Unit 2 · New Headway Intermediate Vocabulary List

perfect, without any mistakes, faults, or imperfections

"Her skin is flawless."

"Her flawless performance earned her a standing ovation from the audience who clapped for five minutes."

in a sudden or unexpected manner

"She abruptly left the room without saying goodbye."

"She abruptly left the room without saying goodbye and everyone wondered what had upset her so much."

someone whose job involves performing in movies, plays, or series

"The actor won an award."

"The actor spent months preparing for his role by learning to speak with a British accent and practicing the difficult sword fighting scenes with a coach."

the job or art of performing in movies, plays or TV series

"She studied acting for many years."

"Her acting in the school play was so convincing that the audience gave her a standing ovation."

something that a person spends time doing, particularly to accomplish a certain purpose

"This activity is fun."

"The teacher planned an activity that helped everyone work together."

air that moves quickly or strongly in a current as a result of natural forces

"The wind was very strong."

"Strong wind knocked down several trees and power lines causing widespread blackouts that lasted for nearly three days in some areas."

to not be able to move from a place or position

"The car got stuck in the mud."

"You should be careful not to get stuck in the mud after all that rain."

the sum of money that is gained after all expenses and taxes are paid

"The company made a large profit."

"The business made a significant profit this year and decided to share it with all employees."

(grammar) a word or phrase used to describe an action, state, or experience

"A verb describes an action."

"A verb is a word that describes an action occurrence or state of being in a sentence."

a type of word that describes a noun

"Red is an adjective."

"' the word 'blue' is an adjective."

a word that is used to name a person, thing, event, state, etc.

"Cat is a noun."

"In English grammar, 'table' is a common noun that refers to a piece of furniture."

a word that gives more information about a verb, adjective, or another adverb

"He ran quickly."

"In English grammar, an adverb can also modify an entire sentence."

to earn a financial gain or make a profit from a business venture, investment, or other financial endeavor

"The small shop turned a profit last year."

"The clever investor bought shares cheaply and managed to turn a quick profit."

to share moments of humor and laughter with others

"We had a good laugh."

"After a long week at work, my friends and I got together and had a laugh over old memories and funny stories."

to be able to handle and manage a situation or thing successfully

"I'll get on top."

"She was determined to get on top of her workload before the deadline."

to use something for personal gain in an unfair or dishonest manner

"They took advantage of him."

"The unscrupulous salesman tried to take advantage of the customer's lack of knowledge about the product."

to come to an agreement with someone by granting some of their requests while they grant some of one's requests

"We will meet halfway."

"Both sides agreed to meet halfway on the salary negotiation to reach a mutually beneficial contract."

to find someone or something, often by following a series of clues or evidence

"Trace the money."

"Detectives are working to trace the flow of illicit funds through multiple offshore accounts."

to come to rest or take a comfortable position, often by sitting

"Please settle down."

"After a long day of travel, the weary guests were eager to settle into their comfortable hotel rooms."

a member or participant in a particular organization or group

"He is an active."

"The elderly man is still very active and plays tennis every morning with his friends."

the process of doing something, often requiring effort, with a specific purpose or goal in mind

"Take action now."

"The committee decided that immediate action was necessary to address the pressing environmental concerns."

to make something such as a process, piece of equipment, etc. start working

"Activate the alarm now."

"You need to activate your account before you can access the premium features."

great in amount, degree, or intensity; worse than usual in severity

"It is heavy rain."

"The unexpected and heavy snowfall caused significant disruptions to transportation and daily life."

the coming and going of cars, airplanes, people, etc. in an area at a particular time

"Traffic is heavy today."

"Traffic was backed up for kilometers because a truck had overturned on the highway spilling its cargo across all lanes during morning rush hour."

having a lot of physical power

"He is strong."

"The strong athlete effortlessly lifted the enormous weight during the competition."

having a relatively great vertical extent

"The mountain is high."

"The high shelf in the kitchen is where my mother keeps all the special dishes that we rarely use."

commonly recognized, done, used, etc.

"The size is standard."

"The standard size for a shipping container is twenty feet long and eight feet wide all over the world."

to enhance the quality of something, particularly by adding something to it

"Education can enrich your life greatly."

"Education can enrich your life by opening doors to new opportunities and experiences you never imagined."

the state of existing as a person who is alive

"Life can be wonderful."

"She enjoys life with her family."

to not be able to move from a place or position

"I get stuck in."

"The car's tires began to spin, and it got stuck in the deep mud after the storm."

to form, produce, or prepare something, by putting parts together or by combining materials

"She makes delicious cakes."

"My grandmother makes the best chocolate chip cookies I have ever tasted in my entire life."

the general opinion that the public has about someone or something because of what they did in the past

"Her reputation is solid."

"The company’s reputation was damaged by the scandal."

a powerful and intense emotion or feeling toward something or someone, often driving one's actions or beliefs

"She has passion."

"Her passion for environmental activism fueled her tireless efforts to protect endangered species."

to show the place or direction of someone or something by holding out a finger or an object

"Point to the map location."

"It is rude to point at people with your finger especially when they are standing close to you."

to spend time to learn about certain subjects by reading books, going to school, etc.

"Study hard for your final exams."

"She needs to study for at least three hours every night to prepare for her difficult medical school entrance exams."

able to speak or write clearly and effortlessly

"She is fluent."

"The fluent speaker could switch effortlessly between English and Spanish and she translated for the visiting delegation."

to make use of a situation, opportunity, or resource in a way that benefits oneself or achieves a desired outcome

"Take advantage of this offer."

"We should take advantage of the good weather to go for a hike."