Common Words

An intervention is the act of inserting one thing between others, like a person trying to help. You could be the subject of a school intervention if your teachers call your parents about the bad grade

the quality of being unequal or uneven: such as
a: social disparity
b: disparity of distribution or opportunity
c: lack of evenness

If someone has a tendency to do or like something, they will probably do it or like it:
His tendency to exaggerate is well known.

not organized, skilled, or able to work in a satisfactory way:
Existing methods of production are expensive and inefficient.

I'm hopelessly inefficient at fixing things.

something difficult or unpleasant that you have to deal with or worry about:
the burden of responsibility
My elderly mother worries that she's a burden to me.
Buying a house often places a large financial burden on young

Vicious people or actions show an intention or wish to hurt someone or something very badly:

a vicious dog

The police said that this was one of the most vicious attacks they'd ever seen.

the period that follows an unpleasant event or accident, and the effects that it causes:

Many more people died in the aftermath of the explosion.

new and original, not like anything seen before:
a novel idea/suggestion.

Keeping a sheep in the garden is a novel way of keeping the grass short!

to use something in a way that helps you:

We need to make sure that we exploit our resources as fully as possible.

large in size, value, or importance:

The findings show a substantial difference between the opinions of men and women.

She inherited a substantial fortune from her grandmother.

an amount that is more than acceptable, expected, or reasonable:

An excess of enthusiasm is not always a good thing.

They both eat to excess (= too much).

resulting in or providing a large amount or supply of something:

In order to turn the deserts into fertile and productive land, engineers built an 800-mile canal.

an accepted standard or a way of behaving or doing things that most people agree with:

Europe's varied cultural, political and ethical norms
accepted social norms

an explanation or opinion of what something means:

The dispute is based on two widely differing interpretations of the law.

The rules are vague and open to interpretation.

to come to an opinion about something, or have a belief about something:

How do the French perceive the British?

Women's magazines are often perceived to be superficial.

a person who receives something:

Former Nobel Peace Prize recipients include Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.

He was a recipient of the Civilian Service Award.

a person who comes from another country:

It will soon be impossible for foreigners to enter the country.

I can't speak a word of French so everyone can tell I'm a foreigner as soon as I arrive in France.

to give or to be a good reason for:

 I can't really justify taking another day off work.

Are you sure that these measures are justified?

someone who does not live in their own country:

A large community of expatriates has settled there.

to go with someone or to be provided or exist at the same time as something:

The course books are accompanied by four CDs.

Depression is almost always accompanied by insomnia.

the ability to control yourself or other people, even in difficult situations: OR particular area of study, especially a subject studied at a college


Maintaining classroom discipline is the first task of every teacher.

to make someone able to do something, or to make something possible:

to make someone able to do something, or to make something possible:

Computerization should enable us to cut production costs by half.

If something is tempting, you want to do or have it:

a tempting offer

That pie looks very tempting.

(of a person or a business) to be or become successful, especially financially:

Lots of microchip manufacturing companies prospered at that time.