IELTS Book 8 Test 3 Section 1

8 T3 S1

Seldom(Adverb) Synonym: Rarely

Not often

· He had seldom seen a child with so much talent.

· She seldom, if ever, goes to the theatre.

· They seldom watch television these days.

· (literary) Seldom had he seen such beauty.

Thunderstorm(Noun) Synonym: Downpour

A storm with thunder and lightning and usually very heavy rain

· He slept well, unaware of the thunderstorms which filled the night.

· The church was struck by lightning during a violent thunderstorm.

Roll in (phrasal verb) Synonym: Appear

(informal)to arrive in great numbers or amounts

· Offers of help are still rolling in.

To arrive late at a place, without seeming worried or sorry

· Steve rolled in around lunchtime.

Neutralize (verb) Synonym: Counteract

Neutralize something to stop something from having any effect

· The latest figures should neutralize the fears of inflation.

· This strategy effectively neutralizedwhat the Conservatives had hoped would be a vote-winner.

Neutralize something (chemistry) to make a substance neutral

· Lime was used to neutralize the acidity of the soil.

Neutralize something to make a country or an area neutral

· The treaty neutralized the Black Sea.

Precise (adjective) Synonym: Exact

Clear and accurate

· Precise details/instructions/measurements

· Can you give a more precise definition of the word?

· I can be reasonably precise about the time of the incident.

[only before noun] used to emphasize that something happens at a particular time or in a particular way

· We were just talking about her when, at that precise moment, she walked in.

· Doctors found it hard to establish the precise nature of her illness.

Taking care to be exact and accurate, especially about small details

· A skilled and precise workersmall,

· Precise movements

· (disapproving) She's rather prim and precise.

Someplace (adverb, pronoun) Synonym: Place

· It has to go someplace.

· Can't you do that someplace else?

· We need to find someplace to live.

Reveal (Verb) Synonym: Disclose

To make something known to somebody

Reveal something (to somebody)

· To reveal a secret

· Details of the murder were revealed by the local paper.

· The doctors did not reveal the truth to him.

· Salted peanuts were recently revealed as the nation’s favourite snack.

· Her expression revealed nothing.

Reveal (that)…

· The report reveals (that) the company made a loss of £20 million last year.

It is revealed that…

· It was revealed that important evidence had been suppressed.

Reveal how, what, etc…

· Officers could not reveal how he died.

Reveal somebody/something to be/have something

· Salted peanuts were recently revealed to be the nation's favourite snack.

To show something that previously could not be seen

Reveal something

· He laughed, revealing a line of white teeth.

· The door opened to reveal a cosy little room.

· X-rays revealed a fracture.

Reveal yourself

· She crouched in the dark, too frightened to reveal herself.

Brewing(verb) Synonym: Seethe

[transitive, intransitive] brew something to make beer.

· This beer is brewed in the Czech Republic.

[transitive] brew something to make a hot drink of tea or coffee

· Freshly brewed coffee

[intransitive] (especially British English) (of tea or coffee) to be mixed with hot water and become ready to drink

· Always let tea brew for a few minutes.

[intransitive] brew (up) (usually used in the progressive tenses) if something unpleasant is brewing or brewing up, it seems likely to happen soon

· Trouble has been brewing for some time now.

· A storm was brewing up out at sea.

Stumble(noun) Synonym: Adapt

(informal) a problem or temporary failure when you are on the way to achieving something

· There were good reasons for the team's first-round stumble against Los Angeles…

An act of falling or almost falling, especially because you hit your foot against something

· After a slight stumble backwards, he regained his balance.

A mistake that causes you to stop when you are reading, speaking or playing music

· Verbal stumbles

Reckon(verb) Synonym: Evaluate

[transitive, intransitive] reckon (that)… (informal, especially British English) to think something or have an opinion about something

· I reckon (that) I’m going to get that job.

· He'll be famous one day.

· What do you reckon (= do you agree)?

· It's worth a lot of money, I reckon.

· ‘They'll never find out.’ ‘You reckon?(= I think you may be wrong about that)

Avalanche(noun) Synonym: Landslide

A mass of snow, ice and rock that falls down the side of a mountain

· Alpine villages destroyed in an avalanche

· He was killed in an avalanche while skiing.

· (figurative) We received an avalanche of letters in reply to our advertisement.

Forecast( Noun) Synonym: Predict

A statement about what will happen in the future, based on information that is available now

· Sales forecasts

· It is difficult to make long-term forecasts for a fast-growing industry.

· The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers.

· The shipping forecast gave warnings of gales

Menace (Noun) Synonym: Threat

[countable, usually singular] menace (to somebody/something) a person or thing that causes, or may cause, serious damage, harm or danger

· A new initiative aimed at beating the menace of illegal drugs

· The communists remain a potential menace to the stability of the government.

[uncountable] an atmosphere that makes you feel threatened or frightened

· A sense/an air/a hint of menace in his voice

[countable, usually singular] (informal) a person or thing that is annoying or causes trouble

Menaces [plural] (law, British English) threats that somebody will cause harm if they do not get what they are asking for

· To demand money with menaces

Hailstones(noun) Synonym: Ice

A small ball of ice that falls like rain

· Britain’s biggest recorded hailstone weighed 5 oz.

· We struggled up the hill in a wind full of dust and hailstones.