Vocabulary Part 2

Now, let’s take a look at some other key vocabulary (highlighted below) from the TED Talk. Study the example sentences, using context to understand the meaning of each vocabulary word.

For advanced-level practice, pay attention to the common collocations, indicated in bold.

• Over the years, the company has evolved into a multi-million dollar organization.
  My taste in music has evolved as I have gotten older.
  Some believe that birds evolved from dinosaurs.
  
• The firm must fulfill its contractual obligations.
  Both landlord and tenant should know their rights and obligations.
  You’re under no legal obligation to return the money, but you may feel a sense of moral obligation to do so.
  
• I made the assumption that he was coming, so I was surprised when he didn’t show up.
  We are operating on/under the assumption that the loan will be approved.
  Her plan is based on the underlying assumption that the economy will improve in the near future.
  
• To solve these new challenges, he will need to be an imaginative and innovative manager.
  We had never encountered issues like these, but thankfully Gwen introduced a number of innovative solutions.
  To survive in this constantly shifting business environment, companies need to remain innovative.
  
• This job requires considerable mental agility.
  The acrobats display jawdropping feats of strength, agility and control.
  His agility is surprising, especially due to his size and advanced age.
  
• I appreciate the personal praise, but the success of the project was the result of collaborative effort.
  It’s a huge collaborative project from which a growing number of companies are deriving real benefit.
  With a collaborative effort, a big job can be completed in very little time.
  
• Gender equality will not be achieved until there is better provision for childcare.
  The commission discussed ways of increasing social equality in the member countries.
  My parents taught me to value equality and diversity.
  
• He had no legal representation during the trial.
  The farmers demanded greater representation in parliament.
  Her plan is intended to increase representation of minority groups.
  

Next, you’ll take a quiz in which you will be given a definition and you’ll be asked to fill in the gap with a word from this exercise. Take a minute now to study and try to commit these words to short-term memory. When taking the quiz, it’s best to try to produce these words from your brain, instead of looking at notes. In this way, you will already be beginning to activate the new vocabulary.

In the quiz, you also be asked to use different forms of these words to complete a sentence. For example, you may need to change a noun into its verb form, or you may need to use the opposite form of the word.