Does music really help you concentrate? – The Guardian (Aug 20, 2016)

Does music really help you concentrate? – The Guardian (Aug 20, 2016)

Many people listen to music while they’re carrying out a task, whether they’re studying for an exam, driving a vehicle or even reading a book. Many of these people argue that background music helps them focus. For further reading, visit “The Guardian”.

Word List:

1. Carry out (phrasal verb) – perform, conduct, do, execute, discharge.
2. Go on (phrasal verb) – happen, take place, occur, transpire.
3. Spectrum (noun) – range, gamut, sweep; variety; ambit, compass.
4. Syncopation (noun) – musical rhythm in which the weak notes are stressed (given importance) than the strong notes.
5. Elicit (verb) – obtain, bring out, draw out, extract, generate.
6. Funky (adjective) – (of music) with strong rhythm and repeating tunes.
7. Monotonous (adjective) – dull, tedious, boring, uninteresting, unexciting.
8. Metronome (noun) – a device which creates a regular repeated sound like a clock, to assist musicians play music at the right speed.
9. Chaotic (adjective) – messy, confused, in disorder, disorganized.
10. Off-putting (adjective) – unpleasant, unappealing, uninviting, unattractive.
11. Entice (verb) – tempt, allure, attract, induce.
12. Evolve (verb) – develop, progress, mature, grow.
13. Peripheral (adjective) – secondary, subsidiary, marginal, ancillary.
14. Potent (adjective) – powerful, strong, vigorous, mighty.
15. Sniff (verb) – inhale, snuffle, breathe in; smell, test the smell of.
16. Clip (verb) – trim, cut, cut short, prune.
17. Innocuous (adjective) –  mild, peaceful, gentle; harmless, safe, non-dangerous.
18. Infuriating (adjective) – make someone anger & impatient; annoying, irritating.
19. Non- invasive (adjective) – not spreading undesirably.
20. At bay (phrase) – at a distance, away, off, aside.
21. Pink noise (noun) – it is a noise which contains all low frequencies that can be heard by humans. It generally simulates a waterfall effect and reduces distractions of other sounds in the surrounding area.
22. White noise (noun) – it is a noise (signal) whose spectrum has equal power within any equal interval of frequencies. It is also used to reduce background noises while working in the office. It helps in sleep too.
23. Thrash metal (noun) – a metal music which is very loud & fast.
24. Melancholy (noun) – desolation, sadness, sorrow; unhappiness, dejection, depression, gloom.
25. Impede (verb) – hinder, obstruct, hamper, hold back, disrupt.
26. Bleak (adjective) – unpromising, cheerless, joyless, gloomy.
27. Sap (verb) – reduce, lessen, lower, impair; drain, empty, exhaust.
28. Darwinian (adjective) – relating to evolution (or progress & advancement).
29. Manipulate (verb) – engineer, fix, organize, arrange, manoeuvre.
30. Ironic (adjective) – paradoxical, incongruous, odd, strange.

Note:

• Click each one of the words above for their definition, more synonyms, pronunciation, example sentences, phrases, derivatives, origin and etc from http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/ .
• Definitions (elementary level)  & Synonyms provided for the words above are my personal work and not that of Oxford University Press.