Before we explore the luddites, let’s explore some advanced English vocabulary.
- Face it: enfrentarse a
But let’s face it.. The Luddites are a thing of the past. Okay, my friends, we don’t want cowards in this school, so I ask you… what’s the opposite to turning your back on a problem? That’s right… facing it. ‘Facing’ something is to look at the truth and not hide from it. Use the word: Are you good at facing problems or do you try and avoid them.
- Textile: textil
A new technology was introduced in the textile industry. Now, of course, if you read the word it’s easy to recognise it, but if you say it – textile – it’s a lot more difficult. Textiles are what clothes are made of and include fabrics like cotton, wool and linen. Use the word: Which countries have the largest textile industries?
- Stems from: proviene de
As his name suggests his fame stems from his exploration of the Antarctic. ‘The stem’ is the green vertical part of a plant. ‘Stems from’ is a causal verb we use to say where something comes from. ‘Steve’s anger stemmed from the fact he was adopted.’ Use the word: Does most people’s anger at their parents stem from their days at university?
- Starvation: hambre/ inanición
Scott and all his team then died of either exposure, exhaustion or starvation… or all three. ‘Starvation’ is the medical and social word for extreme hunger. In English you don’t talk about hungry people in parts of Africa, you talk about starving people. Use the word: How many days could you tolerate starvation for?
- Exhaustion: agotamiento
Scott and all his team then died of either exposure, exhaustion or starvation. ‘Exhaustion’ is a form of extreme tiredness. The adjective is exhausted and something that exhausts you is exhausting. Some people think we work you to exhaustion at Ingocio but it’s not true… we believe in relaxing too. But only because it makes you work better. Use the word: Have you ever suffered from severe stress and exhaustion?
- Acclaimed: aclamada
Jake and Luke are both highly acclaimed commercials directors. Imagine a film that the public love, the critics say it’s brilliant and many famous actors and directors agree… well, that’s a ‘highly acclaimed’ film. Use the word: Who is this country’s most acclaimed writer?
- Graced: adornar/ embellecer
A statue graced the garden. ’Graced’ is a curious word… it means ‘existed’ but in a manner which made something better. In other words, if we’re talking architecture and you say ‘three stone angels graced the doorway’ it’s saying there were three angels and they made the doorway more beautiful. Use the word: Will you grace us with your presence next class?
- Recall: recuerdo, recordar
Total Recall. ‘Recall’ has two interesting meanings. One is related to memory and can be both a noun and a verb: for example, I have no recall of the events or I can’t recall anything. A recall of a product is when it is discovered a product is contaminated or defective, and they ask consumers to return it. Use the word: Can you recall most of what happened to you when you were a child?
Knowledge: part 1 Notes & Ideas
Hi, welcome to Ingocio’s advanced English course. Today’s class is about adult education; but not just formal training or academic qualifications – all adult education, including the books you read and the podcasts you listen to. We ask the important question: what should be your learning priorities? Before we answer that question, however, let’s do five words of advanced English vocabulary.
- Remarkable: amazing, worthy of comment (usually positive).
E.g. A 300% increase in sales is remarkable. Remarkable – destacado – comes from the noun and verb ‘remark’ which means ‘to comment on.’ Therefore something remarkable has such impact that you must make a remark about it. It is usually used to say something was very good, and it is a compliment (cumplido) if someone says you are remarkable. Use the word: Was the 1968 moon landing a remarkable achievement?
- Grossly: very, totally, many of, or large.
E.g. The report was grossly inaccurate. Grossly – ‘muy’ o ‘absolutamente’ o ‘mucho de’ – is one of the strongest intensifiers that exists in English without recurring to rude words. That is why it’s so useful… you can express yourself with great strength and say something like, ‘this is grossly unfair’ without being too informal. Use the word: Do you think that the labor law in this country is grossly unfair?
- Leave no stone unturned: do everything possible (especially when searching).
E.g. The pirates left no stone unturned as they looked for the treasure. Imagine it’s 500 years ago; one of the best places to hide something will be under a rock – not only because it covers what you’re hiding but the stone reminds you where it is. Then, imagine someone is looking for what you’ve hidden… they will look at the field and instruct their companions to “leave no stone unturned.” – buscar por todas partes –. This is the origins of the term. Use the word: When you’ve lost something in your house do you leave no stone unturned to find it?
- Worthy: deserving of.
E.g. The work Mother Teresa did was worthy of admiration. Even if you know the verb ’worth’ you may still have problems with ‘worthy’ – digno de – because it has a different pronunciation. Worth… Worthy. Worthy can either be alone…. For example: ’fighting poverty is a worthy cause’ or you use worthy with an adjective…. “fighting poverty is worthy of respect.” A synonym of worthy when used alone is worthwhile.
Use the word: Would a street protest against stupidity be a worthy / worthwhile cause?
- Somehow: in a way that is difficult to explain.
E.g. The speech was somehow incoherent but inspiring. We use somehow – en alguna manera – when something is contradictory and difficult to explain. In the example above ‘somehow’ is used because often it’s unusual that a speech is incoherent yet still manages to be inspiring.
Use the word: Do you think that Saudi Arabia is conservative yet somehow liberal?
Okay everybody, let’s repeat our five key words – Somehow – en alguna manera, worthy digno de, Leave no stone unturned buscar por todas partes, Grossly muy or absolutamente and remember, we only do five words per podcast, but if you join our online school you have access to all the rest of the vocabulary, as well as more than 200 audio classes on language, life, business and culture. Okay, now, let’s do our listening exercise for the week… Take it away, Rokeby.
