Speaking and pronunciation – English vocabulary
33 words · English vocabulary · Created by OpenQuiz Team
33 English words with meanings: articulate (adj.), diphthong, eloquent, garrulous, inarticulate… Study them with flashcards, quizzes and AI speaking…
Part of the learning path: Vocabulary in Daily Life - Advance
Word list
- articulate (adj.) /ɑ:r'tɪkjələt/ (adjective) — able to speak clearly and express ideas well
Example:She is articulate and speaks with confidence.
Synonyms: clear-spoken, well-spoken - diphthong /'dɪfθɔ:ŋ/ (noun) — a single vowel sound that changes from one sound to another
Example:The word has a diphthong in the middle.
Synonyms: gliding vowel - eloquent /'ɛləkwənt/ (adjective) — able to speak or write in a clear, powerful, and beautiful way
Example:His eloquent speech moved the audience.
Synonyms: expressive, persuasive, fluent - garrulous /'ɡærjələs/ (adjective) — talking a lot, especially about unimportant things
Example:Our garrulous neighbor loves to talk.
Synonyms: talkative, loquacious, chatty - inarticulate /,ɪnɑ:r'tɪkjələt/ (adjective) — unable to speak clearly or express thoughts well
Example:He felt inarticulate after the bad news.
Synonyms: tongue-tied, speechless - leer /lɪr/ (verb) — Look at someone in a sly or unpleasant way
Example:He leered at her from across the room.
Synonyms: stare slyly, ogle - lisp /lɪsp/ (verb) — speak with an s sound instead of a normal one
Example:She lisps when she says certain sounds.
Synonyms: mispronounce, slur, sigmatize - lost for words /,lɔ:st fər 'wɜ:rdz/ (phrase) — unable to speak because of shock, surprise, or strong feeling
Example:I was lost for words when I heard the news.
Synonyms: speechless, at a loss for words - make eye contact (phrase) — to look directly into another person's eyes
Example:Try to make eye contact when you speak.
Synonyms: look at, meet the eyes of, gaze at - mumble /'mʌmbəl/ (verb) — speak very quietly and unclearly
Example:He mumbled an apology.
Synonyms: murmur, mutter, speak softly - off the cuff /,ɒf ðə 'kʌf/ (phrase) — said or done without preparation
Example:He gave an off-the-cuff speech.
Synonyms: impromptu, spontaneous, unprepared - put your foot in it /pʊt jʊr fʊt ɪn ɪt/ (idiom) — to say something embarrassing or wrong by mistake
Example:I really put my foot in it at dinner.
Synonyms: make a blunder, say the wrong thing, put one's foot in one's mouth - raise your eyebrows /reɪz jʊər 'aɪbraʊz/ (phrase) — to lift your eyebrows to show surprise or doubt
Example:She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
Synonyms: show surprise, look doubtful, lift one's eyebrows - scowl /skaʊl/ (verb) — Make an angry, bad-tempered face
Example:She scowled at the noisy crowd.
Synonyms: glare, frown - shed inhibitions /ʃɛd ,ɪnhə'bɪʃənz/ (phrase) — to become less shy or less controlled
Example:She finally shed her inhibitions and danced.
Synonyms: let go, open up, relax - shrug your shoulders /ʃrʌɡ jʊr 'ʃoʊldərz/ (phrase) — Lift your shoulders to show you do not know or care
Example:He shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don’t know.”
Synonyms: raise one's shoulders, shrug - speechless /'spi:tʃləs/ (adjective) — unable to speak because of surprise, shock, or strong feeling
Example:I was speechless after hearing the news.
Synonyms: dumbfounded, wordless, astonished - squirm /skwɜ:rm/ (verb) — to move your body uncomfortably because you feel nervous or embarrassed
Example:She squirmed in her seat during the speech.
Synonyms: wriggle, fidget, squirm about - stammer /'stæmər/ (verb) — to speak with repeated pauses and broken sounds
Example:He stammered when he forgot his lines.
Synonyms: stutter, hesitate, falter - strut /strʌt/ (verb) — to walk proudly in a showy way
Example:She strutted down the street.
Synonyms: swagger, parade, prance - stutter /'stʌtər/ (verb) — to speak with repeated stops because of a speech problem
Example:She stutters when she is nervous.
Synonyms: stammer, hesitate, falter - talk someone through /tɔ:k 'sʌmwʌn θru:/ (phrase) — to explain something carefully step by step
Example:She talked me through the new process.
Synonyms: explain step by step, guide through, walk through - talkative /'tɔ:kətɪv/ (adjective) — talking a lot, often too much
Example:My talkative neighbor loves to chat.
Synonyms: chatty, loquacious, verbose - tongue-tied /,tʌŋ 'taɪd/ (adjective) — unable to speak because you are nervous or shocked
Example:I was tongue-tied at the interview.
Synonyms: speechless, at a loss for words, dumbstruck - twitch /twɪtʃ/ (verb) — Make a small sudden movement, often from nerves
Example:His eye twitched from tiredness.
Synonyms: jerk, quiver - What a drag! /wʌt ə dræɡ/ (phrase) — an expression showing annoyance about something unpleasant
Example:What a drag! The train is delayed again.
Synonyms: How annoying!, What a nuisance!, What a bother! - What a pain! /wʌt ə peɪn/ (phrase) — an expression showing that something is annoying or troublesome
Example:What a pain! I left my keys at home.
Synonyms: How annoying!, What a nuisance!, What a bother! - whine /waɪn/ (verb) — to complain in a high, unhappy voice
Example:The baby whined until she was picked up.
Synonyms: complain, moan, whimper - whinge /wɪndʒ/ (verb) — to complain in an annoying, often repeated way
Example:He whinged about the noise all night.
Synonyms: complain, grumble, moan - whingeing /'wɪndʒɪŋ/ (adjective) — complaining in an annoying, often repeated way
Example:Her whingeing was getting on my nerves.
Synonyms: complaining, grumbling, moaning
…and 3 more words in this set.
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