Simon Haines, Vocabulary for Advanced (CAE). Unit 2 Personal history –
ancestry, autobiography. English definition example. German to unlock the mys-.
Simon Haines, Vocabulary for Advanced (CAE) Unit 2 Personal history – ancestry, autobiography English
definition
to unlock the mystery/mysteries/secret of sth
to discover new important facts about sth
an ancestor (n.) ancestry (n.)
a person related to you who lived a long time ago your ancestors who lived a long time ago; the origin of your family
ancestral (adj.)
to do with your ancestors
genealogy (n.)
(the study of) the history of past and present members of a family
genealogical (adj.)
related to genealogy
to approach a task to conduct an investigation a source (n.) a record (n.) to record (n.) to document facts (your) descent (n.)
to deal with a piece of work to be done to organise and perform a careful examination of sth someone or something that supplies information a piece of information stored on paper or computer to keep information for the future, in writing or on computer to support a claim with evidence or decisive information the state of being related to a particular people who lived in the past
example After more than fifty years of research, scientists are at last beginning to unlock the mysteries of the human mind. There were portraits of his ancestors in the room. His wife was of royal ancestry. Their ancestral home is in Northern England. People often become interested in the genealogy of their families once they grow older. There are no genealogical clues as to where the family originated. I’m not sure how to approach this task – it seems impossible! The investigation was conducted by a team of experts. The journalist refused to reveal her sources. The weather centre keeps a record of the weather. She records everything happening to her in her diary. The facts stated in the report are well documented. She claims direct descent from the last Russian emperor. He claims to be a descendant of Michelangelo. Figurative art is one thing. Abstract art is another thing altogether.
German das Geheimnis/die Geheimnisse von etw. entschlüsseln/enträtseln Vorfahre; Ahne Abstammung; Herkunft angestammt Familienforschung; Ahnenforschung genealogisch eine Aufgabe angehen eine Untersuchung/Nachforschung durchführen Quelle; Gewährsmann/-frau Aufzeichnung; Eintrag; formelle Unterlage erfassen; protokollieren; aufzeichnen; eintragen Fakten dokumentieren Abstammung
a descendant (n.)
a relative who lived in the past
another thing altogether
a totally different thing
to accumulate (v.)
to gradually increase in amount; to collect an amount of something over a period of time
We’ve accumulated so much clutter over the years!
ansammeln; anhäufen
an accumulation (n.)
an amount of something that has been
Accumulations of sand can be formed by
Ansammlung; Anhäufung
Nachkomme; Abkömmling ganz was anderes
collected or formed a larger mass
waves along coastal beaches.
(in)accuracy (n.)
a situation where something is (not) exactly correct
The film is full of historical inaccuracies.
(in)accurate (adj.)
(not) exactly correct
to embellish (v.)
to make sth more beautiful or interesting by adding sth to it
an embellishment (n.) to reminisce (v.) reminiscence (n.) reminiscent of sth (adj.) to verify sth (v.) verification (n.) a verifier
Flowers are an embellishment of life.
to talk or write about past experiences that you remember with pleasure the act of remembering events and experiences from the past making you remember a particular person, thing, time, etc. to prove that something exists, or is true or correct the act of proving that something exists, or is true or correct someone who verifies or confirms the truth of something
verifiable
able to be verified
to expose a (long-buried) secret
to make information public which was unknown for many years
to keep sb in the dark about sth to dig up dirt on sb
Prediction of earthquakes is hoped to become more accurate in future. He couldn’t resist embellishing the story of his accident a little.
not share information with people who are interested to investigate to find unpleasant or damaging information
to sweep sth under the carpet (swept/swept)
to ignore or avoid discussion of an issue
to cover (your) tracks
to make evidence more difficult or impossible to find
to muddy the waters
to confuse an issue under discussion
to dictate the course of sth
to determine how something should develop
Whenever we get together, we reminisce about our time together at college. The novel contains endless reminiscences of the author’s youth. Bruckner’s symphonies are sometimes reminiscent of Wagner’s music. You have to verify these facts before you go public with them! Please submit your passport for verification of your identity. Verifiers will check the documents of all applicants. Not all data used in the study are easily verifiable. Their perfect marriage is endangered when an ex-lover threatens to expose a long-buried secret from Robert’s past. They may reveal things about you that you'd rather keep her in the dark about. She is one of those journalists who are always trying to dig up dirt on celebrities The incident has forced into the although the government would rather have swept it under the carpet. He was smart enough to cover his tracks so the police wouldn't connect him to the crime. He's just trying to muddy the waters so we won't notice all the things he's done. Strict guidelines dictate the course of the application process.
(Un)Genauigkeit (un)genau verschönern; ausschmücken Ausschmückung; Schönfärberei in Erinnerungen schwelgen Erinnerung; Reminiszenz erinnernd an etwas überprüfen; nachweisen; verifizieren Überprüfung; Nachweis; Beglaubigung Gutachter; (Über-)Prüfer überprüfbar ein (lang gehegtes) Geheimnis aufdecken
jem. im Dunkeln/Ungewissen lassen über etw. jemanden durch den Schmutz ziehen etw. unter den Teppich kehren die eigenen Spuren verwischen Perspektive verzerren; Wasser trüben den Kurs von etw. bestimmen; die Richtung vorgeben
empty; not containing any written information a space left empty to be filled with information
I swear quite a lot but I draw the line at saying certain words. By doing what he did, he thought he was acting in the public interest. City councillors have voted to pedestrianize the city centre. The idea had to be scrapped as it was not viable. I think we should raise the issue of his behaviour. He wasn’t used to intimacy and appeared reserved and distant to others. As best friends they have always had a really intimate relationship. You have to confront your past if you want to leave it behind. He hates it when people dredge up the crimes that happened here 50 years ago. He weighed up his chances of escape and decided to wait for a better moment Uncle Harry as an adventurer is a bit of a family myth. They look like a perfect family, but I bet they have a skeleton in the cupboard! Use a blank sheet of paper to start taking notes. There are various blanks in her past – we don’t know anything about those times.
to draw a blank (drew/drawn)
not find any answers or results
He googled her name but drew a blank.
a multitude of sth
a great number of sth
multitudinous (formal adj.)
numerous; countless
valuable (adj.)
worth a lot; of high value
to draw the line to be in the public interest a councillor (n.)
to never do sth because you think it’s wrong ‘public interest’ is concerned with the fundamental health of a free society an elected member of a local government
scrapped
discarded
to raise an issue
to bring up a topic
intimacy (n.)
closeness
intimate (adj.)
close
to confront sth/sb to dredge sth up to weigh sth up a family myth a skeleton in the cupboard blank a blank
to prove to be sth. to hoard sth
to face and deal with a difficult situation or person to talk about sth bad or unpleasant happening in the past to consider the good and bad aspects of sth in order to come to a decision something a family believes about itself which isn’t necessarily true an embarrassing secret
to show a particular result after a period of time to collect large amounts of sth and keep it in a safe, often secret, place
Despite a multitude of problems the negotiators reached a consensus. There are multitudinous translations of the Old Testament. This is an extremely valuable experience for him. The new treatment has proved to be a success. During the siege people began to hoard food.
bei etw. die Grenze ziehen im Interesse der Öffentlichkeit Ratsmitglied verschrottet; (für Pläne) versenkt; stillgelegt ein Thema ansprechen Nähe; Intimität; Innigkeit intim; persönlich; innig gegenübertreten; ins Auge sehen etwas Vergangenes aufbringen; aufarbeiten etwas abwägen Familienmythos eine Leiche im Keller; ein peinliches Geheimnis blank; leer Leerstelle; Lücke leer ausgehen; keine Antwort auf etwas finden Menge; Vielzahl zahlreich; massenhaft wertvoll sich herausstellen als etwas horten; Vorräte anlegen
a school report off the record to have a criminal record
an official statement of a student’s abilities and performance at school in a way that is not meant to be made public to have an official of crimes a person has committed
to gain entry to sth (formal)
to enter (illegally)
an entry
a door, gate, etc. by which you enter a place; the act of entering
to take note of sth
to notice sth consciously
He dreaded having to show his school report at home. She made it clear that her comments were strictly off the record. They fired him when they found out that he had a criminal record. The burglars gained entry to the house through a balcony door. Entry to the USA requires a valid visa for passengers from Pakistan. You should take note of what you are told on the first day in your job.
Schulzeugnis inoffiziell; vertraulich vorbestraft sein sich Zugang verschaffen zu etw.; eindringen Eintritt; Eingang; Eintrag einer Sache Aufmerksamkeit schenken; sich etwas merken
