mostly; nearly; practically; well-nigh; almost invariably; all but
marriage proposal; courtship
statement; remark; observation; utterance; speech; proposal
to begin (doing); to start (doing)
outstanding talent; person of exceptional talent; gifted person
suddenly; in a flash; rapidly; attractive; distinguished; showy
all-time high (price, in trading); record high; new high
to surpass; to outstrip; to excel
straight ball (pitch); direct (e.g. question); blunt
injury; harm; evil influence; damage
to use up; to exhaust; to devote oneself (to); to do one's utmost (for); to do to exhaustion; to do completely
to injure; to damage; to kill; to hinder; to obstruct
particle; atom; little piece; not at all; not the slightest
decision; settlement; definition
destination; whereabouts; future; prospects
or something; for instance ... (though there are other suitable options); ... or ...; as soon as; right after; while still
study; library; den; home office; reading room
top; top position; senior management; senior bureaucrat
to be manageable; to be able to handle
higher rank; better position
having a headache; racking one's brains; troubling over something
tolerance level; permissible range; acceptable limits
to lose heart; to lose motivation
in succession; one after another
satisfaction; pride; one's strong point; one's forte; regular customer; regular client
to handle well; to handle deftly; to deal with; to manage; to prepare (meat or fish) for cooking; to dress (meat, etc.)
to be exhausted; to be tired out
unthinkable; unexpected; absolutely not!; far from it!; (it was) no bother at all; not at all
whether or not (in phrases like "I don't know whether or not I can come")
to see; to witness; to observe; to catch sight of; to get a glimpse of; to encounter
eminent; prominent; distinguished; ringing (of metal); resonant (of a musical instrument)
(those) who are; (that) which is; in the capacity of
to be hesitant; to feel timid
one copy (of a book, magazine, etc.); one volume
cover (of a book, magazine, etc.); binding; appearing on the cover of a magazine
for generations; hereditary; generation after generation
effect; effectiveness; efficacy; effects (e.g. sound effects, visual effects, special effects)
to write down; to record; to register
silence; being silent; quiet; reticence; inaction
to go through; to pierce; to run through (e.g. a river through a city); to pass through; to stick to (opinion, principles, etc.); to carry out
somehow; for some reason; without knowing why
grief; sorrow; extreme sadness; heartbreak