Unit 10 - Possibilities

Word

Example

impossible

It seems impossible that Robertson didn't know in advance what was going to happen

improbable

There really isn't enough evidence to prove that he committed the crime, so it's (highly) improbable that he'll be convicted

incredible

The incredible thing is that Robertson's The Wreck of the Titan was published 14 years before the Titanic was even built

irrelevant

These details are irrelevant to the story

unbelievable

Some of the coincidences in the story are unbelievable

unsuccessful

He wrote a rather unsuccessful book

cope with sth

She coped well with the primitive living conditions

give sth up

She had to give up the swim after 29 hours

overcome

She had to overcome the negative attitude of her all-male classmates

pursue

She practiced for 6 years to pursue her dreams

stuck with

She stuck with her idea of having more green spaces in Bangkok

tackle

She decided to tackle this challenging swim

work on sth

My grammar's quite good – I just need to work on my pronunciation

believe

I can't believe it!

surprised

We were very surprised at the result

dishonest

Alex is a bit dishonest

dissatisfied

My friend recommended the hotel but I was very dissatisfied

expected

He discovered that his new job was even better than expected

experienced

William was an experienced and responsible employee with regular working hours

formal

William explained in a formal and polite manner that he was not satisfied with his situation

fortunate

William felt like a very fortunate man

honest

William was happy that he had been honest with himself and followed his heart

illegal

The police discovered her illegal use of company funds

impatient

She's very good with young children, but she can get a bit impatient with teenagers

inexperienced

Sally was still quite inexperienced

irregular

She was dissatisfied with her job, especially the irregular hours

irresponsible

It was irresponsible of Karen to leave the documents in an unlocked car

legal

William was working as a legal adviser

patient

William was not a patient man

polite

William explained in a formal and polite manner that he was not satisfied with his situation

regular

William was an experienced and responsible employee with regular working hours

responsible

William was an experienced and responsible employee with regular working hours

satisfied

William explained in a formal and polite manner that he was not satisfied with his situation

pass a note

During the meeting, she discreetly passed a note to her colleague

glimpse

I caught a glimpse of the actor as he left the building

sustainable

We need to find more sustainable ways to produce energy

stick with

If you stick with your study plan, you'll definitely improve your language skills by the end of the course

one way or another

One way or another, we'll finish this project by the deadline

there's no way

There's no way I can finish this book in just one night – it's over 500 pages long!

the other way round

You're supposed to plug in the cable this way, not the other way round

to make one's way

After the conference, she made her way to the hotel to get some rest

in some ways

In some ways, learning a new language is like solving a puzzle – it takes time and patience

all the way

We walked all the way to the top of the mountain, and the view was absolutely worth it