IELTS English Vocabulary - R

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IELTS English Vocabulary – R

RADICAL:

(Adjective) Drastic, major. For example: ‘The new CEO has already made radical changes to the running of the company.’

RAISE MONEY:

(phrase) To build funds (usually through charity). Example: ‘The school is currently raising money to build a new sports hall’.

RANDOM:

(Adjective) By chance, unsystematic. For example: ‘Members of the public will be chosen at random to take part in the survey.’

RANGE:

(Noun) Variety, choice, selection. For example: ‘The university offers a wide range of choice to students interested in different aspects of business.’

RARE:

(adjective) Not common, very unusual. Example: ‘It is rare to see a kiwi bird as they only come out at night and are easily frightened.’

RATIO:

(Noun) Relative amount, proportion, fraction. For example: ‘The ratio of men and women is unbalanced in a number of countries.’

RATIONAL:

(Adjective) Sensible, logical, with reason. For example: ‘It can be difficult to remain rational about emotional issues.’

REACT:

(Verb) Act in response, respond. For example: ‘People do not react well to criticism or blame.’

RECIPIENT:

(noun) The person who receives something. Example: ‘The recipient must sign their name when receiving a delivery’.

RECIPROCATE:

(verb) To do something in return; to give back. Example: ‘I helped him with his assignment, so he reciprocated by buying me dinner.’

RECITE:

(verb) To speak from memory or from something written. Not a naturally conversation. Example: ‘He had to recite the whole poem in front of the class’.

RECOGNISE:

(verb) To notice; to identify. Example: ‘When listening to the IELTS recording, you may need to recognise the voices of specific speakers.’

RECOMMEND:

(verb) To advise or suggest as the best course of action. ‘He recommended I visit the doctor’

RECOMMENDATION: (noun)

RECOVER:

(verb) Get back, regain. For example: ‘The Goverment is unlikely to recover its support after the recent failure.’

RECTIFY:

(verb) To fix a problem or situation that was not working. Example: ‘In order to rectify the problem of poor diets, many schools now have a healthy eating plan’.

REFER TO:

(verb) Check, look at. Example: ‘When sitting your IELTS test, it is important to refer to the plan you have made as you are writing’.

REFERENCE:

(noun) A mention of. Example: ‘In the reading test, look for references to the keywords in the question’.

REFERENCE WORD:

(noun phrase) Use of a pronoun (he, she, it for example) to refer to a noun mentioned before. Example: ‘Dr Barton was responsible for the project, although he did not complete all of the research.’

REFINE:

(verb) Improve, make better. For example: ‘The company needs to refine its production process as a number of problems have been indentified.’

REGIME:

(noun) System or routine. For example: ‘When trying to lose weight it can be difficult to stick to a strict exercise regime.’

REGION:

(noun) Area, district. For example: ‘The entire region suffered damage in the recent earthquake.’

REGISTER:

(noun) Language used in a specific situation. For example: ‘Formal register is required for academic writing.’

REGULATE:

(verb) Control, monitor. For example: ‘Introduction of the new examination system will be regulated by the Ministry of Education.’

REGULATION:

(noun) A rule or code that must be followed. Example: ‘The council has recently changed the regulations about working dogs’.

REHABILITATION:

(noun) Support and help to recover (physical, emotional or mental). Example: ‘The rehabilitation centre helps many patients to get better’.

REINFORCE:

(verb) Strengthen, give more force to. For example: ‘New information has reinforced our original ideas.’

REITERATE:

(verb) To say again, to repeat (often using different vocabulary). Example: ‘The President reiterated the importance of environmental protection.’

REJECT:

(verb) Refuse, discard, throw out, dismiss. For example: ‘Visa applications can be rejected on the basis of a criminal record.’

RELATE TO:

(verb) Have a connection with. Example: ‘Supernova’ and ‘star’ are words that relate to astronomy’.

RELATIONSHIP:

(noun) A connection. Example: ‘There is a relationship between good health and exercise’.

RELATIVE CLAUSE:

 (noun) A grammar term for a sentence that commonly uses that, who or which to add more information. For example: ‘London, which is the capital of England, is situated near a river’ or ‘The man who lives next door is a doctor’.

RELAX:

(verb) Lighten up, loosen up, calm down. For example: ‘Many people use alcohol as a way to relax in social situations.’

RELEASE:

(verb) Set free. For example: ‘Early release of prisoners into society could be dangerous.’

RELEVANT:

(Adjective) Related to the point in question. For example: ‘His input at the meeting was very relevant to the problem at hand.’

RELIANT:

Being dependent or needing something.

RELOCATE:

(verb) Move to a different place. Example: ‘The promotion involves having to relocate to another city’.

RELY ON:

(verb) Depend on, count on. For example: ‘Many people rely on television as their main form of entertainment.’

REMOVE:

(verb) Eliminate, do away with, get rid of. For example: ‘Since barriers to trade have been removed the country’s export industry has grown dramatically.’

RENT:

(noun) Money spent on accommodation which is paid to the landlord of the property. Example: ‘Rents are often very high in capital cities’.

REPAYMENT:

(noun) Money returned to the lender (often in installments). Example: ‘Many people make repayments to the bank on a monthly basis for private loans’.

REPERCUSSION:

(noun) Consequence, effect, impact. Example: ‘Many families are feeling the repercussion of higher taxes’.

REPETITION:

(noun) duplication; something repeated. Example: ‘It is important to avoid repetition in IELTS writing by using a range of vocabulary’.

REPETITIVE:

(adjective) Describing something that repeats. Example: ‘Some jobs are boring because they are repetitive – the same thing happens every day’.

REPHRASE:

(verb) To give the same information in a different way. Example: ‘In IELTS writing, try not to copy words from the title. Try to rephrase as much as possible.’

REPLY:

(verb) To answer, to respond. Example: ‘It is polite to reply if someone asks you a question’.

(noun) An answer or response.

REQUEST:

(verb) To ask, to enquire. Example: ‘My boss has requested that I work late all next week.’

(noun) An enquiry, something that has been asked for.

REQUIRE:

(verb) Need, need to have. For example: ‘Visitors to the country are required to hold a valid visa.’

REQUIRED:

Something you have to have; something that is needed.

RESEARCH:

(noun) Investigation or study into a given area or topic. For example: ‘Most post-graduate programmes are research-based.’

RESENTMENT:

(noun) A feeling of anger or bitterness. For example: ‘Unfair treatment can cause resentment’.

RESERVATIONS:

(noun) Doubts, concerns. Example: ‘Many parents have reservations about allowing young children to have mobile phones because of the potential risks’.

RESIDE:

(verb) Live. For example: ‘It is necessary to reside in the country for two years before applying for citizenship.’

RESOLVE:

(verb) Solve, put an end to, settle. For example: ‘Schools and parents should work together to resolve the problem.’

RESOURCE:

(noun) Something useful or helpful. For example: ‘The university library has a number of useful resources for academic writing.’

RESPECTED:

(adjective) highly thought of, considered important and influential. Example: “The owner of the company is highly respected by his employees.’

RESPOND:

(verb) Reply, answer. For example: ‘It is important that companies respond to customer complaints quickly and efficiently.’

RESPONSE:

(noun) An answer, a reply. Example: ‘You should always try to use a range of vocabulary and structures in your responses in the IELTS speaking and writing tests.’

RESPONSIBLE:

(adjective) Reliable; dependable. Example: ‘He is very responsible, despite being very young’.

See also IRRESPONSIBLE

RESTORE:

(verb) Bring back. For example: ‘The good results from my last test have restored my confidence after a series of failures.’

RESTRICT:

(verb) Control, limit. For example: ‘The internet makes it difficult for parents to restrict the type of information their children are exposed to.’

RETAIN:

(verb) Maintain, keep. For example: ‘It is difficult to retain a foreign language without regular practice.’

RETIRE:

(verb) To stop work permanently (often at the age of around 60). Example: ‘More and more people are choosing to retire overseas.’

REVEAL:

(verb) Make something known. For example: ‘The Government will reveal its new Budget in April.’

REVENUE:

(noun) Financial income or return. For example: ‘Many people rely on revenue from investments as their retirement fund.’

REVERSE:

(verb) Turn backward. For example: ‘The Government has reversed its decision due to enormous public protest.’

REVISE:

(verb) Study information for an exam, go back over information already learned. For example: ‘Classes finish two weeks before examinations start so there will be plenty of time to revise .’

REVOLUTION:

(noun) Sudden and enormous change or development. For example: ‘The IT revolution has improved the efficiency of businesses.’

REWARD:

(noun) Prize or payment for something done. Example: ‘There was a reward offered for any information about the crime’.

RHETORICAL:

(adjective) A writing style where the writer asks a question which either does not need an answer or the writer answers himself or herself. For example: “Who can make a difference? You can!”. Rhetorical questions are not considered good academic style.

RIGID:

(adjective) Not flexible, strictly maintained. For example: ‘Soldiers in the army are required to follow rigid rules and regulations.’

ROLE:

Job or position. For example: ‘He is taking the role of the Managing Director’

ROLE MODEL:

(noun) A perfect example of behaviour to someone. Example: ‘Parents should act as role models for their children’.

ROUTE:

(noun) Way, direction of reaching something. For example: ‘A sound education offers a solid route to success.’