To follow the rules of etiquette

Customs and traditions

e.g. His knowledge of the customs and traditions of the country proved invaluable on the expedition.

7. historical – relating to the past

historical event / document / novel

e.g. Many important historical documents were destroyed when the library was bombed.

historic – having great and lasting importance

historic event / moment / occasion / visit / decision / day

e.g. In his book Churchill recalls that historic first meeting with Roosevelt.

8. the arts– art, music, theatre,film, literature, etc., all considered together

e.g. The government should provide more money for the arts.

compare: art –the activity of painting, drawing, and making sculpture

e.g. Most people find it difficult to understand abstract art.

9. values – the ideas that a person or group has about what is right and wrong, or what is important in life

family / moral / traditional values

individualist(ic) / collectivist(ic) values

to value sb. / sth. –to consider sb./sth. to be important

e.g. I’ve always valued her advice.

We’ve always valued Jane for her hard work.

10. speciality (US specialty) – a food or drink that a person, restaurant or region is well-known for and that you cannot always get in other places

A local speciality, a speciality of an area, a speciality of the day

e.g. Oysters are a local speciality / a speciality of the area.

11. a superstition – a belief that some objects or actions are lucky or unlucky

e.g.I don’t believe in the old superstition that the number13 is unlucky.

to be superstitious (about sth.) – to believe in superstitions

e.g. Some people are superstitious about spilling salt on the table.

12. a faith (pl.faiths) –a particular religion

the Muslim / Christian / Jewish / Buddhist faith

e.g. a person of the Muslim faith / people of different faiths / a multi-faith society

a belief (pl.beliefs) – the feeling of being certain that something exists or is true

e.g. His belief in God gave him hope during difficult times.

All non-violent religious and political beliefs should be respected equally.

a faith / belief system

13. rules of etiquette – accepted standards of polite behaviour in society

to follow the rules of etiquette

ant.to break the rules of etiquette

e.g. By failing to respond to the invitation she broke the rules of etiquette.

14. to socialise (with sb.) – to spend time with other people in order to enjoy yourself

e.g. I tend not to socialise with my colleagues.

Mark spent most of his first year at college socialising.

15. a national / public holiday – a day fixed by law on which people do not have to go to work

e.g. New Year’s Day is a public holiday in many countries.

to celebrate a national / public holiday

16. heritage – art, languages, literature, beliefs and traditions that a society considers important to its history and culture

e.g. These monuments are a vital part of the cultural heritage of the country.

to preserve the historical / cultural / architectural heritage

e.g. All people should be aware of a need to preserve their national heritage.

17. hospitality – friendly behaviour towards guests and visitors

e.g. The local people showed me great hospitality.

to be hospitable to / towards sb. – to be friendly, welcoming, and generous to guests and visitors

e.g. The villagers were very hospitable to / towards anyone who passed through.

18. to respect sth./sb. (for sth./doing sth.) – to think highly of something or someone and treat them in an appropriate way

e.g. I deeply respect David for what he has achieved.

to have / show (no) respect for sth./sb.

e.g. She teaches the students to have respect for different faiths and beliefs.

He grumbled that young people today show no respect for the old.

to treat sb. with respect – to show politeness, honour and care towards someone

e.g. You really should treat your parents with more respect.

19. to miss sth./sb. – to feel sad that a person or thing is not present

e.g. What did you miss most about England when you were living in France?

When she was doing a bachelor’s degree abroad, she missed her family badly.

To miss doing sth.

e.g. After Sabrina had resigned, Ben knew he would miss working with her.

20. to help (sb.) out (with sth.) – to do a part of someone’s work or give someone money

e.g. He always helped me out with the housework.

Her parents helped her out with a $500 loan.

21. superficial (disapproving) – 1). (of a person) never thinking about things that are serious or important

e.g. Sarah is so superficial – she only cares about how she looks.

2). not complete or thorough

e.g. I have only a superficial knowledge of the subject.

22. to be focused on sth. – to give all of your attention to one particular problem or subject because it is very important

e.g.In individualist cultures people are focused on their own problems.

23. home country – the country where you were born and raised

e.g. Racist groups are calling for all immigrants to be sent back to their home countries.

home town – the town where you live now, or where you were born and spent most of your early life

e.g. He was born in Bristol, but he considers London to be his home town since he’s lived there most of his life.

24. to make arrangements (with sb.) for sth. / to do sth. – to plan and make preparations for something

e.g. They’ve made all the arrangementsfor the party.

The local newspaper made arrangementsto record an interview with Doctor Stein.

25. to get together (at someone’s home) – to meet each other (at someone’s place) after having arranged it before

e.g. Shall we get together on Friday and go for a meal or something?