USEFUL VOCABULARY TO WORK ON YOUR PHRASING IN ESSAYS!
Un exemple vous est donné pour chaque mot (parfois une seule phrase pour plusieurs mots)
Sentez vous très libres de compléter cette liste pour m’éviter de lire 40 fois les mêmes jolis mots dans vos jolis
essais
TO FULFILL – remplir / s’acquitter / respecter (les conditions…) / satisfaire (un besoin…)
It seems for most the key to an effective capitalist system, which in turn is considered as the best system to fulfill
people’s essential needs.
TO ASSESS – évaluer
With the Brexit voted on June 23d 2016, the UK assessed their will to stand out and stand alone.
TO PREVAIL – prévaloir, l’emporter, dominer
To what extent can this contradictory association of notions – stepping out and isolate oneself so as to rise and shine
again – work in a globalized world when partnerships and associations prevail?
IN THE AFTERMATH OF – au lendemain de (sens figuré) / à la suite de pour un événement négatif (crise,
guerre …)
In the aftermath of the Brexit, fears and uncertainty are growing.
IN THE WAKE OF – à la suite de, au lendemain de If something happens in the wake of something else, it
happens after and often because of it
Airport security was extra tight in the wake of the terrorist attacks
TO SEVER TIES WITH – rompre les liens avec
British people have decided to sever ties with Europe
TO COMPLY WITH - se conformer à
GB is likely to have to comply with rules they don't necessarily agree with – and so which people will grow frustrated
with if their call is not heard.
TO REQUIRE – nécéssiter, exiger, requérir / avoir besoin (dans le sens de nécéssiter)
TO BE BOUND TO - être lié à / être voué à / être tenu à (obligé de faire qqch)
What requires consideration then = the call behind the vote. The Brexit vote is bound to weaken GB – at least
temporarily - because it might not have been cast for the right reasons.
TO DEPRIVE SBDY OF – priver qqun de qqch
People have blamed Europe for leaving them behind and depriving them of prosperity
TO HAMPER – gêner, entraver
Any leadership that forgets people's basic happiness and their need for a growing self-confidence, will hamper the
building of a sense of belonging.
TO THRIVE – prospérer, fleurir (fleurir au sens figuré seulement – au sens propre et utilisable aussi de
manière figurée = to bloom)
The difference between the Little England and Great Britain scenarios is leadership – between one that aims at letting
entrepreneurship, ethics and trust thrive, or one that cultivates fear and self-hatred.
TO COIN – inventer, estamper (littéralement, idée de frapper une pièce de monnaie à l’effigie de qqch de
nouveau, on marque le sceau de qqch sur un élément)
Coined by Churchill in a speech in 1946, the phrase « the Special Relationship » points to the strong links between the
USA and GB.
THE RECENT TURN OF EVENTS – la récente tournure des événements
Yet the recent turn of events, with the Brexit vote on the British side (June 23d 2016) and Donald Trump’s election
on the American one (in November 2016), have shown that both countries now want to turn to a more protectionist
leadership.
TO PROVIDE STHG (FOR…)– fournir, assurer, pourvoir, prodiguer qqch (pour…)
TO PROVIDE SBDY WITH STHG – fournir, assurer… qqch à qqun (attention structure inversée)
To what extent should the Brexit and Trump’s election provide a common ground for a renewed relationship
between both countries?
TO HIGHLIGHT – souligner, mettre en relief, accentuer
If those decisions impact international relationships and thus invite both countries to rethink their alliances, they
highlight yet again that the USA and GB are made of the same flesh and share deep hopes and frustrations alike.
TO HAIL – saluer (qq’un , au sens propre// une initiative, avec l’idée d’approuver) / acclamer / grêler (non,
aucun rapport avec les trads précédentes. L’anglais est polyvalent, oui messieurs dames )
Trump proves to be an enthusiastic Brexit cheerleader and hailed Britain’s decision.
A GATEWAY TO – une entrée, porte, portail vers (sens propre et figuré)
TO STRIKE A DEAL WITH – passer un accord avec, conclure un marché avec
TO WEIGH – peser, considérer, comparer, mesurer
TO WEIGH IN – donner son avis
TO WEIGH IN ON STHG - trancher, se prononcer sur qqch
TO WEIGH ON – peser sur
Britain cannot serve as a gateway to Europe anymore, but Trump is not focused on Europe anymore either – he aims
at striking deals with Russia and GB to instaure a real economic, political and trade partnership. This might weigh
on the decisions of European leaders since the creation of a new USA/Russia/GB block might endanger European
economies.
APART FROM – à part, hormis
TO OVERCOME – surmonter, franchir, vaincre, maitriser
We shall overcome (Nous vaincrons)
TO TRIGGER – déclencher (a trigger – une gachette)
Triggered by the fears and discontents raised by the migrant crisis and financial issues, the vote has sometimes been
dubbed a British revolution- so a forcible overthrow of a government and social order, in favour of a new system.
TO BEGET – engendrer, entrainer, causer
Our prosperity and our opportunities beget opportunities for those who live and work in those emerging economies.
WHETHER FOR GOOD OR FOR BAD – que ce soit une bonne chose ou non / que ce soit pour qqch de positif ou
non
The Spring revolutions in Arabic countries in 2011 have shown that cyber-democracy can impact countries, whether
for good or for bad.
TO CHAMPION - soutenir
In its place, Bhutan has championed a new approach to development, which measures prosperity through formal
principles of gross national happiness (GNH).
TO BE BESET – se débattre, être confronté à /déchiré par
Now, in a world beset by collapsing financial systems, gross inequity and wide-scale environmental destruction, this
tiny Buddhist state's approach is attracting a lot of interest.
TO BE BESET BY – se débattre dans
Once again, the idea of a single currency for several nations is beset by contradictions.
TO AMOUNT TO - représenter, s’élever à
TO INFRINGE ON – empiéter sur, porter atteinte à, transgresser
TO HAMPER – gêner, entraver (déjà vu plus haut, vous vous rappelez ? Sinon, recommencez tout !)
TO BOAST (ABOUT sthg) – se vanter, fanfaronner (à propos de qqch)
This would amount to infringing on people’s freedom and hampering the social progress the internet can boast
about.
THE TENET –principe / dogme / doctrine / précepte
The tenet of a democracy is to provide limits no one can cross so as to guarantee the common good.
TO MAKE UP FOR – compenser qqch, rattraper qqch
We have to make up for the time lost by the Conservative games.
TO STEP IN – s’impliquer / entrer qqpart
In order to make up for this lack of tools, real democracies must step in and protect their citizens on the cyber space.
TO IMPLEMENT – mettre en oeuvre, établir, instaurer
TO STEM FROM – découler de, résulter de (a stem – une souche / a stem cell – une cellule souche)
Measures should be implemented so as to enable the cyber space to remain a democratic space, and this can only
stem from democratic countries.
TO FOSTER – favoriser / nourrir (des espoirs) / accueillir (des enfants foster children = enfants recueillis /
foster care – famille d’accueil)
Trading, exchanging or sharing fosters economic and cultural exchanges, promotes shared prosperity and
development among countries, and is key in establishing a tradition of peaceful cooperation, openness and
inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit.
TO DENY (sthg to sbdy)– refuser (qqch à qqun) / nier / démentir / rejeter
At the same time, I suggest being clear and rigorous because, let us not deny it, problems remain, and we are familiar
with them.
TO PROVE TO BE – s’avérer être / se révéler être
From the refusal to adopt the Euro to this vote last June, the UK has always proved to be more Euroskeptical than
any other member of the EU.
TO SHAPE STHG - former, façonner, formuler
This vote also follows the line of populist decisions, each shaped according to national standards.
TO GO BACK MANY YEARS – remonter à plusieurs années
Moreover, its roots go back many years, and so the Brexit can’t be only considered as just another element in the
populist and nationalist string of events.
AS REGARDS – en ce qui concerne
AN OUTSOURCING – une délocalisation / TO OUTSOURCE – délocaliser / sous-traiter, externaliser
As regards business services, the outsourcing of some activities by firms in the industrial sector may also partly
explain the collapse of the economy.
TO FALL WITHIN (THE SCOPE OF)– faire partie de / s’inscrire dans (le champs de qqch)
If the Brexit’s consequences won’t just impact the UK, yet it remains undeniable that it is a British specifity that falls
within the political and economic history of the UK and might further shake its very foundations.
TO AIM FOR + nom / TO + BV / AT + BVing – viser à / aspirer à / pointer vers
To what extent can one consider that technology broadly (broad – large / broadly – généralement) aim for the
greater good ?
TO PINPOINT – identifier qqch / localiser qqch
A SET OF – un ensemble de
It is hard to pinpoint a set of precise issues and causes.
TO ENDEAVOUR TO - s’efforcer de
The Nobel Prize committee endeavours to reward scientists using new technologies as a tool for progress.
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