academic englisch

convey (v)

to communicate ideas of feelings indirectly

The results will help us to convey a sense of progress.

criteria (pl)

(sg: criterion)

standards used for judging sth or making a decision about sth

Everyone who meets the criteria will be considered.

crucial (adj)

extremely important

The money is crucial for the research.

decline (n, v)

when sth goes down, lessens

There was a rapid decline in her health.

demonstrate (v)

to show clearly that sth is true

The study demon-strates that advert-ising does encourage children to smoke.

derive (v)

to come from

The English word 'olive' is derived from the Latin word 'oliva'.

determine (v)

to discover the facts or truth about sth

The questionnaire was set up to determine attitudes to the changes.

deviate (v)

to change direction away from the usual way

He never deviated from his strict diet and lost 20 pounds in a short time.

diminish (v)

to become less

The intensity of the pain diminished.

distinct (adj)

clearly separate and different

The participants were divided into two distinct groups.

distribute (v)

give or supply sth to several people

A questionnaire was distributed to all participants.

draft (n)

sth written that may have changes made to it before it is finished

I showed her a first draft of my paper.

duration (n)

period of time in which something lasts

Patients were iso-lated for the duration of their illness.

emerge (v)

become known

It emerged that the results had been faked.

emphasise (v)

to show that sth is very important or worth giving attention to

[+ question word] I'd just like to emphasize how important it is for people to learn foreign languages.

empirical (adj)

based on real experi-ence or scientific evid-ence instead of theory

The results were based on empirical evidence.

enable (v)

to give sb the ability or opportunity to do sth

The advice enabled her to continue studying.

encounter (v)

to experience or deal with sth

We encountered one small problem during the trial run.

enhance (v)

improve

These scandals will not enhance our reputation/image.

ensure (v)

to guarantee, make certain

Random samples were chosen to ensure validity.

ethics (n)

set of principles that people use to decide what is right and wrong

The ethics of filming people without their permission.

evaluate (v)

to think carefully about something before making a judgement

Each employee is evaluated once a year.

evidence (n)

proof

There is no scientific evidence to prove this is true.

evolve (v)

develop gradually

Humans evolved from apes. Bacteria are evolving resist-ance to antibiotics.

exceed (v)

to be more than a particular amount

The weight should not exceed 20 kilos.

excess (n)

too much of sth

An excess of fat in your diet can lead to heart disease.

exposure (n)

the fact of experiencing sth or being affected by it because of being in a particular situation

… the children’s exposure to new ideas

extract (n)

a substance taken from a plant or other substance

natural herbal extracts

facilitate (v)

make sth easier

The new ramp will facilitate the entry of wheelchairs.

finding(s) (n)

information or evidence uncovered as a result of systematic research or investigation

The report’s findings led to a public health enquiry.

follow-up (n)

further action or a sub-sequent event that results from and supple-ments sth done before

Follow –up happened after a period of 6 months.

framework (n)

a system of rules, ideas or beliefs that is used to plan or decide sth:

The theoretical framework is described in the introduction.

frequency (n)

the number of occurrences within a given time period

Patients were monitored at a regular frequency throughout the trial.

fulfil  (fulfill=US and Australian spelling) (v

fill a need / do sth that is expected / promised

A school fails if it does not fulfil the needs of its pupils.

functional (adj)

designed to be good at doing a particular job

These traditional tools are both func-tional and attractive.

gather (v)

to search for and find similar things that you need or want

They gathered data from various sources.

generate (v)

to produce sth

… methods of generating electricity

hierarchy (n)

a system for organising people according to their status

He reached a high level within the Soviet political hierarchy.

hypothesis (n)

an idea or explanation for sth that is based on known facts but has not yet been proved

Several hypotheses for global warming have been suggested.

identify (v)

recognise a fact or problem

Results of this study were used to identify student needs.