Communication & Interaction: English Vocabulary List

to intentionally refer to someone using unpleasant or offensive words

"It is rude to call people names."

"The angry child started to call his classmate names after losing the game and the teacher punished him."

to engage in polite and friendly conversation, often involving customary greetings or small talk

"We exchange pleasantries every morning."

"Before the meeting began, the delegates exchanged pleasantries and discussed the weather."

to transmit a digital message via electronic mail to one or more recipients

"I will drop you an email later."

"I will drop you an email later today with all the details about the meeting tomorrow morning."

to collect funds, often through various means such as fundraising, investments, donations, or other financial efforts

"We are raising money for charity."

"The students organized a bake sale to raise money for the school trip to the science museum."

to organize and host a social event or celebration, typically involving friends, family, or acquaintances

"Let us throw a party."

"They are going to throw a party for their parents' fiftieth wedding anniversary next Saturday evening."

to make a kissing gesture with one's hand or lips and send it toward another person as a sign of affection

"She blew him a kiss."

"The little girl blew her father a kiss before running off to school."

to stimulate curiosity, fascination, or enthusiasm in a person for a particular topic, subject, or activity

"The documentary aroused my interest in history."

"The documentary about space travel aroused my interest in astronomy and I started reading books about the universe."

to express a complaint, concern, or dissatisfaction about a particular issue, typically to an authority figure or in a formal setting

"The workers aired their grievances to the manager."

"The workers held a meeting to air their grievances about the low salaries and poor working conditions."

to expel air through the nostrils into a tissue or similar item to remove mucus or clear the nasal passages

"Please blow your nose with a tissue."

"The man used a tissue to blow his nose loudly during the quiet movie and everyone stared at him."

to notify one's employer or supervisor that one is unwell and unable to work on a specific day

"I felt terrible, so I called in sick."

"I decided to call in sick to work because I had a terrible headache and felt very tired."

to engage in a physical fight or confrontation

"The men exchange blows outside."

"The two rivals finally exchanged blows after months of escalating tension and verbal insults."

to respond to a missed or unanswered phone call by calling the person back

"I need to return my mother's call."

"I missed a call from my mother so I need to return her call before it gets too late."

to provide hospitality and make guests feel welcome

"She played host to the visiting delegation."

"The proud grandmother played host to the entire family for the Thanksgiving dinner at her house."

to offer good wishes or express congratulations, often accompanied by raising and clinking glasses, before or during a celebratory drink

"I propose a toast to the happy couple."

"The best man stood up to propose a toast to the happy couple on their wedding day."

to say things about a person or thing that are unpleasant or mean

"Do not speak ill of the dead."

"My grandmother always taught me never to speak ill of the dead because it is disrespectful."

to make a buzzing or vibrating sound by blowing air through a curled tongue between the lips, often as a sign of playful teasing

"He blew a raspberry loudly."

"The child blew a raspberry at his sister, which made everyone in the room laugh out loud."

to claim that one does not possess information or awareness of a specific subject, event, or fact

"He denies all knowledge of it."

"The suspect denied all knowledge of the crime during the police interrogation yesterday."

to disagree or to stop agreeing

"They part company now."

"The two business partners decided to part company over creative differences."

to change one's vehicle's position and smoothly join the flow of traffic in a different lane while driving

"He will merge into traffic."

"The driver carefully signaled and waited for an opening to merge into the busy highway lane."

to welcome and consider logical and rational arguments or viewpoints, often leading to a change in one's perspective or course of action

"You never listen to reason."

"The stubborn man refused to listen to reason and made a foolish decision that he later regretted."

to respond to a name or label that has been given to someone or something

"The dog answers to Max."

"The trained parrot was remarkable because it would always answer to the name 'Polly'."

to actively search for employment or professional opportunities in a specific field or industry

"He moved to the city to seek a career in finance."

"The young graduate moved to the big city to seek a career in the financial industry."

to observe the shape and movements of someone's lips in order to interpret and understand what they are saying

"The deaf man read her lips."

"The deaf man asked his friend to speak slowly so he could read his lips more easily."

to initiate an official investigation, study, or examination into a specific matter or issue

"The government launched an inquiry into the accident."

"The government decided to launch an inquiry into the cause of the terrible train accident."

to carry out a clever or daring action, often for entertainment, surprise, or deception

"He pulled a trick."

"The magician delighted the audience when he managed to pull a spectacular disappearing act."

to twist and rub one's hands together out of distress or worry

"Stop wringing your hands now."

"The parents were wringing their hands with worry as they waited for the doctor's diagnosis."

used to ask for clarification or confirmation about a particular statement or situation, typically seeking to ensure that one has a clear and accurate understanding of what has been said or presented

"Let me get this straight — you want to change the entire plan?"

"Let me get this straight — the budget was approved, then frozen, and now it has been cut by half?"

to inform one's employer of one's intentions of leaving one's job after a certain period of time

"She will hand in notice."

"After securing a better position elsewhere, she decided to hand in her resignation to her current employer."

used when saying goodbye to someone when one is expecting to see them again

"It was great to catch up — see you around!"

"She finished the coffee, grabbed her coat, and said see you around as she headed back to the office."

to communicate one's emotions, opinions, or thoughts through spoken words

"The words fell from lips."

"A sigh of relief finally fell from her lips when she heard the good news about her exam results."

to increase knowledge or understanding about a particular issue, cause, or topic

"We need to raise awareness about pollution."

"The charity campaign aims to raise awareness about the importance of mental health support for young people."

to bring up a topic or issue for discussion or consideration

"He raised a question today."

"During the meeting, one of the employees raised a question about whether the new policy would affect their vacation days."

to take hold of someone else's hand with one's own and then move them up and down as a gesture of greeting, congratulations, or agreement

"They shook hands after the meeting."

"The two businessmen stopped arguing and decided to shake hands before ending the meeting."

to separate or go in different directions after being together

"They part company."

"After a long journey together, the two explorers decided to part company at the crossroads to pursue different routes."