What makes someone talented? Is it natural ability, hard work, confidence, creativity, or the courage to keep trying when something is difficult? In this unit, you will explore the words we use to talk about talents, abilities and strengths. You will learn how people develop skills, make progress, overcome challenges and turn effort into achievement. Ready to unlock your strengths? Let’s begin.
Read and listen: try to figure out the meaning of the highlighted words from the context.
Challenge Accepted
Everyone has an ability that can grow. Some people have a natural talent, but talent alone is not enough. To achieve something important, you need effort, practice and the courage to face a challenge.
Learning can be challenging, but every difficult task can teach you something new. When you train your mind or body, you develop a new skill. You learn a better technique, build more knowledge and notice real improvement.
You do not have to be an expert from the start. Even an adept learner began with small steps. Good communication skills, critical thinking and problem-solving can help you move forward. Every mistake can become a lesson, and every lesson can become a new strength.
Remember: progress is not always fast, but every step you take is part of your next achievement.
Learning can be challenging, but every difficult task can teach you something new. When you train your mind or body, you develop a new skill. You learn a better technique, build more knowledge and notice real improvement.
You do not have to be an expert from the start. Even an adept learner began with small steps. Good communication skills, critical thinking and problem-solving can help you move forward. Every mistake can become a lesson, and every lesson can become a new strength.
Remember: progress is not always fast, but every step you take is part of your next achievement.
ability — [əˈbɪl.ə.ti] — the physical or mental power or skill needed to do something; spēja, prasme
Mia has the ability to understand new ideas quickly.
achieve — [əˈtʃiːv] — to succeed in finishing something or reaching an aim, especially after a lot of work or effort; sasniegt, gūt
You can achieve your goal if you practise regularly and do not give up.
achievement — [əˈtʃiːv.mənt] — something very good and difficult that you have succeeded in doing; sasniegums
Winning the school science competition was a great achievement for the team.
adept — [əˈdept] — having a natural ability to do something that needs skill; lietpratējs, eksperts, lietpratīgs, izveicīgs
Leo is adept at repairing small machines because he understands how they work.
challenge — [ˈtʃæl.ɪndʒ] — (the situation of being faced with) something that needs great mental or physical effort in order to be done successfully and therefore tests a person's ability; izaicinājums
Speaking in front of the class was a real challenge for Anna.
challenging — [ˈtʃæl.ɪn.dʒɪŋ] — difficult, in a way that tests your ability or determination; tāds, kas prasa piepūli, izaicinošs
The maths task was challenging, but it helped students think more carefully.
communication skills — [kəˌmjuː.nɪˈkeɪ.ʃən skɪl] — the ability to share information, ideas and feelings clearly and effectively, and to listen to others in a helpful way; komunikācijas prasmes, saziņas prasmes
Good communication skills help students explain their ideas clearly and listen to others.
critical thinking — [ˌkrɪt.ɪ.kəl ˈθɪŋ.kɪŋ] — the process of thinking carefully about a subject or idea, without allowing feelings or opinions to affect you; kritiskā domāšana
Students use critical thinking when they compare information and decide what is true.
effort — [ˈef.ət] — physical or mental activity needed to achieve something; pūles, centieni
Tom made a lot of effort to improve his English pronunciation.
expert — [ˈek.spɜːt] — a person with a high level of knowledge or skill relating to a particular subject or activity; eksperts, lietpratējs
The robotics club invited an expert to explain how drones work.
improvement — [ɪmˈpruːv.mənt] — an occasion when something gets better or when you make it better; uzlabojums, pilnveide, uzlabošana, pilnveidošana
There was a clear improvement in Sara’s writing after she started using better vocabulary.
knowledge — [ˈnɒl.ɪdʒ] — understanding of or information about a subject that you get by experience or study, either known by one person or by people generally; zināšanas
Reading books and doing projects helped Daniel gain more knowledge about space.
problem-solving — [ˈprɒbləm sɒlvɪŋ] — the act of finding ways of dealing with problems; problēmrisināšana
Problem-solving is important when students need to find a way to fix a mistake.
skill — [skɪl] — an ability to do an activity or job well, especially because you have practised it; māka, prasme, izveicība
Drawing realistic portraits is a difficult skill that takes time to develop.
strength — [streŋkθ] — the quality of being physically strong; izturība, spēks
One of Emma’s greatest strengths is her ability to stay calm under pressure.
talent — [ˈtæl.ənt] — a natural skill or ability to be good at something, especially without being taught; talants
Max has a natural talent for music and can learn songs very quickly.
technique — [tekˈniːk] — a way of doing an activity that needs skill; paņēmiens, tehnika
The coach taught the players a new technique for passing the ball.
train — [treɪn] — to prepare someone or yourself for a job, activity, or sport, by learning skills and/or by mental or physical exercise; trenēties, apgūt prasmi mācoties un praktizējoties
The young athlete wants to train every day before the competition.
training — [ˈtreɪ.nɪŋ] — the process of learning the skills you need to do a particular job or activity; apmācība, treniņš
Regular training helped the dancers become stronger and more confident.
Time to revise: our character shapes who we are and influences what we are capable of. You studied character traits back in Form 7. Revise: How to Talk about a Person's Character Other people can also influence us. Those are role models. You have already studied the vocabulary on this topic. Pause for a moment and revise: What Makes a Good Role Model? Infinitive and Gerunds, Why I Dislike Certain Role Models? Like and Dislike
Learn: revision complete? Great — now unlock the next part of your strength profile. The words below will help you describe the qualities that support talent, learning, progress and achievement.
Read and listen: try to figure out the meaning of the highlighted words from the context.
The Mystery Team
When the school announced a “Solve the Impossible” challenge, Maya signed up immediately. She was ambitious and wanted her team to win, but she knew that success would take more than wishing.
Her friend Leo was creative. While everyone else looked at the broken robot and sighed, he started drawing a new design on the board. Sara was curious and kept asking questions: “Why did it stop moving? What happens if we change this part?” Tom was the most experienced because he had repaired bikes, drones and even his grandfather’s old radio.
At first, Maya was nervous, but after a few tests, she became more confident. Their table was always neat, so they could find every tool quickly. Leo was keen to try his unusual idea, and Sara was intelligent enough to notice a tiny mistake in the wires.
By the end of the day, their robot crossed the finish line. The team was successful, not because one person knew everything, but because each person used a different strength. Their teacher smiled and said that a wise team knows how to turn different abilities into one achievement.
Her friend Leo was creative. While everyone else looked at the broken robot and sighed, he started drawing a new design on the board. Sara was curious and kept asking questions: “Why did it stop moving? What happens if we change this part?” Tom was the most experienced because he had repaired bikes, drones and even his grandfather’s old radio.
At first, Maya was nervous, but after a few tests, she became more confident. Their table was always neat, so they could find every tool quickly. Leo was keen to try his unusual idea, and Sara was intelligent enough to notice a tiny mistake in the wires.
By the end of the day, their robot crossed the finish line. The team was successful, not because one person knew everything, but because each person used a different strength. Their teacher smiled and said that a wise team knows how to turn different abilities into one achievement.
ambitious — [æmˈbɪʃ.əs] — describes someone who wants to be successful and is ready to work hard to achieve their goals; mērķtiecīgs(a), ambiciozs(a)
The climber is ambitious because he is determined to reach the top, even though the mountain is difficult to climb.
confident — [ˈkɒn.fɪ.dənt] — describes someone who believes in their ability to do things well; pārliecināts(a) par sevi
The girl looks confident because she is sitting calmly, smiling and ready to speak about herself.
creative — [kriˈeɪ.tɪv] — describes someone who has original ideas or can make new and interesting things; radošs(a)
Emma is creative because she can imagine unusual ideas and turn them into something new.
curious — [ˈkjʊə.ri.əs] — describes someone who wants to learn, discover things, and ask questions; zinātkārs(a)
Liam is curious because he always looks closely at small details and asks questions to understand how things work.
experienced — [ɪkˈspɪə.ri.ənst] — describes someone who has gained knowledge or skill by doing something for a long time; pieredzējis(usi)
The baker is experienced because he has made bread many times and knows exactly how to prepare the dough.
intelligent — [ɪnˈtel.ɪ.dʒənt] — describes someone who can understand, learn, and think about things well; inteliģents(a), gudrs(a)
Nora is intelligent because she understands difficult ideas quickly and uses her knowledge to solve problems.
keen — [kiːn] — describes someone who is very interested in something or eager to do something; aizrautīgs(a), ļoti ieinteresēts(a)
Oliver is keen to learn about technology, so he spends hours building machines and testing new ideas.
neat — [niːt] — describes someone who keeps things tidy and organised; kārtīgs(a), akurāts(a)
Alex is neat because he keeps his clothes tidy and carefully organises everything before leaving home.
successful — [səkˈses.fəl] — describes someone who achieves good results or reaches their goals; veiksmīgs(a), panākumiem bagāts(a)
The climber is successful because he has reached his goal after working hard and not giving up.
wise — [waɪz] — describes someone who makes good decisions because they understands life, people, or situations well; gudrs(a), vieds(a)
Our old teacher is wise because he understands life well and gives people thoughtful advice when they need help.
Phrases
be good at — to be able to do something well; labi padodas
Mia is good at solving puzzles because she notices small details very quickly.
be skilled at — to be good at doing something because you have knowledge, training or practice; būt prasmīgam(ai) kādā jomā, labi pārvaldīt kādu prasmi
The young chef is skilled at making bread because he has practised the same technique many times.
develop a skill — to improve an ability by learning, practising and gaining experience; attīstīt prasmi
You can develop a skill by practising regularly, learning from mistakes and trying new methods.
focus on — to give most of your attention to one thing, activity or goal; koncentrēties uz (kaut ko), pievērsties (kaut kam)
Before the competition, Daniel decided to focus on improving his speaking skills.
gain experience — to get knowledge or skill by doing something in real situations over time; gūt pieredzi, iegūt pieredzi
Emma wants to gain experience by helping at a summer camp and working with younger students.
have a talent for — to have a natural ability to do something well; piemist talantam kādā jomā, būt talantam uz kaut ko
Leo has a talent for drawing because he can create detailed pictures without much help.
make progress — to improve or move forward in learning, work or another activity; gūt panākumus, progresēt, pilnveidoties
After three weeks of practice, Sara began to make progress and felt more confident in maths.
overcome a challenge — to successfully deal with a difficult situation or problem; pārvarēt izaicinājumu, pārvarēt grūtības
Mark managed to overcome a challenge when he gave a presentation even though he was nervous.