Vocabulary Unit 1

1. Vocabulary Unit 1 ISkills Level 4 Mrs. Sedillo February 2014

2. Capacity (n): the amount that something can hold, produce, or carry; the ability to do or produce something • Capacious (adj): capable of holding much; having plenty of space • Collocates: • Great capacity for learning (or any skill) • A capacious bag/dress/purse/backpack

3. Complex (adj): consisting of many closely connected parts or processes;full of small details and therefore difficult to understand or explain • Complexity (N): the state or quality of being complicated and detailed • Things that can be complex or have complexity: plans, relationships, personalities, details, designs…

4. Complex (n): a group of buildings or one large building used for a single purpose;an emotional problem in which someone is too anxious about something, or thinks too much about it. • Inferiority complex: the belief that one is not good enough • Short man’s complex: being too aware or obsessed with one’s height • Oedipus complex: being obsessed with the idea of sleeping with one’s own mother

5. Consequences (n): something that happens as a result of a particular action;something of importance • Consequence: singular noun • Consequential (adj): having some result; something with great importance • Consequently (adv) • A matter of great consequence or no consequence

6. Contemporary (adj): belonging to the present time. Modern.Happening or existing in the same period of time • Contemporary accounts of George Washington during the American Revolution

7. Contemporary (n): someone who lives in the same period of time as a particular person or event • George Washington and his contemporaries fought the war of American independence.

8. Contrast (v): to compare two people, ideas, objects etc. to show how they are different • Contrasting (adj): differing

9. Contrast (n): a large difference between two people, situations, ideas etc that are compared. • Contrasting (adj): differing. • The contrast between two stories

10. Decline (n): a gradual decrease in the quality, quantity, or importance of something • Declining (adj): showing a decrease in quality etc.

11. Decline (v): to decrease in quality, quantity, importance, etc.to refuse something, usually politely. • I would love to come to your party, but I must decline your invitation since I already have something to do that night. • Sales declined rapidly in January.

12. Diverse (adj): very different from one another • Diversity (n): state of being diverse • Diversify (v): to make something diverse • Diversification (n): the act of making diverse • Diversely (adv): something behaving differently (not common) • Diverse population, diverse culture; to diversify investments, diversify one’s stock portfolio

13. Element (n): a simple chemical substance such as oxygen or gold, that is part of only one type of atom;a small amount of danger, truth, risk, etc.one part of a plan, system, piece of writing, etc. • An element of danger/risk • The adventurer’s plan had an element of danger to it. • A small element/a large element • Elemental (adj): being a small part of something

14. Encounter (n): an occasion when you meet someone without planninga dangerous or unpleasant meeting between two people or groups. • A chance encounter with Sally lead to her getting married to Howard. • The Shark Encounter exhibit at Sea World is one of my favorites

15. Encounter (v): to experience something bad that you have to deal with;to see someone or something that you were not expecting. • He encountered some difficulties trying to drive home in the snow. • Encountering Jack like that was not something I want to do again.

16. Environment (n): the land, water, and air in which people, animals, and plants live;the situations, people, etc. that influence the way people live and work • Environmental (adj): relating to or affect the land, water, air • Environmentalist (n): someone who is concerned with protecting the environment. • Environmentalism (n): the belief that the environment must be protected and saved from damage. • Environs (n): the area surrounding a place. • Environmental issues, environmental groups, protect the environment

17. Estimate (n): a calculation or judgment of value, size etc. of something; a statement of how much it will probably cost to build or repair something. • I asked my car repairman for an estimate, but he could not do it until he looked at the damage to my car. • The estimate for our roof repair was terribly expensive. • Ask for an estimate; get an estimate; give an estimate

18. Estimate (v): to judge the value or size of someone or something. • Estimation (n): your judgment or opinion of the value of someone or something • Estimated (adj)

19. Eventually (adv): After a long time • Eventuality (n): a possible event or result, especially an unpleasant one • Eventual (adj): happening at the end of a process or after a long time has passed

20. Evidence (n): the facts, objects, or signs that make you believe that something exists or is true • Evident (adj): easily noticed or understood • Evidently (adv)

21. Evolve (v): to develop by gradually changing or to make something do this. • Evolution (n): the act of changing gradually; the scientific idea that plants and animals develop gradually from simpler to more complex forms; • The gradual change and development of an idea, situation, or object. • Evolutionary (adj): relating to evolution

22. Furthermore (adv): in addition to what has already been written or said.

23. Generation (n): all the people who are about the same age, especially in a family; the average period of time between someone’s birth and the birth of his/her children;

24. Generation (n): a group of machines, products etc. at a similar stage of development;* the process of producing something or making something happen • Generate (v): to produce something, like electricity; to make something happen, like discussion in a classroom. • Generator (n): something that produces a result: a power generator

25. Global (adj): affecting the whole or relating to the whole world; considering all the parts of a problem or situation. • Globalize (v): to make global • Globalization (n): the act of making global • Globe (n): a sphere on which is a map of the Earth; the planet earth • Global impact, global importance

26. Interact (v): to talk to others people and work with them;if two or more things interact they will have an affect on one another

27. Item (n): a single thing in a group or set;a piece of news in the newspaper

28. Manipulate (v): to make someone do exactly what you want them to do by deceiving or influencing him/her.

29. Neutral (adj): not supporting either side in a conflict or competition;a color which is neither strong nor bright

30. Neutral (n): the position ofgears in a car or machine when it will not move forward or backward;a country or person that is not fighting for or helping a country that is in a war.

31. Source (n): the thing, place, person etc. that you obtain something from;the cause of a problem, or the place where it starts;a person, book, or document that you get information from.

32. Symbolize (v): to be a symbol of something;to represent something by using a symbol.

33. Transform (v): to change the appearance, character etc. of someone or something completely.