22 - Families Flashcards
tendency
f someone or something has a tendency to do or become a particular thing, they are likely to do or become it
e.g.
Greg’s tendency to be critical made him unpopular with his co-workers.
The drug is effective but has a tendency to cause headaches.
There is tendency among some women to believe that however hard you try, you end up like your mother.
It’s hard to say
It’s difficult to give an opinion.
the case
the true situation
e.g.
We tend to think of these people as untrustworthy, but that is not the case.
pass away
to die
SYN pass on
e.g.
It didn’t hurt so much as it did with my Dad passing away.
widower
a man whose wife has died and who has not married again
e.g.
Two years ago his mother passed away and left his dad a widower.
pass on
to die
SYN pass away
pick sth up
to learn something by watching or listening to other people
e.g.
I picked up a few words of Greek when I was there last year.
remarry
to marry again
e.g.
Widowed in 1949, Mrs Hayes never remarried.
alike
vary similar
e.g.
We are not alike in looks or character, but I think I’ve picked up one or two of her good habits.
personally
if you do something personally, you do it yourself rather than getting someone else to do it SYN in person
e.g.
The managing director wrote personally to thank me.
All important work is personally approved by him.
I’ll see to it personally.
teens
the period between 13 and 19
e.g.
He’s in his teens.
characteristic
a quality or feature of something or someone that is typical of them and easy to recognize
e.g.
Violent images are a defining characteristic of his work.
criticism
He can’t take any criticism.
apparent
easy to see or understand
SYN obvious
e.g.
It soon became apparent that we had a major problem.
It is apparent from scientific studies that the drug has some fairly nasty side effects.
resemble
if you resemble sb/sth you look like or are similar to another person/thing
