معنی
ability
ability
noun
Collocations from this entry
Collocations from other entries
Collocations from the corpus
Activator
1
2
3
4
Phrases from this entry
Phrases from other entries
Other dictionary examples
Corpus examples
ability
abilities
ability
a‧bil‧i‧ty
S2
W1
/
E™EˆbE?lE™ti, E™EˆbE?lE?ti
/
noun
(
plural
abilities
)
Word family
Date:
1400-1500
Language:
Old French
Origin:
habilit?©
, from
Latin
habilitas
, from
habilis
;
→
ABLE
1
[
countable
]
CAN
the state of being able to do something
ability to do something
the ability to walk
The health center serves all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.
serve
patient
2
LEVEL
[
uncountable and countable
]
someone’s level of skill at doing something
:
The test measures your mathematical ability.
measure
mixed ability classes
mix
class
of high/low etc ability
students of average ability
student
There are musicians of all abilities.
be
musician
ability
somebody's abilities as something
He showed his abilities as a leader.
show
ability
3
to the best of your ability
TRY TO DO OR GET STH
as well as you can
:
He completed the job to the best of his ability.
complete
well
COLLOCATIONS
Meanings 1 & 2
adjectives
high/low/average ability
a group of low ability pupils
pupil
|
Many of these students are of above average ability.
student
be
|
Children of high ability demand more absorbing tasks.
child
absorb
task
great/considerable ability
He was a young man of great ability.
be
|
These drawings required considerable ability on the part of the artist.
drawing
require
remarkable/outstanding/exceptional ability
a writer of remarkable ability
|
The company aims to select people of outstanding ability.
aim
|
his exceptional ability as a swimmer
mixed ability
(=
at different levels
)
a mixed ability class
mix
uncanny ability
(=
an unusual ability that is difficult to explain
)
He has an uncanny ability for spotting investment opportunities.
have
spot
opportunity
natural ability
(
also
innate ability
formal
)
(=
an ability that you are born with
)
He didn't have the natural ability of his brother.
|
Babies have an innate ability to do simple maths.
baby
math
physical/athletic ability
He has considerable athletic ability.
have
artistic/creative ability
You do not need to have any artistic ability.
musical ability
Tim showed musical ability at an early age.
show
acting ability
Her acting abilities were obvious straightaway.
act
ability
be
mental ability
The exercises are supposed to help you improve your mental ability.
exercise
be
suppose
intellectual/academic ability
No one doubts his intellectual abilities.
doubt
ability
|
A degree is evidence of your academic ability in a particular subject area.
be
verbal/linguistic ability
(=
language skills
)
The test is intended to measure the children's linguistic ability.
be
intend
child
mathematical ability
These students have a higher level of mathematical ability.
student
high
proven ability
(=
that you have proved through your achievements
)
Companies often value the proven ability and reliability of older employees.
company
prove
old
employee
verbs
have the ability to do something
(
also
possess the ability to do something
formal
)
She has the ability to make people feel relaxed.
have
relax
show/demonstrate the ability to do something
a chance for candidates to demonstrate their abilities
candidate
ability
lack the ability to do something
As a young man, he lacked the ability to say no.
lack
phrases
a level of ability/ability level
The children were of the same age and ability level.
child
be
a range of ability/ability range
There is a wide range of ability within the class.
be
|
Disruptive behaviour is more prominent in the lower ability range.
be
low
a test of ability/an ability test
Examinations are not always a good test of ability.
examination
be
|
The class was given a verbal ability test.
be
give
an ability group
(=
a group that students are taught in, based on their level of ability
)
Children are divided into different ability groups.
child
be
divide
group