audobooks

My parents didn’t believe in spanking.

The problem may be especially common in children and adolescents.

Alcohol and tobacco consumption by young people is especially worrisome because habits formed early are likely to persist.

A group of prisoners stood on the roof, defiantly waving banners. a defiant attitude/gesture The protesters blocking the entrance to the offices remained defiant this morning.

punitive action The UN has imposed punitive sanctions on the invading country. The president has threatened to impose punitive import duties/tariffs on a variety of foreign goods.

Why risk going against the North if they could be our allies?

I decided to ally forces with James and do the project together.

You could use a smack to the face. She smacked me because I offended her.; I smacked my head on the corner of the shelf. She smacked her books down on the table and stormed out of the room.

Although he's shy, it certainly hasn't impeded his career in any way. Shortages of medicine were impeding the effort to control diseases.

Only 5 percent of the assembly members are women. The assembly of our new bed was easy.

a dismal expression, The acting was dismal, wasn't it? What dismal weather! The trip was a dismal failure. Investors may be deterred by the dismal performance of telecoms shares in recent weeks.

New security measures are being introduced to deter thieves. High prices are deterring many young people from buying houses.

A problem that arises and interferes with forward progress (usually only temporarily). The project hit a bump in the road when Tom suddenly resigned. Oh honey, I know you're upset that you didn't get the lead in the play, but it's just a bump in the road.

I bumped my head on the window. I have a nasty bump on my forehead. I was driving my car when I hit a bump. Are you hurt after this bump? I had a bump on the road yesterday. Look at my bump! It's moving.

She was concentrating on her book and his voice startled her. The noise of the car startled the birds and the whole flock flew up into the air. Her article on diet startled many people into changing their eating habits.

The turkey leavings were fed to the dog.

A flock of sheep has escaped onto the road. A noisy flock of tourists came into the museum. The vicar invited all the members of his flock to attend the concert.

I couldn't put my finger on why... There's something odd about him, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

They believe that judges are too lenient with terrorist suspects. In view of the quantity of drugs involved, 16 years was the most lenient sentence (= punishment) the judge could impose.

the pervasive odor of garlic. "the pervasiveness of the odor of cabbage in tenement hallways"

He lives in a small and shabby tenement with his mom and sister.

The man wore a long, shabby coat. Her home is a rented one-bedroom apartment in a shabby part of town. The refugees were shabby (= wore old clothes in bad condition) and hungry.

The way things are, I'll never have this ready by June.

I'm receptive to your ideas. The government is not receptive to the idea of a Freedom of Information Act.

The dining room was lavishly decorated.; lavish gifts/promises/praise lavish spending lavish banquets The evening was a lavish affair with glorious food and an endless supply of champagne. The lavish production makes this musical truly memorable.

The statement which you brought up is not my contention.; There's a lot of contention about that issue - for every person firmly in favour, there's someone fiercely against it. The issue has been settled - it's no longer in contention.

I never should've trusted that preacher to do what had to be done. a self-educated Methodist lay preacher

I laid money on the winning horse; My lay knowledge doesn't allow me to discuss this topic.; We can't hire a lay person, this job is too serious.

Absorbed in her work, she was totally oblivious of her surroundings. The mayor seems oblivious to the likely effects of the new legislation.

Little loosey-goosey with the liquor and the ladies, but all in all, a good fella. Now, I know you're used to loosey-goosey.

That DJ's voice really sets my teeth on edge.

While you are there, please feel free to indulge your every whim. My schedule is not subject to the whim of lunatics (szaleńców). You can't change your university course on a whim.

The country's most valuable commodities include tin and diamonds. the international commodities market

hair-raising story, She gave a hair-raising account (relacja) of her escape through the desert.

Check the terms of your tenancy closely. Baroness Thatcher's nine year tenancy

Check if your contract is a joint tenancy agreement or an individual one. I can't move out as I've signed a tenancy agreement.

The interest on the loan is 10% per year. For the first 5 years I will only pay interest on my mortgage.; I am not going to sell my interests in this company. He has interests in at least 20 other companies.

We must take every precaution not to pollute the air. They failed to take the necessary precautions to avoid infection. If you're going to have sex, make sure you take precautions.

The rebels have been stockpiling weapons. They have a stockpile of weapons and ammunition that will last several months.

to refute a person/theory/argument/claim Are you refuting the evidence?

The children all look very alike.

unappealing look, The early editions attracted lukewarm critical reviews, generally on the basis that the stories were unappealing to children. Should we find that prospect unappealing?

She's hoping the course will improve her career prospects.

This coffee's lukewarm.; Her proposals got a lukewarm response.

He concocted a story about working late at the office.; He concocted the most amazing dish from all sorts of leftover food.

I stabled her horse for the night. There are five horses in the stable.

If you trespass on somebody's property, they have a right to shoot you in self-defence.

I prefer sleeping on a firm mattress. I wish I had firm skin.; He's got a firm job. She loved her children, but she decided to be firm. He has a firm handshake.; firm hug

Her rudeness brought me up short.

The prisoners are forced to live in abominable conditions. The weather's been abominable all week.

The government has promised food aid as a quid pro quo for the stopping of violence. Contributors expect a quid pro quo for their donations.

Amanda still has/holds a grudge against me for refusing to lend her that money.

Sadly, my feelings for him were not reciprocated. We invited them to dinner and a week later they reciprocated.; Some electric razors have reciprocating heads.

You'll have to wait a minute because I'm using your razor. He may be old, but he's got a mind like a razor.

Live music and a parade set an upbeat mood for the official opening. The mood is upbeat at Shaw’s campaign headquarters tonight.

The new company does not yet have a name, or even a headquarters office.; The headquarters decided that the target will be attacked.; I need to go to police headquarters. Somebody stole my car so I went to the headquarters.

My knee is acting up again. I hate it when my computer acts up while I'm at work.; Teenagers always act up. His daughter acts up when she doesn't get what she wants.

They are demanding the restitution of ancient treasures that were removed from the country in the 16th century. ​The chemical company promised to make full restitution to the victims for the injury to their health.

a menacing look/gesture/exterior

I don't feel threatened by his menaces.; He is a menace to the public security!; She said the neighbour's kid is a real menace.; The new law menaces our freedom.

As we all know, complex financial instruments and leverage bring their own risk.; You've learned how to get leverage over someone, haven't you?; He will be trying to leverage him to get an advantage.

"Hi, Rob" whispered Jade, making her voice as seductive as possible. Smells can arouse the senses and give a room a more seductive, mysterious air; Television confronts the viewer with a succession of glittering and seductive images.

In the old days of two-party adversarial politics, voting was easy. Lawyers enjoy being adversarial.

He tried not to let the bad news spoil his evening. You'll spoil your appetite for dinner if you have a cake now. ​The dessert will spoil if you don't keep it in the fridge.; Since she supported none of the candidates, she spoiled her ballot paper.

The disease has continued to perplex doctors. The students looked perplexed, so the teacher tried to explain once again. They find the company's attitude perplexing and unreasonable.

Their discovery was just a fluke. One might have been a fluke, but two? I had won by a fluke because I hadn't cared enough to be nervous.

After the play had finished, we lingered for a while in the bar hoping to catch sight of the actors. The smell from the fire still lingered days later. It's impossible to forget such horrific events - they linger (on) in the memory forever.

This book is an auspicious start to a writing career. Our first meeting was not auspicious - we had a huge argument.

Be careful, this horse is vicious; The crowd was observing the vicious fight between the fighters; Their words were so vicious that she cried; Their vicious children do what they want!; The criminal was vicious and he hit her many times.

Population in this area is very dense. The fog was very dense.; There are some really dense people in our class.

This still afternoon is very tiring; He stood absolutely still; Still village He sat still and waited for his turn.; Zoom in that still.

The Minister was her usual evasive self, skilfully dodging reporters' questions about her possible resignation. ​By the time the pilot realized how close the plane was to the building, it was too late to take evasive action.

The liquid solidifies into a gelatinous mass.

Mudslides left goo all over the highway.

The vice president surveyed the damage today from flooding and mudslides.

She had no qualms about lying to the police. Unfortunately, he said, there are people who have no qualms about bringing in replacement workers for strikers.

He looks upstage to where the body is lying. The mayor doesn’t like to be upstaged by his subordinates – he likes to make all the public announcements. Most supporting bands tend to be youngsters, and rarely upstage the star.

My ears are beginning to attune to the subtle differences in intonation. Will he attune his administration to their policy?

People in New York seem attuned to fashion.

She has been wrestling with depression for 9 years.

And did reason prevail over (= become a more powerful influence than) emotion? ​This attitude still prevails among the middle classes. Our only hope is that justice will prevail. Let’s hope that common sense prevails.

They finally prevailed on him to hand in his resignation. My father prevailed on some friends to let us stay with them.

Li Xiannian was inducted into the Politburo in 1956. She was inducted into the army. induct sb as sth - He was inducted as the university's chancellor on June 8th.

They induced her to take the job by promising editorial freedom. Nothing could induce me to climb a mountain/ride a bike. Pills for seasickness often induce drowsiness. to induce giving a birth - In this hospital, twins are often induced.

groan-inducing jokes.

It is illegal for American companies to offer inducements when tendering for contracts abroad. Customers are coming to us without inducement.

The whole process is done by competitive tendering. The laundry contract was awarded to the company that had offered the lowest price in the tendering process.

a barf bag; He got drunk and barfed all over the carpet.

nagging doubts/pain; a nagging voice; I got sick of her constant nagging.

That was very effusive of her to meet us in such a happy manner. They gave us such an effusive welcome it was quite embarrassing. Carville delivered his message to reporters in his typical effusive, arm-waving style.

bubbly personality

a wobbly ladder/table I've been in bed with flu and my legs still feel a little wobbly. The baby took a few wobbly steps towards me. Last week I felt sure I was doing the right thing but I've started to feel a bit wobbly about it.

This jumper went all bobbly after a few washes. I can't stand wearing bobbly tights. She was wearing a bobbly old dressing gown.

a cohesive group, cohesive forces, We put out a very good image of ourselves as both cohesive and determined.

It was his only defence against the pervasive cold. The smell of sweat was pervasive. The influence of Freud is pervasive in her books. a pervasive smell of diesel Reforms are being undermined by the all-pervasive corruption in the country.

To the horrors of war have been added neglect, indifference and silence.; He was in a state of indifference after the accident. Many native speakers of a language show indifference to/towards grammatical points.

Increasing the supply of weapons will only perpetuate the violence and anarchy. The aim of the association is to perpetuate the skills of traditional furniture design. The movie perpetuates stereotypes of small-town life.

Amongst them, Pravira was the perpetuator of the dynasty. Riksha begat Samvarana, the perpetuator of the royal line.

Poverty begets hunger, and hunger begets crime. In the Bible it says that Adam begat Cain and Abel.

She gave him a long, lingering kiss. She says she stopped seeing him, but I still have lingering doubts. The defeat ends any lingering hopes she might have had of winning the championship.

I swatted the fly with a rolled-up newspaper. He tried to swat the ball too hard, and missed it entirely. figurative These missiles are capable of swatting enemy planes with deadly accuracy.

the image of the West as an untamed wilderness his untamed beard; The territory is largely untamed, haunted by many monsters and tribes of goblins.

She is propitiated especially at times of pestilence, when chickenpox and measles strike. The report states that vandalism is a pestilence that must be stamped out.

They had four children before she died of a "pestilent fever" in 1634; A serious and growing problem: The report states that vandalism is a pestilence that must be stamped out.

Our countries forged an alliance; If you forge a signature, you'll do it illegally. He forged some important documents and he's in prison now.; A smith forges iron.

A smith has just forged new horseshoes for my horse.

His verdict was just. The court was supposed to be just; You've made a just decision. I know you situation and your anger is just.

She's in the enviable position of being able to choose who she works for.

The kitchen roof is apt to (= likely to) leak when it rains. She's in her eighties now and apt to be a little forgetful.

an apt comment/description; We have some particularly apt students in the class this year.