(In) vogue

/vog/
N.
General Meaning: trendy, popular
1. The state of being popular or fashionable for a period of time
2. Something that is popular or fashionable
From Text: The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of
tomatoes and other produce has been in vogue for some time.
Sample Sentence 1: Sharp tailored suits are very much in vogue at the moment.
Sample Sentence 2: The current vogue for silent film screening s accompanied by live
music is truly international.
Sentence: Wide-legged pants used the be the vogue in the 1980s.

Proponent
/prponnt/
N.

1. Sb who argues in favor of sth: advocate ()

2. A person who supports an idea, plan, or cause

From Text: If successfully implemented, proponents claim, vertical farms offer the
promise of urban renewal.
Sample Sentence: This may come as a surprise to both proponents and critics of
Swedens high-tax society.
Sentence: Proponents of the government support the implementation of a Chinese
History curriculum in Hong Kong schools.

Verdant
/vrdnt/
Adj.
1. A place covered with green grass, trees, and plants
2. Inexperienced; immature (green)
From Text: Along the way, we despoiled most of the land we worked, often turning
verdant, natural ecozones into semi-arid deserts.
Sample Sentence 1: Much of the regions verdant countryside has been destroyed in
the hurricane.
Sample Sentence 2: Her favorite part of the room was the expansive window, looking
out over a verdant landscape of hills and distant mountains.
Arid
/rd/
Adj.
1. A piece of land that is dry, very few plants can grow on it
2. Lacking enough water for things to grow; dry and barren
3. Not interesting; lifeless; dull
From Text: Along the way, we despoiled most of the land we worked, often turning
verdant, natural ecozones into semi-arid deserts.
Sample Sentence 1: After filming he headed for Namibia, wanting to be in a dry hot
and arid climate after four months on a boat.
Sentence: Compared with the arid summer climate in Hungary, summer here in Hong
Kong is extremely humid and hot.

Take its toll/Takes a heavy toll

1. Sth that has a bad effect or causes a lot of suffering
Sentence from Text: Massive floods, long droughts, hurricanes and severe monsoons
take their toll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops.
Sample Sentence 1: Years of pumping iron have taken their toll on his body.
Sample Sentence 2: The problems of the past few months have taken their toll on
her health and there are shadows under her eyes.
Sentence: Years of eating unhealthy food have taken their toll on the mans body, he
just got a heart attack last week.

Tractor
As a countable noun
/trktr/
1. A farm vehicle used to pull farm machinery and to provide the enrgy needed for

the machinery to work

2. A farmer might use a tractor to pull a ploy through her corn field before planting
3. (US) A short truck consisting of the drivers cab, designed to pull a large trailer.
Sentence in Text: Vertical farming would also dramatically reduce fossil fuel use, by
cutting our the need for tractors, ploughs and shipping.
Sample Sentence 1: Deaths associated with farm tractors are the most common
cause of work-related death in U.S. agriculture.

Bolt
N. or V.
1. (N) Long metal object which screws into a nut and is used to fasten things

together

2. (V) Bolting one thing to another: fastening them firmly together, using a bolt
Sentence in Text: To make the structure more robust, the steel sections were bolted
rather than welded together.
Sample Sentence: Computers should be secured to the side of a desk or the floor
using strips of metal, bolts or screws, or newer locking devices created just for this
purpose.

Make strides
Countable noun (usually plural, adjective NOUN)
1. If you make strides in something that you are doing, you are making rapid
progress in it
Sentence in Text: But while a few countries are making major strides in this regard
(cutting back on carbon emissions), the majority are having great difficulty even
stemming the rate of increase, let alone reversing it.
Sample Sentence 1: The West made impressive strides in improving energy efficiency
after the huge rises in oil prices during the 70s.