Note that, in the passages below, the emboldened and same-coloured parts of words listed immediately after the phrase ‘Pronunciation tip’, are pronounced in the same way. For example, ‘Pronunciation tip: accent, bet’ means the ‘e‘ in the word ‘accent’ sounds just like the ‘e’ in the word ‘bet’.
accent
Pronunciation tip: accent, bet.
acquisition
Pronunciation tip: acquisition, quick.
afoot
‘Afoot’ means ‘currently in progress‘.
afterwards
Here is the subtle difference between the meanings of ‘afterwards’ and ‘later’.
Let’s say Mrs. Robinson is cleaning the house. If she says ‘I’ll go out afterwards‘, that means she will go out when the cleaning is done. However, if she says ‘I’ll go out later‘, her action of going out can take place at any time during the rest of the day.
amateur
Pronunciation tip: amateur, time. (Alternatively – amateur, chat)
ampersand
The ampersand (&) can be used to indicate that the ‘and‘ in a listed item is a part of the item’s name and not a separator (e.g. ‘steak pie, pizza, fish & chips, and toffee pudding‘).
analytics
We use the word ‘analytics’ to refer to the principles governing the particular form of analysis under consideration.
Pronunciation tip: analytics, sad, about.
anecdote
An ‘anecdote’ is an ‘amusing or interesting short account of a real incident, especially a biographical one‘.
Pronunciation tip: anecdote, sad, kid, tow, gate.
anomaly
Pronunciation tip: anomaly, about, rot.
ante
‘Ante’ means ‘the initial contribution made by each poker player to the pot‘.
Pronunciation tip: ante, fee.
atypical
The word ‘atypical’ has two meanings. One of its meanings is ‘somewhat abnormal, odd, or strange‘. The other meaning is ‘not representative of a type, class, or group‘ as illustrated by the following sentences: ‘This group of young people is atypical of the target audience.‘; ‘This is a class of atypical fungi.‘
Pronunciation tip: atypical, grey.
audacious
‘Audacious’ can mean one of the following. It can mean ‘unrestrained by convention‘ or ‘fearlessly or recklessly daring‘.
avid
‘Avid’ means ‘very keen or enthusiastic‘.
Pronunciation tip: avid, sad, kid.
away
One of the meanings of ‘away’ is ‘continuously or steadily‘ as illustrated by the following sentences: ‘My dad keeps hammering away as if his life depends on it.‘; ‘My brother was snoring away.‘; ‘She has been working away at that project for about nine months now.‘
‘Away’ may also be used to indicate a distance in time or space e.g. ‘It is seven days away‘, ‘My birthday is two days away‘, etc.