Learn English > English lessons and exercises > English test #126359: Vocabulary: intellectual abilities

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Vocabulary: intellectual abilities - English lesson

We are very often scrutunised, assessed, judged on our reactions to the events and questions of life. Many sites enable or encourage us to "calculate" our IQ (intellectual/ intelligence quotient) as if our life depended on it! More and more people use and abuse it and tend to employ such expressions as "gifted", "prodigy" or "whizz" to justify some behaviours which do not correspond to what sociey is entitled to expect from law-abiding citizens...

Without falling into the trap, I'll give you here the vocabulary, and a few expressions which will enable you to use the right word about the abilities you think you are detecting (or not!) in people...

Intelligent/ clever/ bright/ brainy

The brain

The intellect/ intellectual/ an intellectual

able to do something/ capable of doing something

Ability/ capability

Aptitude for doing something

To have an aptitude for something/ doing something

Competent/ competence

FAUX AMI: to be apt to do something: to be likely to/ to have a tendency to do.

Sharp/ penetrating

Perspicacity/ insight

Smart/ shrewd/ astute

Perspicacious

Cunning

Resourceful

Skillful/ skill

- To be quick-witted/ slow-witted

- To be quick on the uptake

- To have the knack of doing something

- There's a knack to it!

- To have a flair for...

A genius

A gift/ to be gifted

To have a gift for something

A gifted child

A child prodigy/ a whizz kid

A genius

A brainwave

A talent for

To have talent/ to be talented

Versatile

Common sense

Sensible/ senseless

Scatterbrained

To be scatterbrained

- He's got genius

- A stroke of genius

- To be slow-witted

- That's nonsense!

Silly/ foolish

Silliness/ foolishness

Idiotic/ daft/ dumb

A fool

Nonsense! (singular)

A nitwit

Dull

Dim

Backward

A simpleton

Knowledge is power! I'm sure you'll put "two and two together" and do a brilliant test!

Go for it!

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1. Of course Shakespeare was . An excellent actor, he also wrote unforgettable tragedies and comedies.

2. This kid is more than gifted. However small and young, he has already shown exceptional abilities and should be encouraged.

3. Billy’s so that he can’t concentrate on an exercise for more than ten minutes and keeps forgetting things.

4. Though sick and not at his best, he suggested solutions to the problem we had met.

5. Her book offered interesting into the lives of these unknown and isolated populations.

6. 'I’m not worried! I know how he is. He can manage out of any predicament.'

7. Billy likes to pretend he is really and can’t understand what he’s told to do, but it’s just a stupid game he has to be cured of.

8. 'Stop this about dropping out of school and leaving for a world tour.'

9. 'Resigning from your job is the most thing to do just now! You’ll be penniless and I won’t help you!'

10. 'For once, I had a of genius, which was very unexpected, but came along at the right moment.'

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