Vocabulary

1. earnest

earnest (adj)

earnestly (adv)

earnestness (n)

= more serious

2. prompt

(adj) done with delay [promptness = n.]

(v) (i) to cause sth happen; (ii) to cue actors; (iii) to make them decide to do sth

(n) cue

(adv) at exact time

3. roll out

= to launch political campaign or new product

4. stumble

stumble across/on/upon sh/sb

= to discover sth/sb unexpectedly

stumble into sth

= to become involved in sth by chance

stumbling block (not “stone”)

= a problem stop you from achieving sth

5. feasibility

= possibility

6. lose out

e.g. HK will lose out to SG if the Gov continued dithering.

7. Dither + over sth

= hesitate abt wht to do because you are unable to decide

8. on-the-go

9. span

(v) (i) to include; (ii) to last long time

(n) the length of time

10. elicit

(v) to get some information or reaction from sb, often with difficuties

e.g. the plan elicited overwhelming interest from local universities

11. top-notch