English Words for Advanced Foreign Learners

[scherbchen]

Allow me to clarify. Please post in this thread any words you, as a native speaker of the English language, should know. I am not talking about the basic vocabulary (*car*, *door*, *food*), we will take those for granted. We will bypass intermediate vocabulary as well. I would like to focus on advanced vocabulary, not specialized. These can all be looked up in any decent dictionary, I am not talking about the most exotic words you can come up with. I would like to know some words you use every now and then that will usually draw a blank from foreigners.

Some examples:

misogynist - anti-female
adamantine - harder than steel
chagrin - worry

Thanks from the second language portion of this forum.

PS: proverbs and idioms are welcome as well, of course.

 

[Fetus4188]

I wouldn't know where to start. I *know* that the words you are talking about are the sorts of vocabulary that is taught near the end of high school. I'll try to remember a few of them. Anyone really interested in learning such words would do well just to pick up some high school level vocab books.

banal - lacking originality; trite ( check the pronounciation, for that matter check the pronounciation of pronounciation )

...

Scratch that, quick google search gave me a nice little list of "100 words high schoolers should know"

Spoiler :

accentuate
alliteration
analogy
antibody
aspire
ellipse
embargo
enthusiastic
exponent
exult
jovial
kilometer
labyrinth
laconic
lichen
plateau
polygon
protagonist
pulverize
quandary
auspicious
chromosome
deciduous
enfranchise
epiphany
oligarchy
omnipotent
orthography
oxidize
parabola
bamboozle
bizarre
boisterous
boycott
camouflage
fallacy
flourish
formidable
gargoyle
guerrilla/guerilla
lightyear
marsupial
maneuver
metaphor
mosaic
quarantine
quota
rainforest/ rain forest
random
recede
equinox
facetious
filibuster
gerrymander
hemoglobin
paradigm
parameter
photosynthesis
plagiarize
plasma
chronology
commemorate
cower
decorum
deduction
guru
heritage
hieroglyphic
hologram
hypocrisy
mutation
nebula
nocturnal
nuisance
omnivore
renaissance
renegade
repose
sacrifice
silhouette
homogeneous
hypotenuse
impeach
incognito
infrastructure
precipitous
quasar
recapitulate
reciprocal
respiration
deign
despondent
dialogue
divulge
eclectic
immune
impertinent
inference
introspection
jaunty
outrageous
ozone
parasite
participle
phloem
solstice
spectrum
stereotype
strategy
suffrage
irony
kinetic
kowtow
laissez faire
lexicon
soliloquy
subjugate
taxonomy
tectonic
tempestuous
symbiosis
tariff
technique
tempo
toxin
tranquility
tumult
tundra
ultraviolet
unanimous
undulate
vaccine
vacillate
vertebrate
virtuoso
voracious
wretched
xylem
yacht
zoology
loquacious
metamorphosis
mitosis
nomenclature
notarize
thermodynamics
totalitarian
vehement
vortex
wrought

Looking through that it is more a list of words someone should know after completing all high school subjects, and not strictly limited to "vocab" words.

 

[Bigfoot3814]

Sexist: Someone who discriminates based on gender.

 

[Gooblah]

Next time you travel to the United States, check out in local bookstores:

"100 Must-Know SAT/ACT Vocab Words!" or any variation thereof. The SAT and ACT are two exams that most students must take during their last years of public schooling to have a chance to enter virtually any good college in the United States. Both have vocabulary-intense sections.

 

[TheBladeRoden]

antidisestablishmentarianism

an·ti·dis·es·tab·lish·men·tar·i·an·ism Audio Help /ˌæntiˌdɪsəˌstæblɪʃmənˈtɛəriəˌnɪzəm, ˌæntaɪ-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[an-tee-dis-uh-stab-lish-muhn-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm, an-tahy-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
opposition to the withdrawal of state support or recognition from an established church, esp. the Anglican Church in 19th-century England.
[Origin: anti- + disestablishment + -arian + -ism]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

 

[holy king]

I wouldn't know where to start. I *know* that the words you are talking about are the sorts of vocabulary that is taught near the end of high school. I'll try to remember a few of them. Anyone really interested in learning such words would do well just to pick up some high school level vocab books.

banal - lacking originality; trite ( check the pronounciation, for that matter check the pronounciation of pronounciation )

...

Scratch that, quick google search gave me a nice little list of "100 words high schoolers should know"

Spoiler :

accentuate
alliteration
analogy
antibody
aspire
ellipse
embargo
enthusiastic
exponent
exult
jovial
kilometer
labyrinth
laconic
lichen
plateau
polygon
protagonist
pulverize
quandary
auspicious
chromosome
deciduous
enfranchise
epiphany
oligarchy
omnipotent
orthography
oxidize
parabola
bamboozle
bizarre
boisterous
boycott
camouflage
fallacy
flourish
formidable
gargoyle
guerrilla/guerilla
lightyear
marsupial
maneuver
metaphor
mosaic
quarantine
quota
rainforest/ rain forest
random
recede
equinox
facetious
filibuster
gerrymander
hemoglobin
paradigm
parameter
photosynthesis
plagiarize
plasma
chronology
commemorate
cower
decorum
deduction
guru
heritage
hieroglyphic
hologram
hypocrisy
mutation
nebula
nocturnal
nuisance
omnivore
renaissance
renegade
repose
sacrifice
silhouette
homogeneous
hypotenuse
impeach
incognito
infrastructure
precipitous
quasar
recapitulate
reciprocal
respiration
deign
despondent
dialogue
divulge
eclectic
immune
impertinent
inference
introspection
jaunty
outrageous
ozone
parasite
participle
phloem
solstice
spectrum
stereotype
strategy
suffrage
irony
kinetic
kowtow
laissez faire
lexicon
soliloquy
subjugate
taxonomy
tectonic
tempestuous
symbiosis
tariff
technique
tempo
toxin
tranquility
tumult
tundra
ultraviolet
unanimous
undulate
vaccine
vacillate
vertebrate
virtuoso
voracious
wretched
xylem
yacht
zoology
loquacious
metamorphosis
mitosis
nomenclature
notarize
thermodynamics
totalitarian
vehement
vortex
wrought

Looking through that it is more a list of words someone should know after completing all high school subjects, and not strictly limited to "vocab" words.

it's more a list of greek and latin words.

 

[Fetus4188]

it's more a list of greek and latin words.

Well English is a German and Latin language. If you want distinctly "English" or "American" words you need to look at very modern phrases and words. I'm pretty sure everyone here already knows what a compact disk is, though.

 

[Aegis]

I felt this needed to be elaborated on:

cha·grin /ʃəˈgrɪn/ verb, -grined or -grinned, -grin·ing or -grin·ning.
–noun
1. a feeling of vexation, marked by disappointment or humiliation.
–verb (used with object)
2. to vex by disappointment or humiliation: The rejection of his proposal chagrined him deeply.
3. Obsolete. shagreen (def. 1).

n. A keen feeling of mental unease, as of annoyance or embarrassment, caused by failure, disappointment, or a disconcerting event: To her chagrin, the party ended just as she arrived.

 

[holy king]

Well English is a German and Latin language. If you want distinctly "English" or "American" words you need to look at very modern phrases and words. I'm pretty sure everyone here already knows what a compact disk is, though.

or as a german translator once put it: "english is a language consisting of foreign words that are pronounced in a funny way."

 

[Love]

I wouldn't know where to start. I *know* that the words you are talking about are the sorts of vocabulary that is taught near the end of high school. I'll try to remember a few of them. Anyone really interested in learning such words would do well just to pick up some high school level vocab books.

banal - lacking originality; trite ( check the pronounciation, for that matter check the pronounciation of pronounciation )

...

Scratch that, quick google search gave me a nice little list of "100 words high schoolers should know"

Spoiler :

accentuate
alliteration
analogy
antibody
aspire
ellipse
embargo
enthusiastic
exponent
exult
jovial
kilometer
labyrinth
laconic
lichen
plateau
polygon
protagonist
pulverize
quandary
auspicious
chromosome
deciduous
enfranchise
epiphany
oligarchy
omnipotent
orthography
oxidize
parabola
bamboozle
bizarre
boisterous
boycott
camouflage
fallacy
flourish
formidable
gargoyle
guerrilla/guerilla
lightyear
marsupial
maneuver
metaphor
mosaic
quarantine
quota
rainforest/ rain forest
random
recede
equinox
facetious
filibuster
gerrymander
hemoglobin
paradigm
parameter
photosynthesis
plagiarize
plasma
chronology
commemorate
cower
decorum
deduction
guru
heritage
hieroglyphic
hologram
hypocrisy
mutation
nebula
nocturnal
nuisance
omnivore
renaissance
renegade
repose
sacrifice
silhouette
homogeneous
hypotenuse
impeach
incognito
infrastructure
precipitous
quasar
recapitulate
reciprocal
respiration
deign
despondent
dialogue
divulge
eclectic
immune
impertinent
inference
introspection
jaunty
outrageous
ozone
parasite
participle
phloem
solstice
spectrum
stereotype
strategy
suffrage
irony
kinetic
kowtow
laissez faire
lexicon
soliloquy
subjugate
taxonomy
tectonic
tempestuous
symbiosis
tariff
technique
tempo
toxin
tranquility
tumult
tundra
ultraviolet
unanimous
undulate
vaccine
vacillate
vertebrate
virtuoso
voracious
wretched
xylem
yacht
zoology
loquacious
metamorphosis
mitosis
nomenclature
notarize
thermodynamics
totalitarian
vehement
vortex
wrought

Looking through that it is more a list of words someone should know after completing all high school subjects, and not strictly limited to "vocab" words.

You forgot Bollocks!

 

[Fetus4188]

I'm not British.

 

[pau17]

Maybe these are too simple, but I'll post some expressions that I have heard foreigners have trouble with:

-to hear something through the grapevine
-to beat someone to the punch
-to be out of it
-to get the short end of the stick
-to set things straight
-to lay the cards on the table
-to be on top of things
-to lose it
-I couldn't care less (vs. I could care less; there have been threads on this)
-by and large
-pretty much

Also, preopositions. By and large, this is where the majority of non-native errors are made, while all other aspects of foreigners' English may be perfect. The most frequent error might be to say "in the page" instead of "on the page." Many verbs in English acquire new meanings with a preposition attached, such as "look up," "look out," "look in," "look down on/upon," "look forward to," "write down," "write up/off," "check in," "check out," "check on," "pull up," "pull out," and many more. Again, maybe that is too simple, but most non-native speakers get caught up in prepositions more than anything else.

 

[Arwon]

Phrasal verbs are a nightmare even for advanced learners. A list of, say, the 100 most used and most important phrasal verbs would be good.

 

[Ecofarm]

Equatism.

Look it up.

Spoiler :

4 of the top 10 google results = CFC! And for 'equatist' we get a good one too

 

[holy king]

Equatism.

Look it up.

thread winner.

 

[jessiecat]

Another type of idiomatic expression that even other English speakers will struggle with are local expressions which convey a meaning different from the literal word. An example here in Cornwall is "I'll be there d'rectly". That should mean immediately but it really means "when i can" or "eventually".
Similiar to "manana" in Spanish I guess.

 

[Mirc]

misogynist - anti-female
adamantine - harder than steel
chagrin - worry

banal

Spoiler :

accentuate
alliteration
analogy
antibody
aspire
ellipse
embargo
enthusiastic
exponent
exult
jovial
kilometer
labyrinth
laconic
lichen
plateau
polygon
protagonist
pulverize
quandary
auspicious
chromosome
deciduous
enfranchise
epiphany
oligarchy
omnipotent
orthography
oxidize
parabola
bamboozle
bizarre
boisterous
boycott
camouflage
fallacy
flourish
formidable
gargoyle
guerrilla/guerilla
lightyear
marsupial
maneuver
metaphor
mosaic
quarantine
quota
rainforest/ rain forest
random
recede
equinox
facetious
filibuster
gerrymander
hemoglobin
paradigm
parameter
photosynthesis
plagiarize
plasma
chronology
commemorate
cower
decorum
deduction
guru
heritage
hieroglyphic
hologram
hypocrisy
mutation
nebula
nocturnal
nuisance
omnivore
renaissance
renegade
repose
sacrifice
silhouette
homogeneous
hypotenuse
impeach
incognito
infrastructure
precipitous
quasar
recapitulate
reciprocal
respiration
deign
despondent
dialogue
divulge
eclectic
immune
impertinent
inference
introspection
jaunty
outrageous
ozone
parasite
participle
phloem
solstice
spectrum
stereotype
strategy
suffrage
irony
kinetic
kowtow
laissez faire
lexicon
soliloquy
subjugate
taxonomy
tectonic
tempestuous
symbiosis
tariff
technique
tempo
toxin
tranquility
tumult
tundra
ultraviolet
unanimous
undulate
vaccine
vacillate
vertebrate
virtuoso
voracious
wretched
xylem
yacht
zoology
loquacious
metamorphosis
mitosis
nomenclature
notarize
thermodynamics
totalitarian
vehement
vortex
wrought

Love being able to speak a Romance language. The GREAT majority of those words are banal* for me (although I have no idea about some, like wrought, loquacious, kowtow, jaunty).

*(yes, that's how you would say it in Romanian same word, same spelling, same meaning)

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Maybe these are too simple, but I'll post some expressions that I have heard foreigners have trouble with:

-to hear something through the grapevine
-to beat someone to the punch
-to be out of it
-to get the short end of the stick
-to set things straight
-to lay the cards on the table
-to be on top of things
-to lose it
-I couldn't care less (vs. I could care less; there have been threads on this)
-by and large
-pretty much

Also, preopositions. By and large, this is where the majority of non-native errors are made, while all other aspects of foreigners' English may be perfect. The most frequent error might be to say "in the page" instead of "on the page." Many verbs in English acquire new meanings with a preposition attached, such as "look up," "look out," "look in," "look down on/upon," "look forward to," "write down," "write up/off," "check in," "check out," "check on," "pull up," "pull out," and many more. Again, maybe that is too simple, but most non-native speakers get caught up in prepositions more than anything else.

Most of those are idiomatic expressions, and their understanding is entirely different from vocabulary.


A good word to know in America s y'all, it's a simple contraction of you all (the pronoun "ihr" in German, Scherben).

myriad - an uncountably high number of something

example: There are myriad windows in New York City.

maxim - an objective rule

For example, there are many military maxims, such as "march divided, fight concentrated" or "no plan survives contact with the enemy."

implacable - lacking the ability to be calmed

 

[holy king]

*(yes, that's how you would say it in Romanian same word, same spelling, same meaning)

it's even the same in german.

 

[Mirc]

implacable - lacking the ability to be calmed

That's quite different to what I would expect it to be. Thanks.

it's even the same in german.

It's probably a wanderwort.