Vocabulary for Advanced English

(adjective) active at night

Mountain lions are primarily _____ and do almost all of their hunting at night.

(adjective) harmful or unpleasant

Be careful applying pesticides. Their fumes [Abgase] are often quite ______ to humans.

(verb) to take back what one has said; to say that one no longer holds a belief or opinion

Max ____ every bad thing he said about Mary.

(noun) intense suffering and pain

Max cried in ____ when he broke his leg.

(verb) assert or claim wrongdoing by someone (typically without proof)

The teacher ____ that Max cheated on the exam.

(noun) a picture or description of a person or thing with comically exaggerated characteristics

Max drew a _____ of his teacher.

(verb) cause to go in different directions

The crowd ____ as soon as the concert was over.

(verb) to divide or cause to divide into two sharply contrasting groups

The issue _____  the public.

(verb) to cause to happen suddenly or sooner than expected      herbeiführen

Extremely high gas prices _____ the demise [Untergang] of the SUV.

(noun) official authorization, approval or ratification of a law

Max received the official ____ of the Federal Darts Association to hold a tournament in the school.

(verb) to remember and show respect (in a ceremony)

Veterans' Day is a day to _____ soldiers who have honorably served their country.

(verb) to ruin or destroy

The city was _____ by the bombs.

(noun) the reduction of military or weapons

The protestors called for a complete _____.

(adjective) very agitated and upset from mental conflict     vestört, verzweifelt

Mary became _____ when she found out that her son was being sent into war.

(verb) to start, begin

Max ____ on a career as a plumber.

(verb) to imagine as a future possibility

Max never ____ being a plumber.

(noun) an extract (from film, writing, music, or other type of work)        Auszug, Ausschnitt

The ______ of the story published in the newspaper were very interesting.

(noun) abstinence from drinking alcohol

Max has become an advocate of complete _____.

(verb) to solemnly [feierlich] promise

Max _____ to never drink another drop of alcohol again.

feierlich

Slightly open or almost closed: said of a door. 

found the door ____, and I stood a moment gazing at the hateful man who claimed a right to rule me, body and soul. - Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

To excite into action; stir or put in motion or exertion; awaken: as, to arouse attention; to arouse one from sleep; to arouse dormant faculties.

They would send agents and emissaries about the kingdom to _____, and encourage, and assemble such Saxon forces as were yet to be found. - King Alfred of England

To add to; increase

I teach English in the evenings to ______ my family's income.

To confuse or befuddle 

I am absolutely bewildered by the new tax forms. I have no idea how to fill them out.

(noun) a short, interesting story

At the party Charles told some humorous _______ about his days in the military.

(verb) turn aside, or away; as, to avert the eyes from an object; to ward off, or prevent, the occurrence or effects of

We did everything we could to _____ the disaster, but it was not enough.

(adjective) straightforward, open and sincere, honest

I had a very _____ discussion with Max about his drinking problem.

(adjective) irregular, unsteady, random; prone to unexpected changes

The man's ______ behavior made everybody on the flight nervous.

(verb)strengthen, reinforce

The government intended to _____ the levees surrounding New Orleans.(verb)strengthen, reinforce

(verb) set apart or cut off from others, separate

The hospital _____ the patients with bird flu to help prevent an outbreak.

(verb) shine light on something, light up something

The new street lights were not powerful enough to _____ the street sufficiently.

(adjective) related to or located in the city

People from _____ areas have very different political views from people in rural areas.

(verb) to hope or dream; especially to hope or work towards a profession or occupation

Pinocchio _____ to become a real boy.

(verb) force, constrain or coerce; sway

The soldiers were _____ to fight in the war.

(adjective) short, brief, not verbose; clear and succinct

Please write a _____ essay on the meaning of life.

(verb) establish or apply by authority; force something on someone; selfishly bother

The government ______ taxes on the poor to pay for social programs for the rich.

(adjective)easygoing, lax, tolerant of deviation, permissive, not strict

The teacher accused Bobby's parents of being too _____ with Bobby.

(noun) a possible threat or danger

Leaders with too much power can become a _____ to the world.

(adjective) open and observable; not secret or concealed

The politician's disregard for the law was quite ______.