Abridge – to abridge something is to make it brief, clear and concise. If your boss wants to abridge your report it means they want to cut (or cull - which means to kill off) it down and make it shorter. If someone gave me an abridged version of the book War and Peace, I might actually read it. If you give someone an abridged version of a presentation you are just giving them an overview. Ie “I don’t want to hear the full story of what happened, just give me an abridged version”.
Affectionate - to be affectionate – if a person is affectionate they are warm, tender, and loving. If someone is not affectionate, it does not mean that they don’t love you, it just means that they don’t display it openly.
Candid - To be candid means to be direct, straightforward in the way that you communicate. If you are a “straight shooter” you are candid. To have a candid discussion (ABOUT something) means you are having an honest, truthful and open discussion where all niceties are dispensed. Often someone gets offended during a candid discussion. A seriously annoyed manager may need to engage in a "candid discussion" with their staff.
Incurious – I am sure that you all know what it means to be curious, ie interested in or fascinated about something. HOWEVER rarely you hear the word incurious which means you show absolutely no interest in something. There's nothing more frustrating for a teacher than a classroom full of incurious students. If you have an incurious personality, you really cannot care less about anything or anyone.
Conscientious (conscientiousness) – this is a great compliment and really a rare trait to have. If you are conscientious you are attentive, strive for perfection, are caring, honest, helpful and patient. You really are a special person if you are conscientious. A conscientious boss will spend extra time with employees to see them develop. If you are reading all of these words, then you are a conscientious student, eager to learn English to the best of your capabilities.
NB: to be conscious vs conscious OF something. To be conscious is to be awake and lucid. If you are unconscious you are obviously knocked out (KOed). HOWEVER to be conscious of something means that you are aware of it. Eg if your boss says he is conscious of your dissatisfaction at work, it means that he is aware of your unhappiness and displeasure at work. Also note that you CANNOT be unconscious OF something. You are either conscious of, or not conscious OF something.
Dumbfounded - To be dumbfounded greatly astonish, confused, stunned, astounded and/or amazed (usually in a bad way. You can see in the word DUMB. So usually someone has done something stupid in order to cause you to be dumbfounded). "the journalist was dumbfounded by Donald Trumps comments during their interview".
Fascinated - If you are fascinated BY something - you are not only interested, you are extremely interested IN it. To be fascinated includes also being memorised, spellbound or captivated. You can also find things fascinating. Generally interested in is completely over used. Next time you need to explain your hobbies or interests.. use fascinated by XYZ. I am fascinated by the colours and techniques used in Jackson Pollocks paintings. The little boy’s eyes grew bigger and bigger as he stared at the robotic toy dog with fascination.
Berate - to berate someone is the opposite to praise. It is a very strong word in that if you berate someone, you are not just criticising, yelling or raising your voice at them, you are doing all of it at once. In a business sense, if your boss goes over the top in criticising your actions, they are berating you. Eg my boss berated Andrew for overusing the company credit card.
“To bollock someone”. To bollock someone, or to give someone a “bollocking” means to berate them. To bollock someone is a common idiom used in the UK and THIS IS ONLY TO BE USED IN A COLLOQUIAL SETTING. In a professional setting, use berate. my boss gave Andrew a bollocking for his overusing the company credit card.
Provocative – if you are provocative - If something or someone is provocative, it or they provoke a reaction of some kind. A provocative documentary is one that is controversial. A provocative statement, such as "I hate refugees," will get another kind of reaction.
Provoke – if you provoke someone you are instigating or annoying them to the point they react. Commonly you may hear a mother screaming at one child to not provoke the other.
Now with this continuous discussion over the refugee crisis – I would like to clarify some words:
- Refugee vs asylum seeker. Refugee is commonly used and a refuge is a safe place from danger or hardship (with shelter). Asylum is a place that is secure from danger of something. Ie an insane asylum is a place where people are put if they are insane and essentially they are being protected from themselves. So an asylum seeker is really seeking protection from persecution. Also Edward Snowden was granted asylum in Russia. If you are not “granted asylum” in a country you are not allowed to stay and will likely be deported. Today it is nicer and more appropriate to use asylum seekers rather than refugees.
- Flee – to flee from somewhere you are escaping and is a more formal word for saying to “run away”. Eg many people are fleeing Syria because of the conflict there
- Endure – if you endure something you are tolerating it however it is causing you hardship, discomfort or even pain. Eg many refugees have had to endure long journeys from their home countries. People living in Finland have to endure long winters.
Painstaking – you will notice in the word that there is pain and taking. So if a task is painstaking it means the task is somewhat painful tedious, detailed and meticulous.
Tenacious - tenacity means to never give up, to be persistent and unyielding, no matter how difficult the situation is. If you are tenacious you can also endure hardship and challenges. When you think “sisu” think tenacious – eg, a tenacious employee is always going above and beyond what is expected. If you do something with tenacity you are doing it with full eagerness and commitment.
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