Từ vựng IELTS speaking and writing 7.5

#1. Biased (Adjective) /ˈbaɪ.əst/

Meaning: unfairly prefer one person or group over another

Synonyms: bigoted, arbitrary, partial 

Antonyms: equitable, disinterested

Collocations: be extremely/ heavily/strongly biased again/ towards/ in favour of

Example: 

·       Most of parents are biased when it comes to their children.

·       The company is biased against women when hiring high positions.

·       The new reporting was heavily biased towards the government.

#2. ATTRIBUTE (Verb) /‘ə’tribju:t/

Meaning: regard something as being caused by (someone or something)

Synonym: ascribe

Collocation:

·       mainly/directly attribute something to somebody/ something

·       be commonly/generally/widely/attributed to

Example:

For IELTS speaking: 

·       She mainly attributes her success to a little of luck and hard work.

For IELTS writing: 

·       The drop in numbers of road casualties is generally contributed to the new laws.

#3. Adversity (Noun) /ədˈvɜː(r)səti/

Meaning: A situation in which you have to face a large number of problems that is likely cause by bad luck

Synonyms: affliction, mischance, reverses

Collocations:

·       Face/overcome adversity

·       In the face of adversity

Example:

For IELTS Writing:

·       She has overcome a countless adversities and setbacks before becoming a famous person.

For IELTS Speaking:

·       Peter shows his courage in the face of adversity, which makes people to admire him.

#4. Ambiguous (adjective) /æm´bigjuəs/

Meaning: Uncertain, vague, can be understand in more than a way

Synonyms: hazy, obscure, nebulous

Antonyms: explicit, unquestionable

Collocations:

·       Highly/somewhat ambiguous

·       An ambiguous concept

·       Be ambiguously worded

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:

·       The plot is ambiguous, which contributes to the huge success of the movie.

For IELTS Writing:

·       The government is denounced due to its ambiguous laws.

·       The legislation was ambiguously worded.

5#. Stringent (adjective) /ˈstrɪn(d)ʒ(ə)nt/

Meaning: A law, rule, regulation is very strict that must be obeyed

Synonym: strict, tight, tough, harsh

Collocation: stringent law/control/rule/test

Example:

IELTS Writing: Safety standards were less stringent in those days.

IELTS Speaking: I was so happy to move out of my parents’ house and escape their stringent rules.

#6. Condemn (Verb) /kən’dem/

Meaning: to express very strong disapproval of somebody/something, usually for moral reasons

Collocation:

·       To strongly/roughly/publicly/openly condemn for (doing) something

·       Be widely condemned

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:

·       Tom has condemned me all day for not telling him the truth.

For IELTS Writing:

·       A large number of people condemned the government for spending money on building more house in stead of investing in preserving the polluted local environment.

#7. Oblige (Verb) /əˈblɑɪdʒ/

Meaning: To force somebody to do something |To do a service or favor for |To make indebted or grateful 

Synonym: Compel, force, bind

Collocation:

·       To oblige somebody to do something

·       be delighted to, be glad to, be (only too) happy to + oblige

·       duly/kindly oblige

Example: 

For IELTS Writing:

·       Parents are obliged by law to send their children to school.

For IELTS Speaking:

·       Kate was obliged to read the book.

·       I am obliged to you for your gracious hospitality

#8. VELLEITY /vi´li:iti/

Meaning: a mere wish not strong enough to lead to the slightest action 

Synonym:  volition | mere wish

Collocation: velleity towards

Example:

·       I always display the utmost velleity toward my homework

·       Achieving Band 9.0 for the IELTS test is only my velleity 

#9. Assimilate (Verb) /əˈsɪmɪˌleɪt/ 

Meaning: 

become similar toone’s environment

take upmentally | absorb, ingest, take in (knowledge, beliefs, skills)

Collocation: to assimilate into

Synonym:  homogenize, acculturate, accustom, accommodate

Example:

For IELTS Writing: 

·       Many new immigrants have not yet assimilated fully into the new community.   (=adjust, accommodate)

·       They had been assimilated into the nation’sculture. (=adjust, accommodate)

For IELTS Speaking: 

·       Teamwork skills is essential, when a new member try to assimilate into new groups. (=adjust, accommodate)

·       My mind could only assimilate one possibility at a time. (=ingest, absorb)

#10. Inevitable – Adjective /ɪˈnev.ɪ.tə.bəl/

Meaning: Certain to happen and impossible to avoid.

Synonyms: Certain, Definite.

Collocations: Appear/be/look/seem/become inevitable.

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:

·       It was inevitable that I would take the vacation to enjoy myself after a long stressful week.

·       The company closure is seemingly inevitable.”

For IELTS Writing:

·       Unfortunately, violence is the inevitable corollary of such a revolutionary change in society.

#11. Compensate (verb) /ˈkɒm.pən.seɪt/

Meaning: to replace or balance the effect of something bad |  pay money for a loss/injury

 Example:

For IELTS Speaking: 

·       My hard work & diligence compensate for my lack of skill.

For IELTS Writing:

·       he government will compensate workers for their loss of earnings during economic recession.

#12. Sedentary: (Adjective) /ˈsɛd(ə)nt(ə)ri/

Meaning: Spending a lot of time on sitting down, and not moving or exercise very much.

Synonyms: inactive, sluggish, idle. 

Antonyms: activated, energetic, moving.

Collocations: Sedentary lifestyle/job/life. 

Example:

Actually, I don’t like this job too much. I’ve sat down and kept my eyes glued to screen whole day, so it’s definitely a sedentary job.

People become more obese than before due to their sedentary lifestyles.

#13. Assumption: (Noun) /əˈsʌm(p)ʃ(ə)n/ : giả định

Definition:

Một cái gì đó bạn nghĩ là đúng mặc dù bạn không có bằng chứng rõ ràng.

Synonyms: 

Acceptance, Presumption, Hypothesis.

Collocations: 

With adjective: basic/certain/different/false/fundamental/general/implicit/reasonable/underlying assumption.
With verb: based/challenge/depend/make/question/rest/work assumption

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:
“A lot of people make the assumption that poverty only exists in the developing countries.”
“Our plans were based on the assumption that everyone would be willing to help.”

For IELTS Writing:
“The furore among providers about current government-funding policies which challenge the latter assumption suggests that this is a real danger.”

#14. Hierarchy: (Noun) /ˈhʌɪərɑːki/: Cấp bậc

Definition:

Một hệ thống tổ chức trong đó con người được chia thành các mức độ quan trọng gọi là cấp bậc.

Synonyms: 

Position, Ranking

Collocations: 

With adjective: administrative/catholic/ecclesiastical/local/managerial/old/rigid/roman/social/strict/traditional hierarchy.
With verb: arrange/based/create/establish/flatten/form/move hierarchy.

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:
“He can afford to argue with the local hierarchy when the interests of his order require it.”

“Society was arranged in a dual hierarchy, of laymen and clergy.“

For IELTS Writing:
“When children are segregated by ability groups, a social hierarchy develops.”

#15. Coincidence: (Noun) /kəʊˈɪnsɪd(ə)ns/: Trùng hợp ngẫu nhiên

Definition:

Khi hai điều xảy ra cùng một lúc, ở cùng một nơi, hoặc với cùng một người theo cách có vẻ như bất ngờ hoặc bất thường.

Synonyms: 

Accident, Happening

Collocations: 

sheer, pure, mere, happy, lucky, fortunate, unfortunate, strange, curious, remarkable, amazing, extraordinary coincidence.

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:
“By coincidence, Jane and I both study at a University of Economics.”

“It was sheer coincidence that we were staying in the same hotel.“

For IELTS Writing:
“It was a coincidence that three earthquakes happened across the world in one week.”

#16. Licence: (Noun) /ˈlaɪsns/: Giấy phép

Definition:

Một tài liệu chính thức cho thấy đã được cho phép làm, sở hữu hoặc sử dụng thứ gì đó.

Synonyms: 

Authorization, Certificate, Charter.

Collocations: 

With adjective: valid, special, car, driving, marriage, export, gaming, import, operating, trade, trading licence
With verb: have, hold, buy, gain, get, obtain, win, apply for, make an application for, refuse, revoke, take away licence.

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:
“You can buy a TV licence at the post office. “

“The company has won the licence to run trains from the south coast to London.“

For IELTS Writing:
“The government is currently granting no operating licences to foreign“

#17. Undertake: (Verb) /ˌʌndəˈteɪk/: Thực hiện

Definition:

Làm một cái gì đó hoặc bắt đầu làm cái gì đó.

Synonyms: 

Shoulder, Engage, Launch.

Collocations: 

Undertake task/research/project.

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:
“University professors both teach and undertake research.”

“The company has announced that it will undertake a full investigation into the accident.”

For IELTS Writing:
“The research intitiative is being undertaken by a group of environmentalists.”

#18. Mechanism: (Noun) /ˈmekənɪzəm/ : Cơ chế

Definition:

Một bộ phận trong hệ thống thức hiện nhiệm vụ.

Synonyms: 

System, Structure, Instrument.

Collocations: 

With adjective: firing, locking, steering, trigger, winding mechanism.
With verb: Mechanism operate, work.

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:
“The door locking mechanism doesn’t work.”

“The gun froze, jamming the mechanism.”

For IELTS Writing:
“The mechanism for drying the clothes of the washing machine is childproof.”

#19. Debatable: (Adjective) /dɪˈbeɪtəbl/; có thể gây tranh cãi

Definition:

Ý tưởng, ý kiến của mỗi người khác nhau có thể sẽ không được nhất trí chung.

Synonyms: 

Controversial, Arguable, Questionable.

Collocations: 

Highly, Very debatable

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:
“This is a highly debatable point.”
“Whether he actually wanted that one was debatable, but he certainly acted pleased with it.”

For IELTS Writing:
“It is highly debatable whether conditions have improved for low-income families.”

#20. Incompatible: (Noun) /ˌɪnkəmˈpætəbl/: Không tương thích

Definition:

Hai hành động, ý tưởng, v.v ... không tương thích là không thể chấp nhận hoặc hợp nhất vì những khác biệt cơ bản.

Synonyms: 

Conflicting, Inappropriate, Unsuitable.

Collocations:

With adverb:largely | somewhat | apparently, seemingly | potentially | simply | basically, fundamentally | clearly | mutually incompatible.
With preposition: incompatible with

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:
“These two objectives are mutually incompatible.”
“This behaviour is completely incompatible with his role as a teacher.“

For IELTS Writing:
“The hours of the job are incompatible with family life.”

#Ambiguous: (adjective) /æm´bigjuəs/

Meaning: Uncertain, vague, can be understand in more than a way

Synonyms: hazy, obscure, nebulous

Antonyms: explicit, unquestionable

Collocations:

·       Highly/somewhat ambiguous

·       An ambiguous concept

·       Be ambiguously worded

Example:

·       For IELTS Speaking:

The plot is ambiguous, which contributes to the huge success of the movie.

·       For IELTS Writing:

The government is denounced due to its ambiguous laws.

The legislation was ambiguously worded.

#Adversity (Noun) /ədˈvɜː(r)səti/

Meaning: A situation in which you have to face a large number of problems that is likely cause by bad luck

Synonyms: affliction, mischance, reverses

Collocations:

·       Face/overcome adversity

·       In the face of adversity

Example:

·       For IELTS Writing:

She has overcome a countless adversities and setbacks before becoming a famous person.

·       For IELTS Speaking:

Peter shows his courage in the face of adversity, which makes people to admire him.

#Condemn (Verb) /kən’dem/

Meaning: to express very strong disapproval of somebody/something, usually for moral reasons

Collocation:

·       To strongly/roughly/publicly/openly condemn for (doing) something

·       Be widely condemned

Example:

·       For IELTS Speaking:

Tom has condemned me all day for not telling him the truth.

·       For IELTS Writing:

A large number of people condemned the government for spending money on building more house in stead of investing in preserving the polluted local environment.

#Stringent (adjective) /ˈstrɪn(d)ʒ(ə)nt/

Meaning: A law, rule, regulation is very strict that must be obeyed

Synonym: strict, tight, tough, harsh

Collocation: stringent law/control/rule/test

Example:

·       IELTS Writing: Safety standards were less stringent in those days.

·       IELTS Speaking: I was so happy to move out of my parents’ house and escape their stringent rules.

#Notwithstanding (preposition) \ˌnät-with-ˈstan-diŋ\

Meaning: in spite of something

Synonym: in spite of the fact that; although, nevertheless, despite

Antonym: because of; on account of

Example: 

·       Itwas the same material, notwithstanding the texture seemed different.

·       Notwithstanding the long delay, I still decided to set out for my journey. 

#Sedentary: (Adjective) /ˈsɛd(ə)nt(ə)ri/

Meaning:

Spending a lot of time on sitting down, and not moving or exercise very much.

Synonyms:

inactive, sluggish, idle. 

Antonyms:

activated, energetic, moving.

Collocations:

Sedentary lifestyle/job/life. 

Example:

Actually, I don’t like this job too much. I’ve sat down and kept my eyes glued to screen whole day, so it’s definitely a sedentary job.

People become more obese than before due to their sedentary lifestyles.

#Dominate (verb) /ˈdɒm.ɪ.neɪt/

Meaning: to have control over a place or person

Synonyms:   overlook, prevail

Collocation: completely, entirely, totally, overwhelmingly, increasingly dominate

Example: 

IELTS Speaking:

·       They work as a group – no one person is allowed to dominate.

·       His work increasingly dominates his life.

IELTS Writing: Territorial disputes in the South China Sea is likely to dominate the news.

#Tremendous (adj) /tri’mendəs/ 

Meaning: extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree

Synonyms: enormous, big, large, sizable, immense

Antonyms: awful, frightful, terrible, extraordinary

Collocations: 

·       tremendousfact 

·       tremendousnoise

Example:

For IELTS Speaking:

He’s a better pitcher than he’s ever been. He’s having a tremendous season.

For IELTS Writing:

While Republicans met in Cleveland, Clinton and her top advisers were going through the list intremendous detail.

#Compatible (adjective) /kƏm'padƏb(Ə)l/

Meaning:HARMONIOUS;  ABLE TO EXIST OR OCCUR TOGETHER WITHOUT CONFLICT

Synonyms: CONGRUOUS, CONSISTENT

Antonyms: NCONGRUOUS, INCOMPATIBLE, DISCORDANT

Example:

·       IELTS Writing: Such policies are not compatible with democratic government.

·       IELTS Speaking: It was when they started living together that they found they just weren’t compatible.

#Biased (Adjective) /ˈbaɪ.əst/

Meaning: unfairly prefer one person or group over another

Synonyms: bigoted, arbitrary, partial 

Antonyms: equitable, disinterested

Collocations: be extremely/ heavily/strongly biased again/ towards/ in favour of

Example:

·       IELTS Writing:

The new reporting was heavily biased towards the government.

·       IELTS Speaking: 

Most of parents are biased when it comes to their children.

The company is biased against women when hiring high positions.

#Manipulate: (Verb) /məˈnɪp.jə.leɪt/

Definition:

To make someone think and behave exactly as you want them to, by skillfully deceiving or influencing them.

Synonyms: 

Influence, Impact, Effect.

Collocations:

Successfully/delicately/skillfully/deliberately/systematically/genetically manipulate.

Example:

·       For IELTS Speaking:

” My leader was one of those men who manipulated people.”
“You have the constant feeling you are being manipulated.“

#Identical: (Adjective)  /aɪˈden.tɪ.kəl/

Definition: 

Exactly the same, or very similar

Synonyms:

Indistinguishable, Equal, Exact.

Collocations: 

With Verb: Appear/be/look/seem/remain identical.
With Adverb: Absolutely/completely/exactly/almost/more or less/practically/virtually identical
With Preposition: Identical to/with/in

Example:

·       For IELTS Speaking:

“The ingredients are identical with those of competing products.”
“The sisters were identical in appearance and character.”

·       For IELTS Writing:

“Twins, being of identical ages, are usually even better matched on environmental variables during upbringing than are siblings.”

#Diminish: (Verb) /dɪˈmɪn.ɪʃ/

Definition: 

To become or make something become smaller or less.

Synonyms: 

Reduce, Decline, Decrease, Fall, Drop.

Collocations:

Diminish further/gradually/greatly/rapidly/significantly/steadily.

Example: 

·       For IELTS Speaking:

“The average rainfall has diminished by around 30 percent.”
“Support for the government is steadily diminishing.”

·       For IELTS Writing:

“Unemployment rate has diminished in the past few months.”

#Isolate: (Verb) /ˈaɪ.sə.leɪt/

Definition:

To separate one person, group, or thing from other people or things

Synonyms: 

Separate, Confine, Detach, Insulate, Divide

Collocations:

With noun: isolate attempt/community/gene/group/rest/world

With verb: become/feel/remain/try

Example:

·       For IELTS Speaking:

“The town was isolated by the floods.”
“New born babies must be isolated from possible contamination.”

·       For IELTS Writing:

“It is impossible to isolate political responsibility from moral responsibility.”

#Prohibit: (Verb) /prəˈhɪb.ɪt/

Definition:

to say that an action is illegal or not allowed.

Synonyms:

Ban, Forbid, Block, Outlaw

Collocations:

Prohibit activity/discrimination/member/sale

Company/constitution/government/injunction/law/legislation/policy/power/regulation/rule/state/statute prohibit

Example:

·       For IELTS Speaking:

“California law prohibits housing discrimination based on marital status.”
“Army regulations prohibit public displays of affection by soldiers, and private hideaways are hard to come by.

·       For IELTS Writing:

“Finally, some states prohibit superintendents from participation in a bargaining unit with teachers.”

#Analogy: (Noun) /əˈnæl.ə.dʒi/

Definition:

Something that seems similar between two situations, processes etc.

Synonyms:

Correlation, Parallel, Resemblance.

Collocations:

With adjective: close/good analogy.

With verb: draw/find/make/use analogy.

Example:

·       For IELTS Speaking:

“A close analogy with the art of singing can be made here.”
“I have used the analogy of the structure of a document to describe the basis of the curriculum.”

·       For IELTS Writing:

” We may draw an analogy between geriatrics and paediatrics, another age-based medical specialism.”

Exercise:

Choose the following words to fill in the blank: analogy, refine, scenario, inherent, overlap, confined, distorted, temporary, mediate, ceased. 

#Refinement: (Noun) /rɪˈfaɪn.mənt/

Definition:

An improvement, usually a small one, to something.

Synonyms:

Clarification, Processing

Collocations:

With adjective: considerable/great/extra/further/continuous/endless/useful/technical/modern refinement.

With verb: need/require/add/introduce refinement.

Example:

·       For IELTS Speaking:

“The technology requires a great deal of refinement.”
“A greater refinement of the categorization is possible.”

·       For IELTS Writing:

“Aims are necessary starting points, but before the teacher can begin to provide learning experiences further refinement is essential.”

#Accumulate : Verb – /əˈkjuː.mjə.leɪt/

Definition: 

To gradually get more and more money, possessions, knowledge etc over a period of time.

Synonyms:

Collect, gather, assemble.

Collocations: 

Accumulate gradually/slowly/rapidly/steadily.

Example:

·       For IELTS Speaking:

“I want to pursue the higher education for a desire to accumulate wealth.”

“Fat tends to accumulate around the hips and thighs.”

For IELTS Writing:
“It is unjust that a privileged few should continue to accumulate wealth.”

#Scenario: (Noun) /sɪˈnɑː.ri.əʊ/

Definition:

A situation that could possibly happen. 

Synonyms:

Plot, Scheme, Outline.

Collocations:

With adjective: alternative/different/ill/likely/plausible/possible/unlikely/whole scenario.

With noun: case/doomsday/nightmare scenario.

With verb: consider/create/follow/imagine/play scenario.

Example:

·       For IELTS Speaking:

“It is just an extension of on-the-road campaigning. Consider this scenario which I see consistently two or three times a year.”
“If this is true, the education secretary will be hoping for one of the following scenarios.”

·       For IELTS Writing:

“The downside of such excellent economic performance is that virtually any alternative scenario will represent a deterioration.”