CAE Sounds Vocabulary

SOUNDS VOCABULARY

"Spending time looking at other students' work, rather than producing their own

work, may seem like 'time off-task', but the evidence is that it is a considerable

benefit, particularly for 'low-attainers'."

- Dylan Wiliam

This activity is taken from Gold CAE. The definitions of the words were taken from Longman online dictionary.

CAE

 Looking for words in a dictionary can be on the tip of your fingers using Longman online dictionary.

After reading the definitions of the words students can answer the questions.

 Deep

deep1 S2 W1 comparative deeper, superlative deepest

1 going far down

a) going far down from the top or from the surface [≠ shallow]:

The castle is on an island surrounded by a deep lake.

The swimming pool has a deep end and a shallow end for kids.

We'll take the boat out into deep water where we can dive.

a deep narrow valley

b) you use deep to say what distance something goes down from the top or surface

2 metres/6 feet etc deep

Dig a hole around 12 inches deep.

ankle-deep/waist-deep etc

In places, the snow was waist-deep (=deep enough to reach a person's waist).

➔ knee-deep

2going far in

going far in from the outside or from the front edge of something:

a deep wound

She was sitting in a deep leather chair.

3serious

serious or severe:

Despite the peace process, there are deep divisions in the community.

The country is in a deep recession.

Evan would be in deep trouble if he was caught.

4breath

a deep breath or sigh is one in which you breathe a lot of air in or out:

She stopped and took a deep breath.

Tom gave a deep sigh of relief.

5feeling/belief

a deep feeling, belief etc is very strong and sincere [= profound]:

May I express my deepest sympathy.

The letters show her deep affection for him.

He has a deep understanding of the environment.

6sound

a deep sound is very low:

Her laugh was deep and loud.

I love that deep bass line.

7colour

a deep colour is dark and strong [≠ light, pale]:

She gazed at him with wide deep blue eyes.

The berries are a deep red colour.

8difficult to understand

important but complicated or difficult to understand:

These problems are too deep for me.

There is a deep issue of principle involved.

9sleep

if someone is in a deep sleep, it is difficult to wake them:

He lay down and fell into a deep sleep.

10deep in thought/conversation etc

thinking so hard or paying attention to something so much that you do not notice anything else that is happening around you

11deep in debt

owing a lot of money

12a deep impression

a strong effect or influence that remains for a long time:

What he said made a deep impression on me.

13person

a deep person is serious and intelligent, but is hard to know well:

Henry has always been a deep one. He keeps his views to himself.

14be in deep shit

spoken not polite to be in a bad situation because of something you have done

15be in deep water

to be in trouble or in a difficult or serious situation:

The company is in deep water over their refusal to reduce prices.

16ball games

a deep ball is hit, thrown, or kicked to a far part of the sports field

17jump/be thrown in at the deep end

to choose to do or be made to do a very difficult job without having prepared for it:

She decided to jump in at the deep end, buy a farm, and teach herself.

18go off at the deep end

informal to become angry suddenly and violently, usually when there is not a good reason

HUSKY

hus‧ky11 a husky voice is deep, quiet, and attractive :

'Come quickly,' she said in a husky whisper.

2 especially American English a man or boy who is husky is big and strong

NASAL

na‧sal1 1 [only before noun]HBH related to the nose:

the nasal passage

2C a sound or voice that is nasal comes mainly through your nose:

He spoke in a high nasal voice.

3SL [only before noun] technical a nasal consonant or vowel such as /n/ or /m/ is one that is produced completely or partly through your nose

warm

1be warm

slightly hot, especially in a pleasant way [≠ cool; ↪ warmth]:

The house was lovely and warm.

I hope we get some warm weather soon.

I've put your dinner in the oven to keep it warm.

warm water

2feel warm

if you are warm, your body is at a comfortable temperature:

Are you warm enough?

keep/stay warm (=wear enough clothes not to feel cold)

Make sure you keep warm!

You'll be as warm as toast in that sleeping bag.

3clothes/buildings

clothes or buildings that are warm can keep in heat or keep out cold:

Here, put on your nice warm coat.

4friendly

friendly or making someone feel comfortable and relaxed:

a warm, reassuring smile

Please give a warm welcome to our special guest.

a warm glow of satisfaction

The Hungarian people are warm and friendly.

5colour

CC warm colours contain the colours red, yellow, and orange, which make you feel comfortable and happy [≠ cool]

6correct

DG [not before noun] used especially in games to say that someone is near to guessing the correct answer or finding a hidden object [≠ cold]:

      You're getting warmer.

FLAT

flat1 S2 W2 comparative flatter, superlative flattest

1surface

smooth and level, without raised or hollow areas, and not sloping or curving:

houses with flat roofs

a perfectly flat sandy beach

The countryside near there is flat as a pancake (=very flat).

Work on a clean, flat surface.

2money

BBT a flat rate, amount of money etc is fixed and does not change or have anything added to it:

Clients are charged a flat rate of £250 annually.

We charge a flat fee for car hire.

3tyre/ball

TTCDS a flat tyre or ball has no air or not enough air in it

4not deep

not very deep, thick, or high, especially in comparison to its width or length:

The cake came out of the oven flat, not fluffy.

5drink

DFD a drink that is flat does not taste fresh because it has no more bubbles of gas in it [≠ fizzy]

6not interesting

[not before noun] a performance, book etc that is flat lacks interest, excitement, or energy:

Arsenal looked flat for large parts of the game.

7battery

British EnglishHPED a flat battery has lost its electrical power [= dead American English]

Have you checked that the batteries haven't gone flat (=become flat)?

8business/trade

B if prices, economic conditions, trade etc are flat, they have not increased or improved over a period of time:

Analysts are expecting flat sales in the coming months.

9E flat/B flat/A flat etc

APM a musical note that is one semitone lower than the note E, B, A etc [↪ sharp, natural]

10musical sound

APM if a musical note is flat, it is played or sung slightly lower than it should be [≠ sharp]

11voice

not showing much emotion, or not changing much in sound as you speak:

'He's dead,' she said in a flat voice.

12a flat refusal/denial etc

a refusal etc that is definite and which someone will not change:

Our requests were met with a flat refusal.

13be flat on your back

a) to be lying down so that all of your back is touching the floor

b) to be very ill so that you have to stay in bed for a period of time:

I've been flat on my back with the flu all week.

14shoes

DCC flat shoes have very low heels

15light

C having little variety of light and dark:

Flat lighting is typical of Avedon's portraits.

16and that's flat!

British English spoken old-fashioned used to say that you will definitely not change what you have just said [= and that's that]:

I won't go, and that's flat!

LIVELY

live‧ly S3 comparative livelier, superlative liveliest

1people

someone who is lively has a lot of energy and is very active:

a lively child

2place/situation

a place or situation that is lively is exciting because a lot of things are happening:

The hotel is situated next to the lively bustling port.

the city's lively nightlife

3music/movements

lively movements or music are very quick and exciting:

a lively Spanish dance

4discussion/description etc

a lively discussion, description etc is very interesting and involves a lot of ideas:

The book offers a lively account of her travels.

a lively debate on environmental issues

5mind/thoughts

someone who has a lively mind is intelligent and interested in a lot of things:

Even Paula has shown a lively interest in politics.

Charlie has a very lively imagination (=he often invents stories, descriptions etc that are not true).

6colour

very bright:

a lively combination of colours

7taste

something that has a lively taste has a strong but pleasant taste:

The wine has a lively fruity flavour.

8Look lively!

BrE spoken Step lively! American English spoken used to tell someone to hurry

SOFT

soft S2 W2 comparative softer, superlative softest

1not hard

a) not hard, firm, or stiff, but easy to press [≠ hard]:

My feet sank into the soft ground.

the softest sofa and pillows

Cook the onions until they go soft.

b) less hard than average [≠ hard]:

a soft lead pencil

soft cheese

2not rough

having a surface that is smooth and pleasant to touch [≠ rough]:

a baby's soft skin

The fur was soft to the touch.

3not loud

C a soft sound, voice, or music is quiet and pleasant to listen to [≠ loud, harsh]:

soft music

His voice was softer now.

4colour/light

[only before noun]CC soft colours or lights are pleasant and relaxing because they are not too bright [≠ bright]:

All the stores will be re-fitted with softer lighting.

a soft shade of peach

5no hard edges

not having any hard edges or sharp angles:

soft curves

6rain/wind

gentle and without much force:

a soft breeze

soft rain

7not strict

someone who is soft seems weak because they are not strict enough with other people [≠ strict, tough]:

If you appear to be soft, people take advantage of you.

soft on

No politician wants to seem soft on crime.

Courts have been taking a soft line (=not being strict enough) with young offenders.

8sensitive

kind, gentle, and sympathetic to other people [≠ hard]:

He has a soft heart beneath that cold exterior.

a soft kiss

9weak character

not very brave and not having a strong character [≠ hard]:

Don't be soft - just jump!

10sales/markets

decreasing in price, value, or the amount sold:

soft oil prices

11soft loan/credit

money that is lent at a lower interest rate than usual, because it will be used to help people in some way

12soft money

money that people, companies, or organizations give to political parties, rather than to a particular candidate

13too easy

informal a soft job, life etc is too easy and does not involve much work or hard physical work:

Mike's found himself a soft job in the stores.

soft option British English (=a choice that allows you to avoid difficulties or hard work)

Taking the soft option won't help your career to develop.

14weak body

informal having a body that is not in a strong physical condition, because you do not do enough exercise:

He'd got soft after all those years in a desk job.

15water

HC soft water does not contain many minerals, so that it forms bubbles from soap easily

16have a soft spot for somebody

to continue to like someone even when they do not behave well:

She's always had a soft spot for Grant.

17a soft touch

informal someone from whom you can easily get what you want, because they are kind or easy to deceive

18soft in the head

old-fashioned very stupid or crazy

19stupid

British English stupid or silly:

You must be soft if you think I'll give you fifty quid!

20be soft on somebody

old-fashioned to be sexually attracted to someone

21consonants

technical not sounding hard:

      a soft g

WOBBLY

wob‧bly1

1 moving unsteadily from side to side:

a wobbly table

2 informal if you or your legs feel wobbly, you feel weak and unable to keep your balance [= shaky]

3 a wobbly voice is weak and shakes, especially because you feel frightened or upset [= shaky]

4 not very good or not likely to be successful [= shaky]:

      The meeting yesterday got off to a wobbly start.

HARSH

1conditions

harsh conditions are difficult to live in and very uncomfortable [= severe]:

The hostages are being held in harsh conditions.

harsh winter/weather/climate

the harsh Canadian winters

a young girl suddenly exposed to the harsh realities of life

2treatment/criticism

severe, cruel, or unkind

harsh criticism/treatment/punishment etc

His theory met with harsh criticism from colleagues.

the harsh measures taken against the protestors

'She's an idiot!' 'Aren't you being a bit harsh?'

a harsh, authoritarian regime

He had harsh words (=severe criticism) for the Government.

3sound

unpleasantly loud and rough [≠ soft]

harsh voice/laugh/tone etc

His voice was harsh and menacing.

4light/colour

unpleasantly bright [≠ soft]:

She stood outside, blinking in the harsh sunlight.

5lines/shapes etc

ugly and unpleasant to look at:

the harsh outline of the factories against the sky

6cleaning substance

too strong and likely to damage the thing you are cleaning:

      My skin is quite sensitive and I find some soaps too harsh.

MELLOW

1not bright

CC a mellow colour or light looks soft, warm, and not too bright:

the mellow golden light of early evening

2not loud or harsh

C a mellow sound is pleasant and smooth:

a warm, mellow voice

3not strong in flavour

DF mellow wine or fruit has a smooth, pleasant taste:

its smooth, mellow flavour

4not strict

someone who is mellow is gentle and calm and does not criticize other people, because they have a lot of experience of life

5relaxed

if you feel mellow, you feel calm and relaxed, especially after drinking alcohol

SOOTHING

—soothing adjective:

      gentle, soothing music

HIGH-PITCHED

high-pitched

a high-pitched voice or sound is very high [≠ low-pitched]

MONOTONOUS

mo‧not‧o‧nous

boring because of always being the same:

a monotonous diet

      a little boy who wet his bed with monotonous regularity

SQUEAKY

squeak‧y

1 making very high noises that are not loud:

a squeaky voice

squeaky floorboards

2squeaky clean

informal

a) never having done anything morally wrong:

politicians who are less than squeaky clean

b) completely clean:

squeaky clean hair