Vocab…
terse (adj)
using few words, sometimes in a way that seems rude or unfriendly:
Use : “Are you feeling any better?” “No, ” was the terse reply.
His answers were as terse as his folded arms in a press conference
tersely (adv)
terseness (n)
–
eloquent (adj)
giving a clear, strong message:
Use : She made an eloquent appeal for action before it was too late.
Use : The pictures were an eloquent reminder of the power of the volcano.
eloquently (adv)
He spoke eloquently.
eloquence (noun)
She was renowned for her eloquence and beauty.
–
surreal (adj)
strange; not like reality; like a dream:
USe : Driving through the total darkness was a slightly surreal experience.
Buñuel’s films have a surreal quality.
Surrealism (noun)
Use : a type of 20th century art and literature in which unusual or impossible things are shown happening
Surrealist noun [C], adjective SPECIALIZED
surrealistic adjective
not like reality; very unusual or impossible
–
perch (SIT) verb
perch in/on, etc. sth to sit on or near the edge of something:
Use : We perched on bar stools and had a beer.
A blackbird was perching on the gate.
2 to be in a high position or in a position near the edge of something, or to put something in this position:
The village is perched on top of a high hill.
perch
noun [C] plural perch or US ALSO perches
1 a place where a bird sits, especially a thin rod in a cage
2 a seat or other place high up, often giving a good view of something below:
We watched the parade from our perch on the scaffolding.
–
sullen (adj)
angry and unwilling to smile or be pleasant to people:
Use : His daughters stared back at him with an expression of sullen resentment.
LITERARY She looked up at the sullen (= dark and unpleasant) sky and shuddered.
sullenly (adv)
She turned her back to him and stared sullenly out of the window.
sullenness Show phonetics
noun [U]
–
aficionado noun [C] plural aficionados FORMAL
someone who is very interested in and enthusiastic about a particular subject:
Use : a club for model railway aficionados
Use : an aficionado of French films
–
deadpan (adj)
looking or seeming serious when you are telling a joke:
Use : a deadpan expression/voice
–
ambivalent (adj)
having two opposing feelings at the same time, or being uncertain about how you feel:
Use : I felt very ambivalent about leaving home.
He has fairly ambivalent feelings towards his father.
an ambivalent attitude to exercise
ambivalence
noun [U]
Use : her ambivalence towards men
ambivalently
adverb