Sunday Morning: Week 25 Vocabulary Review
Welcome to your Sunday review! This week you explored words used by confident professionals — in meetings, on teams, and in social settings. Let’s lock them in before the new week starts.
Word-by-Word Review
1. articulate — /ɑːrˈtɪkjʊlɪt/
Vietnamese: diễn đạt rõ ràng, mạch lạc
Review sentence:
“She was so articulate during the presentation that every stakeholder understood the plan immediately.”
Memory tip: Think of “article” — when you write an article, you organize thoughts clearly. Articulate is the same skill, spoken out loud.
2. constructive — /kənˈstrʌktɪv/
Vietnamese: mang tính xây dựng, hữu ích
Review sentence:
“Instead of pointing out what went wrong, he gave constructive suggestions that the team could act on right away.”
Memory tip: “Construct” = build. Constructive feedback builds someone up rather than tearing them down.
3. delegate — /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/
Vietnamese: giao việc, ủy quyền
Review sentence:
“A great tech lead knows when to delegate tasks so the team can grow and the project stays on track.”
Memory tip: Picture a lead handing a baton to a runner — passing responsibility forward. That hand-off is delegating.
4. facilitate — /fəˈsɪlɪteɪt/
Vietnamese: tạo điều kiện, hỗ trợ, điều phối
Review sentence:
“The Scrum Master’s job is to facilitate daily standups so the team stays aligned and blockers get resolved fast.”
Memory tip: Facile in French means “easy.” To facilitate is to make things easy for others.
5. empathize — /ˈempəθaɪz/
Vietnamese: đồng cảm, đặt mình vào hoàn cảnh người khác
Review sentence:
“When a teammate missed the deadline due to a personal issue, the manager empathized and helped them reprioritize.”
Memory tip: “Em-PATH-ize” — you walk the same path as someone else to understand how they feel.
6. mingle — /ˈmɪŋɡəl/
Vietnamese: hòa nhập, trò chuyện giao lưu trong đám đông
Review sentence:
“At the tech meetup, she made it a point to mingle with engineers from different companies to expand her network.”
Memory tip: Imagine stirring a cup of tea — ingredients mingle together. At a party, people do the same.
Weekly Vocabulary Table
| # | Word | IPA | Vietnamese | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | articulate | /ɑːrˈtɪkjʊlɪt/ | diễn đạt rõ ràng | She was articulate and clear in every meeting. |
| 2 | constructive | /kənˈstrʌktɪv/ | mang tính xây dựng | He gave constructive feedback after the demo. |
| 3 | delegate | /ˈdɛlɪɡeɪt/ | giao việc, ủy quyền | She learned to delegate tasks to trust her team. |
| 4 | facilitate | /fəˈsɪlɪteɪt/ | tạo điều kiện, điều phối | He facilitated the workshop smoothly. |
| 5 | empathize | /ˈempəθaɪz/ | đồng cảm | A good leader empathizes before giving advice. |
| 6 | mingle | /ˈmɪŋɡəl/ | giao lưu, hòa nhập | Don’t forget to mingle at the next company event. |
Quick Quiz — Week 25
Test yourself before you move on. Try answering without looking up!
Question 1: Your manager asks you to take over a meeting and help the team reach a decision together. Which word describes what you are doing?
Show answer
facilitate — You are facilitating the meeting, guiding the process so the team can work together effectively.
Question 2: A colleague gives you feedback on your code, pointing out specific improvements rather than just saying “this is bad.” What kind of feedback is this?
Show answer
constructive — Constructive feedback focuses on actionable improvements, not just criticism.
Question 3: Your team lead assigns you ownership of a feature and trusts you to make decisions on it. What has the lead done?
Show answer
delegated — The lead has delegated responsibility to you, empowering you to take ownership.
Question 4: A junior developer is stressed about a deployment that failed. You listen carefully and tell them you understand how frustrating that must feel. Which word describes your response?
Show answer
empathize — You are empathizing with their situation, showing emotional understanding before jumping to solutions.
Question 5: At a networking event, you walk around, introduce yourself, and chat with people from different companies. What are you doing?
Show answer
mingling — You are mingling — mixing socially and making connections in an informal setting.
Reflection Prompt
Which word did you actually use this week?
Take 30 seconds and think back:
- Did you delegate anything to your team?
- Did you empathize with a colleague?
- Did you give constructive feedback in a review?
- Did you facilitate a discussion or help a meeting run smoothly?
- Did you mingle at any event or social gathering?
- Were you articulate in a moment that mattered?
If you used at least one of these naturally — without thinking about it — that word is yours. If you didn’t use any, pick one and make a plan to use it in Monday’s standup or first message of the week.
What’s Coming Next Week
Week 26 will focus on leading under pressure — language for tough conversations, decision-making under uncertainty, and keeping your team motivated through challenges.
Preview words to watch for:
- prioritize — deciding what matters most when everything feels urgent
- resilient — bouncing back after setbacks
- transparent — being open and honest, especially about problems
- align — getting everyone on the same page
- escalate — knowing when to raise an issue to the right level
Start noticing these words in your daily work — in Slack messages, in meetings, in articles you read. Recognition is the first step to ownership.
Have a great Sunday. You showed up every day this week — that’s the habit that compounds.