Hi, welcome to Ingocio’s Advanced English vocabulary course – class 10. Today we’re going to be investigating the symbolism of the dollar bill. This does not mean what the dollar symbolises to the rest of the world, it means an analysis of the art work on the reverse of a dollar bill. Before we examine this symbolism in our listening exercise, however, let’s look at some more advanced English vocabulary.
Advanced English vocabulary
- Ending ‘en’ : terminacion ‘ar’
Naturally, the name was far too long and it was shortened to thaler. Now i’d like to think that most of you know the word ‘shorten’ which means ‘to make short.’ what i’d like to do more is to focus on the ending ‘en’ which is added to words to change an adjective or noun into a verb. For example, lengthen, widen, deepen. Use the word: What you like to be shortened or lengthened?
- Set: situado
The series is set in a near future. ‘set’ is a key word for talking about tv programs, films or books. It is used to talk about where the action of the story is situated. Titanic is set on a boat for example. Use the word: Where is the film When Harry Met Sally set?
- No longer: ya no
They no longer need to talk. ‘no longer’ is not a word related to place it is a word related to time. It means that something has stopped. So, in 2016 Obama will no longer be president. Use the word: When will your boss no longer be the boss?
- Bizarre: extraño
Born in 1847 he had a bizarre childhood experience. ‘bizzare’ is in vocabulary book 2 and is a common word to talk about something that is strange or surreal. If a man walked up to you, barked like a dog, and walked off, it would be bizarre. Use the word: Tell us about a bizarre dream you’ve had recently?
- Sudden: repentino
Writing Dracula was not a sudden and spontaneous enterprise. Remember, we’re at a higher level of english now, my friends, so you need to know all the variants of a word. Therefore you must move beyond the adverb ‘suddenly’ and use the adjective ‘sudden.’ Use the word: Would you consider it sudden if your colleague proposed marriage over lunch?
- Enterprise: proyecto, mision
Writing dracula was not a sudden and spontaneous enterprise. ‘enterprise’ is often used incorrectly by non-natives as a word for a business. ‘enterprise’ is in fact a general word for any mission, project or plan. Use the word: Do you think inesting in South Africa would be a successful
- Transmitted: transmitido
Hbo is transmitted in 151 countries. I want to talk about ‘transmit’ here just to remind you of the confusion between ‘transmit’ and ‘convey.’ convey is used to talk about how people transmit their meaning, but cannot be used for talking about the transmission of tv and radio signals. Use the word: When was the series Lost first transmitted in your country?
- Challenging: estimulante/desafiante/retador/
HBO is universally regarded as the most challenging channels on american tv. A puzzle that is ‘challenging’ is difficult. A book or organisation that is challenging, however, questions and disrupts. Normally the word is used when someone is challenging accepted ideas or trends. Use the word: Would you find it challenging to read Shakespeare?
Five key words/expressions
- Stem from: come from. Originates from.
E.g. The two images stem from the eighteenth century. Stem from – proviene de – is an excellent word for talking about causes. However, it is far more suited to professional, academic and formal conversations about important topics. For example, you wouldn’t say “My hangover stems from the beer I drank last night.” You would say, however, “Spartan aggression stemmed from a fear of Athenian power.” Use the word: Where does our (human being’s) dislike of insects stem from?
- Accomplishments: good things that we have done/achieved.
E.g. God has smiled on our accomplishments. Accomplishments – logros – is obviously the noun of accomplish. We hope that your accomplishments this course will be total mastery of advanced English and an increase in your general knowledge. Use the word: What was Britney Spears principle accomplishment in 2012?
- Assert: to affirm something as true, or to strongly communicate your ideas.
For a new nation which had just fought for independence from England, it was important to assert its strength. A common phrase when talking about people’s communication skills is their ‘self-assertiveness’. To assert – afirmar – refers to their ability to speak their views without fear, make people listen to them and their general ability to make their presence felt. Use the word: Are you self-assertive or not ?
- Marooned: stranded
E.g. If someone left you on a small island with no means of leaving it you’d be marooned. When Tom Hanks is on his desert island with Wilson he is shipwrecked but not marooned. Originally marooned – con problemas para volver a casa – was when you were abandoned on a desert island but now it means trapped and unable to leave somewhere – usually far from home. For example, you could say… I lost my wallet and had no way of paying for a taxi… I was marooned in central London. Use the word: Have you ever lost your ticket or wallet and been marooned far from home?
- Digress: to talk about something that was a distraction or diversion from the main topic.
E.g. Anyway, I digress. If you know someone who starts telling a story but always starts talking about lots of other topics, then they are a person who digresses. The noun, digression – digresión – would be used in the following way: if you are giving a talk on quantum physics and you stop for a moment to talk about your dog, when you finish and return to quantum physics you would say… excuse the digression. Use the word: Are digressions a good idea in a business meeting?
Now it’s time to repeat todays words of advanced English vocabulary – Digression digresión, Assert afirmar, Marooned con problemas para volver a casa, Stem from proviene de, and Accomplishments logros – Okay, let’s listen to this week’s audio, but remember, CoolTalk is just one module of the unique learning experience called Ingocio. Visit ingocio.com and start improving your career, your general knowledge, and your English. Download the free version… now!
