Unit 2: Birth, marriage, and death

I/ VOCABULARY
Word family
(noun) weight weights weighting
Weight - /weɪt/

1. AMOUNT SOMEBODY/ SOMETHING WEIGHS [countable, uncountable] how heavy something

is when you measure it
The average weight of a baby at birth is just over seven pounds.

In weight (dùng để mô tả, nói về số lượng cân nặng cụ thể của một vật)
Fish that are over two kilos in weight = Những con cá nặng hơn 2kg.
The bag is about 10 kg in weight = Cái túi nặng khoảng 10kg.

By weight (dùng để chỉ cách tính toán, đo lường hoặc phương thức bán theo trọng lượng/ nghĩa là
không theo số lượng)
Fish that are over two kilos in weight = Những con cá nặng hơn 2kg.
The bag is about 10 kg in weight = Cái túi nặng khoảng 10kg.

2. HOW FAT [uncountable] how heavy and fat someone is

You shouldn’t worry about your weight.
→ overweight, underweight

3. HEAVINESS [uncountable] the fact that something is heavy

The weight of her boots made it hard for Sue to run.
I didn’t know if the bridge would support our weight.

under the weight of something

Karen staggered along (lao đảo, loạng choạng) under the weight of her backpack.

4. HEAVY THING [countable] something that is heavy

I can’t lift heavy weights because of my bad back.

5. WORRY [singular] something that causes you a lot of worry because you have to deal with it (giải
quyết)
weight of
She felt a great weight of responsibility.
families who are crumbling đang sụp đổ under the weight of increasing debt
Selling the house is a weight off my mind nhẹ cả đầu óc / trút bỏ gánh lo (=something that no longer
causes a lot of worry).

6. IMPORTANCE [uncountable] if something has weight, it is important and influences people

She knew that her opinion carried very little weight. Hầu như không có trọng lượng

give/add weight to something tăng thêm sức nặng cho lập luận
This scandal adds more weight to their arguments.
(adjective)
overweight ≠ underweight weighted weighty weightless
Overweight /ˌəʊvəˈweɪt◂ $ ˌoʊvər-/

1. someone who is overweight is too heavy and fat → underweight (thiếu cân)

10 kilos/20 pounds etc overweight

Sally was 50 pounds overweight.

He is slightly overweight.

2. Sthing such as a package that is overweight weighs more than it is supposed to weigh → underweight

My luggage was overweight by five kilos.

underweight /ˌʌndəˈweɪt◂ $ -ər-/

weighing less than is expected or usual OPP overweight

weighted

giving an advantage or disadvantage to one particular group or activity → biased → thiên vị / có xu hướng
nghiêng về.

weighted against: bất lợi cho, thiên về chống lại

The voting system is weighted against the smaller parties.

weighted in favour of somebody/something: có lợi cho, ưu ái cho

This year’s pay increase is heavily weighted in favour of the lower paid staff.

weighted towards: thiên về, tập trung nhiều hơn vào

The course is weighted towards language skills.
weighty /ˈweɪti/

important and serious

She didn’t feel like discussing weighty matters.

weightless/ˈweɪtləs/

something that is weightless seems to have no weight, especially when it is floating in space or water

(verb)
weigh outweigh weight
Weigh /weɪ/

1. BE A PARTICULAR WEIGHT [linking verb] to have a particular weight

The young birds weigh only a few grams.
Do you know how much it weighs?
What (=how much) do you weigh?
The box was full of books and weighed a ton (=was very heavy).

2. MEASURE WEIGHT [transitive] to use a machine to discover how much Sthing or Sone weighs
He weighed some potatoes on the scales.cái cân

weigh yourself
Have you weighed yourself lately?

3. consider/compare (also weigh up) [transitive] to consider something carefully so that you can make a
decision about it
It is my job to weigh the evidence. bằng chứng

weigh something against something: so sánh, cân nhắc cái này với cái khác
We have to weigh the benefits of the scheme kế hoạch against the costs.

4. Influence [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] formal to influence someone’s opinion and the
decision that they make
weigh against : gây bất lợi, ảnh hưởng xấu đến
This unfortunate experience will weigh heavily against further investment in the area.

weigh in somebody's/something’s favour nghiêng về phía có lợi cho ai/cái gì

These facts will weigh in your favour.

weigh with có sức ảnh hưởng đối với (ai đó, đặc biệt là trong việc ra quyết định)
Her evidence weighed strongly with the judge.

Outweigh /aʊtˈweɪ/[transitive]

to be more important or valuable than something else

The benefits of the scheme outweigh the disadvantages.
Word family
(noun) separation separates separatist separatism separator inseperability
separation/ˌsepəˈreɪʃən/

1. [uncountable] when something separates or is separate

the separation of church and state

separation between
the zone of separation between the warring factions khu vực ngăn cách giữa các phe đang giao chiến

2. [countable, uncountable] a period of time that two or more people spend apart from each other
the separation of families during wartime thời chiến

3. [countable] a situation in which a husband and wife agree to live apart even though they are still married
their separation and later divorce sự ly thân của họ và sau đó là ly hôn

Separates /ˈsepərəts/ [plural]

women’s clothing, such as skirts, shirts, and trousers, that can be worn in different combinations
Separatist /ˈsepərətɪst/ [countable]

someone who belongs to a group that wants to start a new country with its own government, by separating
from the country that they belong to now
Separator [countable]

a machine for separating liquids from solids, or cream from milk

(adjective)
separable ≠ inseparable separate separated
Separable /ˈsepərəbəl/

two things that are separable can be separated or considered separately OPP inseparable

separable from
Physical health is not always easily separable from mental health.
inseparable /ɪnˈsepərəbəl/

1. people who are inseparable are always together and are very friendly with each other

Jane and Sarah soon became inseparable companions.

inseparable from

Tom was inseparable from his dog Snowy.

2. things that are inseparable cannot be separated or cannot be considered separately

inseparable from

Britain’s economic fortunes are inseparable from the world situation.

separate /ˈsepərət/ [no comparative]

1. different

Use separate knives for raw thịt sống and cooked meat.
My wife and I have separate bank accounts.

2. not related to or not affected by something else

That’s a separate issue.

He was attacked on two separate occasions.

separate from

He tries to keep his professional life completely separate from his private life.

3. not joined to or touching something else

The gym and the sauna are in separate buildings.

separate from

Keep the fish separate from the other food.

Separated /ˈsepəreɪtɪd/

not living with your husband, wife, or sexual partner anymore → divorced

We’ve been separated for six months.

(verb) separate /ˈsepəreɪt/

1. be between [transitive] if something separates two places or two things, it is between them so that they are
not touching each other

separate something from something

The lighthouse ngọn hải đăng is separated from the land by a wide channel. Eo biển rộng

2. divide [intransitive, transitive] to divide or split tách into different parts, or to make something do this

This will keep your dressing nước sốt from separating.

separate from

At this point, the satellite vệ tinh separates from its launcher. Tên lửa

separate something into something

Separate the students into four groups.

First, separate the eggs (=divide the white part from the yellow part).

3. stop living together [intransitive] if two people who are married or have been living together separate,
they start to live apart

Jill and John separated a year ago.

separate from

I decided to separate from my partner.

4. recognize difference [transitive] to recognize that one thing or idea is different from another
separate something from something
She finds it difficult thấy khó to separate fact from fantasy.

5. move apart [intransitive, transitive] if people separate, or if someone or something separates them, they
move apart
Ed stepped in bước vào to separate the two dogs.

separate somebody from somebody/something

In the fog, they got separated from the group.

6. make somebody/something different [transitive] to be the quality or fact that makes someone or
something different from other people or things
separate something from something
The capacity to think separates humans from animals.

7. better/older [transitive] if an amount separates two things, one thing is better or older than the other by
that amount
Three points now separate the two teams.
(adverb) inseparably separately

be widowed /ˈwɪdəʊd $ -doʊd/: if someone is widowed, their husband or wife dies (góa phụ, góa vợ)

She was widowed at the age of 25.

Word family
(noun) divorcé divorcee (adjective) divorced (verb) divorce
(noun) divorcé - /weɪt/

[countable, uncountable] the legal ending of a marriage → separation

Why doesn’t she get a divorce?
One in three marriages ends in divorce.
file/sue/petition for divorce (=start the legal divorce process)
His wife has started divorce proceedings. (thủ tục tố tụng)
the rise in the divorce rate
She received the house as part of the divorce settlement (giải quyết) (=the amount of money, property etc
each person receives in a divorce case).

II/ PHRASE
1. Have a baby, twins: to be pregnant
2. weigh your words: to think very carefully about what you say because you do not want to say
the wrong thing

He was weighing his words carefully. Cân nhắc lời nói một cách cẩn thận
3. go your separate ways: mỗi người một ngã, đường ai nấy đi

III/ COLLOCATIONS
Weight – Meaning 2: how heavy and fat someone is
verbs
put on weight (also gain weight formal): Tăng cân
He had put on weight since she last saw him.
lose/shed weight: Giảm cân
She lost a lot of weight when she was ill.
watch your weight (=try not to get fatter, by eating the correct foods): (= cố gắng không để béo lên,
bằng cách ăn uống hợp lý)
He has to watch his weight because he has a heart condition.
get/keep your weight down (=become thinner or stay thin): (= trở nên gầy hơn hoặc duy trì vóc dáng
gọn gàng). Duy trì cân nặng không cao (kiểm soát mức cân).
How can I keep my weight down?
get/keep the weight off (=become or stay thinner): (= trở nên gầy hơn hoặc duy trì vóc dáng thon gọn).
giữ kết quả giảm cân, tránh tăng cân trở lại.
I changed my eating habits so I’d keep the weight off.

weight + NOUN
a weight problem (=a tendency to be too fat): (= xu hướng dễ bị thừa cân, béo phì)
I’ve always had a weight problem.
weight gain: Sự tăng cân
The medication can cause rapid weight gain.
weight loss: Sự giảm cân
After the first month, weight loss slows down.
adjectives
somebody’s ideal weight (=what someone should weigh, according to their height and body type): Cân
nặng lý tưởng của ai đó (= cân nặng lý tưởng, phù hợp với chiều cao và thể trạng)
She weighs about 10lbs more than her ideal weight.
somebody’s target weight (=the weight someone is trying to be): (= mức cân nặng mà ai đó đang
hướng tới)
I’ve reached my target weight.
excess weight (=the pounds that make you heavier than you should be): (= mức cân nặng mà ai đó
đang hướng tới)
You’ll feel better if you lose the excess weight.
overweight

adverbs
slightly overweight/a little overweight (also a bit overweight): hơi thừa cân, thừa cân một chút
He was tall and slightly overweight.
He’s a bit overweight, not too much.
seriously/heavily overweight (=very overweight): thừa cân nhiều, béo phì nặng
Being seriously overweight doubles the risk of heart disease.
grossly overweight disapproving (=extremely overweight):béo phì quá mức (mang sắc thái chê bai,
tiêu cực)
The vet bác sĩ thú y said the dog was grossly overweight and that it was affecting his heart.
be 5 kilos/20 pounds etc overweight: → thừa … cân (so với mức chuẩn)
I’m about 15 pounds overweight right now.
divorce

verbs
get a divorce (=end your marriage)
Their marriage had never been happy and in the end they got a divorce.
go through a divorce (=experience getting a divorce)
I was going through a divorce and it was a very painful time.
want a divorce
She told him she wanted a divorce.
ask (somebody) for a divorce
She asked her husband for a divorce after he had been unfaithful.
a marriage ends in divorce
Five years later, their marriage ended in divorce.
file for divorce (also petition for divorce formal) (=start the legal divorce process)
The next day I saw a lawyer and filed for a divorce.
adjectives
a bitter divorce (=involving very angry feelings)
After a long and bitter divorce, Wendy was looking forward to starting a new life.
a messy divorce (=complicated and unpleasant to deal with)
She wanted to avoid a messy divorce .
a painful divorce (=causing a lot of sadness)
I have been through a painful divorce, and know what it feels like.
divorce + NOUN
the divorce rate (=the number of people who get a divorce)
The country has a high divorce rate.
divorce proceedings (=the legal processes of getting a divorce)
His first marriage was unsuccessful and led to long divorce proceedings.
a divorce settlement (=the amount of money, property etc each person gets in a divorce)
She received a $10 million divorce settlement from her first husband.
a divorce case (=a legal case dealing with a divorce)
It was the biggest divorce case that an English court has dealt with.
a divorce lawyer/court (=one dealing with divorce)
She's a famous New York divorce lawyer.
divorce papers (=documents concerning a divorce)
My husband refused to sign the divorce papers.
phrases
grounds for divorce (=acceptable reasons for divorce, according to the law)
Violence and neglect are grounds for divorce.