1

NGOAINGU24H.VN

PERSONALITIES

well-mannered (adj) /ˌwel ˈmæn.əd/

behaving in a pleasant and polite way (cư xử tốt)

Ex: The other visitors were too well-mannered to complain.

flatter (v) /ˈflæt.ər/

to praise someone in order to make them feel attractive or important, sometimes in a way that
is not sincere (tâng bốc, xu nịnh)

Ex: I knew he was only flattering me because he wanted to borrow some money.

civil (adj) /ˈsɪv.əl/

polite and formal (lịch thiệp)

Ex: His manner was civil, though not particularly friendly.

tactful (adj) /ˈtækt.fəl/

careful not to say or do anything that could upset someone (khéo xử, thận trọng)

Ex: Mentioning his baldness wasn't very tactful.

diplomatic (adj) /ˌdɪp.ləˈmæt.ɪk/

acting in a way that does not cause offence (lịch sự, tế nhị)

Ex: Ask him nicely - be diplomatic.

crawl to sb /krɔːl/

to try hard to please in order to get an advantage (xu nịnh)

Chinh phục kì thi THPT QG cùng với cô Mai Phương tại website ngoaingu24h.vn!
 2
NGOAINGU24H.VN

Ex: She crawled to the group leader because she wanted a promotion.

take offence at sth

to feel offended by something, often unnecessary (mếch lòng)

Ex: Do you think he took offence at what I said about his hair?

insult (n) /ˈɪn.sʌlt/

an offensive remark or action (lời lăng mạ, xỉ nhục)

Ex: She made several insults about my appearance.

abrupt (adj) /əˈbrʌpt/

not friendly or polite; showing little interest in talking to other people (thô lỗ, cộc lốc)

Ex: His abrupt manner makes me uncomfortable.

self-conscious (adj) /ˌselfˈkɒn.ʃəs/

uncomfortable about yourself and worried about disapproval from other people (e dè, ngượng
ngập)

Ex: He had very bad skin as a teenager and it made him painfully self-conscious.

Quiz

Fill in the blanks with the words from the box

tactful flattering self-conscious abrupt taken offence

1. I always feel very _____________ when I'm with him.

2. ‘I’m far too busy to talk to you now,' he said, in his usual ________ manner.

3. She seems to have ______________ at something I said.

4. We decided that it would be ______ to leave, seem they obviously wanted to be alone.

5. You’re _________ me - I know my English isn't that good.

Chinh phục kì thi THPT QG cùng với cô Mai Phương tại website ngoaingu24h.vn!
 3
NGOAINGU24H.VN

inhibited (adj) /ɪnˈhɪb.ɪ.tɪd/

not confident enough to say or do what you want (gượng gạo, rụt rè)

Ex: The presence of strangers made her feel inhibited.

arrogant (adj) /ˈær.ə.ɡənt/

behaving in a proud, unpleasant way, showing little thought for other people (kiêu căng, ngạo
mạn)

Ex: I watched the interview and thought he seemed quite arrogant.

big-headed (adj) /ˌbɪɡˈhed.ɪd/

having a very high opinion of how important and clever you are; too proud (tự cao, tự đại)

Ex: People keep telling her she's clever and it's made her big-headed.

vain (adj) /veɪn/

too interested in your own appearance or achievements (kiêu ngạo, tự phụ)

Ex: He was very vain about his hair and his clothes.

smug (adj) /smʌɡ/

too pleased or satisfied about something you have achieved or something you know (quá tự
mãn)

Ex: She deserved her promotion, but I wish she wasn't so smug about it.

bossy (adj) /ˈbɒs.i/

always telling people what to do (hách dịch)

Ex: Guys of that age can get quite bossy.

self-opinionated (adj) /ˌself.əˈpɪn.jə.neɪ.tɪd/

Chinh phục kì thi THPT QG cùng với cô Mai Phương tại website ngoaingu24h.vn!
 4
NGOAINGU24H.VN

believing that your own opinions are always right and refusing to listen to those of other
people (bảo thủ)

Ex: He's so self-opinionated that it's impossible to have a reasonable discussion with him.

superior (adj) /suːˈpɪə.ri.ər/

showing by your behaviour that you think you are better than others (hợm hĩnh, làm cao)

Ex: I can't stand Amanda - she's so superior.

condescending (adj) /ˌkɒn.dɪˈsen.dɪŋ/

treating someone as if you are more important or more intelligent than them (kiêu căng, khinh
thị)

Ex: I hate the way he's so condescending to his staff!

domineering (adj) /ˌdɒm.ɪˈnɪə.rɪŋ/

trying to control other people without thinking about their feelings (độc đoán, hống hách)

Ex: I thought he was arrogant and domineering.

Quiz

Fill in the blanks with the words from the box

domineering bossy smug superior inhibited

1. She feels ________ to other people because she comes from a wealthy family.

2. Don't be so _______! I'm not your servant.

3. He was told at work that he was too ____________ and unable to delegate responsibility.

4. Now don’t get ______ just because you’ve won a couple of games.

5. Boys are often more ________ than girls about discussing their problems.

boast about (phrV) /bəʊst/

Chinh phục kì thi THPT QG cùng với cô Mai Phương tại website ngoaingu24h.vn!
 5
NGOAINGU24H.VN

to speak too proudly or happily about what you have done or what you own (khoe khoang)

Ex: Parents enjoy boasting about their children's achievements.

talk down to sb

to talk to someone as if they are less intelligent than you or not important (nói để hạ thấp ai
đó)

Ex: I wish politicians wouldn't talk down to us as if we were idiots.

look down on sb (phrV)

to think that you are better than someone (coi thường)

Ex: She thinks they look down on her because she doesn't have a job.

obstinate (adj) /ˈɒb.stɪ.nət/

refusing to change your opinions, way of behaving, etc. (bướng bỉnh, ngoan cố)

Ex: He can be very obstinate when he wants to be!

awkward (adj) /ˈɔː.kwəd/

uncooperative; difficult to deal with (không hợp tác)

Ex: I want him to change his plans, but he's being awkward.

persistent (adj) /pəˈsɪs.tənt/

continuing stubbornly to do something, in spite of opposition or difficulty (khăng khăng, cố

chấp)

Ex: If he hadn't been so persistent, he wouldn't have got his money back.

single-minded (adj) /ˌsɪŋ.ɡəlˈmaɪn.dɪd/

very determined to achieve something (quyết tâm, quả quyết)

Ex: She is single-minded in her pursuit of her studies.

Chinh phục kì thi THPT QG cùng với cô Mai Phương tại website ngoaingu24h.vn!
 6
NGOAINGU24H.VN

broad-minded (adj) /ˌbrɔːdˈmaɪn.d

willing to accept other people's behaviour and beliefs (phóng khoáng, rộng rãi)

Ex: At 70 she was surprisingly broad-minded.

bigoted (adj) /ˈbɪɡ.ə.tɪd/

showing strong, unreasonable beliefs or opinions and a refusal to change them (mù quáng)

Ex: He's so bigoted that he refuses to accept anyone who doesn't think like him.

assertive (adj) /əˈsɜː.tɪv/

behaving confidently and able to say in a direct way what you want or believe (quả quyết,
quyết đoán)

Ex: If you really want the promotion, you’ll have to be more assertive.

Quiz

Fill in the blanks with the words from the box

assertive obstinate bigoted talks down to broad-minded

1. He's so ________ that it's impossible to discuss politics with him.

2. I can talk to my parents about absolutely everything. They're very ____________.

3. There's no point in arguing with her - she's far too __________ to listen.

4. I really hate the way she _____________ me all the time — just because she's the boss's
daughter.

5. I've had to train myself to be more _________ at work.

Vocabulary highlights

✓ well-mannered (adj): cư xử tốt

✓ flatter (v): tâng bốc

Chinh phục kì thi THPT QG cùng với cô Mai Phương tại website ngoaingu24h.vn!
 7
NGOAINGU24H.VN

✓ civil (adj): lịch thiệp

✓ tactful (adj): khéo léo, thận trọng

✓ diplomatic (adj): lịch sự, tế nhị

✓ crawl to sb (v): xu nịnh

✓ take offence at sth: mếch lòng

✓ insult (n): lời lăng mạ

✓ abrupt (adj): thô lỗ

✓ self-conscious (adj): e dè, ngượng ngập

✓ inhibited (adj): gượng gạo

✓ arrogant (adj): kiêu căng

✓ big-headed (adj): tự cao

✓ vain (adj): kiêu ngạo

✓ smug (adj): quá tự mãn

✓ bossy (adj): hách dịch

✓ self-opinionated (adj): bảo thủ

✓ superior (adj): hợm hĩnh, làm cao

✓ condescending (adj): kiêu căng, khinh thị

✓ domineering (adj): độc đoán, hống hách

✓ boast about (phrV): khoe khoang

✓ talk down to sb: nói để hạ thấp ai đó

✓ look down on sb: coi thường ai

✓ obstinate (adj): bướng bỉnh, ngoan cố

✓ awkward (adj): không hợp tác

✓ persistent (adj): khăng khăng, cố chấp

✓ single-minded (adj): quả quyết

✓ broad-minded (adj): phóng khoáng

✓ bigoted (adj): mù quáng

Chinh phục kì thi THPT QG cùng với cô Mai Phương tại website ngoaingu24h.vn!
 8
NGOAINGU24H.VN

✓ assertive (adj): quả quyết

PRACTICE

1. We felt ______ that so many people came to our party.

A. civil B. diplomatic C. flattered D. well-mannered

2. Being _____ is the best way of swaying your loved one into your way of thinking.

A. bad-mannered B. crawl C. tactful D. insulting

3. He is sometimes very _____ with clients.

A. abrupt B. smug C. superior D. boastful

4. Jim is boasting _____ the getting promotion, but the boss hasn't officially awarded it yet.

A. with B. of C. for D. about

5. She ____ offence at the way the assistant spoke to her.

A. made B. took C. gave D. went

6. He had very bad skin as a teenager and it made him painfully ______.

A. self-conscious B. tactful C. diplomatic D. abrupt

7. It is obvious that you are not confused by the facts nor _____ by the truth.

A. arrogant B. inhibited C. big-headed D. civil

8. She is independent, strong-willed and determined and is often _____ with others.

A. superior B. tactful C. bossy D. conscientious

9. This ______ and often rude man was always honorable and usually sensitive.

A. civil B. tactful C. diplomatic D. obstinate

10. I don't mind you saying nasty things about me, but don’t _____ my mother.

A. awkward B. insult C. take offence D. assert

11. Nobody likes her at work because she crawls ____ the boss.

A. to B. with C. for D. from

12. It’s _____ to believe that nobody can do anything better than you can.

A. tactful B. well-mannered C. arrogant D. abrupt

Chinh phục kì thi THPT QG cùng với cô Mai Phương tại website ngoaingu24h.vn!
 9
NGOAINGU24H.VN

13. If you weren't so ____, you'd realize that the problems I’m talking about might happen to
you one day.

A. diplomatic B. smug C. awkward D. single-minded

14. She feels superior ____ other people because she comes from a wealthy family.

A. to B. off C. of D. from

15. He’s _____ to foreigners because they don't speak the language.

A. tactful B. diplomatic C. inhibited D. condescending

16. She's so _____ - no one else, has a chance to say anything when she's there.

A. smug B. well-mannered C. domineering D. offended

17. He looks _____ people who don't have as many qualifications as he has.

A. up to B. into C. up D. down on

18. She's so ______ about her career that she's never considered marriage or children.

A. single-minded B. arrogant C. stubborn D. vain

19. Although I'd read a lot of bad things about America, I was quite ______ when I went
there.

A. offended B. broad-minded C. insulted D. obstinate

20. I have never attended a more _____ and disturbing presentation.

A. assertive B. single-minded C. bigoted D. civil

Chinh phục kì thi THPT QG cùng với cô Mai Phương tại website ngoaingu24h.vn!