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Joy English

C2 Vocabulary

C2Describing people and ideas25 min

Sophisticated adjectives for people and ideas

Describe minds, characters, arguments and problems with precise adjectives such as erudite, astute, incisive, tenuous, spurious and intractable.

Strong writing at the top level depends on adjectives that carry exactly the right judgement. Some praise a person's mind or character; others evaluate an argument or a trend. The set below is useful in essays, reviews and reports, where a single precise adjective can replace a whole sentence of explanation.

eruditeadjective
having or showing great learning; very well readThe erudite librarian could discuss any period of history.
astuteadjective
quick to understand a situation and use it to advantage; shrewdAn astute negotiator, Sofia secured a far better price.
magnanimousadjective
generous and forgiving, especially towards a rival or someone less powerfulThe winner was magnanimous and praised her opponent's skill.
insidiousadjective
spreading gradually and harmfully without being noticedThe insidious effect of constant noise only became clear after years.
tenuousadjective
very slight or weak; barely holding togetherThe link between the two events was tenuous.
incisiveadjective
clear and sharp, going straight to the heart of a problemHer incisive questions exposed the weakness in the plan.
spuriousadjective
false, though appearing to be genuineThe spurious claim spread quickly online.
ephemeraladjective
lasting for a very short timeFame on the internet is often ephemeral.
intractableadjective
very difficult to solve, manage or controlCongestion in the old town has proved an intractable problem.
sanguineadjective
cheerfully optimistic, especially in a difficult situationKofi remained sanguine despite the poor forecasts.
tacitadjective
understood or implied without being statedThere was a tacit agreement not to mention the dispute.
inscrutableadjective
impossible to understand or interpretThe old judge's inscrutable face revealed nothing.

Exercise 1 of 2

Choose the right adjective

Choose the adjective that best completes each sentence.

  1. Only a truly _____ scholar, who had read widely in several languages and fields, could trace the origin of the phrase.

  2. The link between the two studies is _____: it rests on a single, unverified anecdote.

  3. The disease is _____: symptoms are mild at first and the damage builds up unnoticed.

  4. Despite the poor forecasts, Kofi remained _____ about the company's future.

  5. Her analysis was _____: in a few sharp sentences it went straight to the heart of the problem.

  6. Fame on social media can be _____: today's star is forgotten by next month.

  7. The winner was _____ in victory, praising her rival's skill and offering to share the prize.

  8. There was a _____ agreement among the staff that nobody would mention the incident again.

0 of 8 answered

Exercise 2 of 2

Complete the sentences

Complete each sentence with one word from this list. Use each word once: astute, spurious, intractable, inscrutable, erudite, magnanimous, insidious, tenuous.

  1. The investor sold her shares weeks before the market turned.

  2. The claim that the herb cures every illness is ; no study has ever confirmed it.

  3. The boundary dispute between the two neighbours proved : years of patient mediation failed to bring them any closer.

  4. The old judge's face was ; no one could tell what he was thinking.

  5. Her lectures, full of references to philosophy, history and mathematics, attract students from every faculty.

  6. It was of him to forgive the debt in full.

  7. The spread of misinformation is hard to notice until it has changed opinions.

  8. Because the connection between the two events was extremely slight and , the committee refused to draw a conclusion.

0 of 8 answered

Source

Original lesson by Joy English.

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