Academic Word List – Set 6
Word / Meaning
  1. interaction (n)
/ communication with somebody, especially while you work, play or spend time with them:
  • Teachers have a limited amount of time for interaction with each student.

  1. justification (n)
/ a good reason why something exists or is done:
  • I can see no possible justification for any further tax increases.

  1. layer (n)
/ a level or part within a system or set of ideas:
  • There were too many layers of management in the company.

  1. link (n)
/ a connection between two or more people or things:
  • Police suspect there may be a link between the two murders.

  1. location (n)
/ a place where something happens or exists; the position of something:
  • What is the exact location of the ship?

  1. maximum (adj)
/ as large or fast as is possible, or the most that is possible or allowed:
  • For maximum effect do the exercises every day.

  1. minority (n)
/ the smaller part of a group; less than half of the people or things in a large group:
  • Only a small minority of students is are interested in politics these days.

  1. negative (adj)
/ bad or harmful:
  • The crisis had a negative effect on trade.

  1. outcome (n)
/ the result or effect of an action or event:
  • We are waiting to hear the final outcome of the negotiations.

  1. partnership (n)
/ a business owned by two or more people who share the profits:
  • My brother’s company formed a partnership with a property development firm.

  1. philosophy (n)
/ a set of beliefs or an attitude to life that guides somebody’s behavior:
  • Her philosophy of life is to take every opportunity that presents itself.

  1. physical (adj)
/ connected with a person’s body rather than their mind:
  • The ordeal has affected both her mental and physical health.

  1. proportion (n)
/ a part or share of a whole:
  • Water covers a large proportion of the earth’s surface.

  1. publish (v)
/ to produce a book, magazine, or CD-ROM and sell it to the public:
  • The first edition was published in 2002.

  1. reaction (n)
/ what you do, say, or think as a result of something that has happened:
  • What was his reaction to the news?

  1. register (v)
/ record your’s or somebody’s or something’s name on an official list:
  • The ship was registered in Panama.

  1. reliance (n)
/ needing somebody or something in order to survive or be successful:
  • Heavy reliance on one client is risky when you are building up a business.

  1. remove (v)
/ to take something or somebody away from a place:
  • Illegally parked vehicles will be removed.

  1. scheme (n)
/ a plan or system for doing or organizing something:
  • Under the new scheme only successful schools will be given extra funding.

  1. sequence (n)
/ a set of events, actions, or numbers which have a particular order and which lead to a particular result:
  • He described the sequence of events leading up to the robbery.

  1. sex (n)
/ the state of being male or female (gender):
  • How can you tell what sex a fish is?

  1. shift (v)
/ to move, or move something, from one position or place to another:
  • The action of the novel shifts from Paris to London.

  1. specify (v)
/ to state something, especially by giving an exact measurement, time, or exact instructions:
  • Remember to specify your size when ordering clothes.

  1. sufficient (adj)
/ enough for a particular purpose; as much as you need:
  • Allow sufficient time to get there.

  1. task (n)
/ a piece of work that somebody has to do, especially a hard or unpleasant one:
  • Our first task is to set up a communications system.

  1. technical (adj)
/ connected with the practical use of machinery, or methods in science and industry:
  • We offer free technical support for those buying our software.

  1. technique (n)
/ a particular way of doing something, especially one in which you have to learn special skills:
  • The artist combines different techniques in the same painting.

  1. technology (n)
/ scientific knowledge used in practical ways in industry, for example in designing new machines:
  • Recent advances in medical technology have helped doctors heal many people.

  1. validity (n)
/ the state of being logical and true:
  • We had doubts about the validity of their argument.

  1. volume (n)
/ the amount of something:
  • This work has grown in volume recently.