from a device.
• The Great Wall of China is one of the world's marvels.

Definition: A relatively small group of people, especially one commonly discriminated against in a community, society, or nation, differing from others in race, religion, language, or political persuasion

Example sentences:

• It seems extraordinary that as liberals we now feel secure enough to impose our own orthodoxies on the dissenting minorities within our community.

A myriad or myriads of people or things is a very large number or a great variety of them. For example:

• They face a myriad of problems bringing up children. 
• The car comes in a myriad of colors. (meaning in many colors)
• There is a myriad of possibilities.
• Our cable providers offer a myriad of channels to watch!
• His brother owns a myriad of video games, more than I've ever seen!

Be aware that "a myriad of things" is singular. 

The word 'myriad' can be used as an adjective, meaning having a large number or great variety.  Here are example sentences:

• The old system's problems were myriad.
• She looked up at the myriad star.

The adjective "noticeable" describes something that is easily seen or detected. 

• There was a noticeable change in his behavior after the incident.

• Her nervousness was noticeable during the presentation.

• The improvement in air quality was noticeable after the new regulations took effect.

Something that's old-fashioned is out of style or from the past. You could call an antique telephone old-fashioned, and you could also describe your elderly grandfather this way. Used in a sentence, “My parents are old-fashioned, so my friends weren’t allowed to spend the night.”

Definition: Continuing; still in progress

Example sentences:

• It should be practiced on an ongoing basis and until you have developed the skill.

Something that's out-of-date is either old-fashioned or so old that it's invalid. An expired driver's license is out-of-date, and the out-of-date milk in your refrigerator is pretty likely to smell sour.  Another way to be out-of-date is to be hopelessly unfashionable, like grandparents' out-of-date kitchen, with its appliances from 1970. You can also use the words obsolete or outdated as synonyms for out-of-date, for most things.

Definition: in a way clearly seen; not done secretly

Example sentences:

• It is important as a scientist, irrespective of belief, to be as objective as possible and steer clear of overtly political, advocacy, or activist stances.

Definition: being almost of the same type or time;comparable

Example sentences:

• The road runs parallel to the Ottawa River

Definition: Continuing firmly or obstinately in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition:

Example sentences:

• The attorney's persistent questioning weakened the witness.

Definition: Existing in or yielding great quantities; abundant:

Example sentences:

• Animals were plentiful for hunting, and there was an abundance of wild cereals on the mountain ridges

Definition: to a great depth psychologically

Example sentences:

• Trade, technology and socio-economic change can affect agriculture just as profoundly as changes in rainfall and temperature.
• There are many economists who are profoundly skeptical about China's official data, who think the true figure is a good deal lower.

Proponent means someone who is in favor of something. 

Example sentences:

• She has always been a strong proponent of women’s rights.
• He was identified as a leading proponent of the values of progressive education.​
• He is a leading proponent of gun control.
• You might be a proponent of longer vacations, but your parents are proponents of a longer school year.

Definition: Continue to have (something); keep possession of

Example sentences:

• Built in 1830, the house retains many of its original features

Definition: (Especially of food, money, or some other resource) insufficient for the demand

Example sentences:

• They saw their families and communities through difficult times, when money was scarce and the demands of rural life were very demanding.

Definition: almost not

Example sentences:

• The tender young trees lining the pedestrian walkways would scarcely offer much shade for your picnic.

Definition: The state of being scarce or in short supply; shortage

Example sentences:

• In a market economy it is as easy to fall as to rise, but in periods of scarcity and famine, easier to survive within such a system than outside it. the growing scarcity of resources.

Definition: enough; in a satisfying manner

Example sentences:

• Customers aren't choosing express shipping because it hasn't been sufficiently advertised.
• Are you sure that the glass is sufficiently strong to resist breakage?

Definition: Confirm or support (something that has been questioned):

Example sentences:

• The release of the film could be halted if a plagiarism claim is upheld by a High Court judge next week.

Definition: not clear; ambiguous

Example sentences:

• My parents are vague about it in their accounts

We often use "vast" to describe something that is large by distance. Things that are described as vast include oceans, seas, deserts, and the surface of the moon. For example

• A vast desert lay before us. 
• I would be very scared to be lost in the vast sea

The following collocations are often used

• the vast majority of something
• vast amounts of something = enormous amount of something = immense amount of something​​
• a vast difference between

Example sentences:

• She has a vast amount of knowledge on this subject.
• Medical students are required to learn and retain vast amounts of knowledge on the path to becoming physicians;
• A large shopping center would require a vast amount of space
• The policy is supported by the vast majority of citizens.
• The vast majority of people in Australia live in big cities.
• In the vast majority of cases, lung cancer is caused by smoking.
• There is a vast difference between them.