Lesson 1A · New English File Advanced Vocabulary List

expressing love and care

"My dog is affectionate."

"The affectionate cat rubbed against my legs and purred loudly when I petted her soft fur."

confident in expressing one's opinions, ideas, or needs in a clear, direct, and respectful manner

"You need to be assertive."

"You need to be assertive and speak up for yourself instead of letting people push you around."

constantly telling others what they should do

"She is bossy."

"The bossy older sister always told her younger brother what to do and never let him make his own decisions."

telling the truth and having no intention of cheating or stealing

"She is honest."

"The honest salesman told the customer that the cheaper model would actually meet her needs better than the expensive one."

showing firm and constant support to a person, organization, cause, or belief

"The dog is loyal."

"The loyal dog waited at the train station every day for his owner to return even though the man had died years ago."

ready to accept or listen to different views and opinions

"He is open-minded."

"The open minded teacher encouraged her students to share their opinions even if they disagreed with her own beliefs."

unwilling to change one's attitude or opinion despite good reasons to do so

"He is stubborn."

"The donkey is stubborn and refuses to move even when you pull its rope hard."

capable of finding different, clever, and efficient ways to solve problems, often using the resources available to them in innovative ways

"She is resourceful."

"The resourceful survivor used a plastic bottle and some twigs to build a water filter in the jungle."

stating the opposite of what one means to criticize, insult, mock, or make a joke

"His tone is sarcastic."

"The sarcastic comment made everyone laugh but the person it was directed at felt hurt and embarrassed by the joke."

capable of providing everything that one needs, particularly food, without any help from others

"He is self-sufficient now."

"The farm is self sufficient and grows all the food needed to feed the family."

tending to act on impulse or in the moment

"The decision was spontaneous."

"The spontaneous dance party broke out when the DJ played everyone's favorite song."

showing care and understanding toward other people, especially when they are not feeling good

"She is a sympathetic listener."

"She is a sympathetic listener and always knows the right thing to say when you are sad."

to discover, meet, or find someone or something by accident

"I came across a book."

"While cleaning out the attic, I unexpectedly came across some old family photographs."

used to refer to a person's true feelings or beliefs that they may not openly show

"Deep down, she is a kind person."

"Deep down he knows that he made the wrong decision but he is too proud to admit it."

used to provide a general assessment of a situation

"On the whole it was a good day."

"On the whole it was a good day even though a few things went wrong in the morning."

someone who does not express emotions and is considered unfriendly

"He's a cold fish."

"My new boss is a bit of a cold fish, rarely showing any enthusiasm or warmth during meetings."

someone who can be easily taken advantage of

"The elderly woman is a soft touch for charity scams."

"The elderly woman is a soft touch for charity scams and gives money to anyone who asks."

a tendency to quickly lose one's temper

"He has a quick temper."

"Be careful what you say to him, as he has a notoriously quick temper and gets angry easily."

to refrain from doing anything that would harm or threaten the life of any person or animal

"He would not hurt a fly."

"She is so gentle and kind that she would never hurt a fly or harm any living creature."

to make a minimal effort to do something, particularly in order to help someone

"He never lifts a finger to help at home."

"He never lifts a finger to help around the house while his wife does all the cleaning and cooking."

a generous and kind personality

"My grandmother has a heart of gold."

"Despite his tough appearance the old man has a heart of gold and helps everyone in need."

a person or thing that is very annoying or troublesome

"He is a pain."

"Dealing with all these endless bureaucratic forms has become a real pain in the neck for me."

to be extremely proud and believe that one is superior in intellect, importance, etc.

"Since he won the prize, he is full of himself."

"Since he won the competition he has become so full of himself that nobody wants to talk to him anymore."

an energetic and sociable person who makes a place livelier

"She is the life and soul of the party."

"My cousin is always the life and soul of the party because he tells funny jokes and makes everyone laugh."

all the qualities that shape a person's character and make them different from others

"She has a warm and outgoing personality."

"A psychometric test aims to objectively measure various facets of an individual's unique personality."

trying or wishing to gain great success, power, or wealth

"He is ambitious."

"The ambitious young lawyer worked eighty hours a week because she wanted to become a partner at the firm before she turned thirty."

(of a young person or child) able to behave reasonably and responsibly, like an adult

"She is a mature child."

"The mature teenager demonstrated remarkable composure and responsibility during the stressful family situation."

experiencing frequent changes in mood, often without apparent reason or explanation

"She is moody."

"The moody teenager slammed his bedroom door and refused to come out for dinner with the family."

enjoying other people's company and social interactions

"She is very outgoing."

"The outgoing host greeted every guest with enthusiasm, making everyone feel welcome and included."

able to remain calm, especially in challenging or difficult situations, without becoming annoyed or anxious

"The teacher is patient."

"The patient teacher explained the math problem three times until every student in the class understood the solution."

able to be trusted to perform consistently well and meet expectations

"My car is reliable."

"The reliable old truck never broke down even after two hundred thousand miles and the farmer trusted it completely."

capable of understanding other people's emotions and caring for them

"He is a sensitive person."

"He is a sensitive person and cries easily when he watches sad movies or hears bad news."

capable of thinking and learning in a good and quick way

"She is a bright student."

"The bright young scientist quickly grasped the complex theories and contributed innovative ideas to the research project."

acting in accordance with one's conscience and sense of duty

"She is conscientious worker."

"The conscientious student always completed her homework on time and she double checked every answer before submitting her assignments to the teacher."

having or displaying a strong will to achieve a goal despite the challenges or obstacles

"He is determined to win."

"Despite numerous setbacks, the determined athlete continued to train rigorously for the marathon."

showing kindness and empathy toward others

"She is gentle."

"The gentle teacher patiently explained the complex concept until every student understood."

not subject to significant change or decline

"The economy is steady."

"The steady rain continued for three days and the farmers worried that their crops would be damaged by flooding."

(of a person or their behavior) direct and honest

"He is straightforward."

"His straightforward approach to negotiations meant he clearly stated his intentions from the very beginning."

extremely careful and attentive to detail

"Be thorough with this."

"A thorough investigation is required to understand the root cause of the problem."

to be likely to develop or occur in a certain way because that is the usual pattern

"She tends to arrive late daily."

"Young children tend to imitate the behavior of their parents and other adults around them."

a group of words or a phrase that has a meaning different from the literal interpretation of its individual words, often specific to a particular language or culture

"This idiom has a strange meaning."

"The English idiom "it is raining cats and dogs" means it is raining very heavily."

(of a person) not showing pretentious behavior

"She is very down to earth."

"Despite her immense success, the actress remained remarkably down to earth and approachable to her fans."