Unit 12

Word

Definition

Example

capital

money or property used to produce wealth

Because Mr Blech is injecting new capital, Ecogen said it is no longer seeking a buyer

capitalism

an economic and political system in which businesses belong mostly to private owners, not to the government

He noted that capitalism and socialism had opposed each other while mutually influencing the way they had developed

critic

a person who expresses an unfavourable opinion of something

Critics of the scheme have said that it will not solve the problem of teenage crime

criticise

to express your disapproval of someone or something, or to talk about their faults

Jon criticised me of complaining all the time.

favourite

best liked or most enjoyed

I love chocolate ice-cream – it's my favourite!

favour

approval, support, or liking for someone or something

Could you do me a favour and tell Kelly I can't make it?

friend

a person who you know well and who you like a lot, but who is usually not a member of your family

All my friends like rock music.

unfriendly

showing dislike and no sympathy

The crowd was unfriendly and dangerous.

hero

someone who does something brave or good, which people respect or admire them for

But he knows that his daughters were heroes and thanks them every day for saving his life.

heroic

extremely brave or determined, and admired by many people

She made heroic efforts to save her family.

ideal

the best or most suitable that something could possibly be

He's my ideal man.

race

a competition in which people, animals, cars, etc. try to go faster than each other

He won the race easily.

racism

when someone believes that people of their own race are better than people of other races

UEFA is trying to fight against racism

tour

a visit to a place or area, especially one during which you look around the place or area and learn about it

A bus took us on a sightseeing tour of the city.

tourist

a person who is travelling or visiting a place for pleasure

Cambridge is always full of tourists in the summer.

vegetarian

a person who does not eat meat for health or religious reasons

She's been a vegetarian for ten years now.

do good

to have a positive effect on someone

Working as a volunteer will do Francesca good.

do harm

to damage something or make something worse

Hard work won't do you any harm!

do the right thing

to act or behave correctly, appropriately, or with the best intentions.

Orla is a kind and considerate person who always tries to do the right thing.

do (my, your, etc.) duty

to do, undertake, or accomplish that which is expected or required from one

Helping to clean local parks is one way of doing your duty for your community.

make a difference

to improve a situation

Even a small donation to the charity will make a difference.

make an excuse

to explain why you are not able to do something

Jordan forgot her homework again and made another silly excuse.

make sense

if something makes sense, there seems to be a good reason or explanation for it

Studying when you feel tired doesn't make sense.

careful

giving a lot of attention to what you are doing so that you do not have an accident, make a mistake, or damage something

Olivia loves bikes but she's a very careful cyclist.

caring

kind and giving support

The best nurses are the ones who are caring towards their patients.

famous

known and recognized by many people

Many vloggers have become famous as a result of their online videos.

infamous

Having a bad reputation; of bad report; notoriously vile; detestable

Police have arrested a member of the infamous gang of computer hackers.

kind

one of the different types of a person or thing that belong to the same group

The residents at the home where Oscar works really love him because he's so kind to them.

ordinary

average, common, or usual, not different or special

Despite being rich and famous, famous, they live like ordinary people.

polite

someone who is polite behaves towards other people in a pleasant way that follows all the usual rules of society

The teacher insists that we're always polite to each other in class, even when we disagree.

popular

liked or admired by many people or by a particular person or group.

Alfie is the most popular boy in the class; everyone likes him.

sensible

someone who is sensible behaves in a way that seems reasonable and practical

Poppy's sensible and always gives good advice.

sensitive

easily affected or damaged by something such as a substance or temperature

She is very sensitive to changes in temperature.

typical

showing all the characteristics that you would usually expect from a particular group of things

Is there really any such thing as a typical teenager?

unknown

not famous

An unknown man who rescued two children child from a house fire received an award.