1.

To be in limbo: to be in an uncertain situation in which it is not

clear what will happen next. Ex: I felt as if I was in limbo after
failing to pass the entrance exam.
2. To do harm to something/somebody:
 To have an adverse bearing on sbd/sth;
 To take a heavy toll on sbd/sth;
 To do sbd/sth a great disservice;
 To do a great disservice to sbd/sth;
 To do more harm than good to sbd/sth
3. To put a strain/ burden on something (v): to put pressure on
something. Ex: Financial problems have put a strain on their
relationship.
4. To engender/ raise some valid concerns (v)
5. To subscribe to this view/viewpoint/thinking/practice/… (v): to
advocate for. Ex: It is understandable why many people these
days subscribe to the view that countries can benefit from
operating an international sports event.
6. To be conducive to sth (v): to be helpful/useful/advantageous to
sth. Ex: Education holds the real source of power, since it is
conducive to seeking well-paid jobs.
7. However, this thinking is flawed, since […].
8. To be a [primary/foremost] driving force behind something
9. To act as a [precursor/stimulant/determinant] to something. Ex:
This may act as a precursor to not only a prosperous economy but
a civilian society.
10. A school of thought [holds/argues] that […] Ex: A school of
thought holds that it is urgent that government prevent funding
allotted to support the underprivileged from being diverted to
construction of unnecessary buildings.
11. Irrespective of = regardless of
12. To gain traction (v): to become popular. Ex: In this digital
age, it takes less time for new words and phrases to gain traction
than it did in the past.
13. To pale in comparison with something (v): to seem much
less serious or important when compared with someone or
something else. Ex: I am convinced that the aforementioned
advantages pale in comparison with the significant disadvantages
of taking a year-long break before embarking on tertiary
education.
14. To be attributed to (v): to be the result of something or
somebody
 To be attributable/ attributed/ ascribed to something: be
caused by
15. It is hard to overstate the importance of something: used to
say that something is extremely important or serious. Ex: The
importance of breakfast are often grossly overstated.
16. A perennial debate (n): existing for a long period of time. Ex:
Crime is perennial problem that all societies have to address.
17. To this end = In order to achieve this. Ex: As greater
importance is attached to looking good, people are becoming
more conscious of their weight than ever before and aspiring to
look trimmer. To this end, many people go on fad diets or stop
eating altogether for an extended period of time.
18. To place heavy emphasis on something (v): To consider
something important. Ex: Most Bachelor’s programs place heavy
emphasis on applicants’ academic achievements.
19. To be given precedence (v) = To take precedence: to be
prioritized. Ex: The new president promises to give precedence to
working classes.
20. The bulk of something (n): the majority of something. Ex:
The bulk of students in Vietnamese secondary schools attend
cram classes.
21. While there is no denying something: something is
undeniable. Ex: There is no denying President Ho Chi Minh’s
enduring influence on Vietnam’s political system and beliefs.
22. A host of = A lot of
23. To be a [good/telling] example
24. To deprive somebody/something of something. Ex: he
claimed that he had been deprived of his rights.
25. To fuel (v): to increase a feeling/ type of behaviour, or make
it stronger. Ex: Her ambition was fuelled by her older sister’s
achievements.
26. In the worst-case scenario = In the worst situation that can
be imagined. Ex: In the worst-case scenario, the whole coast
would be under water.
27. Inadvertently (a) = Unintentionally
28. Be to partly blame for something
29. To have far-reaching repercussions
30. To ascribe something to something/ somebody (v) = To
consider something to be caused, created or owned by something
or someone. Ex: To what do you ascribe your success of your
latest novels?; People like to ascribe human feelings to animals.
31. To be caused by myriad factors. Ex: There are myriad factors
that can imperil the environment.
32. To endorse (v): To publicly support
33. Peculiarities (n): đặc thù
34. Can ill afford/ Cannot afford (v): Should definitely not do
something as it will cause problems. Ex: We can ill afford to make
any mistakes at this stage in the project.
35. To balloon (v): to quickly increase in size, weight, or
importance. Ex: The ballooning childcare costs
36. To beget (v) = to cause. Ex: Poverty begets hunger, and
hunger begets crime.
37. To opine (v) = to express an opinion. Ex: I opine that Vietnam
is an country place to do business in.
38. Latent (a): tiềm ẩn. Ex: We are trying to bring out the latent
artistic talents that many people possess without realising it.
39. To push for (v): to demand something/ ask for something.
Ex: The female national football team is pushing for higher pay
and accusing the federation of gender discrimination.
40. […], and justifiably so.
41. By contrast/ In marked contrast
42. To be pro (a): supporting or agreeing with something. Ex:
She is really pro gay rights.
43. To instil (v): To put a feeling, idea, or principle gradually into
somebody’s mind, so that it has a strong influence on the way the
person lives. Ex: Being aware of our roots can instil a sense of
patriotism in each child.
44. To foster (v): To encourage the development or growth of
ideas or feelings. (>< To incite) Ex: I am trying to foster an interest
in classical music in my children.
45. Take on something (n): opinion. Ex: One of the best ways to
learn as an intern is to ask for the veteran’s takes on pretty much
anything.
46. To still have an important role to play
47. To eschew something in favour of something (v): to avoid
something intentionally and switch to the other thing
48. To be of the essence (v): to be extremely important. Ex: The
new virus is wreaking havoc on many countries and so far has
claimed many lives. For scientists, time is of the essence.
49. To employ (v) = to utilize = to use. Ex: The offence and
defence tactics that FC Barcelona employs are so well-thought-out
(=planned in an effective way) that they are pretty much
unassailable (=cannot be defeated/ questioned/ beaten/…), at
least in the domestic league.
50. To be a nuisance (n): to be annoying. Ex: Noisy neighbours
are a nuisance that many people in Vietnam have to deal with.
51. Intermittently (a): occurring regularly but not continuously.
Ex: Intermittent rain.
52. To decry (v): to complain. Ex: More and more people are
becoming vegetarian and decrying meat production.
53. Portion (n) = amount. Ex: Portion of their earnings
54. Insatiable hunger for something
55. To inconvenience (v): to cause trouble. Ex: Construction and
redevelopment projects in preparation for the upcoming Olympics
could greatly inconvenience the citizens.
56. To sabotage (v): to damage, destroy. Ex: New evidence has
come to the force, which threatens to sabotage his political
career.
57. Integrity (n): quality
58. Trivial (a) >< Substantive
59. To call into question (v): to make people doubt something.
Ex: Failure to contain the wildfire calls into question the city
council’s competence.
60. To ramp up (v): to boost
61. To manifest itself starkly in something
62. Down the line (a) = Down the read: In the future
63. A plethora of something (n) = A profusion of something: An
extremely large amount of something
64. To surmise (v) = to speculate = to theorize = to hypothesize =
to conjecture
65. A vicious cycle (n): a situation when a problem leads to
another problem that makes it more difficult to solve the original
problem
66. To sway (v): to persuade. Ex: To be no longer easily swayed
by marketing campaigns.
67. To give birth to something (v): to breed something/ to cause
something = to beget
68. To instigate (v) = to incite: to encourage a bad behaviour or
feeling. Ex: Social media is a double-edged sword: it can spread
positivity just as it can incite hatred. >< to instil
69. Tenuous (a): insignificant. Ex: Given the tenuous link
between physical punishment and obedience, it is baffling how
many parents still resort to hitting their children.
70. Jarring (a): shocking. Ex: The income disparity in the country
is jarring: never have I seen abject (=extreme) poverty directly
next to extravagant displays of wealth.
71. Tenure (n): nhiệm kỳ. Ex: His tenure at a Japanese firm has
ingrained in him the virtue of hard work and obsessive attention
to detail.
72. Handsome (a): large (amount). Ex: Students who are
cramming for the university placement exam must bear in mind
that all of this hardship is just momentary and will be rewarded
handsomely later on.
73. To be compounded by something (v): to be worsened with
something
74. To eclipse (v): to be much more important and noticeable
than something. Ex: Our happiness was soon eclipsed by the
terrible news.
75. Notwithstanding (preposition): despite
76. Be integral to something = ne necessary and important
77. To entail (v): to involve something
78. To accrue (v): To increase in number or amount over a
period of time. Ex: Little benefit will accrue to the city from the
new transport links.
79. To be adamant (a): quả quyết
80. To be unequivocally enormous
81. Inception (n): the beginning. Ex: Since its inception, Apple
has been pioneering streamlined, intuitive designs for
technological devices – things whose appearance used to be an
afterthought.
82. Polarizing (a): causing debate/ argument between two sides.
83. Instrumental (a): extremely important. Ex: President Ho Chi
Minh was unquestionably instrumental in the fight to reunite the
war-torn nation of Vietnam.
84. Mounting evidence (n): gradually increasing evidence. Ex:
Despite mounting evidence for the adverse effects of smoking,
many people still indulge in cigarettes.
85. Novice (a): newbie, inexperienced
86. To perpetuate (v): to carry on/ continue something. Ex: The
new CEO is tasked with perpetuating the company’s number one
position in the market.
87. To invigorate (v): to boost. Ex: The army was battered after
the first clash with the enemy, but the general’s speech managed
to invigorate the troop’s morale.
88. Stride (n): progress/ a step towards a goal. Ex: The strides he
has made in his study are awe-inspiring.
89. To pervade (v): to spread/ exist everywhere. Ex: In the wake
of the bombing attack, fear pervaded the city.
90. To morph into (v): to transform into something. Ex: In this
day and age, people are so easily offended that a casual remark
on a TV show can morph into a media crisis.
91. Scores of = Many
92. Exponential >< Infinitesimal (a)
93. To halt (v): to pause