Collocations Flashcards
“The two young fighters fought toe to toe and both showed …….. determination.”
Grim / strong / harsh / mean
Grim: absoluto
o Grim determination – con una férrea decisión, con absoluta determinación.
o To fight toe to toe – luchar cara a cara, enfrentarse a alguien
“I would like to welcome you all on this auspicious …….., the 25th anniversary of the founding of our company.”
Occasion / moment / meeting / gathering
Auspicious occassion: una ocasión favorable, propicio, que la ocasión lo merece
o Auspicious: favorable, propicio
o Gathering: reunion, fiesta
As a conservative …….. I think we need to put aside £4,000 for the wedding.
Forecast / approximation / guess / estimate
A conservative estimate - una estimación conservadora, prudente. A guess which is deliberately lower than what the real amount probably is.
Both parents were unemployed and the family had a ……… lifestyle.
Cautious / frugal / careful / tight
o A frugal lifestyle - People who are frugal or who live frugal lives do not eat much or spend much money on themselves.
o Frugal:
* para comidas: que es sencilla y poco abundante
* para personas: que se alimenta de comidas sencillas y poco abundantes
The car screeched to a …….. at the junction and two men jumped out and ran down the street.
Halt / stop / end / standstill
o Halt: ¡alto!, alto, parada (this is the correct one)
o Screech: crujir, chirriar, grito, chillido
o Standstill: un parón, una detención
The two former business partners have been sworn …….. since one of them left the company in debt and fled abroad.
Antagonists / rivals / enemies / competitors
o Sworn enemies: people who will always hate each other
o Sworn: declarado, jurado – “You’ll never get Jeremy and David to talk to each other; those two are sworn foes. Nunca conseguirás que Jeremy y David se hablen. Son enemigos declarados.”
I’d been in …….. pain with toothache all weekend and was desperate to find a dentist.
Agonizing / shooting / excruciating / maddening
o Excruciating: intense, insoportable (this is the correct one)
o Agonizing pain – extreme physical pain (dolor agónico, insoportable)
- Difference: As adjectives the difference between agonizing and excruciating is that agonizing is causing agony while excruciating is causing great pain or anguish, agonizing.
I was …….. tempted to report his incompetence to my line manager otherwise the whole team would suffer.
Highly / sorely / greatly / urgently
o To be sorely tempted – estar muy, extremadamente, tentado.
o Sorely: intensly, sumamente, extremadamente “Frank was sorely aware of his financial situation after he lost his job. After Sam moved away, he was sorely missed by his friends. Frank estaba extremadamente consciente de su situación financiera después de perder el trabajo.”
