Vocabulary for Advanced English

(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 ______.

To approve, encourage, and support (an action or a plan of action); urge and help on. 

Max is in prison for aiding and _____ Mary with her bank robbery.

To make someone nervous or troubled; to arouse concern. 

The peaceful crowd became _____ when the police showed up in full riot gear.

Vigilantly attentive. 

The dog was very _____. He guarded his bone collection with great diligence.

attractive, seductive, inviting.

The salary was very ______, but Max decided not to take the job.

Plentiful; enough or more than enough.

I just went grocery shopping, so we should have _____ food for the rest of the week.

To argue about unimportant matters.

Max and Mary ______ constantly.

To combine (varieties or grades) to obtain a mixture of a particular character, quality, or consistency. 

Max _____ protein powder with apple juice.

(adjective) able to be heard, hearable

The child spoke so softly her voice was barely ______.

(noun) the state of spirit of a person or group

The soldier's _____ is extremely low.

(verb) win; overcome; gain advantage

We may be losing now, but in the end we will ______.

(adjective) careful and wise

It would not be very ______ to spend your entire paycheck on lottery tickets.

(noun) a sharp reply, answer

Jack came back with a witty ______ to the reporter's question.

(noun) someone to blame; someone to take the blame for others

Every office needs a ______. In our office Max is the scapegoat. He's blamed for everything.

(noun) An irrational belief which ignores the laws of nature.

Getting seven years of bad luck for breaking a mirror is a common _______.

(verb) add to; provide a supplement to

Max got a second job to ______ his income.

Lack of interest or concern. 

There is widespread ______ among the school staff.

Gloomy; drepressing; dreary. 

When the weather is _____, I have a hard time getting motivated to do anything.

To cause the sudden loss of courage; to cause the feeling of consternation and distress.

We were dismayed by the president's policy reversal.

The imitation or copying of someone.

To try very hard to achieve something.

We hoped that the president would ______ to help the people.