Being Friends – reading

This is a list of vocabulary you are supposed to learn explain in

English.
This list is indicative and not exhaustive.

carefree [adj] – having no problems or not being worried about anything:

I remember my carefree student days.
to redress [v] - to put right a wrong or give payment for a wrong that has been done:
Most managers, politicians and bosses are men - how can women redress the balance (= make
the situation fairer and more equal)?
[n] He went to the industrial tribunal to seek redress for the way
his employers had discriminated against him.
to sing someone’s /something’s praises - to praise someone or something with enthusiasm:
The review in the paper sings the movie's praises.
shortcoming [n] - a fault or a failure to reach a particular standard:
Whatever his shortcomings as a husband, he was a good father to his children.
Like any political system, it has its shortcomings.
to associate - to connect someone or something in your mind with someone or
something else:
Most people associate this brand with good quality.
vagabond - a person who has no home and usually no job, and who travels from
place to place:
They live a vagabond life/existence, travelling around in a caravan.
to sustain - to cause or allow something to continue for a period of time:
The economy looks set to sustain its growth into next year.
He seems to find it difficult to sustain relationships with women.
US The judge sustained (= accepted) the lawyer's objection.
- to keep alive:
The soil in this part of the world is not rich enough to sustain a large population.

attitude - a feeling or opinion about something or someone, or a way of behaving that

is caused by this:
It's often very difficult to change people's attitudes.
She takes the attitude that children should be allowed to learn at their own pace.
He has a very bad attitude to/towards work.
He seems to have undergone a change in/of attitude recently, and has become much more cooperative.
I don't like your attitude (= the way you are behaving).
That boy has a real attitude problem (= behaves in a way that makes it difficult for other people to
have a relationship with him or work with him).
to shun - to avoid something:
She has shunned publicity since she retired from acting.
to ignore someone and not speak to that person because you cannot
accept their behaviour, beliefs, etc.:
After the trial he was shunned by friends and family alike.

insignificant - small or not noticeable, and therefore not considered important :

Why bother arguing about such an insignificant amount of money?
The difference between the two results was insignificant.
caste - a system of dividing Hindu society into classes, or any of these classes:
the caste system
a nuclear family - a family consisting of two parents and their children, but not including
aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.
Compare
extended family

nucleus - SPECIALIZED physics the central part of an atom, usually made up of

protons and neutrons
SPECIALIZED biology the part of a cell that controls its growth:
DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.
the nucleus of sth - the group of people or things that are the most important part of
something:
These three players will form the nucleus of a revised and stronger team.

to condone - to accept or allow behaviour that is wrong:

If the government is seen to condone violence, the bloodshed will never stop.
odds - the probability (= how likely it is) that a particular thing will or will not happen:
If you drive a car all your life, the odds are that you'll have an accident at some point.
AGAINST ALL ODDS
If you do or achieve something against (all) the odds/against all odds, you do
or achieve it although there were a lot of problems and you were not likely to succeed:
Against all the odds, he recovered.
to prove - to show a particular result after a period of time:
The operation proved a complete success.
The dispute over the song rights proved impossible to resolve.
The new treatment has proved to be a disaster.
prove yourself - to show that you are good at something:
I wish he'd stop trying to prove himself all the time.

dire - very serious or extreme:

These people are in dire need of help.
He gave a dire warning that an earthquake was imminent.
This decision will have dire consequences for local people.
MAINLY UK INFORMAL very bad:
I thought her latest book was dire!

succour - help given to someone, especially someone who is suffering or in need:

Her organization gave succour and strength to those who had been emotionally damaged.

to plead - [ I ] to make an urgent, emotional statement or request for something:

He was on his knees, pleading for mercy/forgiveness.

She appeared on television to plead with the kidnappers.
She pleaded with him to change his mind, but he refused to listen.
to feign – to pretend to have a particular feeling, problem, etc. :
You know how everyone feigns surprise when you tell them how old you are.
The prosecution claimed that the defendant had feigned the injury.
She responded to his remarks with feigned amusement.
unwavering - never moving or looking away from something:
She met his unwavering stare.
protagonist - an important supporter of an idea or political system:
Key protagonists of the revolution were hunted down and executed.
literature , theatre & film FORMAL one of the main characters in a story or a play

to recount - to describe how something happened, or to tell a story:

He recounted his adventures since he had left home.
He was fond of recounting how he had played professional football when he was 19.
to ascend - to move up or climb something:
They slowly ascended the steep path up the mountain.
to rise to a position of higher rank:
He eventually ascended to the position of chief executive.
compelling - if a reason, argument, etc. is compelling, it makes you believe it or accept it
because it is so strong:
compelling evidence
It's a fairly compelling argument for going.
accurate - correct, exact, and without any mistakes:
an accurate machine; an accurate description
The figures they have used are just not accurate.
Her novel is an accurate reflection of life in Spain.
resentment - a feeling of anger because you have been forced to accept something that you
do not like:
He harbours a deep resentment against his parents for his miserable childhood.
This decision has caused resentment among some teachers.
equanimity - a calm mental state, especially after a shock or disappointment or in a
difficult situation:
He received the news of his mother's death with remarkable equanimity.
Three years after the tragedy she has only just begun to regain her equanimity.
to envy - to wish that you had something that another person has:
I envy her ability to talk to people she's never met before.
to age - if someone ages or something ages them, they look older:
She's aged since the last time we met.
attempt - the act of trying to do something, especially something difficult:
She made a few half-hearted attempts to join in their conversation.
He made no attempt to be sociable.
This is my second attempt at the exam.
None of our attempts at contacting Dr James was successful.
They closed the road in an attempt (= to try to) to reduce traffic in the city.