Etymology The word "chasm" is derived from the Greek word χάσμα (pronounced "hasma")(point of note: all words transferred into English from the Greek language changed the Greek " χ " to a " ch ", as in psychology , chronic , archaeology , etc.) and means abyss, an opening found on the earth's surface which is usually wide and deep. 

Writing a review presupposes making judgments and rating, say, a service, establishment or work of art. For ESL / EFL exam-takers, this means having to come up with a variety of words that qualify what is being described, something which might present problems since making more than one assessment in such pieces of writing is the norm. If words used to assess something are repeated, then candidates cannot expect to receive a satisfactory grade (at least in terms of their lexical ability and range). Using less formal words is also frowned upon. Therefore, this list should serve as a brief catalog of go-to words aimed at digging students out of the proverbial hole they might find themselves in during the Writing section of an English exam. The list has been divided into three categories: saying something is terrific, so-so and terrible.

The first post in this series of "Words to use instead of ..." dealt with the overly used word "nice" (read about it here ). Today, I'll tackle that bane of every ESL teacher's existence, that word they often hear when helping students work on their oral exams or read when correcting essays, the one every student so easily lets slip out when they can't think of what else to say: important. It's always "this must be done because it's very important " or "saving the planet is extremely important " or "graduating from a good university is very important these days." Examiners might be lenient the first time they hear this word, but imagine hearing it 5 times in answers to 6 questions asked? To put it more mathematically, in a 10 to 12-minute examination where an exam candidate uses the word in five out of six responses, the examiner hears the same word once roughly every two to two and a half minutes. Though it...

Today's word, alongside its less commonly used variant "chthonian", is a word which comes from Greek.  It means "of or related to the underworld; subterranean" and is tied to the ancient Greek female deity Χθων (Chthon) that personified the depths of the earth.  Chthon was often identified as the earth's principal goddess Γαία (Gaia) and like her was commemorated as the mother of the Titans,

The latest word is one found in the bottom half of the list of popular words used in English. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary places its first appearance in 1513, Dictionary.com in the 1590's, Oxford dictionary in the late 16th century, while Collins' (Collins Cobuild) online dictionary shows the popularity of this rarely used word peaking in 1860 at a frequency of 0.3.

Today's word is one that is found in a near-identical form in many other languages, as it's been borrowed from the Greek word παροξυσμός or the verb παροξύνειν. Simply take a look at these translations:

A common mistake among English learners is that they tend to overuse certain words because these words seem to suit every situation imaginable or due to the fact that learners lack variety when it comes to vocabulary. One such word which is often used more than it should be is the word "nice". Take the following examples: "How was your day?" - " Nice ."   "Did you enjoy your meal?" - "It was nice , thank you." "What do you think of the new substitute teacher, Mr. Jones?" - "I think he's nice ." "This room looks very nice indeed. Did you have it refurbished?" In all of these situtations, a different word could have been used that would clarify the speaker's thoughts. 

Describing a person is a basic skill required when speaking a language which is why English tests contain both oral and written tasks that ask candidates to talk about a person they know or admire, someone who influenced them or is a close friend.  If you are simply learning English to be able to communicate, the list that follows will help improve your vocabulary.  For those preparing to take an English exam, the difference between a good answer and an exceptional one is vocabulary. Saying a person is "nice" and "kind" is not that bad, but using words like "trustworthy" or "demure" will certainly give you points for lexical range. Teachers can distribute the following list, ask students to find the meanings of words and make sentences with them. Those who want to improve their English on their own can translate the words into their own language and practice using them with a speaking partner.

Depending on the English exam you're taking, the oral component will include questions that deal with things you already know about because the question will ask for information based on what you do, or about things that have to do with the country or city you live in. As you already know from my blog post IELTS Speaking: The Basics (even though the post deals with the IELTS exam, the main ideas stated also refer to oral exams administered by other examination boards), examiners are looking for variety in grammatical structures and vocabulary as well as good, long answers that show you feel comfortable expressing yourself in English.   The following list deals with a number of topics that could crop up during the oral examination and has therefore been divided into topic categories. Each category is followed by a short list of words that can be used to either add somewhat more advanced vocabulary to your answers or give you ideas how to develop your answer. For instan...

Seeing as the World C up is a major obsession for people of all nations and all ages, it's a good t ime as ever to refresh or learn a few football (or soccer, if some of you prefer ) phrases used i diomatically in everyday speech in Engl ish .

Let's look at the meaning of the word "dilemma", its origins and synonyms.

Ever wondered what the word 'halcyon' meant? Read on and discover the ancient myth that gave birth to this word.

I find it's only fitting that the first word that must be explained is the one used in the blog's name. Argute has two meanings: