15/3/2012

New word to learn

1. Cost a fortune (n)
= have a very high price
e.g. I was given a parking fine again yesterday. It’s costing me a fortune.

2. Fine ppl for (doing) sth (v)
= to make sb pay money as a punishment
e.g. At the moment the only form of punishment we have is to either fine people for petty crimes or imprison them for more serious offences.
Impose a fine (n)
= if authority (government) impose a rule/punishment/fine, they force people to accept it
e.g. In some countries the polices can enforce laws against crossing the street at the wrong place by imposing a fine.

3. Mix with (v)
= socialize, to spend time with people, esp. you do not know well
e.g. 1) Charles does not mix well with the other children.
2) Perhaps this is because prisoners mix with other criminals when they are in jail.

4. Graduate (from sth) to sth (v)
= to start doing sth that is bigger, greater or more important
e.g. 1) As an actress she has graduated from small roles to more substantial parts.
2) As a result, prisons may provide a way for young people who have been involved in minor offences to graduate to more serious ones.

5. A) Be deemed to be sth; B) Be deemed to do sth
= to think of sth in a particular way / as having a particular quality
e.g. 1) They were deemed to be illegal immigrants.
2) UK plans were deemed to infringe EU laws.
3) In recent years there has been a move to abolish laws which were deemed to be too harsh or strict and to reduce punishment for non-violence crime, such as those against property.

6. Intrusion into/on/upon (n)
= when sb does sth / sth happens, that affect your private life/activities in an unwanted way
e.g. 1) Laws like this are passed simply to keep us safe and some see them as an intrusion on our privacy.
2) I resent this intrusion into my domestic affairs.

7. Resent (v)
= to feel angry about a situation / about sth that sb has done, esp. becoz you think that it’s unfair
e.g. 1) Focusing on petty crimes in this way can also cause people who generally obey the law to resent the police rather than respect them for what they do.
2) I resent this intrusion into my domestic affairs.

Words I need to use more

1. With sth doing sth
= because of a situation that exists
e.g. 1) In spite of the large number of prisons we have, crime figures have risen again this year with the number of drug-related crimes in particular increasing.
2) I can’t do my homework with all this noise going on.

2. Be made to do sth
= to force sb to do sth
e.g. If people commit a crime then they should be punished and made to accept the consequences of their actions.

3. Be/get involved in
= a) be connected with it in some ways; b) to take part in an activity/ event
e.g. 1) As a result, prisons may provide a way for young people who have been involved in minor offences to graduate to more serious ones.
2) ……and there are serious consequences if they’re involved in criminal activities in any way.

4. Start doing sth / start to do sth
= to do sth that you were not doing before
e.g. Perhaps it’s time to start introducing new laws rather than abolishing them.

5. Achieve (v)
= to successfully complete something / get a good result, esp. by working hard
e.g. 1) She eventually achieved her goal of becoming a professor.
2) We can also achieve this by making new laws that will act as a deterrent.

6. Perhaps (adverb)
= used to say that something is true, but you are not sure
e.g. Perhaps this is because prisoners mix with other criminals when they are in jail.

7. Act as/on
= to have an effect/ use
e.g. 1) The padding acts as a cushion if the player falls or is hit by the ball.
2) We can also achieve this by making new laws that will act as a deterrent.

Words I often make mistakes with

1. Prevent sb/sth (from) doing sth
= to stop sth from happening / sb from doing sth
e.g. This will prevent crimes from happening.

2. Avoid
= to stay away from sth/sb
e.g. You should try to avoid dangerous situations.

Topic words (e.g. The Environment; Fuel; Energy; Work, etc)

The law (Crime, punishment) (Unit 18_Vocabulary for IELTS)

Noun	Verb	Adjective
1. Crime 2. Criminal = Prisoner	Commit a crime = convict a criminal = to do sth wrong/illegal e.g. People who commit crimes are often victims themselves.	Criminal e.g. 1) All criminal acts should be punished 2) It should be made a criminal offence.
Deterrent (against) = sth that makes sb less likely to do sth e.g. The small fines for this type of crime do not act as much of a deterrent.	Deter sb from (doing) sth = put sb off (doing) sth e.g. There is little to deter ppl from doing this at the moment	Deterrent
Enforcement = when ppl are made to obey a rule/law e.g. Every society needs a strong system of law enforcement	Enforce a law = to make ppl obey a law/ rule e.g. Gov make laws and the police enforce them	Enforceable
(serious/minor) Offence = crime/ illegal action e.g. It should be made a criminal offence.	Offend	Offensive = upset ppl, very unpleasant
(fire/accident)Prevention e.g. More money should be spent on crime prevention than on building prisons.	Prevent e.g. We could have prevented this crime by fitting an extra lock on the floor	Preventable
1. Prison = (in) Jail 2. Prisoner = Criminal 3. Imprisonment the state of being in prison	Imprison = to put sb in prison e.g. …… the only form of punishment we have is to either fine people for petty crimes or imprison them for more serious offences	Imprisoned
Punishment	Punish sb for (doing) sth e.g. They deserved to be punished for putting passengers at risk.	Punishable e.g. It should be made a punishable offence.

1. Serious crime: Smuggling (taking sth illegally from one country to another, e.g. drug smuggling),
Arson (deliberately making sth burn), Burglary, Fraud, Kidnapping, Murder

Petty crime: Vandalism (deliberately damaging things, esp. public property), Pickpocketing

Offensive: Swearing

2. The accused -> the person who is on trial
The judge -> decides how a criminal should be punished
The jury -> decides whether the accused is innocent or guilty
The prosecutor-> tries to prove the accused is guilty
The lawyer -> tries to prove the accused is innocent
The victim -> provides evidence against the accused
Accuse sb of (doing) sth
= you believe sb is guilty of a crime/ of doing sth bad
e.g. The professor stands accused of stealing his student’s ideas and publishing them.

3.

	Crime	Law
Adjectives	1) Serious 2) Petty 3) Non-violent 4) Victimless 5) Drug-related	1) Strict the laws in this country is rather strict – even chewing gum is banned. 2) Tough 3) Harsh 4) Existing
Verbs	1) Solve 2) Be tough on (= punish crime severely) 3) Be involved in 4) Commit 5) Combat (inflation/racism etc, esp. in news report) It is the responsibility of the police and the government to combat crime.	1) Obey 2) Break 3) Enforce 4) Pass 5) Introduce 6) Make 7) Abolish 8) Abide (by)

4. Abolish (v)
= to officially end a law/system, esp. has existed for a long time
e.g. 1) In recent years there has been a move to abolish laws which were deemed to be too harsh
2) Perhaps it’s time to start introducing new laws rather than abolishing them.
3) It used to be against the law to go fishing on Sundays, but thankfully that law was abolished years ago.
Sth against the law

= it is illegal
e.g. The children knew that shoplifting was against the law.

5. Abide by sth
= to accept and obey a law/decision/agreement/rule, although you may not agree with it
e.g. However, we also need to focus more attention on crime prevention and educating young people to abide by the law.

6. Law-abiding
= respectful of the law and obeying it
e.g. Many law-abiding citizens believe that our existing laws are just not tough enough and do not act as enough of a deterrent against crime.

7. Be above the law
e.g. 1) Sometimes the police feel that they are above the law and should not be punished for traffic offences.
2) They need to know that no one is above the law and………….

Good sentences

1. Some people feel that this system is not working. Perhaps this is because prisoners mix with other criminals when they are in jail. As a result, prisons may provide a way for young people who have been involved in minor offences to graduate to more serious ones.

2. Rather than trying to solve this problem by building even more prisons, I believe the best approach is to try to prevent crime from happening in the first place. We can do this by making sure that our property is protected and also by improving the conditions for the poorer people in our society. We can also achieve this by making new laws that will act as a deterrent.

3. In spite of the large number of prisons we have, crime figures have risen again this year with the number of drug-related crimes in particular increasing.

4. It’s difficult to believe that reducing punishments will help to combat crime.

Daily Journey

13/3/2012

New word to learn

1. Back and forth (phrasal verb)
= going in one direction and then in the opposite direction, and repeating this several times
e.g. He was pacing back and forth

2. Needless (adj)
= something that is unnecessary because they could easily have been avoided
e.g. What is the best way to make sure your lights aren’t needlessly wasting energy?

3. Nought (number) (Brit)
= zero
e.g.: nought point one = 0.1

4. Appliance (n)
= electrical equipment
e.g. There’s plenty of space for all the usual kitchen appliances.

5. Counter (v)
= to reduce bad effect from something
e.g. 1) Exercise helps to counter the effects of stress.
2) Trees can absorb carbon dioxide and so they help to counter the fumes produced by our cars.

6. Offset (v)
= 2 things have an opposite effect, so situation remains the same
e.g. Turning off light even for a few minutes can offset the negative effects of turning them on again later.

7. Pose a threat/danger/risk/ an hazard (v)
= cause a problem
e.g. Not only do fossil fuels pose an environmental hazard but there is also a pressing need to find an alternative energy source that is renewable.

8. Abandon (v)
= to stop doing something because there are too many problems and it is impossible to continue
e.g. it is unlikely we will abandon our cars in large enough numbers to resolve this problem, so there is an pressing need to find an alternative/ eco-friendly fuel.

9. Commonplace (adj)
= happening/ existing in many places, and therefore not special and unusual
e.g. 1. Car thefts are commonplace in this part of town.
2. Hybrid cars were first developed in 1997 and these are likely to become more commonplace in the future.

10. Date back to something = date from something
= to have existed since a particular time in the past
e.g. 1. The church dates from the 13^th century
2. The concept of using vegetable oil as a fuel dates back to 1895 when……

11. Drastic (action/ changes/ measures/ cuts)
= extreme and sudden
e.g. Drastic changes are needed if environmental catastrophe is to be avoided.

12. Emit = discharge = release
OPP = retain (to keep/store)

13. Renewable = rechargeable (can be made again)
OPP = disposable (throw it away)

14. Diminish = dwindle = deplete (decrease)

15. Consume =exhaust = expend (use/use up/ spend) =/= extend (cause sth to last longer)

16. Conserve = preserve = save, used with “energy”
reserve = book a table/sear, not used with “energy”

Words I need to use more

1. Critical = crucial = vital
e.g. CO2 plays a critical role in maintaining the balance in the Earth’s atmosphere and the air that we breathe.

2. Pressing need/problem/matter = urgent
e.g. Not only do fossil fuels pose an environmental hazard but there is also a pressing need to find an alternative energy source that is renewable.

3. Devastating (effect/ impact) or (results/consequences)
= badly damaging or destroying something
e.g. Our love of the fuel-burning car with its poisonous exhaust fumes had had a devastating effect both on our environment and on oil supplies.

4. Readily (available/accessible)
= quickly and easily
e.g. Hydrogen vehicles that use solar panels to extract hydrogen from water are also likely to be readily available.

5. Costly (adj)
= very expensive, especially wasting a lot of money
e.g. Such a database would be extremely costly to set up.

6. In terms of (something)
= describe sth only in relation to that fact/ event
e.g. It’s a mistake to think of Florida only in terms of its tourist attractions.

Words I often make mistakes with

1. Nevertheless
= in spite of the fact that you have just mentioned
e.g. Nevertheless, countries such as….. already have ambitious hydrogen plans.

2. Ambitious
= have a strong desire to do something good but difficult
e.g. Nevertheless, countries such as….. already have ambitious hydrogen plans

Topic words (e.g. The Environment; Fuel; Energy; Work, etc)

The energy crisis (natural resources, alternative fuels) (Unit 16_Vocabulary for IELTS)

1. Save/ conserve energy
If we want to save/conserve energy, then we need to change the way we behave.

2. Energy efficient
We need to buy appliances that are energy efficient and limit the amount of time we use them

3. Greenhouse gases, atmosphere
To reduce the effect/impact greenhouse gases have on our atmosphere, we should plant more trees.

4. Exhaust fumes
= strong-smelling gases that is unpleasant to breathe in
Our love of the fuel-burning car with its poisonous exhaust fumes had had a devastating effect both on our environment and on oil supplies.

5. Eco-friendly/ alternative
Many car companies are exploring eco-friendly/ alternative energy sources.

6. Extract sth from sth
= to carefully remove a substance from sth which contains it, using a machine, chemical process, etc
e.g. Hydrogen vehicles that use solar panels to extract hydrogen from water are also likely to be readily available.

7. Fossil fuels = coal and oil

8. Diesel = a type of heavy oil used instead of petrol in engines, esp in trucks, buses
e.g. Dr Samuel developed the first diesel engine to run on vegetable oil.

9. Alternative and renewable energy = nuclear energy, solar energy and wind power

Good sentences

1. You want to really make a significant contribution to the reduction of CO2 emissions.

2. Not only do fossil fuels pose an environmental hazard but there is also a pressing need to find an alternative energy source that is renewable.

3. However, critics say that building a network of fuelling stations and converting existing petrol stations to hydrogen will prove too costly.

Daily Journey

7 Tips for English Writing

7 Tips for English Writing

A great article found on the Internet about how to improve English writing skills~!

7 Tips for English Writing

Internet and the English language brought people with common interests together from all around the globe, and blogging earned its big slice in launching individuals’ careers as freelance writers. What a great option to hone writing skills, learn how to interact with a readership, and build quality clips?

While the majority of these blogs are well written, no matter the author’s nationality, a number of non-natives’ blogs show poor English skills. Causes are diverse and not always a consequence of the author’s negligence: poor teaching, lack of feedback, and little opportunities to put language skills in practice.

The result, however, is the same: compromised readability turns off readers, and writers can have a tough time breaking into the writing market. Language skills are crucial to landing a job, along with an eye for storytelling and proofreading.

Don’t let this discourage you. If you are a non-native English writer with (still) unripe English skills, you can work on perfecting your writing for the English-speaking market, and advance your career.

7 Tips To Improve Your English Skills

1. Read, read, read. Not only blogs. Read books, magazines, brochures, reports and what else you feel appropriate for your niche. You should read not just to learn new topics and about discoveries of your favorite discipline, but even to improve your understanding of grammar, sentence structure and technical jargon. I suggest underlining terms, verbs and idiomatic sentences you encounter for the first time, so you can look them up in your dictionary or grammar reference later.

2. Build a personalized dictionary from your reading. All you need is a notepad and a pen. Write down idiomatic expressions, niche jargon, irregular verbs and writing style notes to revise later. My experience teaches that a personalized dictionary, which you write during your reading sessions, is much more effective as a learning aid than a printed or online dictionary you consult passively.

3. Engage in forum and chat conversations. This is crucial. You can’t hope to perfect your English writing skills until you learn to think in English. Forums and chat rooms can make the difference: you are forced into a dynamic environment, which requires speedy action on your part. Once you hone your English thinking, along with your writing, you can work on improving your pronunciation — to be able to conduct interviews.

4. Start a personal blog. Readers take niche blogs pretty seriously: bad grammar and spelling are seen as unprofessional and they are by all means a turn-off. On the contrary, a personal blog makes a perfect home to write about your favorite niche, while you work to perfect your skills: you can share personal opinions and experience, use newly learned jargon fear-free. No one is going to regard you as incompetent because of your English flaws on your personal blog.

5. Edit and rewrite… with the help of a dictionary! I encourage you to keep a dictionary at hand for the editing/rewriting stage. A thesaurus is another good companion to keep handy, too. Editing and rewriting require competencies and vocabulary most non-natives haven’t mastered well yet, so make sure you have good reference material on your desk.

6. Ask a native English speaker to review your work. The best criticism you can get is a native English speaker’s. Figuring out how to use certain slang, verbs and idiomatic expressions can be a tricky job for a non-native speaker. An English speaker can help you correct grammar, spelling, tone and style. So much in so little time!

7. Keep a humble attitude towards constructive criticism. Learning involves being ready to discuss your own work. You can’t learn new things when you remain rigid on your position. Also, be humble and thankful to people who spend their time to review your work and give you constructive feedback; their advice can be the turning point in your writing career.