Academic Vocabulary
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Abandon (v.) to forsake
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Couple
Create Credit Criteria Crucial Cultural Culture Currency Cycle Data Debate Decade Decline Deduce Define Define (as) Definite Definition Deflated Defy Defying Demonstrate Denote Deny Depletion Depress Derive Derived Design Despite Detect Deviate Device Devote Differentiate Dimension Diminish Discrete Discriminate Displace Display Disposal Dispose Distinct Distinction Distort Distribute Distribution Diverse Document Domain Domestic Dominate Draft Drama Duration Dwindling Dynamic Economic Economy Edit Element Elements Eliminate Emerge Emphasis Emphasize Empirical Enable Encased Encounter Energy Enforce Enhance Enormous Ensure Entails Entity Environment Equate Equation Equip Equivalent Erode Error Establish Established Estate Estimate Ethic Ethnic Evaluate Evaluation Eventual Evidence Evident Evolve Excavate Exceed Exclude Exhibit Expand Expert Explicit Exploit Export Export Factor Expose External Extract Facilitate Factors Feature Features Federal Fee File Filthy Final Finance Financial Finite Flexible Fluctuate Focus Forage Format Formula Forthcoming Found Foundation Framework Function Fund Fundamental Furthermore Gender Generate Generation Globe Goal Grade Grant Grim Guarantee Guideline Hence Hideous Hierarchy Highlight Hypothesis Identical Identified Identify Ideology Ignorance Ignorant Illustrate Image Immigrate Impact Impels Implement Implicate Implication Implicit Imply Impose Incendiary Incentive Incidence |
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Incline
Income Incorporate Incur Index Indicate Indication (of) Individual Induce Inevitable Inextricably Infer Infrastructure Inherent Inhibit Initial Initial Instance Initiate Injure Injury Innovate Input Insert Insight Inspect Instance Institute Instruct Integral Integrate Integrity Intelligence Intense Interact Intermediate Internal Interpret Interpretation Interval Intervene Intrinsic Invest Investigate Invoke Involve Involved Isolate Issue Issues Item Items Job Journal Justify Kinship Label Labor Layer Lecture Legal Legislation Levy Liberal License Likewise Link Locate Location Logic Logical Loom Lurch Maintain Major Majority Malice Manipulate Manual Margin Mature Maximize Maximize Mechanism Media Mediate Medical Medium Mental Method Migrate Military Minimal Minimize Minimize Minimum Ministry Minor Mode Modest Modify Monitor Motive Mutual Negate Network Neutral Nevertheless Nonetheless Norm Normal Notion Notwithstanding Nuclear Objective Obtain Obvious Occupy Occur Odd Offset Ongoing Option Orient Outcome Outlandish Output Overall Overlap Overseas Panel Paradigm Paragraph Parallel Parameter Participate Participation Partner Passive Perceive Percent Period Perpetual Persist Perspective Phase Phenomenon Philosophy Physical Plus Policy Portion Pose Positive Potency Potential Practitioner Pragmatic Precede Precise Predicament Predict Predictable Predominant Predominate Preliminary Presume Previous Previously Primary Prime Principal |
Principle
Prior Priority Procedure Proceed Process Professional Profound Prohibit Prohibited Project Promote Proportion Prospect Protocol Prowess Psychological Psychology Publication Publish Purchase Pursue Qualitative Quote Radical Random Range Ratio Rational Ravage React Reckless Recover Refine Refute Regime Region Register Regulate Regulations Reinforce Reject Relax Release Relevant Reliable Reluctance Rely Remove Require Required Requirement Research Reside Resident Resolve Resource Respond Response Restore Restrain Restrict Retain Reveal Revenue Reverse Revert Revise Revolution Rigid Role Route Savage Scenario Schedule Scheme Scope Section Sector Secure Seek Seek Select Sequence Series Sex Shift Significant Similar Simulate Site Snob So-called Sole Somewhat Source Specific Specify Sphere Sprawl Squander Squeal Stable Statistic Status Stout Straightforward Strategy Stress Stroll Structure Style Subjugate Submit Subordinate Subsequent Subsidy Substitute Successor Sufficient Sum Summary Supplement Survey Survive Suspend Sustain Symbol Symbolize Tape Target Task Team Technical Technique Technology Temporary Tense Tentative Terminate Text Theory Thesis Topic Topical Trace Tradition Transfer Transform Transit Transmit Transport Trend Trigger Ultimate Undergo Underlie Undertake Uniform Unify Unique Utilize Valid Variable Vary Vastly Vaulting Vehicle Veritable Version Via |
Speaking Vocabulary by Category
Writing Task 1 Vocabulary
Transition Words
Idioms
A
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
A bitter pill (to swallow)
A blessing in disguise
A chip on your shoulder
A dime a dozen
A doubting Thomas
A drop in the bucket
A hot potato
A leopard can't change its spots
A little bird told me
A penny saved is a dollar earned
A picture paints a thousand words
A stitch in time saves nine
A taste of your own medicine
Ace in the hole
Actions speak louder than words
Achilles' heel
Actions Speak louder than words
Add fuel to the fire
Add insult to injury
After the storm blew over
Against the clock
All bark and no bite
All ears
All Greek to me
All in the same boat
All thumbs
An arm and a leg
An axe to grind
Apple of my eye
As all get up
At the drop of a hat
B
Back seat driver
Back to square one
Back to the drawing board
Baker's dozen
Ball is in your court
Barking up the wrong tree
Basket case
Beat around the bush
Beat a dead horse
Bed of roses
Bend over backwards
Best of both worlds
Between a rock and a hard place
Bite off more than one can chew
Bite the bullet
Bite the dust
Bite your tongue
Bleeding heart
Blind as a bat
Blood is thicker than water
Boys will be boys
Break a leg
Burn a bridge
Burn the midnight oil
Bust one's chops
Buy a lemon
By the seat of one's pants
By the skin of one's teeth
C
Call it a day
Canary in a coal mine
Can't get blood out of a stone
Cat nap
Cat got your tongue
Chalk up
Champ at the bit
Cheap as chips
Chew someone out
Chew the fat
Chink in one's armor
Chip on his shoulder
Chow down
Clam up
Close but no cigar
Closed case
Closed door
Cold shoulder
Come hell or high water
Couch potato
Count sheep
Crack me up
Crocodile tears
Cross your fingers
Cry me a river
Cry wolf
Cut a rug
Cut the cheese
Cut the mustard
Cut to the chase
D
Dark horse
Dead Ringer
Devil's advocate
Dine and dash
Dog days of summer
Don't bite the hand that feeds you
Don't count chickens before they hatch
Don't cry over spilt milk
Don't give up your day job
Don't have a cow
Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Dot your I's and cross your T's
Down to the wire
Drink like a fish
Drive me up the wall
Drop a dime
Dropping like flies
Dry run
E
Elephant in the room
Elvis has left the building
Every cloud has a silver lining
Everything but the kitchen sink
Excuse my French
Eyes bigger than your stomach
F
Fallen on prying eyes
Faster than lightning
Feeding frenzy
Field day
Finding your feet
Fit as a fiddle
Fixed in your ways
Flash in the pan
Flea market
Flesh and blood
Flip the bird
Foam at the mouth
For a song
French kiss
From A to Z
From rags to riches
From scratch / make from scratch
Full Monty
Full of Bologna
Funny farm
G
Get bent out of shape
Get down to brass tacks
Get hitched
Get over it
Get up on the wrong side of the bed
Get your knickers in a knot
Get your underwear in a bunch
Get your walking papers
Gift of gab
Give them the slip
Go down like a lead balloon
Go for broke
Go out on a limb
Go the extra mile
Gone with the wind
Good Samaritan
Got my foot in the door
Got my sea legs
Got one in the oven
Grasp the nettle
Grass is always greener on the other side
Graveyard shift
Great minds think alike (and fools seldom differ)
Green around the gills
Green room
Green thumb
Gut feeling
H
Happy as a lark
Hat trick
Have a blast
Have eyes in the back of one's head
Head over heels
Heard it through the grapevine
He has deep pockets
He has dirt on them
Hell in a handbasket
High as a kite
High five
High on the hog
Hindsight is twenty-twenty
His face was a mile long
Hit the books
Hit the hay
Hit the nail on the head
Hit the road
Hit the sack
Hocus pocus
Hold your horses
I
I bet
I can count on them
I got my eye on you
I wasn't born yesterday
Icing on the cake
If I had a nickel for every time I heard that
If it's not one thing, it's another
If you cant' take the heat stay out of the kitchen
In hot water
In the bag
In the buff
In the dark
In the heat of the moment
In your face
Ignorance is bliss
Iron stomach
It all boils down to...
It takes two to tango
It's a small world
It's anyone's call
Ivy league
J
Jaywalk
Joshing me
Jump ship
K
Keep an eye on things
Keep your chin up
Keep your eye on the ball
Keep your mind on track
Kick the bucket
Kill two birds with one stone
Kitty-corner
Knee jerk reaction
Knock on wood
L
Last but not least
Learn the ropes
Lend me your ear(s)
Let bygones be bygones
Let sleeping dogs lie
Let the cat out of the bag
Level the playing field
Like a chicken with its head cut off
Like a herd of cats
Like a herd of turtles
Liquored up
Little whipper snapper
Long in the tooth
Loose as a goose
Loose cannon
Losing my mind
Lost in your head
Lost your marbles
M
Mad as a wet hen
Make no bones about
Method to my madness
Mind like a steel trap
Mind your p's and q's
Mixed Blessing
Mumbo jumbo
Mum's the word
N
Nest egg
New kid on the block
New York minute
No horse in this race
No room to swing a cat
Not playing with a full deck
O
Off on the wrong foot
Off one's trolley / Off one's rocker
Off the hook
Off the record
On pins and needles
On the fence
On the same page
Open book
Opened case
Once in a blue moon
Out in the cold
Out of the blue
Out of the mouths of babes
Out on a limb
Out on the town
Overdrive
Overkill
Over my dead body!
Over the top
P
Pass the buck
Pedal to the metal
Peeping tom
Pick up your ears
Piece of cake
Pig in a poke
Pig out
Pipe down
Piss in one's cornflakes
Pop one's clogs (UK)
Preaching to the choir
Pull somebody's leg
Pull the plug
Pulling my leg
Pushing up the daisies
Put a sock in it
Put the cat among the pigeons
Put your money where your mouth is at
Put yourself in another man's shoes
Q
Quick as wink
R
Raincheck
Raining cats and dogs
Red herring
Riding shotgun
Right as rain
Rise and shine
Rome was not built in a day
Rule of thumb
Run out of steam
S
Saved by the bell
Sawing logs
School of hard knocks
Screw the pooch
Scot-free
Sharp as a tack
She's the bee's knees
Shoot the breeze
Shooting fish in a barrel
Sick as a dog
Sixth sense
Skid row
Sleep it off
Sleep with the fishes
Slippery as a snake
Smart as a whip
Smell a rat
Smell something fishy
Son of a gun
Speak of the devil
Speaking with a forked tongue
Speaking with a silver tongue
Spill the beans
Spin one's wheels
Spitting image
Split the whistle
Spoiled rotten
Stubborn as a mule
Stuck in the mud
Sunny smile
T
Take a short walk off a long cliff
Take the biscuit
Take the cake
Take with a grain of salt
Teach them a thing or two
Tide over
That's not gonna fly
The ball is in your court
The best of both worlds
The bigger they are the harder they fall
The door is always open
The last straw
The scheme of things
The squeaky wheel gets the grease
The whole nine yards
Think on your feet
Third try is the charm
Throw under the bus
Through thick and thin
Thumb one's nose
Tie one on
Tie the knot
Tired as all get up
To make a long story short
To steal someone's thunder
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongues will wag
Tough as nails
Tough love
Trip the light fantastic
Turn a blind eye
Two left feet
U
Under my thumb
Under the weather
Until the cows come home
Up a blind alley
Up a creek without a paddle
Up shit's creek
Use your noggin
V
Variety is the spice of life
W
Wag the dog
Water under the bridge
Watch 'em like a hawk
Wear your heart on your sleeve
Wet your whistle
Whatever will be will be
What's good for the goose is good for the gander
When it rains, it pours
When pigs fly
Wild and woolly
Wine and dine
Without a doubt
When it rains it pours
Who wears the pants in this family?
Whole nine yards
Wild goose chase
X
X marks the spot
Y
You are in hot water
You are what you eat
You bet
You can say that again
You can't judge a book by its cover
You can't teach an old dog new tricks
Your guess is as good as mine
Z
Zero Tolerance
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
A bitter pill (to swallow)
A blessing in disguise
A chip on your shoulder
A dime a dozen
A doubting Thomas
A drop in the bucket
A hot potato
A leopard can't change its spots
A little bird told me
A penny saved is a dollar earned
A picture paints a thousand words
A stitch in time saves nine
A taste of your own medicine
Ace in the hole
Actions speak louder than words
Achilles' heel
Actions Speak louder than words
Add fuel to the fire
Add insult to injury
After the storm blew over
Against the clock
All bark and no bite
All ears
All Greek to me
All in the same boat
All thumbs
An arm and a leg
An axe to grind
Apple of my eye
As all get up
At the drop of a hat
B
Back seat driver
Back to square one
Back to the drawing board
Baker's dozen
Ball is in your court
Barking up the wrong tree
Basket case
Beat around the bush
Beat a dead horse
Bed of roses
Bend over backwards
Best of both worlds
Between a rock and a hard place
Bite off more than one can chew
Bite the bullet
Bite the dust
Bite your tongue
Bleeding heart
Blind as a bat
Blood is thicker than water
Boys will be boys
Break a leg
Burn a bridge
Burn the midnight oil
Bust one's chops
Buy a lemon
By the seat of one's pants
By the skin of one's teeth
C
Call it a day
Canary in a coal mine
Can't get blood out of a stone
Cat nap
Cat got your tongue
Chalk up
Champ at the bit
Cheap as chips
Chew someone out
Chew the fat
Chink in one's armor
Chip on his shoulder
Chow down
Clam up
Close but no cigar
Closed case
Closed door
Cold shoulder
Come hell or high water
Couch potato
Count sheep
Crack me up
Crocodile tears
Cross your fingers
Cry me a river
Cry wolf
Cut a rug
Cut the cheese
Cut the mustard
Cut to the chase
D
Dark horse
Dead Ringer
Devil's advocate
Dine and dash
Dog days of summer
Don't bite the hand that feeds you
Don't count chickens before they hatch
Don't cry over spilt milk
Don't give up your day job
Don't have a cow
Don't put all your eggs in one basket
Dot your I's and cross your T's
Down to the wire
Drink like a fish
Drive me up the wall
Drop a dime
Dropping like flies
Dry run
E
Elephant in the room
Elvis has left the building
Every cloud has a silver lining
Everything but the kitchen sink
Excuse my French
Eyes bigger than your stomach
F
Fallen on prying eyes
Faster than lightning
Feeding frenzy
Field day
Finding your feet
Fit as a fiddle
Fixed in your ways
Flash in the pan
Flea market
Flesh and blood
Flip the bird
Foam at the mouth
For a song
French kiss
From A to Z
From rags to riches
From scratch / make from scratch
Full Monty
Full of Bologna
Funny farm
G
Get bent out of shape
Get down to brass tacks
Get hitched
Get over it
Get up on the wrong side of the bed
Get your knickers in a knot
Get your underwear in a bunch
Get your walking papers
Gift of gab
Give them the slip
Go down like a lead balloon
Go for broke
Go out on a limb
Go the extra mile
Gone with the wind
Good Samaritan
Got my foot in the door
Got my sea legs
Got one in the oven
Grasp the nettle
Grass is always greener on the other side
Graveyard shift
Great minds think alike (and fools seldom differ)
Green around the gills
Green room
Green thumb
Gut feeling
H
Happy as a lark
Hat trick
Have a blast
Have eyes in the back of one's head
Head over heels
Heard it through the grapevine
He has deep pockets
He has dirt on them
Hell in a handbasket
High as a kite
High five
High on the hog
Hindsight is twenty-twenty
His face was a mile long
Hit the books
Hit the hay
Hit the nail on the head
Hit the road
Hit the sack
Hocus pocus
Hold your horses
I
I bet
I can count on them
I got my eye on you
I wasn't born yesterday
Icing on the cake
If I had a nickel for every time I heard that
If it's not one thing, it's another
If you cant' take the heat stay out of the kitchen
In hot water
In the bag
In the buff
In the dark
In the heat of the moment
In your face
Ignorance is bliss
Iron stomach
It all boils down to...
It takes two to tango
It's a small world
It's anyone's call
Ivy league
J
Jaywalk
Joshing me
Jump ship
K
Keep an eye on things
Keep your chin up
Keep your eye on the ball
Keep your mind on track
Kick the bucket
Kill two birds with one stone
Kitty-corner
Knee jerk reaction
Knock on wood
L
Last but not least
Learn the ropes
Lend me your ear(s)
Let bygones be bygones
Let sleeping dogs lie
Let the cat out of the bag
Level the playing field
Like a chicken with its head cut off
Like a herd of cats
Like a herd of turtles
Liquored up
Little whipper snapper
Long in the tooth
Loose as a goose
Loose cannon
Losing my mind
Lost in your head
Lost your marbles
M
Mad as a wet hen
Make no bones about
Method to my madness
Mind like a steel trap
Mind your p's and q's
Mixed Blessing
Mumbo jumbo
Mum's the word
N
Nest egg
New kid on the block
New York minute
No horse in this race
No room to swing a cat
Not playing with a full deck
O
Off on the wrong foot
Off one's trolley / Off one's rocker
Off the hook
Off the record
On pins and needles
On the fence
On the same page
Open book
Opened case
Once in a blue moon
Out in the cold
Out of the blue
Out of the mouths of babes
Out on a limb
Out on the town
Overdrive
Overkill
Over my dead body!
Over the top
P
Pass the buck
Pedal to the metal
Peeping tom
Pick up your ears
Piece of cake
Pig in a poke
Pig out
Pipe down
Piss in one's cornflakes
Pop one's clogs (UK)
Preaching to the choir
Pull somebody's leg
Pull the plug
Pulling my leg
Pushing up the daisies
Put a sock in it
Put the cat among the pigeons
Put your money where your mouth is at
Put yourself in another man's shoes
Q
Quick as wink
R
Raincheck
Raining cats and dogs
Red herring
Riding shotgun
Right as rain
Rise and shine
Rome was not built in a day
Rule of thumb
Run out of steam
S
Saved by the bell
Sawing logs
School of hard knocks
Screw the pooch
Scot-free
Sharp as a tack
She's the bee's knees
Shoot the breeze
Shooting fish in a barrel
Sick as a dog
Sixth sense
Skid row
Sleep it off
Sleep with the fishes
Slippery as a snake
Smart as a whip
Smell a rat
Smell something fishy
Son of a gun
Speak of the devil
Speaking with a forked tongue
Speaking with a silver tongue
Spill the beans
Spin one's wheels
Spitting image
Split the whistle
Spoiled rotten
Stubborn as a mule
Stuck in the mud
Sunny smile
T
Take a short walk off a long cliff
Take the biscuit
Take the cake
Take with a grain of salt
Teach them a thing or two
Tide over
That's not gonna fly
The ball is in your court
The best of both worlds
The bigger they are the harder they fall
The door is always open
The last straw
The scheme of things
The squeaky wheel gets the grease
The whole nine yards
Think on your feet
Third try is the charm
Throw under the bus
Through thick and thin
Thumb one's nose
Tie one on
Tie the knot
Tired as all get up
To make a long story short
To steal someone's thunder
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongues will wag
Tough as nails
Tough love
Trip the light fantastic
Turn a blind eye
Two left feet
U
Under my thumb
Under the weather
Until the cows come home
Up a blind alley
Up a creek without a paddle
Up shit's creek
Use your noggin
V
Variety is the spice of life
W
Wag the dog
Water under the bridge
Watch 'em like a hawk
Wear your heart on your sleeve
Wet your whistle
Whatever will be will be
What's good for the goose is good for the gander
When it rains, it pours
When pigs fly
Wild and woolly
Wine and dine
Without a doubt
When it rains it pours
Who wears the pants in this family?
Whole nine yards
Wild goose chase
X
X marks the spot
Y
You are in hot water
You are what you eat
You bet
You can say that again
You can't judge a book by its cover
You can't teach an old dog new tricks
Your guess is as good as mine
Z
Zero Tolerance