Vocabulary for Task 1 Academic

Go down – to move down to a lower level or place

Sentence – He wouldn’t go down the slide by himself.

Plummet – to fall very quickly and suddenly

Sentence – Temperatures plummet to minus sixty degrees or lower at night even at the equator in midsummer.

Plunge – move or fall suddenly and often a long way forward, down, or into something

Sentence – The government’s political and economic reforms threaten to plunge the country into chaos.

Slide – to go into a worse state, often through lack of control or care

Sentence – School administrators were unable to explain the slide in student performance.

Slip (back) – to slide without intending to

Sentence – We managed to give our pursuers the slip.

Slump – to fall suddenly

Sentence – The car manufacturer was forced to shed jobs following a dramatic sales slump.

Take a nosedive – a fast and sudden fall to the ground with the front pointing down

Sentence – The pound took a nosedive on the foreign exchange market today.

Freefall – downward movement

Sentence – This means markets probably won’t go into freefall on Monday – they could even possibly strengthen given the sunny job numbers that came out at the end of last week.

Dive – to fall in value suddenly and by a large amount

Sentence – The economy is on a headlong dive to disaster.

Reduction – the process of making something less in price, size, amount, etc., or the fact of it becoming less

Sentence – The changes may result in a greater reduction in employee numbers than we had previously expected.

Gradual – happening or changing slowly over a long period of time or distance

Sentence – The doctor noticed a gradual improvement in his patient.

Moderate – being within a middle range in size, amount, or degree; neither great nor little

Sentence – The soldiers did not bother to moderate their coarse humour in her presence.

Modest – not large in size or amount, or not expensive

Sentence – He was always modest about his role in the Everest expedition.

Sharp – happening suddenly, quickly, and strongly

Sentence – She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.

Slight – small in amount or degree

Sentence – Doctors say he has made a slight improvement.

Steep – A steep rise or fall is one that goes very quickly from low to high or from high to low

Sentence – The extension bridge is steep,so the tricyclist has to get off his tricycle and push it up.

Significant – important, large, or great, esp. in leading to a different result or to an important change

Sentence – There are no significant differences between the education systems of the two countries.

Considerable – very large or much

Sentence – She is a woman of considerable culture.

Rapid – fast or sudden

Sentence – Technological progress has been so rapid over the last few years.

Variation – something that is slightly different from the usual form or arrangement

Sentence – The variation is not statistically significant.

Peak – the highest, strongest, or best point, value, or level of skill

Sentence – Athletes have to train continuously to stay in peak condition.

Fluctuation – to change, especially continuously and between one level or thing and another

Sentence – This price fluctuation requires that one measure the current yield on a seasoned bond.