skill - talent and ability

talent

tal‧ent W3 /ˈtælənt/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1400-1500; Origin: talent unit of weight or money in the ancient world (9-21 centuries), from Latin talentum, from Greek talanton; from a story in the Bible in which a man gives talents to his three servants, and two of them use them well]
1. [uncountable and countable] a natural ability to do something well:
He has a lot of talent, and his work is fresh and interesting.
talent for
She showed a talent for acting at an early age.
a persuasive speaker with a natural talent for leadership
His latest book reveals hidden talents.
Sadly, she inherited none of her father’s musical talent.
Your brother is a man of many talents.
There’s a wealth of talent in English football.
talent for
She showed a talent for acting at an early age.
2. [uncountable] a person or people with a natural ability or skill:
Britain’s footballing talent
3. [uncountable] British English informal sexually attractive people
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have talent Greg has a real talent for drawing.
▪ show talent Zach was the only one who showed any natural talent.
▪ use your talents They have been using their artistic talents to brighten up the school.
▪ develop your talent Education allows people to develop their talents to the full.
▪ waste your talents They felt their son was wasting his talents and his time.
▪ sb’s talents flourish (=develop successfully) The school created an atmosphere in which young talent could flourish.
■ adjectives
▪ great/considerable/exceptional talent He had a great talent for making money.
▪ real talent She has real talent and with a little help she could go far.
▪ natural talent Ronaldo is a player of immense natural talent.
▪ raw talent (=used to describe someone with natural ability who has not had much training) He’s got lots of raw talent but he needs a good coach.
▪ a hidden talent Have a go – you may discover a hidden talent!
▪ musical/artistic/creative etc talent It was at school that Brian’s musical talents were spotted.
■ talent + NOUN
▪ a talent contest/show/competition Don’t assume winning a talent contest is a passport to success.
■ phrases
▪ a wealth of talent (=a large amount of talent) There’s a wealth of musical talent in New York and other large American cities.
▪ a pool of talent (=lots of talented people) Employers can draw on an enormous pool of talent in this area.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ skill [uncountable and countable] an ability to do something well, especially because you have learned and practised it: He plays the piano with great skill. | communication/language/computer etc skills | The course will help you improve your communication skills.
▪ talent [uncountable and countable] a natural ability to do something well which can be developed with practice: She was a young artist with a lot of talent. | She showed a talent for acting from an early age. | He is a man of many talents.
▪ genius [uncountable] very great ability, which only a few people have: The opera shows Mozart’s genius as a composer. | Picasso was a painter of genius.
▪ gift [countable] a natural ability to do something very well, which you were born with: You can see that he has a gift for the game. | Winterson has great gifts as a writer.
▪ flair [singular, uncountable] skill for doing something, especially something that needs imagination and creativity: The job does require some creative flair. | She has a flair for languages.
▪ expertise [uncountable] specialized knowledge of a technical subject, which you get from experience of doing that type of work: The technical expertise for building the dam is being provided by a US company.
▪ a/the knack /næk/ [singular] informal a special skill for doing a particular thing, especially a simple everyday thing: Breadmaking is easy once you get the knack. | He has a knack for making people feel relaxed.

genius

ge‧ni‧us /ˈdʒiːniəs/ BrE AmE noun
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Latin; Origin: 'spirit who guards a person or place', from gignere; ⇨ ↑genital]
1. [uncountable] a very high level of intelligence, mental skill, or ability, which only a few people have:
The film reveals Fellini’s genius.
work/writer/man etc of genius
Wynford was an architect of genius.
a stroke of genius (=a very clever idea)
At the time, his appointment seemed a stroke of genius.
a work of pure genius
2. [countable] someone who has an unusually high level of intelligence, mental skill, or ability:
Freud was a genius.
musical/comic/mathematical etc genius
a genius at (doing) something
My father was a genius at storytelling.
3. a genius for (doing) something special skill at doing something:
That woman has a genius for organization.
Warhol’s genius for publicity
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ skill [uncountable and countable] an ability to do something well, especially because you have learned and practised it: He plays the piano with great skill. | communication/language/computer etc skills | The course will help you improve your communication skills.
▪ talent [uncountable and countable] a natural ability to do something well which can be developed with practice: She was a young artist with a lot of talent. | She showed a talent for acting from an early age. | He is a man of many talents.
▪ genius [uncountable] very great ability, which only a few people have: The opera shows Mozart’s genius as a composer. | Picasso was a painter of genius.
▪ gift [countable] a natural ability to do something very well, which you were born with: You can see that he has a gift for the game. | Winterson has great gifts as a writer.
▪ flair [singular, uncountable] skill for doing something, especially something that needs imagination and creativity: The job does require some creative flair. | She has a flair for languages.
▪ expertise [uncountable] specialized knowledge of a technical subject, which you get from experience of doing that type of work: The technical expertise for building the dam is being provided by a US company.
▪ a/the knack /næk/ [singular] informal a special skill for doing a particular thing, especially a simple everyday thing: Breadmaking is easy once you get the knack. | He has a knack for making people feel relaxed.

ability

a‧bil‧i‧ty S2 W1 /əˈbɪləti, əˈbɪlɪti/ BrE AmE noun (plural abilities)
[Word Family: noun: ability ≠ inability, disability; adjective: able ≠ unable, disabled; verb: enable ≠ disable; adverb: ably]
[Date: 1400-1500; Language: Old French; Origin: habilité, from Latin habilitas, from habilis; ⇨ able]
1. [countable] the state of being able to do something
ability to do something
the ability to walk
The health center serves all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.
2. [uncountable and countable] someone’s level of skill at doing something:
The test measures your mathematical ability.
mixed ability classes
of high/low etc ability
students of average ability
There are musicians of all abilities.
somebody's abilities as something
He showed his abilities as a leader.
3. to the best of your ability as well as you can:
He completed the job to the best of his ability.
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 1 & 2)
■ adjectives
▪ high/low/average ability a group of low ability pupils | Many of these students are of above average ability. | Children of high ability demand more absorbing tasks.
▪ great/considerable ability He was a young man of great ability. | These drawings required considerable ability on the part of the artist.
▪ remarkable/outstanding/exceptional ability a writer of remarkable ability | The company aims to select people of outstanding ability. | his exceptional ability as a swimmer
▪ mixed ability (=at different levels) a mixed ability class
▪ uncanny ability (=an unusual ability that is difficult to explain) He has an uncanny ability for spotting investment opportunities.
▪ natural ability (also innate ability formal) (=an ability that you are born with) He didn't have the natural ability of his brother. | Babies have an innate ability to do simple maths.
▪ physical/athletic ability He has considerable athletic ability.
▪ artistic/creative ability You do not need to have any artistic ability.
▪ musical ability Tim showed musical ability at an early age.
▪ acting ability Her acting abilities were obvious straightaway.
▪ mental ability The exercises are supposed to help you improve your mental ability.
▪ intellectual/academic ability No one doubts his intellectual abilities. | A degree is evidence of your academic ability in a particular subject area.
▪ verbal/linguistic ability (=language skills) The test is intended to measure the children's linguistic ability.
▪ mathematical ability These students have a higher level of mathematical ability.
▪ proven ability (=that you have proved through your achievements) Companies often value the proven ability and reliability of older employees.
■ verbs
▪ have the ability to do something (also possess the ability to do something formal) She has the ability to make people feel relaxed.
▪ show/demonstrate the ability to do something a chance for candidates to demonstrate their abilities
▪ lack the ability to do something As a young man, he lacked the ability to say no.
■ phrases
▪ a level of ability/ability level The children were of the same age and ability level.
▪ a range of ability/ability range There is a wide range of ability within the class. | Disruptive behaviour is more prominent in the lower ability range.
▪ a test of ability/an ability test Examinations are not always a good test of ability. | The class was given a verbal ability test.
▪ an ability group (=a group that students are taught in, based on their level of ability) Children are divided into different ability groups.