castigate

verb [ T ]
   formal
UK 
 /ˈkæs.tɪ.ɡeɪt/ US 
 /ˈkæs.tə.ɡeɪt/
 
to criticize someone or something severely:
Health inspectors castigated the kitchen staff for poor standards of cleanliness.
1. Trait (n): (chỉ người) từ này diễn tả một đặc điểm cụ thể nào đó có bộc lộ qua hành
vi hoặc cách ứng xử của một người mà khiến cho mọi người khác dễ dàng nhận thấy,
đặc biệt là bản chất tự nhiên của ai đó.
A sense of humour is his most interesting trait. Khiếu hài hước của anh ấy là cái nét
thú vị nhất.
He has a distinguishing trait, which is arrogance. Anh ta có cái kiểu không lẫn đi đâu
được đó là ngạo mạn.
Fastidious, bad-tempered and captious, she shares several traits with my old boss. Đã
kỹ tính, dễ nổi quạu lại còn hay soi mói, mấy cái tính này của nó y hệt ông sếp cũ của
tôi.
2. Characteristic (n): (chỉ người/ con vật và sự vật vô tri giác) từ này đều diễn tả chung
một đặc điểm độc đáo điển hình nào đó giúp phân biệt người/ con vật này với người/
con vật kia, vật này với vật kia
- Nếu chỉ người/ con vật, từ này thường diễn tả một đặc điểm vật lý (ngoại hình, giới
tính, tuổi tác) hoặc phẩm chất trừu tượng (năng khiếu, khả năng, tư duy, cảm xúc). =
Quality
Having a big nose is their family characteristic. Nhà nó có cái đặc trưng là mũi to.
A domesticated chicken displays many different characteristics from a turkey. Con gà
nuôi thuần hóa có nhiều đặc điểm khác với con gà tây.
Personal characteristics such as age and sex are taken into account by employers.
Những yếu tố cá nhân như tuổi tác và giới tính thường được các nhà tuyển dụng cân
nhắc.
- Nếu chỉ sự vật vô tri giác, từ này thường diễn tả các đặc tính vật lý, hóa học, sinh
học hay trạng thái trong tự nhiên của chúng. = Property
One significant characteristic of acid is that it reacts strongly to water. Một đặc tính
nổi bật của axit đó là phản ứng mạnh với nước.
Metals are excellent conductor of electricity, so many manufacturers use them for this
characteristic. Kim loại là chất dẫn điện cực tốt, vì vậy nhiều nhà sản xuất sử dụng
kim loại vì chính đặc tính này.
3. Character (n): (chỉ người và sự vật vô tri giác) từ này diễn tả một tập hợp của số
nhiều những “traits” và “characteristic” đã giải thích bên trên. Cụ thể hơn là:
- Nếu chỉ người, từ này diễn tả một tập hợp tất cả những “trait” mà một người có, và
được đánh giá hoặc gọi tên dưới dạng tính cách, tính nết hay cá tính.
Elegance is a well-known part of Hanoi people’s character in the past. Thanh lịch là
một nét đẹp nổi tiếng của tính cách người Hà Nội xưa. ( không phải là toàn bộ tính
cách)
He has such a strong character that I pay him a lot of respect. Anh ta có cái cá tính rất
mạnh nên tôi rất tôn trọng anh ta. (cá tính này gồm nhiều nét tính cách nhỏ hơn)
- Nếu chỉ sự vật vô tri giác, từ này diễn tả một tập hợp tất cả những “characteristic”
mà một sự vật vô tri giác có, và được đánh giá hoặc gọi tên dưới dạng đặc tính hay nét
đặc sắc.
The café where I visit has been rebuilt and lost all its old character. Cái quán café mà
tôi hay lui tới đã bị xây lại và mất hết cả mấy cái nét đặc sắc vốn có rồi.
4. Personality (n): (chỉ người) từ này đồng nghĩa với “character” mang nghĩa chỉ
người ở phía trên, cũng diễn tả một tập hợp tất cả những “trait” mà một người có, và
được đánh giá hoặc gọi tên dưới dạng tính cách, tính nết hay cá tính.
She has a warm personality. She is caring, thoughtful and sympathetic with other
people. Cô ây có một tính cách rất ấm áp, vừa biết quan tâm đến người khác, vừa chu
đáo, lại vừa đồng cảm với người khác nữa.
Your choice of clothes reflects you personality. Quần áo bạn mặc phản ánh chính tính
cách của bạn. 1. Doubtful about something/ doing something
Không chắc chắn về điều gì; không chắc sẽ làm việc gì đó.
2. Không có khả năng xảy ra; không thể.
3. Không chính cống, không đúng giá trị thực (thường dùng cho chất lượng của sản
phẩm, tác phẩm, hay đặc điểm tính cách của ai đó…).
4. Việc gì đó không chắc chắn và có khả năng sẽ rơi vào tình trạng tệ đi.
Ví Dụ
1. He was doubtful about accepting extra work. (Anh ta không chắc về việc sẽ nhận
thêm công việc).
2. He is injured and is doubtful for the game tomorrow. (Anh ta bị thương và không
có khả năng tham gia trận đấu ngày mai).
3. The wine is of doubtful quality. (Chất lượng của loại rượu vang này rất đáng
ngờ).
4. At the beginning of the war things were looking very doubtful. (Vào giai đoạn đầu
của cuộc chiến, mọi thứ trông có vẻ tệ đi).
Skeptical about / of something
Nghi ngờ hoặc tin là chuyện gì đó là đúng hoặc sẽ xảy ra.
Ví Dụ
I am skeptical about his chances of winning.
1. Dubious about something / doing something
Không chắc chắn về điều gì; không chắc sẽ làm việc gì đó vì nghi ngờ nó sẽ tệ đi hoặc
vì không rõ kết quả là tốt hay xấu.
2. Mang tính mập mờ, không minh bạch.
Ví Dụ
1. I was rather dubious about this idea. (Tôi khá là không chắc chắn về ý tưởng này).
2. They indulged in some highly dubious business practices to obtain their current
position in the market. (Họ tự cho phép mình thực hiện những hoạt động kinh doanh
không minh bạch để giành được chỗ đứng hiện tại trên thị trường).
1. Suspicious of / about somebody / something
Nghi ngờ rằng ai đó đã làm việc gì sai, trái pháp luật hoặc không trung thực.
2. Đáng ngờ/khả nghi/ không minh bạch.
Ví Dụ
1. They became suspicious of his behavior and immediately contacted the police. (Họ
nghi ngờ về hành vi của anh ta và lập tức báo tin cho cảnh sát).
2. She died in a suspicious circumstance. (Cô ấy chết trong một tình huống thật đáng
ngờ).
compos mentis
adjective [ after verb ]
   humorous
UK 
 /ˌkɒm.pɒs ˈmen.tɪs/ US 
 /ˌkɑːm.pəs ˈmen.t̬ əs/
 
able to think clearly and be in control of and responsible for your actions:
She was very old but still compos mentis.
on hand (=present=available)
Eg: The counse
lor is always on hand to offer a shoulder to cry on.
The ____ system in India resembles the class structure in Britain

breed
tribe
caste
sect
CAST
It has been medically proven that a poor diet leads to ____ growth

controlled
curbed
stunted
tempered
STUNTED
(prevent from growing or developing properly)
Bob is so short-tempered; he should try to ____ his anger

curb
control
temper
stunt
CURB
(restrain or keep in check)
If you ____ your demands, they may be accepted by others

control
stunt
temper
curb
TEMPER
(serve as a neutralizing or counterbalancing force )
Don't mention work to Ray, as it's a sore ____ with him at the moment

finger
place
thumb
point
POINT
Noisy parties are really not my ____

idea
scene
liking
preference
SCENE
The dog ____ under the table when I shouted at him for eating my steak

slithered
scampered
slunk
strutted
SLUNK (move smoothly and quietly with gliding steps, in a stealthy or sensuous
manner)
I hate the way Tony ____ around looking so self-important

struts
slithers
slinks
scampers
STRUTS
(walk with a stiff, erect, and apparently arrogant or conceited gait)
Rosie the kitten ____ playfully around with a ball

slunk
slithered
strutted
scampered
SCAMPERED ((especially of a small animal or child) run with quick light steps,
especially through fear or excitement)
Due to inflation, my savings have ____ gradually to practically nothing

dwindled
shrank
reduced
diminished
DWINDLED
(diminish gradually in size, amount, or strength)
Mike ____ the tone of the formal dinner by appearing in a pair of ripped jeans and an
old T-shirt

set
degraded
lowered
put
LOWERED
The exercise routine works in ____ with the diet

tandem
hand
league
cooperation
TANDEM
We are on ____ for a significant increase in production this year

form
track
line
target
TARGET
Martin just loves to ____ his teeth into a really challenging crossword

grind
put
get
sink
GET
The labourers decided to down ____ in support of the sacked workmate

equipment
apparatus
tools
instruments
TOOLS
The PM has ____ the controversial statement he made about nuclear arms

retracted
extracted
pulled out
renounced
RETRACTED
Due to his reckless driving his driving license was ____ by the court

refused
denied
rejected
revoked
REVOKED
Tom always tries to ____ perfection in everything he does

accomplish
attain
gain
manage
ATTAIN
Peter was heartbroken when Sue ____ his offer of marriage so cruelly

spurned
denied
disclaimed
renounced
SPURNED
(reject with disdain or contempt)
My mother told me that, as a child, I used to ____ continually for sweets

whine
complain
grumble
pester
WHINE
I ____ doubt whether he will actually carry out his threats

highly
deeply
absolutely
seriously
SERIOUSLY
It may be raining, but I'm ____ enjoying myself

thoroughly
highly
extremely
desperately
THOROUGHLY
People were ____ moved by the photographs in the newspaper

genuinely
totally
earnestly
lovingly
GENUINELY
Nothing you say will make a ____ of difference to my decision

scrap
fragment
gram
grain
SCRAP
Wine growers in Bordeaux recorded a ___ harvest this year

bumper
boom
BUMPER
I ____ agree with everything you said
wholeheartedly
unconditionally
WHOLEHEARTEDLY
Do you think he could be ____ upon to make a speech after the presentation?

prevailed
impelled
urged
pressured
PREVAILED
I was completely ____ over by their warm reception

pushed
run
bowled
thrown
BOWLED
I think the implications have been rather quickly ____ over

painted
removed
sprayed
glossed
GLOSSED
Don't you feel you have a ____ to yourself to keep going?

duty
pressure
reservation
compulsion
DUTY
The mayor expressed strong ____ as to the necessity for the new ring road

scruples
reservations
hesitation
proviso
RESERVATIONS
His happy-go-lucky attitude means that on the field he exhibits a ____ disregard

permissible
glaring
required
flagrant
FLAGRANT
I think that Tolstoy should be ____ reading for anyone interested in literature

necessary
compelled
required
legal
REQUIRED
The President was a man of ____ vision, wasn't he?

rare
frequent
distant
seldom
RARE
It was her ____ powers at the keyboard rather than her age which eventually forced
her retirement

meteoric
waning
slippery
negative
WANING
Don't you think the British sometimes have a rather ____ sense of humor?

creased
warped
chipped
WARPED
My brother's been a ____ of strength through all the problems I've had

tower
heap
mountain
TOWER
The boy in the flat above ours is becoming a real ____ for his parents

backache
toothache
headache
BACKACHE
You'll have to be on your ____ if you want to beat her

fingers
feet
toes
TOES
A rise in interest rates at the time would have thrown our plans out of ____

place
half
gear
GEAR
With all these scandals, she's never off the

front pages
headlines
tabloids
FRONT PAGES
If you aim for too high the stars, you may fall flat on your ____

back
nose
face
FACE
He has been ____ for gross misconduct

impressed
impounded
impeached
impelled
IMPEACHED
The youth team really ____ themselves in the semi-final

surmounted
excelled
beat
exceeded
EXCELLED
For years now it seems he has been ____ by bad luck

bugged
doomed
dogged
haunted
DOGGED
You should be ____ ashamed of yourself for what you've done

thoroughly
hopelessly
entirely
earnestly
THOROUGHLY
Nobody from the President down should imagine they are ____ the law

beyond
over
within
above
ABOVE
Despite a string of ____ performances he retained his place in the side

promising
reasonable
satisfactory
moderate
MODERATE (MEDIOCRE)
No matter how much pressure you put on Simon, he won't budge a(n) ____

mile
inch
foot
meter
INCH
It seems our application has been refused ____

point blank
bull's eye
carte blanche
about face
POINT BLANK
I don't think it's fair to ____ a comparison between the two sisters

do
strike
take
draw
DRAW
Adding salt at this stage is not going to make one ____ of difference

gram
iota
measurement
shred
IOTA
Considerations of safety were eventually ____ by those of cost

compared
outweighed
predominated
prevailed
PREVAILED
Most people think the 306 ____ favorably to earlier models

compares
matches
equals
draws
COMPARES
One of the most devastating weapons of modern time is the ____ missile

directed
instructed
programmed
guided
GUIDED
The factory made huge improvements in its general management and ____ control

quality
level
standard
equality
QUALITY
Industrial ____ have improved with the introduction of a shorter working week

relationships
relations
relatives
relativity
RELATIONS
The ____ state exists in order to provide free education and health care to the less
well-off

social
benefit
welfare
nanny
WELFARE
It's difficult to assess grass____ opinion on the subject of the President's actions

leaves
cuttings
stems
roots
ROOTS
I'm afraid we can only afford to pay you a ____ sum for your services

nominal
titular
complete
calculated
NOMINAL
What was the sum ____ of our takings for the week

amount
final
total
quota
TOTAL
Its success seems to work in ____ proportion to the number of people involved

inverse
opposite
contrary
retrograde
INVERSE
He always kept a ____ of the number of goals he scored each season

mark
sum
tally
calculation
TALLY
This particular species had ____ of hair behind the ears

tufts
groups
morsels
pieces
TUFTS
The plane crashed in a ____ of fire

pile
spurt
mass
ball
SPURT
Unfortunately ____ too often one of our players gives the ball away

all
every
none
once
ALL (ONLY)
Thousands _____ the streets to see the opening night of Simon's musical

trickled
flocked
thronged
swarmed
THRONGED
(throng sth ; flock to do sth)
It's difficult to conceive of the vast ____ of energy required by top marathon runners

volumes
quantities
reserves
amounts
RESERVES
There has been a welcome ____ of peace in Europe

outbreak
outcry
breakout
OUTBREAK
That was a bit of a ____ for the books: I never expected him to show up

turn-up
turnout
turn-in
turnaway
TURN-UP
The company's ____ has exceeded a billion dollars for the first time

output
outgoing
input
turnover
TURNOVER
The 5% wage increases they propose are ____

all for one

by and large
top to bottom
across the board
ACROSS THE BOARD
Money appears temporarily to be in plentiful ____

supply
excess
quantity
amount
SUPPLY
They quite simply dug their ____ in and refused to budge

feet
toes
heels
forks
HEELS
The ____ are of the opinion that they have been badly treated

underwritten
undersigned
below
initialled
UNDERSIGNED
He's been going through a bad ____ for some time

streak
mess
front
patch
PATCH
He's experienced something of a ____ in his fortunes lately

hole
snag
dip
hitch
DIP
I'm sorry to say that it seems you've been ____ your responsibilities

shouldering
dispelling
experiencing
shirking
SHIRKING
I find the prose style of many American writers virtually ____

illegible
impenetrable
impermeable
incorrigible
IMPENETRABLE
I found the whole experience ____ embarrassing

blatantly
hotly
acutely
ACUTELY
The whole team were ____ confident

abundantly
downright
supremely
SUPREMELY
It should be ____ clear that we are all under pressure

conspicuously
fully
abundantly
ABUNDANTLY
Any involvement in the accident was ____ denied by all the children

seriously
blatantly
conspicuously
strenuously
STRENUOUSLY
The racing driver handled the corner with ____ skill

consummate
comprehensive
confirmed
compulsive
CONSUMMATE
In time-honored ____, the chairman offered a toast to the shop-floor workers

protocol
way
procedure
fashion
FASHION
We'll have to take what he says on ____

trust
faith
belief
confidence
TRUST
They say that under pressure from the authorities Galileo _____

repudiated
rebutted
recanted
renounced
RECANTED
(say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, especially one considered heretical)
The manager _____ any suggestion that his team was facing bankruptcy

renounced
reminisced
responded
repudiated
REPUDIATED
(refuse to accept or be associated with)
There were one or two ____ voices, although the majority were in favor of the
proposal

acclaiming
clamouring
refuting
dissenting
DISSENTING
It's a(n) ____ secret that the two of them spent time together on the Caribbean tour

public
blatant
open
closed
OPEN
I have a ____ acquaintance with the facts of the case

shaking
slight
nodding
tiny
NODDING
I'm not all that well ____ the ways of the world in economic terms

up on
up to
on with
off with
OFF WITH
I have a mere ____ of German

smattering
knowledge
acquaintance
command
SMATTERING
She has only a(n) ____ knowledge of the subject under review, doesn't she?

scant
allround
first-hand
common
SCANT
My niece claim to be a(n) ____ vegetarian

confirmed
strict
devout
unshakeable
STRICT
I'm a ____ supporter of proportional representation

confirmed
strict
practising
staunch
STAUNCH
I've read that report so many times I feel I know it

forwards
backwards
sideways
upside down
BACKWARDS
The current team are of a remarkably high ____, despite injury problems

shape
standard
spirit
term
STANDARD
I think everyone should be ____ with the way office machinery works

conversant
mindful
answerable
attuned
CONVERSANT
The advancing army wreaked terrible ____ for their previous defeats

vengeance
reprisal
retaliation
vindictiveness
VENGEANCE
It was a furious argument and they ____ into each other without mercy

argued
laid
attacked
crashed
LAID
We encountered particularly ____ opposition in the second round of the tournament

hard
iron
rigid
stiff
STIFF
After several disastrous matches, he was ____ of the captaincy

cancelled
removed
relieved
reduced
RELIEVED
Her announcement was designed to ____ rumours of her imminent retirement

peter out
dispel
disperse
annihilate
DISPEL
As far as costs ____, there's little difference between the two options

concern
matter
go
make
GO
I'm beginning to realise that Alan is just ____ lazy

glaringly
conspicuously
crass
downrightDOWNRIGHT
I don't think anything would ____ me to leave this house
induceprevailentail
instigateINDUCE