IELTS English Vocabulary M - O

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IELTS English Vocabulary – M - O

MAIN MESSAGE:

(noun phrase). Central focus. Example: ‘Paragraphs generally focus on a main message but also include supporting information’

MAINTAIN:

(verb) Keep, sustain. For example: ‘The company has maintained its position as market leader by selling high quality products at low prices.’

MAJOR:

(adjective) Huge, large. For example: ‘Alcohol and drug abuse is a major problem in some parts of society.’

MANIPULATE:

(adjective) Change, alter (for own benefit) . For example: ‘Facts are often manipulated by the media to give news stories additional interest.’

MANUAL:

(adjective) Physical, labour-intensive, blue-collar. For example: ‘Manual workers generally earn lower wages than skilled workers or professionals.’

MARGIN:

(Noun) Level. For example: ‘It is important for companies to have a healthy profit margin.’

Marsh:

An area of low land that is always soft and wet because there is nowhere for the water to flow away to.

MATCH:

(verb) To fit together, to be equal. ‘Some IELTS questions require you to match information with a speaker’.

MATERIALISTIC:

(adjective) Motivated and finding pleasure in physical possessions and objects displaying wealth. Example: ‘Many religions discourage their followers from being overly materialistic’.

MATURE:

(adjective) Responsible, stable through age and experience. For example: ‘Younger staff benefit from interaction with older workers as they learn from their mature outlook.’

MAXIMISE:

(verb) expand, grow to full potential. For example: ‘Most companies wish to maximise their profits.’

MECHANISM:

(Noun) Physical or mental process. For example: ‘Behaviour and thought mechanisms vary from people to people.’

MEDIA:

(Noun) newspapers, TV, magazines etc. For example: ‘It is important for the media to have freedom of speech.’

MEDIATE:

(verb) Act as a go between, encourage discussion between two parties. For example: ‘An independent advisor will mediate the talks between the company and its workers.’

MEDICAL:

(adjective) Related to medicine or health. For example: ‘There are proven medical benefits to taking regular exercise and eating a healthy diet.’

MEDIUM:

(noun) Method, vehicle, channel, mode. For example: ‘Email is nowadays the most popular medium for communication.’

MEMORISE:

(verb) To remember something completely; to learn by rote (with the suggestion that it is not learned, just remembered). Example: ‘It is not a good idea to memorise essays for the IELTS test as the examiner will recognise that the work is not your own’.

MENTAL:

(adjective) Related to the mind or psychological state. For example: ‘Mental illness is often more difficult for others to understand than physical sickness.’

MENTION:

(verb) To talk about, to refer to. Example: ‘The subject was first mentioned at last week’s meeting.’

METHOD:

(Noun) way of doing something, system. For example: ‘Modern methods of teaching have replaced traditional methods in some schools.’

MIGRATE:

(verb) To move from one place to another or one country to another. See also EMIGRATION and IMMIGRATION

MILITARY:

(Noun) Armed forces, army. For example: ‘Food and medical supplies will be delivered to the area as part of the Military’s rescus operation.’

MINIMAL:

(adjective) Smallest amount, minium amount. For example: ‘The recent Government campaign has had minimal effect and can be considerd a failure.’

MINIMISE:

(Verb) Make as small as possible. For example: ‘Parents should try to minimise the effect that divorce has on the their children.’

MINIMUM:

(Noun) Smallest amount, least amount. For example: ‘I can study the course in my own time, but it should take a minimum of 2 months to complete.’

MINISTRY:

(Noun) Bureau, Department, Authority. For example: ‘The Ministry of Health will release new healthy eating guidelines soon.’

MINOR:

(Adjective) Small, not of great significance. For example: ‘The minor issues on the agenda were not covered at the meeting as we ran out of time.’

MODAL VERB:

(noun phrase) An additional verb used with a main verb. Example: should, can, might, would, will.

MODE:

(Noun) Type, method, style. For example: ‘Bicycles are an environmentally-friendly mode of transport.’

MODIFY:

(Verb) Adapt, adjust, change. For example: ‘We often modify our behaviour and speech depending on who we are talking to.’

MONITOR:

(Verb) Observe, check, supervise. For example: ‘A baby’s deveopment is carefully monitored particularly in the early stages of growth.’

MORTGAGE:

(noun) Bank loan for buying a house. Example: ‘Mortgage interest rates have increased significantly over the years in many countries’.

MOTIVATED:

(adjective) Full of energy and purpose; aiming for a goal. Example: ‘It is important to keep motivated when studying, even when there are difficulties.’

MOTIVE:

(Noun) Reason, cause. For example: ‘The main motive to work for most people is to earn money.’

MULTIPLE:

(adjective) Many. Example: ‘He had multiple injuries from the car crash’

MUTUAL:

(adjective) Joint, shared, common. For example: ‘Employment contracts betwwen employers and employees can be altered subject to mutual agreement.’

MUTUALLY DEPENDENT:

(adjective) When two things or people need or rely on each other.

N

NECESSITY:

(noun) Something needed or required. Example: ‘Water is a necessaity for life.’

NEGATE:

(verb) Cancel out, counteract. For example: ‘The recent decision will negate all progress made before.

NETWORK:

(noun) Connection, set of connections. For example: ‘A close network of friends is important to most people.’

NEUTRAL:

(Adjective) Unbiased, not taking sides. For example: ‘During the war, the country remained neutral.’

NEVERTHELESS:

(Adverb) Nontheless, yet. For example: ‘The project would be relatively inexpensive to set up, nevertheless it would be of great benefit.’

NORM:

(noun) standard, average. For example: ‘It is no longer the norm in many cultures for the wife to stay at home full-time and look after the children.’

NORMAL:

(adjective) Usual, standard, typical. For example: ‘Aerobic exercise is good for the heart because it raises the heartbeat above the normal level.’

NOT APPLICABLE:

(phrase) Not relevant; does not apply. Example: ‘If questions on an application form are not relevant, then you can write N/A meaning that it is not applicable to you.’

NOTION:

(noun) Idea, concept. For example: ‘The notion that one day people may live on other planets is almost impossible for us to visualise.’

NOUN:

(grammar term) A noun is the part of speech that is used to name a person, place, or thing. Nouns can be countable (chair, table, car) or uncountable (water, rice, air).

NUCLEAR:

(adjective) Relating to atomic source. For example: ‘A nuclear war would be devastating for the world and its population.’

NUMEROUS:

(adjective) Lots, many. Example: ‘There are numerous charities that collect money from donations’.

O

OBJECTIVE:

(Noun) Aim, purpose. For example: ‘The aims and objectives of the research project are found at the beginning of the report.’

OBLIGATION:

(noun) No choice; need to do something. Example: ‘It is the parents’ obligation to take good care of their child.’

OBTAIN:

(verb) To get. Example: ‘Application forms can be obtained from the Admissions office’.

OBVIOUS:

(adjective) Clear, evident. For example: ‘The obvious solution to the problem of passive smoking is to ban cigarette smoking in public places as some countries have already done.’

OCCUPY:

(verb) Take up, absorb. For example: ‘Marking and administration tasks occupy a large proportion of a teacher’s time.’

OCCUR:

(verb) take place, happen. For example: ‘Problems in families often occur when communication breaks down.’

OFFENCE:

(noun) an insult. Example: ‘He took offence at her comment about his country.’

OMIT:

(verb) To leave out, not to include. ‘His name was omitted from the list’

on BEHALF:

(preposition) For. For example: ‘He thanked the guests for coming on my behalf as I had to leave early and couldn’t talk to everyone.’

OPEN-MINDED:

(adjective) To be open to new ideas; tolerant. Example: ‘When travelling overseas, it is important to be open-minded about other cultures.’

OPPOSING:

(adjective) Opposite point of view, against. Example: ‘There are many opposing views on the subject of capital punishment’.

OPT:

(verb) To choose. ‘He opted to take a few extra days holiday’.

OPTION:

(noun) Choice, alternative, opportunity. For example: ‘There are several options available to him and he must choose the best.’

OPTIONAL:

You do not have to have this; you have a choice

ORIENT:

(verb) Adjust to, get used to. For example: ‘The training week is designed so that new employees can orient themselves in the workplace.’

OUTCOME:

(noun) result, ending, conclusion. For example: ‘People around the world are hoping for a peaceful outcome to the situation.’

OUTPUT:

(noun) Production, yield. For example: ‘The factory is operational seven days a week and has continual output.’

OVERALL:

(adverb) Largely, in the main, mainly. For example: ‘Although there were a few minor problems, overall the conference was a success.’

OVERLAP:

(verb) Coincide, have similarities. For example: ‘There are several areas where to two departments’ responsibilities overlap.’

OVERSEAS:

(noun) abroad, in another country. For example: ‘In some countries people are resorting to having operations overseas as medical care there is cheaper.’

OVERSEE:

 (verb) To manage, supervise or control. Example: ‘My manager is overseeing the project’.

OVERVIEW:

(noun) A general idea, an outline. Example: ‘He gave an overview of the situation at the meeting, but did not go into all of the details.’