ACADEMIC WORDS – SUBLIST 4d

WORD DEFINITION EXAMPLES

apparent (adj.) easy to notice
commit (v.) to do something wrong or illegal
to decide to use money, time, people, etc.
for a particular purpose
debate (v.) (n.) to discuss a subject formally when you are
trying to make a decision or find a solution
discussion of a particular subject that often
continues for a long time and in which
people express different opinions
ethnic (adj.) relating to a particular race, nation, or tribe
and their customs and traditions
 It is apparent from scientific studies
that the drug has some fairly nasty
side effects.
 Brady committed a series of brutal
murders.
 A lot of money has been committed to
this project.
 Philosophers debate whether it’s right
to clone an individual.
 The new drug has become the subject
of heated debate within the medical
profession.
 The students are from a variety of
ethnic backgrounds.

implicate (v.) to show or suggest that someone is involved
in a crime or dishonest act
label (n.) (v.) a piece of paper or plastic that is attached to
an object in order to give information about
it
to use a word or phrase to describe
someone or something, but often unfairly or
incorrectly
overall (adj.) considering or including everything
prior (adj.) existing or arranged before something else
or before the present situation
 Seafood is increasingly implicated as
the source of the hepatitis A virus.
 He peeled at the label on the bottle.
 The newspapers had unjustly labelled
him a troublemaker.
 The overall result is an increase in
population.
 You do not need any prior knowledge
of the subject.

retain (v.) to keep something or continue to have  The state wants to retain control of
something food imports.

sum (n.) an amount of money  The company has invested huge sums
in research.
a simple calculation in arithmetic
 I can't do my sums.

4d-A. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

debate committed retain prior overall

labels apparent ethnic sum implicated

1. The leaders of the two major political parties will have a/an _______________ on television tonight.
2. Police believe the murder was _______________ by two men who were known to the victim.
3. Asians are the fastest growing _______________ group in the United States.
4. It is quite _______________ to me that she is no longer in love with him; she just ignores him completely.
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 5. Most adults learning a second language will _______________ their native accent to some degree.
6. Without any _______________ experience as a waitress, it will be hard to find a job in a restaurant in this
town.
7. Information on _______________ for products sold in Canada is written in both English and French.
8. My marks in math are a little low this semester, but _______________ I'm doing quite well.
9. The president himself has been _______________ in a scheme to buy votes in the upcoming election.
10. The _______________ of five plus five is ten.

4d-B. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

prior implicated overall apparently committed
debating sum label retain ethnic
1. _______________ it will rain this afternoon, so you'd better bring your umbrella.
2. The greenhouse effect causes our atmosphere to _______________ more of the heat from the sun than
normal.
3. A recent study revealed that almost 90 percent of Americans _______________ themselves as shy.
4. Our company policy states that we are _______________ to fairness and honesty in all our dealings.
5. The _______________ of all the angles of a triangle is 180 degrees.
6. The _______________ effect of the low Canadian dollar has been positive for our economy.
7. Evidence suggests that newborn babies can hear and remember things which occurred _______________ to
birth.
8. Studies show that people generally show more positive attitudes towards those _______________ groups
that they often come in contact with.
9. The government is _______________ the possibility of raising taxes on cigarettes once again.
10. Stress has been _______________ in a wide variety of illnesses.

4d-C. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

debatable ethnicity implications retain overall

commitment labelled prior sums apparently

1. It is _______________ whether or not living together before marriage reduces the chance of divorce.
2. I wasn't there, but _______________ it was a great party.
3. She broke up with her boyfriend because he didn't seem to want to make the _______________ to having a
serious relationship.
4. The decision of the international trade commission has serious _______________ for the Canadian farming
industry.
5. His _______________ is unclear; he has both Asian and African features.
6. Waste products are routinely _______________ as agricultural, industrial, or municipal.
7. Despite its small size, Switzerland spends huge _______________ of money on aid to developing countries.
8. Studies suggest that _______________, more people dream in black-and-white than in colour.
9. He worked as a translator _______________ to becoming an ESL teacher.
10. Following the collapse of communism in Europe, the people of Serbia voted to _______________ their
Socialist government.

4d-D. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

commitments label prior debating implications

overall retain sum ethnic apparently

1. This specially insulated picnic basket will __________ a constant temperature for up to 3 hours.
2. Her family __________ have prevented her from taking on a full-time job.
3. Home computers were virtually unknown __________ to 1980.

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 4. I was afraid there was going to be a bus strike, but __________ they were able to negotiate a last-minute
settlement.
5. People who protest against capitalism are often __________ as communists by the right-wing press.
6. Indonesia is made up of 17,000 islands, and the nation is made up of 300 __________ groups.
7. Gandhi once said that a man is the __________ of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do, and
nothing else.
8. One can estimate the intelligence of various animal species simply by measuring __________ brain size.
9. The company is __________ whether or not to get out of the clothing business and concentrate on its shoe
stores.
10. The __________ of the latest poll are clear for the government; it cannot win the next election unless it
chooses a new leader.

4d-E. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

label prior retain debate committed

implicated ethnic apparent sums overall

1. The national emblem of Belarus has undergone a great deal of __________ over the past few years and its
design has been changed several times.
2. The leader of the armed forces has been __________ in the attempted coup.
3. He is a/an __________ communist who firmly believes in state ownership of all property.
4. The nation of Botswana was named after its dominant __________ group, the Batswana.
5. According to the information on the __________, you should take this medication just before mealtime.
6. The lack of Christian missionaries in the early days of Barbados enabled the slaves there to __________ their
African folk beliefs.
7. There are a number of __________ bugs in the software that need to be fixed.
8. She learned to calculate complex __________ in her head when she was in elementary school.
9. The __________ effect of the drop in the value of the dollar has been slightly positive, as exports have
increased substantially.
10. No __________ knowledge of linguistics is necessary for this course.

ANSWER KEY

4d-A 1.debate 2.committed 3.ethnic 4.apparent 5.retain 6.prior 7.labels 8.overall 9.implicated 10.sum

4d-B 1.apparently 2.retain 3.label 4.committed 5.sum 6.overall 7.prior 8.ethnic 9.debating 10.implicated

4d-C. 1.debatable 2.apparently 3.commitment 4.implications 5.ethnicity 6.labeled 7.sums 8.overall 9.prior
10.retain

4d-D. 1.retain 2.commitments 3.prior 4.apparently 5.labelled 6.ethnic 7.sum 8.overall 9.debating
10.implications

4d-E. 1.debate 2.implicated 3.committed 4.ethnic 5.label 6.retain 7.apparent 8.sums 9.overall 10.prior

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ACADEMIC WORDS – SUBLIST 4e

WORD DEFINITION EXAMPLES

approximate (adj.) An approximate number, amount, or time is
close to the exact number, amount etc., but
could be a little bit more or less than it.
communicate (v.) to exchange information or conversation
with other people, using words, signs,
writing, etc.
despite used to say that something happens or is
(preposition.) true even though something else might have
prevented it
goal (n.) something that you hope to achieve in the
future
 What is the approximate number of
students in each class?
 People use more than words when
they communicate with each other.
 Despite all our efforts to save the
school, the authorities decided to close
it.
 Your goal as a parent is to help your
child become an independent adult.

impose (v.) If you impose something on people, you use
your authority to force them to accept it.
mechanism (n.) a system that is intended to achieve
something or deal with a problem
parallel (adj.) similar and happening at the same time
professionalism (n.) the skill and high standards of behaviour
expected of a professional person
series (n.) a group of events or actions that are planned
to happen one after the other
 The government imposed a ban on the
sale of ivory.
 The peace plan includes a mechanism
to share power between all four
parties.
 Social changes in Britain are matched
by parallel trends in some other
countries.
 Keeley's competence and
professionalism will be missed.
 Staff will hold a series of meetings over
the next few weeks.

summary (n.) a short statement that gives the main  The group produces a monthly
information about something, without giving summary of their research.
all the details

4e-A. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

mechanism series summary despite communicates

approximate impose goal professional parallel

1. Outside workers at the university are holding a/an _______________ of meetings to discuss the possibility of
joining a union.
2. We watched a news _______________ of the major events of the year on television on New Year's day.
3. On the _______________ golf tour, players are allowed 45 seconds per shot.
4. My son _______________ with his classmates by e-mail during the summer holidays.
5. She was wearing only a T-shirt and shorts, _______________ the cold weather.
6. The Brazilian team scored a/an _______________ late in the second half to win the game 1-0.
7. As a safety feature, this machine has a special _______________ which will shut it off if it begins to
overheat.
8. Teachers shouldn't try to _______________ their own religious or moral beliefs on their students.
9. The _______________ number of people we will invite is 100.
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 10. The road runs _______________ to the border for about 100 miles.

4e-B. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

summary series imposed despite parallel

professional approximated mechanisms goals communicate

1. If you want to succeed, you need to set yourself some _______________ and then make plans on how to
achieve them.
2. Studies suggest that over 60 percent of adults in this country believe it may be possible to _______________
with the dead.
3. I wasn't sure how many people would be coming to the company barbeque, so I just _______________.
4. When finished a meal in China, it is polite to place your chopsticks in _______________ across your dish or
bowl.
5. There are generally no set hours for a working _______________; you work as much as is required to get the
job done, and you're not paid for overtime.
6. When you write a/an _______________ of a newspaper article, you should give the essential information
and leave out minor details.
7. He jumped in the water to save the young girl, _______________ being unable to swim himself.
8. The government has _______________ a wage freeze for the next year in the public sector.
9. Eating is a requirement for living; therefore, there must be _______________ in the body and mind that
make us hungry and interested in eating at regular intervals.
10. We listened to the first episode in the "Judy's World" soap opera _______________ in our language lab
today.

4e-C. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

summary despite communication series imposed

goal professionally mechanisms approximately unparalleled

1. We hope to achieve our _______________ of increasing our profits by at least 20% this year.
2. The rapid and continued success of Microsoft Corporation is almost _______________ in the world of
business.
3. Vincent van Gogh once said that great things are done by a/an _______________ of small things brought
together.
4. Female killer whales stop giving birth at _______________ 40 years of age.
5. _______________ its large size, the grizzly bear is amazingly fast, reaching speeds of over 60 kilometres per
hour.
6. The government of Iraq considers the international boundaries of the Arab nations to have been
_______________ by the Europeans who occupied the countries following the Second World War.
7. Louis Boone once said, "Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest
_______________ of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have."
8. The coach needs to maintain a good, honest _______________ with all his players.
9. Many psychologists believe that most animal species, including humans, seem to share basic learning
_______________.
10. Dwayne was too short to play basketball _______________, so he went into coaching instead.

4e-D. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

imposed summarized approximately mechanized professional

goals uncommunicative series despite parallel

1. He __________ his summer holidays as the best time of his life.

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 2. Hydro-Quebec sells electricity generated by a/an __________ of hydroelectric dams that harness the power
of the La Grande River in northern Quebec and Ontario.
3. He passed the course, __________ the fact that he never studied.
4. Her uncle was a/an __________ hockey player who became a coach after retiring from the league.
5. The children were __________ during the ride to the airport. They wouldn't answer any of my questions, so I
don't know what the problem was.
6. What exactly are your __________ in this class?
7. There is so much pressure __________ on public school teachers to do the job that parents don't want to do
at home.
8. As agriculture in this country becomes increasingly __________, more and more people are losing their jobs.
9. In 1880, there were __________ 2 billion birds known as passenger pigeons in the United States, but by
1914, the species was extinct.
10. Beach Drive runs __________ to the ocean and offers spectacular views of the coast.

4e-E. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

approximately summary despite goal communicate

professional parallels imposed series mechanical

1. He plagiarized his essay by copying a/an __________ of the book from a site on the Internet.
2. He is an excellent scientist, but he is totally unable to __________ his knowledge to others.
3. Sigmund Freud believed that every child goes through a/an __________ of personality development stages.
4. __________ the fact that he generally hates fish, he tried the sushi and liked it.
5. The Parliament Buildings tour is __________ 45 minutes long, depending on how many questions are asked.
6. The plane crash has been attributed to __________ failure, rather than human error.
7. Strict limitations on car ownership have been __________ in Hong Kong due to its small size and large
population.
8. Major corporations in North America often employ __________ librarians.
9. The traditional music of Quebec has many __________ with that of Ireland.
10. There is a Greek proverb which notes that before you can score, you must first have a/an __________.

ANSWER KEY

4e-A. 1.series 2.summary 3.professional 4.communicates 5.despite 6.goal 7.mechanism 8.impose

9.approximate 10.parallel

4e-B. 1.goals 2.communicate 3.approximated 4.parallel 5.professional 6.summary 7.despite 8.imposed

9.mechanisms 10.series

4e-C. 1.goal 2.unparalleled 3.series 4.approximately 5.despite 6.imposed 7.summary 8.communication

9.mechanisms 10.professionally

4e-D. 1.summarized 2.series 3.despite 4.professional 5.uncommunicative 6.goals 7.imposed 8.mechanized

9.approximately 10.parallel

4e-E. 1.summary 2.communicate 3.series 4.despite 5.approximately 6.mechanical 7.imposed 8.professional

9.parallels 10.goal

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ACADEMIC WORDS – SUBLIST 4f
WORD DEFINITION
attitude (n.) the opinions and feelings that you usually
have about something, especially when this
is shown in your behaviour
concentrate (v.) to think very carefully about something that
you are doing
to be present in large numbers or amounts
somewhere
dimension (n.) a particular aspect of something
grant (n.) (v.) an amount of money given to someone for a
particular purpose
to give someone something or allow them to
have something that they have asked for
integrate (v.) If two or more things integrate, or if you
integrate them, they combine or work
together in a way that makes something
more effective.
obvious (adj.) easy to notice or understand
parameter (n.) factors or limits which affect the way that
something can be done or made
project (n.) (v.) a carefully planned piece of work to get
information about something, to build
something, to improve something, etc.
to calculate what something will be in the
future, using the information you have now
statistic (n.) a single number which represents a fact or
measurement
undertake (v.) to accept that you are responsible for a
piece of work, and start to do it
4f-A. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.
obvious grant integrates
project statistic dimensions
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EXAMPLES
 The people have a very positive
attitude to life.
 Adrian was finding it difficult to
concentrate.
 Italian industry is concentrated mainly
in the north.
 This adds a new dimension to our
work.
 Anyone wishing to apply for a grant
should write to the Treasurer.
 The council have granted him
permission to build on the site.
 Colourful illustrations are integrated
into the text.
 The obvious way of reducing pollution
is to use cars less.
 The inquiry has to stay within the
parameters laid down by Congress.
 The project aims to provide an analysis
of children’s emotions.
 Total expenditure is projected to rise
by 25%.
 The statistic comes from a study
recently conducted by the British
government.
 Dr Johnson undertook the task of
writing a comprehensive English
dictionary.
undertaken parameter
concentrate attitude
 1. The transportation system of Vancouver _______________ gas-powered buses, electric buses, sea buses,
and light rapid-transit trains.
2. Can you please turn your music down? I'm trying to _______________ on my homework.
3. The _______________ thing to do if you're feeling sick is to go to bed.
4. There is an interesting _______________ which observes that 75% of the time someone is speaking English
in the world, it is with a non-native speaker.
5. The university has received a/an _______________ of over a million dollars for research into tropical
diseases.
6. A thorough knowledge of the Christian religion is an essential _______________ for understanding much of
the history of European art.
7. We'd better check the _______________ of the room again before we start cutting this new carpet.
8. The Great Wall of China is the largest construction project ever _______________ by man.
9. A local development _______________ in the area has resulted in the construction of a small school and
health clinic.
10. Along with a positive _______________ and a healthy diet, your fitness level plays a major role in how you
feel.

4f-B. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

attitudes statistics integrate projected undertook

dimension granted concentrate obvious parameters

1. It's _______________ that Roger is unhappy about something. He's been walking around looking depressed
all day.
2. After analyzing the available data, we decided to modify the original _______________ of the spreadsheet
to accommodate more information.
3. Canada's population is _______________ to rise to 35 million over the next couple of years.
4. Norbert Schmitt observes that second language learners need to _______________ their efforts on learning
the most useful words in the language.
5. The United States _______________ the Philippines complete independence in 1946.
6. In general, immigrants work very hard to _______________ themselves into the society of their new
homeland.
7. She _______________ to improve her chances of promotion by taking some night courses in personnel
management.
8. Despite the public's fears, _______________ show that the crime rate has actually dropped over the last 20
years.
9. Computer chat rooms have added a whole new _______________ to the dating process.
10. Many psychologists believe that we form our _______________ and opinions of ourselves in part by
observing our own behaviour.

4f-C. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

concentrations grant parameters dimensions statistically

attitude obviously integrated undertaken projections

1. The Serengeti National Park has among the greatest _______________ of wildlife on the African continent.
2. In February of 1996, Princess Diana of Wales announced that she would _______________ Prince Charles a
divorce.
3. A Dutch proverb notes that he who _______________ many things at once seldom does anything well.
4. The _______________ of oil and gas development are even greater than originally predicted.
5. _______________, travelling by air is the safest means of transportation.
6. She really changed her _______________ once she understood how the others felt.

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 7. The head office is responsible for defining the _______________ which guide policy decisions at the local
level.
8. Emile Durkheim hypothesized that the more _______________ individuals are into their society, the less
likely they are to kill themselves.
9. Our sales _______________ for the next year anticipate a steady growth of at least 5%.
10. She is _______________ in love with him; she stares at him all the time.

4f-D. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

obviously projecting dimensions attitude granted

parameters undertaking disintegrate statistics concentrated

1. The students in the class had a negative __________ towards learning because the teacher treated them like
idiots whenever they made mistakes.
2. Nearly 90 percent of Canada's population is __________ within 160 kilometres of the United States/Canada
border.
3. The Hawaiian Islands are the __________ tops of the biggest mountain range in the world.
4. Look at that sunburn; she __________ forgot to put on her sunscreen.
5. Human hair and fingernails are the last part of the body to __________ after we die.
6. His measurements of the __________ of the room were not very accurate.
7. If you change the __________ of your spreadsheet, it may not print properly.
8. Remodelling the kitchen was a huge __________ for us because we'd never done anything like it before.
9. The government has __________ political asylum to those refugees from Kosovo who requested it.
10. Recent __________ show that over 15% of immigrants to this country end up leaving the country within 3
years due to a lack of work.

4f-E. Complete the sentences using the words in the box.

attitudes granted project concentrated statistical

integrated obviously undertake dimensions parameters

1. The salt water of the Dead Sea is so __________ that it cannot support life of any kind.
2. According to the latest __________ analysis, 20% of American high school graduates can't actually read their
diploma.
3. Permission for the project to be continued is expected to be __________ within days.
4. Local children have started a school __________ to clean up a creek where salmon used to spawn.
5. She is __________ the best choice for the job; she has the most experience and is the most competent.
6. The __________ for the project need to be much wider than we originally anticipated.
7. The airline is expected to __________ a merger with its largest competitor within five years.
8. Italian __________ dominated the musical thinking of the period from the late sixteenth century to the mid-
eighteenth century.
9. Research suggests that married people are more __________ into society than divorced people, and so,
commit suicide less frequently.
10. Repeated studies show that individuals who are physically attractive are perceived as superior on a variety of
__________.

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ANSWER KEY

4f-A. 1.integrates 2.concentrate 3.obvious 4.statistic 5.grant 6.parameter 7.dimensions 8.undertaken 9.project
10.attitude

4f-B. 1.obvious 2.parameters 3.projected 4.concentrate 5.granted 6.integrate 7.undertook 8.statistics

9.dimension 10.attitudes

4f-C. 1.concentrations 2.grant 3.undertakes 4.dimensions 5.statistically 6.attitude 7.parameters 8.integrated

9.projections 10.obviously

4f-D. 1.attitude 2.concentrated 3.projecting 4.obviously 5.disintegrate 6.dimensions 7.parameters

8.undertaking 9.granted 10.statistics

4f-E. 1.concentrated 2.statistical 3.granted 4.project 5.obviously 6.parameters 7.undertake 8.attitudes

9.integrated 10.dimensions

NOUN VERB ADJECTIVE ADVERB

apparent apparently
commitment commit committed
debate debate debatable
ethnicity ethnic ethnically
implication implicate
label label
overall
priority prior
retainer, retention retain retentive
summation, sum sum
approximation approximate approximate approximately
communication communicate communicative, communicatively
uncommunicative
despite (preposition)
goal
imposition impose imposing
mechanism
parallel parallel parallel, unparalleled parallel
professional, professional professionally
professionalism,
profession
series
summary summarize summary
attitude attitudinal
concentration concentrate concentrated
dimension dimensional,
multidimensional
grant grant
integration integrate integrated
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obviousness obvious obviously
parameter
statistic, statistician statistical statistically
undertaking undertake