Lesson 4 Flashcards
(10 cards)
AFFECTATION
n - artificial or unnatural behaviour, speech or writing aimed to impress
ex. Becky’s English is an affectation, she spent only a week in England several years ago!
related words: affected (adj to describe a person with an affectation); affect (v - to consciously adopt a habit in hope to impress other people - ex. Edward affected to be more of an artist than he really was)
AFFLUENT
adj - rich, prosperous
ex. She is affluent because she has a whole lot of money, that’s it!
ex. The affluent societies of the western word
related words: affluence (n - wealth, prosperity)
ALLEVIATE
v - to relieve, to make bearable, usually temporarily
ex. Aspirin alleviates headache pain
AGGREGATE
n/v/adj - to bring a collection of separate things together, to mix them up
ex. Chilli is an aggregate of meat and beans
ex. 2 You can make chilli by aggregating meat and beans
related words: congregate (to get together); segregate (to separate); integrate (to unite)
ALACRITY
n - cheerful readiness, promptness or willingness
ex. When she invited me over her house, I accepted the offer with great alacrity!
ALLOCATE
v - to distribute, to assign
ex. The organisation allocated me to the comitee I liked the most!
ALLOY
n - a combination, mixture of two or more things, but in 90% of the cases referring to a mixture of metals to create one more resistant
ex. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, meaning you male brass by mixing these two chemical elements
related words: alloy (v - mix two things together); unalloyed (adj - something pure, complete, unmixed, ex. unalloyed love is a love undiminished by any negative feelings)
ALLUDE
v - to refer to something indirectly, without identifying it explicitly
ex. When she said, “I sometimes wonder whether to be or not to be”, she was alluding to Hamlet. But if she said, “As Hamlet once wrote, ‘To be or not to be, that is the question’”, it would not have been an allusion.
ALOOF
adj - uninvolved, not take part in something, keep one’s distance or not friendly, reserved, suspiciously uninterested
ex. Cats are often said to be aloof because they usually mind their own business and don’t crave the affection of people
ALTRUISM
n - selflessness, generosity, concern for the well-being of others
ex. Some may choose to work with vulnerable children out of altruism
related words: altruistic (adj - to be someone that helps other people without any expectation of personal gain)
