gavel (noun) – the small hammer that is used by a judge or other official to signal it is time for an action gavel (verb) – to cause an action using a gavel Examples of how you can use gavel: The judge used her gavel to adjourn the court session, and said we would to continue… Continue reading Word to the Wise: gavel
reprieve (verb) – to prevent/postpone (put at a later date) or bring relief (make something less serious or hard) reprieve (noun) – something that is prevented, postponed or that brings relief It was discovered that the exam questions had been leaked, so the exam was reprieved. The convinced criminal’s punishment was reprieved as new evidence had… Continue reading Word to the Wise: reprieve
There is a new quiz for this article that I’ve updated a little bit. Click here for the quiz, or click on the picture. More Exam English here: TOEFL and IELTS exam vocabulary Advanced Vocabulary for Exams
persevere (verb) – to continue an action even if there is little hope that it will succeed or when things are difficult. persevering (adjective) – continuing an action even if there is little hope that it will succeed or when things are difficult. perseveringly (adverb) – continuing an action even if there is little hope… Continue reading Word to the Wise: persevere
clef (noun) [pronounce: klef, with the e like in elephant] – the symbol in music that you find at the beginning of a musical piece (written music) Examples of how you can use clef: The G clef at the beginning of the staff indicates that this musical piece is not for bass guitar, but for… Continue reading Word to the Wise: clef
impair (verb) – damage, weaken impairment (noun) – damage or weakness Examples of how you can use impair: Working in a noisy environment had impaired his hearing. Too much self-love can impair your judgement. A fatty diet can impair your health. She finds it difficult to learn new things, which is why her psychologist is… Continue reading Word to the Wise: impair
baffle (verb) – confuse, be or make unable to understand baffled/baffling (adjective) – confused/confusing, unable to understand Examples of how you can use baffle: His behaviour lately baffled his professors. Why had his grades gone down so much? Your question baffles me. I’m not sure I’ll be able to find out an answer. With a… Continue reading Word to the Wise: baffle
… to check whether your English is correct When you write an email or chat with someone in English, for work, study or fun, you don’t want to ask a native speaker to proofread what you’ve written. Often there is no time for someone else to check it. Besides, you will never learn how to… Continue reading Looking Stuff Up in An Effective Way using Easy & Fast Digital Tools
Today we’re going to work on your word power. Ready to get into shape? I heard a couple of foreign fitness instructors talk about muscles with [sk]. Some of my students say muscle with [sk]. They also want to say descend with [sk]. But both these words are pronounced with [s]. It’s true that most… Continue reading How to Pronounce Words with SC
Word to the Wise: dismal dismal (adjective) – depressing/very bad dismally (adverb) – depressingly (bad) Examples of how you can use dismal: After failing my driving exam for the fourth time, I felt dismal. Guy took a dismal view of his finances this month, as all his clients went on holiday and left him without… Continue reading Word to the Wise: dismal
English with a Smile 