Vocabulary and Collocations Flashcards

In order to improve, you must learn from your experiences, especially when you ______ a mistake.

Answer: make

The verb 'make' is the standard and correct collocation with 'a mistake'. We always say 'make a mistake' to mean committing an error.

The city centre was incredibly crowded and lively during the festival. Which adjective best describes this atmosphere?

Answer: bustling

'Bustling' means full of energetic and noisy activity, which perfectly describes a crowded and lively city centre. 'Tranquil' means calm, 'remote' means far away, and 'deserted' means empty.

After the long flight and the delay at the airport, I was ______ exhausted and just wanted to go to bed.

Answer: absolutely

'Exhausted' is an ungradable (or extreme) adjective. We use adverbs like 'absolutely', 'utterly', or 'completely' to intensify them. 'Very' is used with gradable adjectives (e.g., 'very tired'), but not with 'exhausted'.

Scenario: You are leading a team meeting. After some initial small talk, you want to begin the main discussion. Which phrase is the most appropriate way to start?

Answer: "Let's get down to business."

The idiom 'get down to business' means to start talking about the serious and important topics of a discussion. The other options are incorrect: 'call it a day' means to stop working, 'hit the road' means to leave, and 'go through the motions' means to do something without real effort.

The scientist was asked to ______ a talk on her recent discoveries at the international conference.

Answer: give

The correct and most common collocation is 'to give a talk'. This is also used for 'give a speech' or 'give a presentation'.

Despite the initial challenges, he was determined to ______ with his plan to start a new company.

Answer: go ahead

The phrasal verb 'go ahead with' means to proceed with a plan or action, especially after getting permission or despite difficulties. 'Go through' means to experience, 'go against' means to oppose, and 'go for' means to choose.