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Home IELTS Vocabulary

Collocation for IELTS: Communication and Personality

9IELTS by 9IELTS
October 18, 2022
in IELTS Vocabulary, Collocations for IELTS
Reading Time: 8 mins read
143
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1. to hide one’s light under a bushel

Meaning: to conceal one’s talents and skills

Example: Please don’t hide your light under a bushel—the Society needs your valuable expertise.

2. to throw a tantrum

Meaning: to become very angry and unreasonable

Example: When you are a grown-up, you don’t throw a tantrum if something offends you, you discuss it.

3. to stamp one’s mark on sth

Meaning: to affect or change something in a way that allows people to recognize one’s influence

Example: She has stamped her own mark on the British film industry.

4. a clash of personalities

Meaning: a situation in which two people disagree because they have very different personalities

Example: There had been a clash of personalities between the two leaders over the question of defence policy.

5. to have a superiority complex

Meaning: to have a feeling that one is superior to others

Example: She has a superiority complex, imagining that she is somehow better at everything than her classmates.

6. to hear something through the grapevine

Meaning: to hear news from someone who heard that news from someone else, to learn of something informally and unofficially by means of gossip or rumor.

Example: Never believe the gossip that you hear through the grapevine – always try to find the truth from an official source.

7. to act one’s age

Meaning: to behave in a way suitable for someone as old as you are

Example: During the most recent years of her career, Madonna has faced criticism for her revealing outfits, her outrageous performances and her decision to collaborate with her younger contemporary contemporaries, with many calling for her to “act her age”.

8. codes of conduct

Meaning: voluntary rules which people accept in a situation

Example: The Code of Conduct is voluntary but it is seen as a sign of best practice.

9. to assimilate knowledge

Meaning: to absorb and understand knowledge

Example: Some people claim that children assimilate knowledge more easily than adults, citing studies into the way that young children learn.

10. to marshal facts

Meaning: to organise facts in support of an idea

Example: His tutor asked him to marshal facts on the history of China in preparation for the exam.

11. to be a team player

Meaning: a person who willingly cooperates with others

Example:    Employees who are good team players are more likely to be selected for promotion.

12. the downfall of communication

Meaning: the decline of communication

Example: Texting and social media are causing  the downfall of society’s interpersonal communication.

13. a breakdown in communication

Meaning:    a misunderstanding which results from people failing to discuss and resolve something

Example: The dispute between the workers and the employer was the result of a breakdown in communication over wages.

14. to live in harmony with one another

Meaning: to live with others in a way which avoids conflict or disagreement

Example: The students who share the house are all good friends and they are able to live in harmony with one another.

15. to keep abreast of something

Meaning: to have the most recent information about something

Example: This new service helps doctors keep abreast of the newest drugs available.

16. to accelerate the flow of information

Meaning: to spread information with a higher speed to create faster response times and more accurate interactions

Example: The new software, Wildtech, is intended to help accelerate the flowof information among scientists, and forest and wildlife managers.

17. behind the times

Meaning: refers to a person who is old-fashioned and has not adopted certain modern customs, beliefs, or behaviors

Example: He was angry when they said that his accounting methods were behind the times because he did not use computer software.

18. set in his or her ways

Meaning: A person who is set in his or her ways is stubborn and committed to their current way of doing things. They aren’t open to changing, even if the change would be an improvement

Example: As people get older, they often become set in their ways and are reluctant to try anything new.

19. a social butterfly

Meaning: refers to an extroverted person who loves to socialize

Example: A social butterfly is a person who is socially dynamic, networking, charismatic, and personally gregarious.

20. a stickler for sth

Meaning: Someone who is a “stickler for something” is a person who strongly insists on that quality or behavior, and wants or expects other people to maintain the same standard

Example: The author described himself as a stickler for details, who loves things done right the first time.

21. to be user-friendly

Meaning: to be easy to use, without a need for advanced skills

Example: One feature of modern communications technology is that, in general, it is user-friendly.

22. social networking sites

Meaning: a website on which you communicate with people who share your interests

Example: Young people today waste too much time on social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter

23. to break off a relationship/to break off negotiations

Meaning: to end something suddenly

Example: The US and China broke off negotiations earlier today on the new trade agreement.

24. to reach a stalemate/to reach deadlock

Meaning: a disagreement in which neither side is able to find a solution

Example: The talks between the superpowers broke up when both sides reached deadlock over important issues.

25. to have social skills

Meaning: to have the personal skills required for successful communication and interaction

Example: In all jobs which involve dealing with the public, it is important

to have good social skills.

26. to have a laid-back attitude

Meaning: relaxed, not worrying about anything

Example: Our teacher had a laid-back attitude in the classroom, but she was always well-prepared and committed to her students.

27. to be a workaholic/a shopaholic

Meaning: a person who spends too much time working/too much time shopping

Example: Although I take my studies seriously, I would not describe myself as a workaholic, because I have other interests too.

28. to see the big picture

Meaning: to understand all the important aspects of a situation

Example: Students sometimes get confused with so many details to remember, but our history teacher is able to make us see the big picture.

29. to be generous/helpful to a fault

Meaning:    to be very generous/helpful to others, even when it can cause problems for oneself

Example: My parents are generous to a fault, and they have helped me a lot with my education.

30. to make small talk/to exchange pleasantries

Meaning: to talk in a polite way about unimportant matters such as the weather

Example: I enjoy a serious discussion and I don’t like to make small talk orexchange pleasantries with others simply in order to be polite.

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