Hi everyone. Today I have something a
little different for you. I've put together a little quiz, so you can test
your vocabulary and have a bit of fun at the same time. If you know all or most of
these words, then you probably have a very good English vocabulary. If you're
new to my channel, be sure to subscribe and to click the little bell, so that
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want to follow me on social media, you can do that too. And remember to turn on
the subtitles if you need them. Now let's get to today's quiz. I'm going to show
you several sentences. Each one has a word missing and from two options you
need to choose which word fits best. I should also say that although this is
advanced vocabulary, these aren't obscure words. Obscure words
are words that not many people know. The words in this quiz are words that native
speakers use when they speak. An eight-year-old might not know them, but
adults commonly use these words. Are you ready? Number one: It was ___ to see a police car
outside the neighbour's house this morning. What fits best?
Disconcerting or discerning? The answer is: disconcerting. If something is disconcerting, it means
that it makes you feel a little worried, confused or uncertain. Discerning is an
adjective that describes a person. A person who is discerning is someone who
shows that they are able to make good judgments, particularly about style or quality. It's often used in marketing. For example:
Our products are designed for discerning customers. Number two: My mentor gave me
some ___ advice. Is it inevitable or invaluable? The answer is: invaluable.
My mentor gave me some invaluable advice. Invaluable means extremely useful or helpful. Inevitable means certain to happen. It's used to describe something that can't be
avoided or prevented. For example: If you don't brush your teeth,
losing friends is inevitable. Number three: His ___ remarks made it clear
that he wasn't taking the situation seriously. Is it flickering or flippant? The answer is: flippant. His flippant
remarks made it clear that he wasn't taking the situation seriously. Flippant
means not being serious about something that other people think you should be
serious about. We often use it in front of words like "remark", "attitude", "answer" or
"tone". From her flippant tone, I could tell she didn't care. If you're a French
speaker, be careful because this is a false friend. Flippant does not mean "flippant".
Flickering comes from the verb "flicker" and it's used to talk about
something that emits light, like a lamp or a flame. To flicker means to go on
and off very quickly, so if a light is flickering it means it's doing
something like that. Number four: Ethel memorised
the speech ___. Should it be verbatim or virtually? The answer is verbatim.
Ethel memorised the speech verbatim. Verbatim is an adverb and it means using
the exact words that were originally used and in the right order.
It's similar to word-for-word. Another example: He remembered the
conversation verbatim. Virtually means almost. For example: They made big promises,
but virtually nothing has changed. That means almost
nothing has changed. It also means by computer rather
than in person or in the real world. I'm now able to teach students
virtually thanks to the internet. Number five: The views from the hotel
window where absolutely ___ . Is it breathless or breathtaking? The answer is breathtaking. The views from
the hotel window were absolutely breathtaking. Breathtaking means very beautiful,
impressive or surprising. You might know the expression "to take
somebody's breath away". The views took my breath away.
That means the same thing. Breathless, on the other hand, means not
being able to breathe easily, especially because you're tired, excited or scared. For example: I was breathless
after walking up those stairs. Number six: I would avoid the boss today
if I were you, because he's been very ___ . Is it irritable or irrational? The answer is irritable. I would avoid
the boss today if I were you, because he's been very irritable. You could
maybe use "irrational" here, but "irritable" makes more sense. Irritable means
becoming annoyed easily or quickly. Irrational means not using or not based
on clear thinking or reason. It's the opposite of "rational". For example: Frank's
arguments are often quite irrational. Number seven: The new leader
was elected by a ___ vote. Is it unanimous or uniform? The answer is unanimous.
The new leader was elected by a unanimous vote. If something is unanimous,
it means that everybody agrees. For example: If you say the decision was
unanimous, it means that everybody who was involved in making that decision was
in agreement. You probably know the word "uniform" as a noun. For example: school
uniform, police uniform, etc. But did you know that it was also an adjective? As an
adjective, it basically means the same or not varying. The furniture in the dining
hall was a uniform green. That means that all the furniture was the same shade of
green. The treatment of staff in that company wasn't uniform. That means that
people were treated differently. Number eight: If you're trying to look ___ ,
I wouldn't wear that yellow hat. Is it inconspicuous or indifferent? The answer is: inconspicuous. If you're
trying to look inconspicuous, I wouldn't wear that yellow hat. This means not
easily or quickly seen or noticed. The opposite is "conspicuous". Often we put the
verb "look" in front of "conspicuous" or "inconspicuous", but you don't have to.
They're also not just used for people. For example, you could say: The office is
located in an inconspicuous brown building. "Indifferent" is not the opposite
of "different". It actually means not interested at all in something or someone. For example: Teaching a class of
indifferent teenagers can be challenging. Number nine: George is quite shy, so Ethel
had to ___ him into coming to the party. Is it coach or coax? The answer is: coax. George is quite shy, so Ethel had
to coax him into coming to the party. To coax means to persuade
someone to do something they don't want to do in a gentle way. It's
often used with "into" plus the -ing form. Ethel had to coax him
into coming to the party. Or: I coaxed her into inviting me. To coach is similar to teach,
but we normally use it for sport or for private teaching, such as
tutoring. For example: John coaches a basketball team on the weekend.
George coaches Frank in maths. Number ten: They tried to ___
the witness into lying in court. Is it collapse or coerce? The answer is: coerce. They tried to coerce
the witness into lying in court. "Coerce" is similar to "coax", but we use them in
very different contexts. To coerce means to force somebody to do something they
don't want to do by using threats. We also often use "into" plus
the -ing form after it. They tried to coerce the
witness into lying in court. Another example: He was coerced
into stealing for them. He was coerced into stealing for them. You probably know what "collapse"
means. It can mean to fall down due to sickness or tiredness; it can mean to fold something into a smaller shape,
such as furniture; or it can be used for businesses or systems when they fail. For example: The share market
collapsed during the economic crisis. So how did you go?
If you got them all right, you probably have a very good English
vocabulary. If you didn't, don't worry. I hope that you at least learned
something new today. If you would like to practise
using some of these words, write a couple of sentences in the comments section
and I'll try to correct them for you. Thanks very much for watching, guys. If you liked the video, please hit the
thumbs up. I'll see you next time. ... used for... He remembered the... Frank's arguments - hair in the mouth... Are you ready? (clears throat) Clearly I'm not ready.
