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To dumb down, dumbing down To make something which should be

difficult or intellectually demanding easy or undemanding, so that it is more accessible to the general public, making something too easy—a negative term

Examples:

I don’t like to undermine teachers, but even they will admit, off

the record, that the subjects they’re teaching our teenagers,

have been dramatically dumbed down since we were at school.

It is quite pathetic to see how many of the quality newspapers

are guilty of dumbing down just to increase sales... but my

wife thinks I’m being pompous.

The upsurge in university applications is probably down to the

perpetual dumbing down of entrance exams. Even my thick

brother can get in!

To emerge, emerging To present oneself, often after being hidden or

unknown, to become evident, [emerging] up and coming

Examples:

He emerged from the corner of the room, which had been

crammed full of tourists. He must have nearly passed out in

that heat.

It soon emerged that the police had tried to pre-empt another

frenzied attack by the demonstrators.

In the aftermath of the slump, some o f the emerging industrial

nations had been building up their defense forces.

Disgruntled Angry and dissatisfied because things have not turned out as expected

Examples:

It is clear that many members of the public are disgruntled

because they feel the Government have been stringing them

along. But I’m never taken in by any o f the hype politicians

come out with.

The shareholders are disgruntled at the fact that some of

the directors have been raking it in this year. The directors

claim, on the other hand, that as they have invested their own

personal wealth in the company, they are entitled to reap the

rewards.

To grate on someone To irritate or annoy someone—usually through a

noise, habit or type of behaviour-also note the adjective “grating”, which generally describes an

unpleasant sound which is difficult to tolerate

Examples:

The dumbing down of BBC news will definitely grate on you

after a while.They talk to us like children. So patronising!

A: Her loud laughter is beginning to grate on me.

B: Yes, it’s doing my head in as well.

It was the sound of her grating voice that was my cue to get

going. I know it wasn’t very tactful of me but I couldn’t wait to

get home.

Blatant Obvious, clear, indiscreet, unashamed—often used for something negative)

Examples:

His perpetual blatant lies have led everyone to mistrust him.

He and his honest brother are like chalk and cheese.

Grovelling is often said to be a blatant expression of fear.

Telling him he was an absolute pushover was being a bit blatant.

You could have gone about it in a more subtle way.

To die down To become calmer/quieter— used for a situation

Examples:

Once the current uproar has died down, we hope the other row

over who has the right to receive the endowment will blow over.

After the storm had died down, we all tried cramming into

the car. It was a bit of a fiasco.

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More Advance English

Colloquial

Colloquial - (of language) used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary

and by extension (phrase)

and by extension - taking the same line of argument further

Examples:

The study shows how television and, by extension, the media, alter political relationships

Rangers gives farmers unique insights into the conditions of their particular vineyard and, by extension, help them to improve production.

To take someone through something

To take someone through something - To describe a situation, to

explain something to someone

Examples:

Policeman: Take me through exactly what was going on in your mind when

you inadvertently passed a red light. .. madam.

Commentator to footballer: Can you take us through your second goal? The goalkeeper looked absolutely gobsmacked.

Skirmish - a small fight/minor battle

Examples:

The rebels refused to back down over their demands for the

Russian army to release some o f its prisoners. This resulted

in countless skirmishes all over the capital.

It was a foregone conclusion that there would be a few

skirmishes between the parties during the run-up to the election.

To unnerve/unnerving (To scare, to make one feel nervous, frightening/

worrying)

Examples:

He tried to unnerve me by building his brother up to be a

real tough guy. But I knew all along that he was just a wimp.

I must say, I find the upsurge in yobbish behavior in modern

society to be rather unnerving. The Government’s recent attempts

to improve behavior in schools are only skimming the surface.

Hype - Intensive promotion

Examples:

The hype surrounding her latest CD was a bit over the top; it’s

really nothing to write home about.

All the hype going around about his new book put me off

buying it. I’m very choosy about what I read these days.

To string someone along - To mislead or deceive someone by making them believe one thinks the same way, or has the same desires—note the phrase “to string a sentence together”, which means to be able to express oneself clearly. It is generally used in a negative sense to indicate that someone isn't very intelligent)

Examples:

She felt jaded by the whole affair and didn't cotton on to the

fact that he was just stringing her along until the end.

Don’t take her word for it; I reckon she’s simply stringing

you along. You do need to get to the bottom of this.

Some of these yobs can’t even string a sentence together.

‘Thick’ is an understatement to describe these people.

Pushover Colloquial Someone with whom it is easy to get one’s own way—see Practical Everyday English, page 165, easy to convince

Examples:

She may be down to earth, but by no stretch of the imagination

is she a pushover. You’ll have to come up with something

much more convincing.

He’s sulking because he thought his mum would be a pushover

when it came to lending him her car. He turned out to be very

mistaken.

Uproar - Angry protest or criticism

Examples:

There was uproar from jazz fans when, despite all the hype,

Jazz FM started to play bland, hotel lounge music.

By and large, the public didn't create much uproar when the

electoral system was changed. Few people these days bother

to take any interest in anything which requires them to think.

To undermine - To ridicule someone/something, to make someone in a position of authority feel worthless/weak

Examples:

Confidence in our sporting ability in this country has been

undermined by the fact that in recent years we have become

the laughing stock of the world.

They didn't want to come over as if they were undermining

his authority, although it’s quite apparent to anyone following

this story that power has shifted away from him.

I’m under no illusions: you've been undermining me all these

years and a grovelling apology won’t make any difference now.

Legal Idioms Used Everyday

Legal Idioms

Advanced Everyday English

 Selected Advanced Everyday English Words and Phrases

1) To Back Down

To back down (To withdraw an argument or demand)

Examples:

Off the record, I think the sponsors are going to back down
over how Wembley Stadium should be laid out.

I really don’t know how to go about getting them to back
down. I’ll just have to keep going on at them and hope the
message eventually gets through.

2) To Pre-empt

To pre-empt (To take action in anticipation of an event, to prevent something happening—note the word “pre-emptive ”, which is used to describe an attack or military strike made against an enemy’s [or potential enemy’s] weapons, communications, transport, etc. before they can be used)

Examples:

A: It’s really down to you to pre-empt another fiasco at

head office.

B: Why me? Any suggestions I make are made a mockery of.

The Government should have pre-empted the unrest that

was brought about by its policy of allowing unlimited immigration

into the country.

Officially, Israel’s pre-emptive strike against Iraq’s nuclear

installations did not comply with international regulations, but,

off the record, most governments were grateful that a clear

future threat had been nipped in the bud.

3)To Huddle

To huddle, huddled To keep close together, often for warmth or because of fear, [huddled] kept close together

Examples:

As the cold nights drew in, the Jones family often found themselves

huddling around the fire.

The only stumbling block remaining was what the troops would

do with the many refugees they had found huddled together under

makeshift tents.

4) Cue

Cue (A signal for action, something said or done by an actor that tells another actor that it is his turn to speak or do something—note the expression “on cue ”, which means on time. It is used to express the idea of something happening when one thought it might.

Examples:

Writing off his wife’s car was the final straw: that was his cue

to stop driving.

When she started to disrupt the party, that was our cue to

leave. The horrible “music” was doing my head in anyway.

One actor to another:

When I stick out my leg, that’s your cue to waffle on about

your illness.

The outlook seemed quite promising until I noticed some dark

clouds overhead... and then, right on cue, it started pouring

with rain . I can’t get my head round English weather at all.

5) Cram 1

To cram

i. To study intensively for an exam, usually at the last minute

Examples:

You’ll have to put it tactfully to Mrs. Smith, but unless her

son crams for this exam, he doesn’t stand a chance of getting

through. He’s left it a bit late.

There’s always a frenzy o f activity just before exams. Our students

tend to cram, many of them doing nothing during the rest of the

year... but those ones get their comeuppance.

Cram 2

ii. To pack things or people into a small space

Examples:

Sorry to butt in, but there are more than twenty fans crammed

into the entrance hall, waiting to see you.

I felt a bit uneasy having to cram £2,000 into my top pocket. I didn't relish the idea of travelling on the underground like that.

6) To Be Under No Illusions

To be under no illusions To know and understand what is really happening instead of imagining how things could be, to be realistic

Examples:

Don’t worry, I’m under no illusions: I know that meeting

my mother will bring out the worst in him. I’m dreading it.

Let me make it clear: were acting under no illusions.We are

quite aware that, by and large, our competitors have cornered

the market.

Political Typology

Pew Research Center for the People and the Press

Synonyms for Said, Tell and Add with some Exercises

Synonyms for Said, Tell and Add

Describing Shots in Film and Television

Film Terms

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing involves restating someone else's ideas in your own words.

There are several phrases that can be used to introduce paraphrasing:

So . . . (rephrase the other person's ideas)

In other words . . . (paraphrase)

I understand. (You're saying that . . .)

Oh. I see. (You want to say that . . . )

I get it. (You mean . . .)

So, what you mean is . . .

Let me see if I understand you correctly. . .

What I think you're saying is . . .

If I'm hearing you correctly . . .

Describing Facial Expressions

100 Words for Facial Expressions

By Mark Nichol

Face it — sometimes you must give your readers a countenance-based clue about what a character or a subject is feeling. First try conveying emotions indirectly or through dialogue, but if you must fall back on a descriptive term, try for precision:

1. Absent: preoccupied
2. Agonized: as if in pain or tormented
3. Alluring: attractive, in the sense of arousing desire
4. Appealing: attractive, in the sense of encouraging goodwill and/or interest
5. Beatific: see blissful
6. Bilious: ill-natured
7. Black: angry or sad, or see hostile
8. Bleak: see grim and hopeless
9. Blinking: surprise, or lack of concern
10. Blissful: showing a state of happiness or divine contentment
11. Blithe: carefree, lighthearted, or heedlessly indifferent
12. Brooding: see anxious and gloomy
13. Bug eyed: frightened or surprised
14. Chagrined: humiliated or disappointed
15. Cheeky: cocky, insolent
16. Cheerless: sad
17. Choleric: hot-tempered, irate
18. Coy: flirtily playful, or evasive
19. Crestfallen: see despondent
20. Darkly: with depressed or malevolent feelings
21. Deadpan: expressionless, to conceal emotion or heighten humor
22. Dejected: see despondent
23. Derisive: see sardonic
24. Despondent: depressed or discouraged
25. Doleful: sad or afflicted
26. Dour: stern or obstinate; see also despondent
27. Downcast: see despondent
28. Dreamy: distracted by daydreaming or fantasizing
29. Ecstatic: delighted or entranced
30. Etched: see fixed
31. Faint: cowardly, weak, or barely perceptible
32. Fixed: concentrated or immobile
33. Furtive: stealthy
34. Gazing: staring intently
35. Glancing: staring briefly as if curious but evasive
36. Glaring: see hostile
37. Glazed: expressionless due to fatigue or confusion
38. Gloomy: see despondent and sullen
39. Glowering: annoyed or angry
40. Glowing: see radiant
41. Grim: see despondent; also, fatalistic or pessimistic
42. Grave: serious, expressing emotion due to loss or sadness
43. Haunted: frightened, worried, or guilty
44. Hopeless: depressed by a lack of encouragement or optimism
45. Hostile: aggressively angry, intimidating, or resistant
46. Hunted: tense as if worried about pursuit
47. Impassive: see deadpan
48. Inscrutable: mysterious, unreadable
49. Jeering: insulting or mocking
50. Languid: lazy or weak
51. Leering: see meaningful; also, sexually suggestive
52. Meaningful: to convey an implicit connotation or shared secret
53. Mild: easygoing
54. Mischievous: annoyingly or maliciously playful
55. Moody: see sullen
56. Pained: affected with discomfort or pain
57. Pallid: see wan
58. Peering: with curiosity or suspicion
59. Peeved: annoyed
60. Petulant: see cheeky and peeved
61. Pitying: sympathetic
62. Pleading: seeking apology or assistance
63. Pouting: see sullen
64. Quizzical: questioning or confused
65. Radiant: bright, happy
66. Roguish: see mischievous
67. Sanguine: bloodthirsty, confident
68. Sardonic: mocking
69. Scornful: contemptuous or mocking
70. Scowling: displeased or threatening
71. Searching: curious or suspicious
72. Set: see fixed
73. Shamefaced: ashamed or bashful
74. Slack-jawed: dumbfounded or surprised
75. Sly: cunning; see also furtive and mischievous
76. Snarling: surly
77. Sneering: see scornful
78. Somber: see grave
79. Sour: unpleasant
80. Stolid: inexpressive
81. Straight-faced: see deadpan
82. Sulky: see sullen
83. Sullen: resentful
84. Taunting: see jeering
85. Taut: high-strung
86. Tense: see taut
87. Tight: see pained and taut
88. Unblinking: see fixed
89. Vacant: blank or stupid looking
90. Veiled: see inscrutable
91. Wan: pale, sickly; see also faint
92. Wary: cautious or cunning
93. Wide eyed: frightened or surprised
94. Wild eyed: excited, frightened, or stressful
95. Wistful: yearning or sadly thoughtful
96. Withering: devastating; see also wrathful
97. Woeful: full of grief or lamentation
98. Wolfish: see leering and mischievous
99. Wrathful: indignant or vengeful
100. Wry: twisted or crooked to express cleverness or a dark or ironic feeling