Vocabulary Tricks Part 16: City Life

City life is full of activities. The population swells in cities during the day. People living in the periphery of the city, come to the city on different errands. In cities, buses and cars start plying on the road in the early morning. There are long queues at the bus stops. Some people commute by public transportation while others prefer their own vehicles. People flock to the local market or supermarket to buy necessary goods. The roads are always chock-a-block in cities.
There are many places for recreation like theaters, hotels, clubs and multiplexes. Party-goers and music lovers can easily find discotheques. People also have numerous sources to earn money in cities. Hard working people can make a killing.
However, cities have certain demerits. People remain busy in various pursuits. There is a lot of noise and chaos everywhere. Cities are overcrowded due to the migration from rural areas. It is very difficult to acquire jobs according to qualification and skills.

WORDS WITH MEANING AND ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES

Swell

Meaning: Become or make greater in intensity, number, amount, or volume
Example: Population of the city was swollen by refugees.
Synonym: accelerate, step up, multiply, augment

Periphery

Meaning: The outer limits or edge of an area or object
Example: The new building is on the periphery of the hospital site.
Synonym: edge, outer edge, margin, fringe, boundary, border

Errands

Meaning: A short journey undertaken in order to deliver or collect something.
Example: Leave the car at home, walk for short errands or use your bike.
Synonym: task, job, chore, assignment, expedition

Ply

Meaning:Travel regularly over a route, typically for commercial purposes
Example: Ferries ply across a strait to the island
Synonym: make regular journeys, travel, go back and forth, shuttle commute

Commute

Meaning: Travel some distance between one's home and place of work on a regular basis
Example: He commuted from Corby to Kentish Town.
Synonym: travel to and from work, travel to and fro

Flock

Meaning: Move or go together in a crowd
Example: Tourists flocked to the city.
Synonym: gather, collect, congregate, assemble, come together

Chock-a-block

Meaning: Crammed full of people or things
Example: The manual is chock-a-block with information
Synonym: well supplied with, replete with, overflowing with, bursting with

Discotheques

Meaning: Another term for disco
Example: People can easily find discotheques in big cities.

Make a killing

Meaning: Have a great financial success
Example: It's a safe investment, you can make a killing overnight
Synonym: make a large profit, make a fortune

Pursuits

Meaning: The action of pursuing someone or something
Example: He is chasing himself in pursuit of a glory.
Synonym: striving towards, aspiration for, quest for, search for

Chaos

Meaning: Complete disorder and confusion
Example: Snow caused chaos in the region.
Synonym: disarray, disorganization, confusion, mayhem, bedlam, pandemonium

Acquire

Meaning: Buy or obtain (an asset or object) for oneself
Example: I managed to acquire all the books I needed
Synonym: achieve, attain, take possession of, amass