Straightforward Elementary Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012 1

Unit 1 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate

Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Leisure interests
acionado n C /find/ someone who is very interested in something and knows a lot
about it
This cofee is regarded by acionados as one of
the worlds nest.
be crazy about phr /bi krezi bat/ be very enthusiastic about something Hes crazy about football.
fan ** n C /fn/ someone who likes watching or listening to something such as
a sport, lms, or music very much, or who admires a famous or
important person very much
They could see a crowd of noisy football fans.
get a taste for phr /et test f/ to begin to like something Charlotte quickly got a taste for it and now
spends every weekend running around with a
paint gun in her hand.
get the bug for phr /et bg f/ to begin to have a sudden strong enthusiasm for doing something Greg got the Trekkie bug in a big way.
give (sth) a try phr /gv trai/ to do something in order to nd out what happens or to nd out
whether something is good, appropriate, efective etc.
It was a colleague at work who rst suggested
that Charlotte Pullman should give paintballing
a try.
be into phr /bi nt/ to be interested in and enjoy an activity or subject Theres little point in saying that youre into pop
music when you apply for a job.
be keen on phr /bi kin n/ to be interested in something and enjoying it, especially an activity
that you do often
Tony ONeill was always keen on ghost stories.
be obsessed with phr /bi bsest w/ to consider someone or something as so important that you are
always thinking about them, in a way that seems extreme to other
people
He was crazy about the sport, but he became
more and more obsessed with it.
passion ** n C /p()n/ a strong enthusiasm or interest But when hero worship turns into an all-
consuming passion, it can be an addiction as
dangerous as any other.
pastime n C /pstam/ something that you do regularly for fun in your free time Skateboarding is the favourite pastime of many
teenagers.
supporter *** n C /sp(r)t(r)/ someone who likes to watch a particular sports team and wants
that team to win
Barcelona supporters were happy with the
teams victory.
take (sth) up phr /tek p/ to start doing something regularly as a habit, job, or interest Chris has taken up jogging.
Time adverbials
after a while phr /ft(r) wal/ after a period of time Some of the stars signed a few autographs but
after a while it became too dangerous for them.
afterwards *** adv /ft(r)w(r)dz/ after something else that you have already mentioned I didnt see her again until a few days
afterwards.
at rst phr /t f(r)st/ in the beginning before something changes At rst, I said no, but then he ofered me ten
pounds, then twenty-ve, and nally fty.
Straightforward Elementary Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012 2
Unit 1 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
at the beginning phr /t bn/ in the rst part of an event or process before something changes At the beginning, I found it really difcult to draw
a line between collecting and trading.
eventually *** adv /ventuli/ at the end of a process or period of time in which many things
happen
Did they ever pay you? Eventually, yes.
nally *** adv /fan()li/ after a long time, process, or series of events My father nally agreed to let me go on the trip.
in the end phr /n i end/ nally, after a period of time or thought In the end, we decided not to buy it.
initially *** adv /n()li/ at the beginning I had initially thought I wanted to write novels.
later on phr /let(r) n/ in the future, or after the time already mentioned Ill come and see you later on.
subsequently ** adv /sbskwntli/ after something else happened The disease subsequently spread to the rest of
the country.
to begin with phr /t bn w/ before or during the rst part of an activity or process How did you get involved to begin with?
Expressions with thing
a thing of the past phr / v pst/ something which no longer exists or happens We all used to wear them at university, but its a
thing of the past now.
in-thing phr /n/ something which is currently very fashionable Its amazing but shes still the in-thing for young
girls, all over the world.
its just one of
those things
phr /ts dst wn v
z z/
used to say that you cannot prevent or change a situation or an
event
I dont know why really, its just one of those
things.
one thing led to
another
phr /wn led tu
n(r)/
used when you cannot or do not want to give a lot of details about
how something happens
One thing led to another, and before I knew it I
had about thirty of them, all diferent.
the good thing is phr / d z/ used for talking about the positive aspect of a bad thing or
situation
I have too much work at the moment, but the
good thing is Im making more money.
the thing about phr / bat/ used for talking about the problem with something or someone The thing about Dave is hes always late for
meetings.
Other words & phrases
accessory ** n C /ksesri/ a small thing such as a piece of jewelry or a pair of shoes that you
wear with clothes to give them more style
Nike succeeded in transforming the sports
shoe into an essential fashion accessory.
antique * adj /ntik/ old and valuable Hes got a collection of antique postcards.
applicant * n C /plknt/ someone who applies for something, such as a job or a loan of
money
One job applicant who was obviously trying to
make a good impression wrote that she had
taken up blood-donating.
attend *** v /tend/ to be present at an event or activity Everyone in the ofce was expected to attend.
autograph n C /trf/ a famous persons name that they sign for someone else to keep My mother got Frank Sinatras autograph in the
1970s.
Straightforward Elementary Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012 3
Unit 1 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
babysit * v /bebist/ to look after children in their home while their parents are not
there, especially in the evening
Ill ask my mother to babysit.
background *** n C /bkrand/ the type of career, training, or education that someone has had A recent survey has shown that one in four
CVs contain a lie of some kind, but resist the
temptation to invent an interesting background
for yourself.
backstage adv /bksted/ in the area behind the stage in a theatre, including the rooms
where the actors get dressed
He let us go backstage.
badge * n C /bd/ a small round object that fastens onto your clothes with a pin and
usually has a picture or writing on it. The American word is button.
I pinned the badge on my lapel.
bargain ** n C /b(r)n/ something you buy that costs much less than normal You should be able to pick up a few good
bargains.
blood-donating n U /blddnet/ allowing some of your blood to be taken from you so that it can be
used in the medical treatment of someone else
One job applicant who was obviously trying to
make a good impression wrote that she had
taken up blood-donating.
bulging adj /bld/ sticking out My friends like to joke that my husband is the
star attraction in my collection because hes got
these bulging eyes.
car boot sale n C /k(r) but sel/ a market where people sell things that they do not want from the
back of their car
We bought it at a car boot sale.
chess * n U /tes/ a game for two people, played on a board with black and white
squares, using diferent shaped pieces, including two kings. The
aim is to get the other players king into a position where it cannot
move
We played a game of chess.
collectable adj /klektb()l/ able to be collected or obtained The market specialises in collectable items.
confess ** v /knfes/ to admit something about yourself that you would not normally
tell people because you are embarrassed about it or they could be
disappointed by it
Ill have to confess that I made an exception with
this one.
convention *** n C /knven()n/ a meeting that a lot of people belonging to a particular profession
or organization go to in order to discuss things
Chicago was chosen as the site for an
international crime convention.
dark horse n /d(r)k h(r)s/ someone with a secret, especially a secret ability, skill, or
achievement, that surprises you when you nally discover it
I think hes a bit of a dark horse.
deal *** v/n C /dil/ a formal agreement, especially in business or politics It was my rst deal, but later on, I found out that
it was worth ve times what hed paid for it!
decay * v /dke/ if a building or an area decays, its state gradually gets worse
because it has not been looked after
The area is lled with decaying buildings.
dedicate ** v /dedket/ to spend your time and efort doing something He dedicated himself to academic work.
devote ** v /dvt/ to spend a lot of time or efort doing something Hes devoted most of his time to his painting.
Straightforward Elementary Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012 4
Unit 1 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
dismiss ** v /dsms/ to refuse to accept that something might be true The minister dismissed the idea that he had
behaved badly.
draw a line
between
phr /dr lan btwin/ to keep two things separate I found it really difcult to draw a line between
collecting and trading.
due to *** phr /dju t/ if something is due to happen, it is expected to happen or should
happen
We arrived outside the cinema before the stars
were due to arrive.
enamel n C/U /nm()l/ a hard shiny substance used for protecting or decorating glass,
metal, or clay
Most of them collect the old enamel or metal
ones from before the war.
make an exception phr /mek n
ksep()n/
to deal with someone or something in a diferent way from usual
on a particular occasion only
Ill have to confess that I made an exception with
this one.
gallon * n C /ln/ a unit for measuring an amount of liquid, especially petrol or water.
In the UK, a gallon is equal to 4.55 litres. In the US, a gallon is equal
to 3.79 litres. A gallon contains 8 pints or 4 quarts
Ive put a gallon of petrol in the car.
get carried away v /et krd we/ to become so excited or involved in something that you lose
control of your feelings or behaviour
Lets not get carried away. The deal could still fall
through.
get hold of v /et hld v/ to get something that you need or want Ive managed to get hold of some rather good
wine.
ghost ** n C /st/ the spirit of a dead person that someone sees or hears Do you believe in ghosts?
glamour n U /lm(r)/ a special quality that makes a person, place, or situation seem very
exciting, attractive, or fashionable
Most other cities cannot rival Hollywood for
glamour.
gnome nC /nm/ a stone or plastic model of a gnome (an imaginary little man in
childrens stories who wears a pointed hat and can do magic),
used in gardens for decoration
Garden gnomes are popular in England.
goods *** n pl /dz/ objects produced for sale Wilkins was found in possession of 8,000
worth of stolen goods.
guerilla n C /rl/ a member of a military group that is not ofcial and usually wants
to change a political situation. Their main method is to make
unexpected attacks in small groups.
The army is at risk of attack from guerilla
ghters.
handle *** v /hnd()l/ to touch or hold someone or something Whats the most valuable autograph youve
handled?
hang around v /h rand/ to spend time in a place waiting or doing nothing At school we used to hang around in the
playground every day.
hooked adj /hkt/ if you are hooked on something, you nd it so attractive or
interesting that you want to do it as much as possible
I got hooked on Mozart.
hunter * n C /hnt(r)/ someone who is looking for a particular type of thing Shes a bit of a bargain hunter.
impatient * adj /mpe()nt/ annoyed because something is not happening as quickly as you
want or in the way you want
Hes very ambitious and sometimes impatient.
Straightforward Elementary Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012 5
Unit 1 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
in deep water phr /n dip wt(r)/ in a difcult or serious situation You could nd yourself in deep water if you
made it all up.
instinct ** n C /nstkt/ a natural tendency to behave in a particular way that people and
animals are born with and that they obey without knowing why
Its a basic human instinct.
in stock phr /n stk/ if goods are in stock, they are available to buy in a store or shop If youve got something in stock and the person
subsequently dies, well, the value literally
doubles overnight.
introverted adj /ntrv(r)td/ a little shy and tending to concentrate on your own thoughts and
feelings
He became introverted and depressed.
job seeker n C /db sik(r)/ someone who is looking for a job. This word is used mainly by
government ofcials.
The government are planning to cut payments to
job seekers.
junk * n C /dk/ old, broken, or useless things You should get rid of all that junk in your garage.
kid *** n C /kd/ a child If I ever have a kid myself, I know hell enjoy
looking at my collection in years to come.
lacking ** adj /lk/ if something important or useful is lacking, it does not exist or is
not available
She seems to be totally lacking in common
sense.
latter *** adj /lt(r)/ used for referring to the second of two people, things, or groups
that have just been mentioned
He did well in both schoolwork and sport and
won a number of medals in the latter (=in sport).
lawn ** C /ln/ an area of grass that is cut short, especially in someones garden I thought he was looking a bit lonely out there on
the lawn all on his own.
liven up v /lav()n p/ to make something more interesting or exciting, or to become
more interesting or exciting
What we needed was some music to liven things
up.
looped adj /lupt/ with a round shape or curve made by a line curling back toward
itself
People who write with looped letters are
imaginative and creative.
make (sth) up v /mek p/ to invent a story, poem, etc. Use the words in the box to make up a story
about a rescue.
memorabilia n pl /mem()rbli/ objects that you collect because they belonged to someone
famous or are connected with something that interests you
She collects old cinema memorabilia.
nasty adj /nsti/ used for talking about behaviour and people that are threatening Some really nasty people are looking for him.
outgoing adj /at/ someone who is outgoing is friendly and enjoys meeting and
talking to people
Norman is very shy but his wifes outgoing.
overreact v /vrikt/ to be more worried, annoyed, or ofended by something than you
should be
Its important not to overreact to a perceived
threat.
naked ** adj /nekd/ not wearing any clothes There was a drawing of a naked woman in the
gallery.
paintball n /pentbl/ an outdoor game in which people shoot each other using guns that
re pellets lled with paint
You need to wear goggles when playing
paintball.
Straightforward Elementary Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012 6
Unit 1 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
point-blank adv /pntblk/ in a very rm and direct way Polly declared point-blank that she would never
go there again.
prospective ** adj /prspektv/ likely to be or become a particular thing Ive got a meeting with a prospective client.
resist *** v /rzst/ to stop yourself from doing something that you would very much
like to do
He was unable to resist the temptation of taking
the wallet.
reveal *** v /rvil/ to show something that was covered or hidden The wallet-sized system opens to reveal a
keyboard and screen.
scary * adj /skeri/ making you feel frightened She told us a scary story.
script ** n C /skrpt/ the written words of a play, lm, television programme, speech etc She wrote the script for the lm.
selsh * adj /self/ thinking only about yourself and not caring about other people I decided to go for purely selsh reasons.
set up v /set p/ to make a piece of equipment ready for use They set up tables at the back of their car to
display the items they want to trade.
slant v / n C /slnt/ to be or move at an angle that is not 90 degrees, or to make
something do this
His handwriting slants to the right.
slogan * n C /sln/ a short phrase that is easy to remember and is used to advertise
something or to express the beliefs of a political party or other
group
Anti-government slogans had been sprayed all
over the wall.
spooky adj /spuki/ frightening in a way that makes you nervous because it involves
things that do not seem natural and cannot be explained by
science
She told us a spooky story.
spread *** v /spred/ to gradually afect or cover a larger area The movement started in London but has now
spread all over the world.
stall ** n C /stl/ a large table or a small building that is open at the front, used for
selling things or for giving people information
In those days, you used to get market stalls,
shops even, that sold nothing else.
stand out v /stnd at/ if something stands out, it is easy to see or notice because it is
diferent in some way
Job seekers need to make their application
stand out.
sticker n C /stk(r)/ a piece of paper or plastic with a picture, colour, or writing on
one side and a sticky surface on the other that you can stick to
something
He collects football stickers.
survey *** n C /s(r)ve/ a set of questions that you ask a large number of people or
organizations
This survey shows the percentage of single-
parent households in each area.
swap * n C / v /swp/ the process of giving one thing in exchange for another Everyone would have their pile and wed go
through them, and then do swaps and try to
collect the whole set.
tempting adj /tempt/ if it is tempting to do something, something seems like a good idea
but is probably wrong
Its tempting to believe that they dont want the
job at all.
temptation ** n U /tempte()n/ a strong feeling of wanting to have or to do something, especially
something that is bad for you
The temptation to gamble is great, so he stays
at home.
Straightforward Elementary Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012 7
Unit 1 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
tendency ** n C /tendnsi/ an aspect of your character that you show by behaving in a
particular way
He has a tendency to overreact.
terminate v /t(r)mnet/ if something terminates, or if you terminate it, it ends or you stop it The military operation was terminated in 1969.
track down v /trk dan/ to nd someone or something after a long search I nally managed to track him down in
Manchester.
trade *** v/n U /tred/ to buy or sell goods or services The autographs I trade are still the same kind of
thing.
trespass v /tresps/ to go into a place without the owners permission He was found guilty of trespassing on
government property.
voluntary ** adj /vlnt()ri/ voluntary work is done for no pay When I was at university I took three months out
to travel around Latin America and I got involved
in some voluntary work in Costa Rica.
wardrobe * n C /w(r)drb/ the clothes that someone has She is shopping for designer dresses to add to
her wardrobe.
weapon *** n C /wepn/ an object that can be used to hurt people or damage property, for
example a gun, knife, or bomb
The murder weapon still hasnt been found.
weird * adj /w(r)d/ strange and unusual, sometimes in a way that upsets you I had a weird dream last night.
youre kidding phr /j(r) kd/ used to say that someone is saying something that is not true,
especially as a joke
Youre kidding now, arent you?
Straightforward Elementary Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012 8
Unit 2 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Adjectives (character)
aggressive ** adj /resv/ someone who is aggressive is very determined to win or be
successful
Todays executives are hungry, competitive, and
aggressive.
cold-blooded adj /kld bldd/ deliberately cruel and showing no emotion He committed a cold-blooded murderer.
cuddly adj /kd()li/ a cuddly person or animal is attractive and makes you want to
cuddle them, especially because they look soft or round
What a cuddly baby animal!
cute adj /kjut/ attractive, usually small, and easy to like You have a very cute child.
docile adj /dsal/ well-behaved, quiet, and easy to control Ann was a shy docile child.
ferocious adj /frs/ violent and able to cause serious damage or injury Crocodiles are ferocious, cold-blooded killers.
inquisitive adj /nkwztv/ keen to learn about a lot of diferent things Hes an intelligent and inquisitive young man.
lovely *** adj /lvli/ kind, pleasant, and easy to like Hes a lovely little boy.
obedient * adj /bidint/ doing what a person, law, or rule says that you must do The children stood in a little group disciplined,
and obedient.
playful adj /plef()l/ lively and full of fun Theyre such playful kittens.
tame adj /tem/ someone who is tame obeys other people or is afraid of them Hes so tame that he never stands up to her.
vicious * adj /vs/ extremely violent You have to be careful cos they can get quite
vicious if theyre frightened or scared or
something.
Verb idioms
add up phr /d p/ if a set of facts does not add up, you do not believe it is correct
because it does not match other information that you already have
Theres something about this case that just
doesnt add up.
butt in phr /bt n/ to join a conversation or activity without being asked to Stop butting in to our conversation.
clear up phr /kl(r) p/ to solve a problem or a mystery Obviously the misunderstanding will have to be
cleared up.
draw the line phr /dr lan/ to say that you will denitely not allow or accept something We draw the line at acts of violent protest.
face *** n C /fes/ to accept that a bad situation exists and try to deal with it Lets face it, they are a serious nuisance.
miss the point phr /ms pnt/ to fail to understand something She missed the point entirely and thought I was
blaming her.
Strong reactions
blow (your) top phr /bl tp/ to suddenly become very angry The boss will blow his top when he hears about
this.
Straightforward Elementary Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012 9
Unit 2 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
insane adj /nsen/ very stupid or crazy, especially in a way that is likely to cause
serious problems, harm, or injury
Shes totally insane.
livid adj /lvd/ extremely angry She will be absolutely livid when she nds out
you lied to her.
lose (your) temper phr /luz temp(r)/ to suddenly become angry Im sorry I lost my temper with you.
lunatic n C /luntk/ someone who behaves in an extreme or dangerous way Shes a complete lunatic.
need (your) head
examined
phr /nid hed zmnd/ to seem to be crazy or to be doing stupid things He needs his head examined, paying that much
money for an old wreck of a car.
round the bend phr /rand bend/ to become crazy The noise is driving me round the bend.
worked up phr /w(r)kt p/ upset, angry, or excited Try not to get too worked up about it.
Collocations with get
get along phr /et l/ if people get along, they like each other and are friendly to each
other
Maybe the dog and the owner just dont get
along.
get around phr /et rand/ if people get along, they like each other and are friendly to each
other
Richard and his sister dont get along.
get in touch with phr /et n tt w/ to speak or write to someone, especially after you have not spoken
to them for a long time
I must get in touch with the bank and arrange an
overdraft.
get involved phr /et nvlvd/ if you get involved in something, you begin to take part in it More people need to get involved in local
charities.
get on with it phr /et n w t/ to give your time to something and make progress with it My jobs over and the two of them can just get
on with it.
Other words & phrases
abandon ** v /bndn/ to leave someone when you should stay with them and take care
of them
The Battersea Dogs Home looks after pets
which have been abandoned.
absurd * adj /bs(r)d/ completely stupid, unreasonable, or impossible to believe She makes the most absurd claims about her
past achievements.
banish * v /bn/ to make someone go somewhere else Wine was poured and the children were
banished to their rooms.
baron n C /brn/ a man who is a member of the nobility. In the UK, a baron has
lower status than most other members of the nobility.
He was the second Baron Rothschild.
beak * n C /bik/ the hard curved or pointed part of a birds mouth It has a powerful beak for eating seeds.
bill *** n C /bl/ a birds beak The ducks bill was exceptionally long.
break out v /brekat/ if something bad such as a war or disease breaks out, it starts The re must have broken out during the night.
Straightforward Elementary Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012 10
Unit 2 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
bury ** v /beri/ to put something in the ground and cover it with earth Theres supposed to be treasure buried around
here.
busker n C /bsk(r)/ someone who performs music in the streets and other public
places for money
I usually give money to buskers if they play well.
carriage * n C /krd/ a vehicle with wheels that is pulled by horses, especially one used
in the past before cars were invented
She arrived in a horse-drawn carriage.
chick n C /tk/ a baby bird We say a newly-hatched chick.
clash ** v /kl/ a ght or battle between two groups of people Urban fox lovers arrested in town hall clash!
conservationist * n C /kns(r)ve()nst/ someone who works to protect the environment from damage or
destruction
A lot of animal conservationists took part in the
protest.
convinced * adj /knvnst/ certain that something is true Despite all my fathers arguments, I still wasnt
convinced.
counter * v /kant(r)/ to reply to a criticism or statement that you disagree with How can we counter these rumours?
crawl * v /krl/ to move along the ground on your hands and knees or with your
body close to the ground
She crawled across the oor, her eyes stinging
from the smoke.
cruel ** adj /krul/ cruel events or situations make people sufer in a way that seems
unfair
Zoos are cruel and unnecessary.
cull n C /kl/ an act of culling animals A seal cull has been suggested.
curtsey v /k(r)tsi/ if a woman curtsies, she shows her respect for someone by
bending her knees with one leg behind the other as a formal
greeting
She curtsied to the Duke.
dig ** v /d/ to make a hole in earth or sand using your hands, a machine, or a
tool, especially a spade
The children like to dig in the sand.
dingo n C /d/ a wild dog that lives in Australia They were attacked by dingoes.
distinctive ** adj /dstktv/ easy to recognize because of being diferent from other people or
things of the same type
Its a smooth, rich cofee with a distinctive
avour.
eagle * n C /i()l/ a large bird that kills other birds and animals for food We saw a golden eagle at the zoo.
earl n C /(r)l/ a man with a very high social position in the UK Hes the Earl of Essex.
eccentric adj /ksentrk/ someone who is eccentric often behaves in slightly strange or
unusual ways
Shes regarded as being rather eccentric.
estate *** n C /stet/ a very large area of land that belongs to one person, usually with a
very big house on it
He was convinced that his late father Robert
had returned as a turkey on the family estate at
Cookesborough.
executioner n C /ekskju()n(r)/ someone whose job is to execute criminals Shes the states ofcial executioner.
extinction * n U /kstk()n/ the situation when an animal, plant, or language no longer exists Many species are in danger of extinction.
Straightforward Elementary Second edition Macmillan Publishers Limited 2012 11
Unit 2 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
face facts phr /fes fkts/ used for saying that someone has to accept the truth, although it is
unpleasant
When are these people going to face facts?
fence ** n C /fens/ a at upright structure made of wood or wire that surrounds an
area of land
We put up fences to keep the foxes out.
ock of phr /flk v/ a group of birds, sheep, or goats When he began university, he took with him a
ock of several dozen kiwis.
fox ** n C /fks/ a wild animal similar to a small dog, with red-brown fur, a pointed
face, and a thick tail
Fox hunting was banned in 2004.
gap *** n C /p/ a space or opening in the middle of something or between things Fill in any gaps around windows and doors.
get rid of phr /et rd v/ to take action that stops something annoying, unpleasant, or not
wanted from afecting you
We are not suggesting that we get rid of foxes
altogether.
guinea pig n C /ni p/ a small animal with fur, short ears, and no tail. It is often kept as a
pet
We know that a hungry fox will break into
hutches and eat pet rabbits and guinea pigs.
habitat * n C /hbtt/ the type of place that a particular animal usually lives in or a
particular plant usually grows in, for example a desert, forest, or
lake
Its a rare bird that is in danger of losing its
natural habitat.
hazard ** n C /hz(r)d/ something that could be dangerous or could cause damage or
accidents
One of the most widespread natural hazards is
ooding.
hit it of phr /ht t f/ if two people hit it of when they meet for the rst time, they like
each other
I didnt really hit it of with his sister.
hound n C /hand/ a dog of any type He banished the hound from the dining room.
hutch n C /ht/ a structure for keeping small animals in, especially rabbits We keep the rabbits in a hutch in the back
garden.
indulge * v /ndld/ to allow someone to do what they want or enjoy Its part of her agents job to indulge her whims.
ingratitude n U /nrttjud/ behaviour or attitudes that show you are not grateful, especially
when other people think you should be grateful
He accused the United States of ingratitude.
ironically adv /arnkli/ used for saying that a situation has developed in an unexpected
and sometimes humorous way
I used to be a postwoman ironically as some
dogs really hate postmen!
iridescent adj /rdes()nt/ showing changing colours in diferent types of light They looked like the iridescent wings of a
dragony.
irritation * n U /rte()n/ something that annoys you, especially over a period of time On top of that, there are minor irritations, like
the problems with rubbish bins,
ivory * n U /avri/ the yellowish-white bone that an elephants tusks are made of He carried a knife with an ivory handle.
kitten * n C /kt()n/ a young cat Our cats had a litter of six kittens.
kiwi n C /kiwi/ the bird that is the symbol of New Zealand. It has a long thin beak
and cannot y.
The kiwi will run to escape danger.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
lead *** n C /lid/ a long thin piece of material attached to a dogs collar so that it can
be controlled in a public place
She had the job of doing basic training with the
pups, getting them used to walking on a lead.
leather ** n C /le(r)/ a strong material made from animal skin that is used for making
shoes, clothes, bags etc
She was wearing a black leather jacket.
leftovers n pl /leftv(r)z/ the food that remains at the end of a meal after you have nished
eating
Keep the leftovers for tomorrow.
logger n C /l(r)/ someone whose job is to cut down trees Illegal loggers cut down the trees.
logging n U /l/ the work of cutting down trees for wood There is a lot of logging going on in this part of
the forest.
mayor ** n C /me(r)/ the most important elected ofcial in a town or city The election of the mayor was usually a popular
occasion.
menace v/n C /mens/ someone or something that is dangerous and likely to cause harm Urban foxes are not only a nuisance theyre a
real menace!
messy adj /mesi/ untidy or dirty Foxes are forever turning over the bins to look
for food, which is both messy and extremely
unhygienic.
mildly * adv /maldli/ to put it mildly is used for saying that the words you have chosen
are not as extreme as they could have been
To put it mildly, Francis Henry Egerton, eighth
Earl of Bridgewater liked dogs.
misbehaviour n U /msbhevj(r)/ bad behaviour or behaviour that ofends other people Lets hope we see no misbehaviour from you
this time.
napkin n C /npkn/ a piece of cloth or paper used for protecting your clothes and
wiping your mouth and hands while you are eating
Would you like a cloth napkin?
nuisance * n C /njus()ns/ something that is annoying and is a continuing problem These ies are a bit of a nuisance.
obstacle ** n C /bstk()l/ a difculty or problem that prevents you from achieving something Disabled people succeed in overcoming many
obstacles in everyday life.
opossum n C /psm/ an animal found in North America and Australia with thick fur and
a long tail. The mother carries her babies inside a pouch on her
body.
The opossum is the only marsupial in North
America.
out of hand phr /at v hnd/ not well controlled Their numbers have got out of hand.
overhanging adj /v(r)h/ to stick out from an edge above something I could see an overhanging clif.
pest * n C /pest/ an insect or small animal that damages plants or supplies of food They say foxes are pests and carry diseases.
petition ** n C /pt()n/ a document signed by many people that asks someone in authority
to do something
More than 300 villagers have signed a petition
against the building project.
pointless adj /pntls/ lacking any purpose or use It would be pointless to try and stop him.
potential *** adj /pten()l/ possible or likely in the future The disease is a potential killer.
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of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
predator ** n C /predt(r)/ an animal that kills and eats other animals The birds have to be protected from foxes and
other predators.
punishment ** n C /pnmnt/ a way in which someone is punished He had to clean up the mess as a punishment.
pup n C /pp/ a very young dog I volunteered to take on a pup and it all just grew
from there.
puppy * n C /ppi/ a very young dog Thats such a cute puppy.
red setter n C /red set(r)/ a breed of dog with reddish fur Adolphus Cooke owned a large red setter named
Gusty who used to run away and mix with
common dogs.
reincarnation n U /rink(r)ne()n/ the belief that after you die you can be born again as a diferent
person, animal, or thing
Adolphus Cooke was a rm believer in
reincarnation.
reputation *** n C /repjte()n/ a general opinion that someone or something has a particular
quality
The UK has a reputation for being a nation of
dog lovers.
rewarding adj /rw(r)d/ giving you satisfaction, pleasure, or prot Do you nd your work rewarding?
rip ** v /rp/ to make a hole in something using force Cats will rip open rubbish bags more often
than foxes and dogs are always digging holes
everywhere.
rope ** n C /rp/ a type of very thick string that can be used for tying or pulling
things
One of the men tied a rope to a tree.
row *** n C /r/ a series of people or things arranged in a straight line Theres a row of shops on that street.
saint n C /sent/ someone who the Christian church ofcially honours after their
death because they have lived an especially holy life. Saint is often
written as St before a persons name
It was a holy place, the shrine of a saint.
scarlet * adj /sk(r)lt/ bright red in colour Shes wearing a scarlet evening dress.
silk ** n U /slk/ thin smooth cloth made from the bres produced by an insect
called a silkworm
Hes wearing an elegant shirt made of pure
Chinese silk.
slaughter v /slt(r)/ the killing of animals, usually for their meat The cattle were being sent for slaughter.
smoothly adv /smuli/ without difculty, problems, or delays Im always amazed at how quickly and smoothly
they get around.
solemnly adv /slmli/ in a serious way He used to wear a diferent pair of shoes for
each day of the year and every night they were
solemnly placed beside those he had worn the
previous day.
stick ** n C /stk/ a long, thin piece of wood that has been broken or cut from a tree He used to like riding on giant tortoises which he
persuaded to advance by hanging a lettuce from
a stick which he held in front of the tortoises
nose.
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of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
stunning * adj /stn/ very impressive or beautiful The male bird has a stunning tail that can grow
to 60 cm in length.
tackle ** v /tk()l/ to make an organized and determined attempt to deal with a
problem, often a social problem such as crime or unemployment
Successive governments have failed to tackle
the question of homelessness.
tortoise n C /t(r)ts/ an animal that walks slowly and can pull its head and legs into the
shell on its back
Tortoises can live to be very old.
treat * n C /trit/ to use medicine or medical methods to cure a patient or an illness She was treated for smoke inhalation.
trial *** n C /tral/ the process of examining a case in a court of law and deciding
whether someone is guilty or innocent. When a case comes to trial,
it is brought to a court and the person who has been accused of a
crime stands trial (=appears in court)
Theyre on trial for armed robbery.
turkey * n C/U /t(r)ki/ a large bird similar to a chicken that has no feathers on its head
and is often eaten at Christmas and Thanksgiving. The sound that
turkeys make is called gobbling.
Wild turkeys are native to North America.
unhygienic adj /nhadink/ not clean, and likely to cause disease Theyre forced to live in unhygienic conditions.
vaccine n C/U /vksin/ a substance put into the body, usually by injection, in order to
provide protection against a disease
Scientists are developing a vaccine for the
disease.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Compound adjectives
clean-shaven adj /klinev()n/ a clean-shaven man shaves the hair from his face, so that he
does not have a beard or moustache
The man I saw was bearded, not clean-shaven.
easy-going adj /izi/ relaxed, calm, and not getting easily upset about things Paddys an easy-going kind of guy.
middle-aged * adj /md()ledd/ used for suggesting that someones behaviour, clothes etc are
boring and typical of middle-aged people
They are in their twenties, but have very
middle-aged views.
second-hand * adj /sekndhnd/ owned or used by someone else before you I often buy second-hand books.
short-lived adj /(r)tlvd/ lasting for a short period of time Her popularity was great, but short-lived.
well-of adj /welf/ rich, or having enough money to live well They worked long hours and became very well
of.
worn-out adj /w(r)nat/ too old or damaged to use any longer Cheap high street clothes can look scrufy and
worn-out after only a couple of washes.
Expressions with look
by the look of it phr /ba lk v t/ judging by the appearance of something Although by the look of it, it could have been
about ten years ago.
feminine-looking phr /femnnlk/ with an appearance that is traditionally considered to be typical
of women
You could wear something a bit more feminine-
looking, maybe.
have a look phr /hv lk/ to direct your eyes toward someone or something so that you
can see them
Do you have a look at the price of clothes
before trying them on?
look your best phr /lk j(r) best/ to appear as good or attractive as possible You could try to look your best for once.
look through phr /lk ru/ to read something quickly, especially to nd the information you
need
I looked through a magazine while I was
waiting.
looks n pl /lks/ the attractive appearance of someone, especially their face Shes got everything looks, intelligence, and
money.
the look phr / lk/ the expression that you have on your face or in your eyes I just dont like the looks we get when were in
a posh restaurant.
Slang
airhead n C /e(r)hed/ a silly or stupid person Youre such an airhead.
beat adj /bit/ very tired Im going to bed now Im beat.
blow n C /bl/ to spend a lot of money quickly on things that you do not need I used to blow all the money.
a drag n s / dr/ something or someone that is boring or causes small annoying
problems
Doing housework is such a drag.
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Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
dumb adj /dm/ stupid You gave him your phone number? That was a
dumb thing to do.
grand n C /rnd/ a thousand pounds, or a thousand dollars Donald made over 75 grand last year.
nuts adj /nts/ crazy Hed be nuts to take the job.
psyched adj /sakt p/ extremely surprised, excited, or nervous The team were pretty psyhed before the match.
Other words & phrases
abnormal * adj /bn(r)m()l/ not usual or typical, especially in a way that is worrying or that
shows there may be something wrong or harmful
Thats highly abnormal behaviour.
aftershave n C/U /ft(r)ev/ a liquid with a strong pleasant smell that a man puts on his face
after shaving
He splashed aftershave on his face.
anorexia n U /nreksi/ a serious illness that makes you want to stop eating and that
mainly afects young women. Its full medical name is anorexia
nervosa.
She was diagnosed with anorexia.
battle *** n C /bt()l/ a situation in which someone is trying very hard to deal with a
difcult situation
It was a daily battle to get my son to go to
school.
beard * n C /b(r)d/ hair that grows on a mans chin and cheeks his thick white beard
big mouth n C /b ma/ someone who talks a lot and is unable to keep anything secret One time this photographer, a real big mouth,
wanted me to bite a necklace.
blame *** v /blem/ to say or think that someone or something is responsible for an
accident, problem, or bad situation
Another celebrity suferer blames her
dysmorphia on the pressures of life as a
teenage movie star.
blemish n /blem/ a mark or spot that spoils the appearance of something Make-up can do wonders to hide spots and
other blemishes.
bothered adj /b(r)d/ someone who cant be bothered will not do something because
it is too much efort
Most fashions are so short-lived that I cant be
bothered to follow them.
bound to /band t/ something that is bound to happen will almost certainly happen Theres bound to be something that you like.
brand ** n C /brnd/ a product or group of products that has its own name and is
made by one particular company. The word for a machine or
vehicle made by one particular company is a make
I tried using a new brand of soap.
bully * n C /bli/ someone who frightens or hurts someone who is smaller or
weaker than they are
Dave is the ofce bully.
catalogue ** n C /ktl/ a book containing information organized in a specic way, and
often containing pictures
Here, I got this catalogue from Next.
catwalk nC /ktwk/ the raised area at a fashion show that the models walk along I started with some photo shoots, and then I
did a few catwalk jobs.
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Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
commune n C /kmjun/ a group of people who live together and share work, food,
income, and possessions
He grew up on a hippie commune.
compensate ** v /kmpnset/ to change or remove the bad result of something This payment more than compensates for what
weve lost.
complexion * n C /kmplek()n/ the appearance of the skin on someones face, and whether it is
pale, dark, smooth etc
She has an oily complexion.
compulsive adj /kmplsv/ impossible to control and therefore sometimes harmful He has a compulsive eating disorder.
conquer * v /kk(r)/ to gain control of a situation or emotion by making a great
physical or mental efort
He nally conquered his fear of heights.
constant *** adj /knstnt/ continuous or regular over a long period of time His health has been a constant source of
concern for us.
corporate *** adj /k(r)p()rt/ relating to large companies, or to a particular large company Hes a member of a powerful group that
represents corporate America.
cosmetic adj /kzmetk/ relating to the improvement of someones appearance Several nuts produce oils suitable for cosmetic
use.
counterpart ** n C /kant(r)p(r)t/ someone or something that has the same job or purpose
as another person or thing, but in a diferent country, time,
situation, or organization
The prime minister is meeting his German
counterpart.
crave v /krev/ to want something very much and in a way that is very hard to
control
Hed craved the attention of the older kids.
curious ** adj /kjris/ someone who is curious wants to nd out about something As well as being very curious, some people
thought she was very strange.
cynical * adj /snk()l/ someone who is cynical believes that people care only about
themselves and are not sincere or honest
Do you have to be so cynical about everything?
deep-rooted adj /diprutd/ a deep-rooted feeling, belief, idea etc is strong and you have
had it for so long that it is difcult to change
I have a deep-rooted fear of spiders.
defect ** n C /difekt/ a fault in someone or something There are a few minor design defects.
demanding ** adj /dmnd/ a demanding person needs a lot of attention and is not easily
pleased or satised
Young children can be very demanding.
denim n U /denm/ thick cotton cloth that is usually blue and is used especially to
make jeans
They wore denim jeans and jackets.
disapproval n U /dspruv()l/ a feeling of not approving of someone or something Dr Jensen shook her head in disapproval.
disillusioned adj /dslu()nd/ disappointed because you have discovered that someone or
something is not as good as you had believed
Disillusioned teachers are leaving the
profession in large numbers.
distinguish *** v /dstw/ to be a feature that makes someone or something clearly
diferent from other similar people or things
There is very little to distinguish it from the
hundreds of other websites devoted to this
subject.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
dye v /da/ to change the colour of something such as clothing or your hair
using dye
Do you think she dyes her hair?
dysmorphia n U /dsmf(r)/ a psychological condition in which someone is obsessed with a
particular aspect of their physical appearance
In men, it can take the special form of muscle
dysmorphia, a syndrome driving more and
more men to compulsive exercising.
encapsulate v /nkpsjlet/ to express something in a short clear form that gives the most
important facts or ideas
This letter encapsulates our concerns.
estranged adj /strendd/ an estranged husband, wife, father or mother is no longer living
with their family
They want to make their estranged father
proud of them.
ethnic ** adj /enk/ ethnic clothing, food, music, etc. comes from countries outside
Western Europe and North America
Ethnic, Indian-inspired jewellery and clothes
were in.
fault *** n C /flt/ a feature of something that makes it less good The books main fault is that it is too long.
t in v /ft n/ to be accepted by a group of people because you are similar to
them
I tried to t in, but they were all much younger
than I was.
ared adj /fle(r)d/ wider at one end She wears ared denim jeans and loose tops
with owery or psychedelic patterns.
eece n C /flis/ a short jacket or pullover made of soft articial material He was wearing a black eece.
formerly ** adv /f(r)m(r)li/ in the past Ho Chi Minh City, formerly called Saigon
genre * n C /nr/ a particular style used in cinema, writing, or art, which can be
recognized by certain features
The novel did not really exist as a genre before
the 17th century.
goddess n C /des/ one of the female spirits or beings with special powers that
people in some religions believe in and worship
Eris was the Greek goddess of strife.
Goth n C // someone who follows a type of fashion that was rst popular in
the 1980s, in which people have black clothes, black hair, very
white make-up and dark lipstick
Goths rst came on the scene in the early
1980s as punk fashions became more and
more uniform.
grease n U /ris/ to put grease on something The boys wore their hair long and greased back
with a prominent quif at the front and the girls
wore American-style ponytails.
heritage ** n U /hertd/ the art, buildings, traditions, and beliefs that a society considers
important to its history and culture
Ireland has a rich musical heritage.
hidden agenda /hd()n dend/ a secret reason for doing something, because you will get an
advantage from it
Does globalization have a hidden agenda?
incomprehensible adj /nkmprhensb()l/ impossible to understand I nd it incomprehensible that nothing has yet
been done about this.
inuential ** adj /nfluen()l/ able to inuence the way other people think or behave He is one of the most inuential gures in the
government.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
initiative *** n C / U /ntv/ the ability to decide in an independent way what to do and
when to do it
The biggest drag is you have to be so passive,
you cant show any initiative, you have to do
exactly what the photographer and the client
want you to.
insecure adj /nskj(r)/ not condent about yourself Shes always been very insecure about the way
she looks.
inspire ** v /nspa(r)/ to give someone the idea for a piece of work The sea inspired many of the artists later
paintings.
keep your cool /kip j(r) kul/ to remain calm in a difcult situation She kept her cool and won the argument.
legend ** n C /led()nd/ someone who very many people know about and admire the Hollywood legend, Elizabeth Taylor
linen * n U /lnn/ light cloth made from a plant called ax Dollar bills are a mixture of 75% cotton and
25% linen, and if you burn a bill, youll see that
it burns in a diferent way from paper.
lipstick n C /lpstk/ a coloured substance in the form of a small stick that women put
on their lips
Do you ever wear lipstick?
loose ** adj /lus/ loose clothes are large and do not t your body tightly Shes wearing a loose cotton shirt.
manifestation * n C /mnfeste()n/ evidence that something exists or is present The demonstrations were a manifestation of
the peoples discontent.
never-ending adv /nev(r)end/ continuing for a very long time and likely to continue even longer There was a never-ending stream of people
walking to the stadium.
pearl * n C/U /p(r)l/ a small round jewel that is white and shiny and that grows inside
the shell of an oyster
Shes wearing a pearl necklace.
phase *** n C /fez/ a particular period of time during the development of something It was a depressing phase in the countrys
history.
photo shoot n C /ft ut/ an occasion when a professional photographer takes
photographs of someone for a magazine
This would be an ideal location for the photo
shoot.
physique n C /fzik/ the shape of someones body, especially a mans He has a muscular physique.
piercing n C /p(r)s/ a hole made through a part of your body so that you can put
jewellery in it
The postcards depicted extravagantly-
hairstyled punks with nose piercings.
pimple n C /pmp()l/ a small red lump on your skin, especially on your face Eating too much chocolate will give you
pimples.
ponytail nC /pnitel/ long hair that is tied at the back of the head and hangs down I usually wear my hair in a ponytail.
portrayal n C /p(r)trel/ the way that something or someone is portrayed He is best known for his chilling portrayal of a
serial killer.
posh adj /p/ something that is posh looks expensive and attractive We had dinner at a posh restaurant.
provocative adj /prvktv/ intended to start arguments between people or to make people
angry or upset
That was a deliberately provocative remark.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
psychedelic adj /sakdelk/ psychedelic clothes, designs etc are very brightly coloured and
have big unusual patterns
Psychedelic art makes use of bright and highly
contrasting colours.
psychiatric * adj /sakitrk/ connected with the treatment of mental illness Shes been checked into a psychiatric unit.
puberty n U /pjub(r)ti/ the stage of development when a child changes physically into
an adult
I changed a lot when I reached puberty.
punk * n C /pk/ a young person who likes punk music, and who often has
brightly-coloured hair, and wears torn clothing with a lot of
chains and pins
Shes got a punk haircut.
quif n C /kwf/ the front part of a mans hair shaped so that it is higher than the
rest
His hair was carefully combed into a quif.
range ** n C /rend/ a group of products of the same type that a particular company
makes or that a particular store sells
Explore the range of WholeBodySense
products and order online.
reasonable *** adj /riz()nb()l/ used about peoples decisions, actions etc We have taken all reasonable precautions to
avoid an accident.
rejection ** n C/U /rdek()n/ a refusal to accept, approve, or support something It was an outright rejection of authority.
requirement *** n C /rkwa(r)mnt/ something that is needed in order for something else to happen Check the engines fuel requirements.
riot ** n C /rat/ a violent protest by a crowd of people Seven people were hurt as police tried to quell
the riot.
rip of phr /rp f/ to cheat someone, especially by charging them too much money
for something
Travel company rips of Scotish tourists.
rough *** adj /rf/ difcult and with a lot of problems I had a rough day at the ofce.
rush ** v /r/ to hurry to do something Hayley rushed to answer the phone.
safety pin n C /sefti pn/ a curved pin with a cover that the sharp point goes into when it
is fastened
The jacket was fastened with a safety pin.
scrufy adj /skrfi/ untidy or dirty Shes wearing a scrufy old T-shirt.
shallow ** adj /l/ not interested in serious ideas, strong feelings, or other
important things
Franks a pretty shallow person.
sneer v /sn(r)/ to speak in an unpleasant way that shows you do not respect
someone or something and you think you are better than them
Hes always sneering at the way people dress.
spot *** n C /spt/ a very small red lump on someones face Teenagers often get spots.
spotlight n /sptlat/ a situation in which you get a lot of public attention Shes enjoying life out of the spotlight.
stream ** n C /strim/ a continuous ow of people or things There was a steady stream of visitors to the
museum.
stud * n C /std/ a small piece of jewellery on a short metal post that is worn
through a part of your body
She has a nose stud.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
studded adj /stdd/ decorated with metal studs Hes wearing a studded belt.
stunning * adj /stn/ extremely attractive Shes a stunning blonde.
susceptible to adj /sseptb()l tu/ easily inuenced or afected by something Police ofcers here are very susceptible to
corruption.
swear ** v /swe(r)/ to use words that are deliberately ofensive, for example
because you are angry with someone
She was shouting and swearing at everyone.
syndrome * n C /sndrm/ a medical condition that has a particular set of efects on your
body or mind
This syndrome causes people normally
thought of as being extremely attractive to look
in the mirror and see faults in their faces and
gures that no one else can see.
tabloid n C /tbld/ a newspaper with fairly small pages mostly containing stories
about famous people and not much serious news. More serious
newspapers are called broadsheets, which have bigger pages,
or compacts.
The tabloids are full of gossip about the case.
tanned adj /tnd/ someone who is tanned has darker skin than before because of
spending time in the sun
He was very tanned.
treat *** v /trit/ to behave towards someone in a particular way She felt she had been unfairly treated, and
complained to her boss.
tribe ** n C /trab/ a large group of related families who live in the same area and
share a common language, religion, and customs
In primitive human societies, it was normal for
the young to look up to the most successful
members of the tribe and to use them as role
models.
velvet n U /velvt/ cloth that is very soft on one side and smooth on the other She was dressed in black velvet.
waistcoat n C /wes(t)kt/ a piece of clothing without sleeves that is usually worn over a
shirt
The suit comes with a matching waistcoat.
wide-collared adj /wadkl(r)d/ a wide-collared coat, shirt, or dress has a collar that is larger
than usual
They wore long, knee-length velvet jackets,
straight, owery waistcoats and wide-collared
shirts.
worship * n U / v /w(r)p/ to love and admire someone or something very much They worshipped political and social success.
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Unit 4 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Word building
anxiety ** n U /zati/ a worried feeling you have because you think something bad
might happen
A lot of students sufer from anxiety at exam
time.
anxious ** adj /ks/ worried because you think something bad might happen His silence made me anxious.
caution ** n U /k()n/ careful thought and lack of hurry in order to try to avoid risks or
danger
We drove along the road with extreme caution.
cautious * adj /ks/ careful to avoid problems or danger Perhaps a more cautious approach would bring
better results.
fear *** n U /f(r)/ the feeling that you have when you are frightened Edward knew it was dangerous, but he felt no
fear.
fearful adj /f(r)f()l/ frightened Fearful parents kept their children indoors.
fearless adj /f(r)ls/ not afraid of anyone or anything. This word shows that you admire
people like this
She was a fearless critic of the corrupt
leadership.
harm ** n U /h(r)m/ injury, damage, or problems caused by something that you do Too many projects that lead to environmental
harm.
harmful * adj /h(r)mf()l/ causing harm This decision could have harmful consequences.
harmless * adj /h(r)mls/ not causing any harm Most of these bugs are harmless to us.
reason *** n C /riz()n/ a fact, situation, or intention that explains why something
happened, why someone did something, or why something is true
What was your reason for not liking the lm?
reasonable *** adj /riz()nb()l/ fair and sensible Some people think it is perfectly reasonable to
climb into the mouth of a volcano.
risk *** n C / U /rsk/ the possibility that something unpleasant or dangerous might
happen
Some peoples fear of ying is far out of
proportion to the actual risk it involves.
risky * adj /rski/ involving the possibility of danger, harm, or failure I wouldnt do it if I were you its too risky.
unreasonable * adj /nriz()nb()l/ not sensible She has an unreasonable fear of spiders.
Word class
abolish ** v /bl/ to ofcially get rid of a law, system, practice etc Britain abolished slavery in 1807.
abolition n U /bl()n/ the ofcial end to a law, system, practice etc James is in favour of the abolition of the death
penalty.
brave ** adj /brev/ capable of dealing with danger or pain, without seeming to be
frightened
It is easy to be brave from a safe distance.
bravery n U /brevri/ brave behaviour She showed bravery in the face of danger.
courage ** n U /krd/ the ability to do something that you know is right or good, even
though it is dangerous, frightening, or very difcult
She has shown immense courage in opposing a
corrupt and violent regime.
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Word Frequency
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
courageous adj /kreds/ very brave and determined Youve taken a courageous decision today.
disobedience n U /dsbidins/ someones behaviour when they do not obey orders or rules Disobedience will not be tolerated.
disobey v /dsbe/ to deliberately do the opposite of what someone in authority has
told you to do, or deliberately not obey a rule
If you continue to disobey the rules, you will be
punished.
equal *** adj /ikwl/ the same in value, amount, or size President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Bill
which granted equal rights to all American
citizens.
equality ** n U /kwlti/ the state of being equal, especially in having the same rights,
status, and opportunities
The Party is committed to sexual and racial
equality.
free *** adj /fri/ not a prisoner or a slave He will soon be a free man again.
freedom *** n C /fridm/ the right to do what you want, make your own decisions, and
express your own opinions
You cant separate peace from freedom because
no one can be at peace unless he has freedom.
liberate v /lbret/ to give someone the freedom to do what they want, for example
by taking them out of a situation in which their behaviour is
controlled
People thought technology had the power to
liberate them from hard work.
liberty ** n C /lb(r)ti/ the freedom to think or behave in the way that you want and not
be controlled by a government or by other people
The movement would ght for liberty and
equality.
slave ** n C /slev/ someone who belongs by law to another person as their property
and has to obey them and work for them
Better to starve free than be a fat slave.
slavery n U /slevri/ the condition of being a slave, or of having to work for another
person
These were women who were forced into sexual
slavery.
Homophones
bare ** adj /be(r)/ a part of your body that is bare is not covered by any clothes The idea is to pick up the snake with your bare
hands and throw it in the sack.
bear ** n C /be(r)/ a large wild animal with thick fur. There are several diferent types
of bears, for example the polar bear and the grizzly bear. A young
bear is called a bear cub
They were attacked by a bear.
coarse * adj /k(r)s/ a coarse substance or surface feels rough and hard The jacket was made of coarse material.
course *** n C /k(r)s/ one of the parts of a meal I had prawns, followed by steak for my main
course.
ensure *** v /n(r)/ to make certain that something happens or is done Our new system ensures that everyone gets paid
on time.
insure * v /n(r)/ to regularly pay an insurance company an amount of money
so that they will give you money if something that you own is
damaged, lost, or stolen, or if you die or are sick or injured
His appearance was so repulsive that I had to
have my mirrors insured.
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of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
plain ** adj /plen/ plain food is simple and does not have a lot of things added to it Plenty of stalls selling fried rattlesnake,
rattlesnake kebabs, barbecued rattler, or just
plain baked rattlesnake.
plane *** n C /plen/ an aircraft with wings and at least one engine Terrorists release two passengers from the
plane.
pray ** v /pre/ to speak to God or a saint, for example to give thanks or ask for
help
Some people go to church to pray.
prey ** n C /pre/ an animal that is caught by another animal and eaten Spiders usually catch their prey by building
webs.
principal *** adj /prnsp()l/ main, or most important The principal aim of the project is to provide an
answer to this question.
principle *** n C /prnsp()l/ A basic belief, theory, or rule that has a major inuence in the way
in which something is done
Dont move and hell stay still, too. In principle
anyway!
tail ** n C /tel/ a part at the back of an animals body that can move The animal sprays liquid from a gland under its
tail.
tale ** n C /tel/ a story about imaginary events or people We read tales of bravery and romance.
whole *** adj /hl/ all of something Im getting tired of the whole thing.
hole *** n C /hl/ a space in the surface of something that goes partly or completely
through it
Rain poured through a gaping hole in the roof.
Other words & phrases
abuse ** n C / U /bjus/ cruel, violent, or unfair treatment, especially of someone who
does not have the power to prevent it
The regime had been responsible for serious
human rights abuses.
abusive adj /bjusv/ using ofensive or insulting language He started receiving abusive text messages.
acronym n C /krnm/ an abbreviation consisting of letters that form a word. For
example, NATO is an acronym for the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization
Its a very memorable acronym.
acupuncture n U /kjpkt(r)/ a medical treatment from China that involves putting special
needles into particular parts of the body
Have you tried acupunture or alternative
medicine?
alliance ** n C /lans/ a group of people, organizations, or countries who have united to
work together to achieve something
Have you spoken to members of other parties
within the alliance?
antidote n C /ntdt/ a substance that prevents a poison from having bad efects There is no known antidote to the poison.
antivenin n U /ntivnn/ a substance that prevents venom from having bad efects We use the venom to manufacture the antivenin.
assertive adj /s(r)tv/ behaving in a condent way in which you are quick to express
your opinions and feelings
You need to be more assertive to succeed in
business.
award *** v /w(r)d/ to give someone a prize or other reward because they have
achieved something
The prize is awarded annually.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
back *** v /bk/ to give support to a person, organization, or plan, making them
more likely to succeed
Well back you all the way on this one!
bake * v /bek/ to cook food in an oven Bake the sh for about ten minutes.
balance *** n C /blns/ a situation in which diferent aspects or features are treated
equally or exist in the correct relationship to each other
A healthy diet is about getting the correct
balance of a variety of foods.
bossy adj /bsi/ someone who is bossy keeps telling other people what to do, in a
way that annoys them
Dont be so bossy!
boycott n C /bkt/ to not take part in an event, or to not buy or use something as a
protest
She urged people to boycott the companys
products.
campaigner n C /kmpen(r)/ someone who tries to achieve political or social change by
persuading other people or the government to do something
Animal rights campaigners are trying to close
down the farm.
capacity *** n C / U /kpsti/ the ability to do something Harry had a tremendous capacity for work.
civilize v /svlaz/ to make someone behave in a more polite and reasonable way The time has come for us to civilize ourselves.
conditioned adj /knd()nd/ if someone is conditioned by their experiences or by another
person, they are inuenced by them so that they think or behave
in a particular way
A phobia is a conditioned reex.
confront ** v /knfrnt/ to deal with a difcult situation They have to confront the object of their fears.
cruel ** adj /krul/ someone who is cruel enjoys causing pain to other people or
animals, or enjoys making them unhappy or upset
How could you be so cruel to someone who
never did you any harm?
cruelty * n C / U /krulti/ behaviour that deliberately causes pain to other people or
animals, or that makes them unhappy or upset
She was shocked by the cruelty of his words.
culminate v /klmnet/ to happen or exist as the nal result of a process or situation A series of nancial disasters culminated in the
collapse of the countrys largest bank.
deep-fried adj /dipfrad/ cooked in a lot of hot oil I love deep-fried onions.
defy v /dfa/ to refuse to obey someone or something The commander deed a direct order to
surrender.
deserve ** v /dz(r)v/ if you deserve something, it is right that you get it, for example
because of the way you have behaved
After ve hours on your feet you deserve a break.
distress ** n U /dstres/ a feeling that you have when you are very unhappy, worried, or
upset
I wouldnt want to cause her any distress.
domineering adj /dmnr/ trying to control other people and make them obey you She has an unpleasant domineering personality.
drop in v /drp n/ to make a short visit somewhere Why dont you drop in for cofee some time?
enclosed adj /nklzd/ surrounded by something and separated from what is outside He has a fear of enclosed spaces.
fang n C /f/ one of the long pointed teeth that some animals have, for
example snakes, dogs, and tigers
The snake bared its fangs.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
ne * v /fan/ to make someone pay an amount of money as punishment for
breaking the law
She was ned 250 for speeding.
folks ** n pl /fks/ people Folks can watch the snake handling shows
throughout the day.
frail * adj /frel/ physically weak and not very healthy He is frail, but still manages to walk with a stick.
genetic ** adj /dnetk/ relating to genes, or to the study of genes Doctors believe the condition is caused by a
genetic defect.
gradual * adj /rdul/ gradual processes and changes happen slowly and by small
amounts
Scientists have observed a gradual change in
the climate.
grant *** v /rnt/ to allow someone to have or do what they want Irish nationalists urged the British government
to grant an amnesty to all political prisoners.
harassment * n U /hrsmnt/
/hrsmnt/
annoying or unpleasant behaviour towards someone that takes
place regularly, for example threats, ofensive remarks, or physical
attacks
The UN cannot tolerate the continuing
harassment of peacekeeping soldiers.
herpetologist n C /h(r)ptldst someone who scientically studies amphibians and reptiles I spoke to herpetologist, Chick Ferragamo, who
introduced me to my rst rattler.
homeless * adj /hmls/ without a place to live The government runs hostels for young
homeless people.
hypnosis n U /hpnss/ a very relaxed state in which you seem to be sleeping but can still
react to someone elses suggestions
He was under hypnosis for about an hour.
in a hurry phr /n hri/ to do something or go somewhere quickly because you do not
have much time
A frail old lady steps in line ahead of them and
claims that she is in a hurry.
install ** v /nstl/ to put a piece of equipment somewhere and make it ready for use Crime has decreased since the security cameras
were installed.
interstate adj /nt(r)stet/ existing or taking place between states, especially between the
states in the US or Australia
Hes an expert in interstate commerce.
mass ** adj /ms/ involving or afecting a large number of people The government is trying to solve the problem of
mass unemployment.
medium-rare adj /midimre(r)/ meat that is medium-rare has been cooked for a short time so that
it is still slightly red in the middle
They are in a restaurant and order a steak
medium-rare.
needle ** n C /nid()l/ a very thin sharp metal tube used for putting medicine or drugs
into your body, or for taking blood out. It is attached to a plastic
tube called a syringe
He has a fear of needles.
openness * n U /pnns/ an honest way of talking or behaving in which you do not try to
hide anything
The judge praised him for his honesty and
openness.
overcome ** v /v(r)km/ to succeed in dealing with or controlling a problem What can I do to overcome my fear of rejection?
overemphasize v /vremfsaz/ to treat something as more important than it really is We cannot overemphasize how damaging these
results are to our reputation.
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of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
oversleep v /v(r)slip/ to wake up later than you intended to Sorry Im late. I overslept.
overturn v /v(r)t(r)n/ to say ofcially that something such as a decision or law is wrong
and change it
The appeal court refused to overturn the lower
courts decision.
panic ** n U / v /pnk/ a sudden strong feeling of fear or worry that makes you unable to
think clearly or calmly
She felt a moment of sheer panic.
pass down v /ps dan/ to give knowledge or teach skills to your children or to younger
people
These traditional stories have been passed
down from parent to child over many
generations.
phobia n C /fbi/ a very strong feeling of disliking or being afraid of someone or
something
She has a phobia about spiders.
privilege ** n C /prvld/ a special benet that is available only to a particular person or
group
Cheap air travel is one of the privileges of
working for the airline.
proceeds * n pl /prsidz/ money that a person or organization makes from selling or
winning something, or from organizing an event or activity
The proceeds will go to the school for refugee
children.
prone to * adj /prn tu/ likely to do something or be afected by something, especially
something bad
The coastal region is prone to earthquakes.
rattle n C /rt()l/ part of a rattlesnakes tail which makes short sharp knocking
sounds as it moves or shakes
The rattle on the end of the tail is a warning
signal.
rattler n C /rt()l(r)/ a rattlesnake I was bitten by a rattler.
rattlesnake n C /rt()lsnek/ a poisonous US snake that makes a noise that sounds like a rattle
with its tail
Rattlesnakes usually hunt at night.
reassured ** adj /ri(r)d/ made to feel less worried about something Feeling better informed, but not particularly
reassured it was time to move on to Sweetwater.
rebellion n C /rbeljn/ opposition to someone in authority or to accepted ways of doing
things
We can achieve our aims through disobedience
and through rebellion.
reex n C /rifleks/ a way of reacting to something that you do very quickly, without
thinking about it
A phobia is a conditioned reex.
regain ** v /ren/ to get something again that you lost, especially an ability or a
mental state
You should soon regain your appetite.
regardless ** adv /r(r)dls/ without being afected or inuenced by someone or something President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Bill
which granted equal rights to all American
citizens regardless of the colour of their skin.
reserved adj /rz(r)vd/ someone who is reserved tends not to talk about or show their
feelings
They are emotionally reserved.
reverend n C /rev()rnd/ a title used for some Christian priests and ministers Thats the Reverend Francis Keenan.
reverse ** v /rv(r)s/ to change the order or development of events, a process, or a
situation to be the opposite of what it was
The efects of the disease can only be reversed
by a bone-marrow donation.
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Unit 4 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
round up n C /randp/ an occasion when animals or people are forced to gather together
in one place
The police conducted a round-up of suspects.
rule *** v /rul/ to ofcially control or govern a country or area Portugal ruled East Timor for nearly four
centuries.
sacking n C /sk/ rattlesnake sacking is a sport in which people try to get live
rattlesnakes into a sack without being injured
Later in the programme, well visit the
Rattlesnake Sacking Championships.
scout * n C /skat/ a boy or girl who is a member of the Scouts, an organization that
encourages boys and girls to learn practical skills and help other
people
The proceeds all go to good causes the boy
and girl scouts, the Red Cross, the homeless.
segregation n U /sere()n/ the policy of keeping people from diferent groups, especially
diferent races, separate. Integration is the policy of bringing
these groups together
Racial segregation in schools is no longer legal
in the US.
self-assured adj /self(r)d condent and relaxed because you are sure of your abilities Hes a little too self-assured for my liking.
severe *** adj /sv(r)/ a severe pain, injury, or illness is one which is serious and
unpleasant
They sufer severe panic attacks.
short-changed adj /(r)ttendd/ if someone is short-changed, they do not receive back enough
money for something they have paid for after they have paid more
than the full price for the things
After walking out of a store, they discover they
were short-changed by 3.
spark * v /sp(r)k/ to make something happen, especially something involving
violence or angry feelings
The protests were sparked by the ring of two
restaurant employees.
stand up for v /stnd p f(r)/ to defend someone or something that is being criticized or
attacked
Youve got to stand up for what you believe in.
starve * v /st(r)v/ to sufer or to die because there is not enough food Better to starve free than be a fat slave.
stick ** n C /stk/ a thin piece of wood that has been broken or cut from a tree I went out to nd some sticks for a re.
stif ** adj /stf/ something that is stif does not bend easily. If you have a stif
upper lip, you remain calm and do not let other people see what
you are really feeling in a difcult or unpleasant situation
It is often said that the British have a stif upper
lip.
swallow ** v /swl/ to make food or drink go from your mouth down through your
throat and into your stomach
She quickly swallowed the rest of her cofee.
threat *** n C /ret/ a situation or an activity that could cause harm or danger Ofcials were condent there had been no
threat to public health.
timid adj /tmd/ shy and nervous She gave me a timid smile.
treat (sb) *** v /trit/ to use medicine or medical methods to cure a patient or an illness Vitamin deciency can be properly diagnosed
and treated by a doctor.
trigger ** v /tr(r)/ to cause someone to have a particular feeling or memory People with a phobia often have an object that
triggers their fears.
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Unit 4 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
venom n U /venm/ poison produced by some animals, especially snakes and insects The venom causes paralysis within a few
minutes.
victim *** n C /vktm/ someone who has sufered as a result of the actions or negative
attitudes of someone else or of people in general
He was a victim of racism.
well-done adj /weldn/ well-done meat is meat that has been completely cooked Would you like your steak rare, medium-rare or
well-done?
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Unit 5 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Art
abstract ** adj /bstrkt/ abstract art expresses the artists ideas or feelings rather than
showing the exact appearance of people or things
They have a large collection of modern abstract
paintings.
collection *** n C /klek()n/ works of art that are kept together, for example in a museum The gallery houses one of the nest collections
of impressionist art.
curator n C /kjret(r)/ someone whose job is to look after the objects in a museum Shes the curator of the museum.
dealer *** n C /dil(r)/ a person or company that buys and sells a particular product The company is one of the largest New York art
dealers.
exhibit ** v /zbt/ to put something interesting in a museum or other public place so
that people can go and look at it
His work will be exhibited in Moscow later this
year.
exhibition *** n C /eksb()n/ a public show where art or other interesting things are put so that
people can go and look at them
We saw an exhibition of paintings by Henri
Matisse.
landscape ** n C /ln(d)skep/ a painting of an area of land We went to an exhibition of Paul Gunns most
recent landscapes.
mural n C /mjrl/ a large painting done on a wall This is a hand-painted mural by Diego Rivera.
patron * n C /petrn/ someone who supports the work of writers, artists, musicians etc,
especially by giving them money
He was an enthusiastic patron of the arts.
portrait ** n C /p(r)trt/ a painting, drawing, or photograph of someone, especially of their
face only
The gallery features portraits of the most famous
people in British history.
sculpture ** n C /sklpt(r)/ a solid object that someone makes as a work of art by shaping a
substance such as stone, metal, or wood
Works to be shown include sculptures by
Houdon and Carpeaux.
self-portrait n C /selfp(r)trt/ a picture of you that you draw or paint yourself This painting is a self-portrait of the artist.
still life n C /stl laf/ a type of art that represents objects rather than people, animals, or
the countryside
A still life of owers in a vase was sold recently.
-ever words
however *** adv /haev(r)/ used when you are saying something that seems surprising after
your previous statement, or that makes your previous statement
seem less true
Critics of the hospitals policy, however, were
unimpressed.
whatever *** adv /wtev(r)/ used for saying that what happens or what is true is not important,
because it makes no diference to the situation
Whatever you think of it, I dont think that
anybody would say its a masterpiece.
whenever ** adv /wenev(r)/ every time that something happens Whenever we unveil a work of art, people always
get together and talk about it.
wherever ** adv /werev(r)/ everywhere or anywhere where someone does something or where
a particular situation exists
Wherever you go in France, you see large public
arts projects all around you.
whoever ** adv /huev(r)/ used for saying that it does not matter who is involved in
something because the result or the situation will be the same
Whoever made the decision certainly hasnt got
good taste.
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of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Phrasal verbs
come up with phr /km p w/ to think of something such as an idea or a plan Is that the best you can come up with?
live up to phr /lv p tu/ to be as good as what was expected or promised The breathtakingly beautiful scenery certainly
lived up to expectations.
put (sb/sth) of phr /pt f/ to make someone not want to do something, or to make someone
not like someone or something
Its beginning to put me of my food.
set up phr /set p/ to start something such as a business, organization, or institution The group plans to set up an import business.
take to phr /tek tu/ to begin to like someone or something I took to John immediately.
turn (sb) away phr /t(r)n we/ to refuse to let someone come into a place Reporters who visited the teams training ground
were turned away.
turn (sb/sth) down phr /t(r)n dan/ to not accept an ofer or request I dont believe it: he turned me down at!
turn out phr /t(r)n at/ to develop in a particular way, or to have a particular result Obviously, Im disappointed at the way things
have turned out.
Other words & phrases
best-seller n C /bestsel(r)/ a book that many people buy She wrote her rst best-seller when she was
thirty years old.
billionaire n C /bljne(r)/ someone who has more than a billion pounds or dollars Many new billionaires have been created in the
country.
bookworm n C /bkw(r)m/ someone who enjoys reading books and spends a lot of time
doing it
Im a bit of a bookworm.
breathe ** v /bri/ to say something very quietly Oh I breathed.
broadcast ** n C /brdkst/ a programme that can be seen or heard on radio or television Channel 5s main news broadcast attracts a lot
of viewers.
budget *** n C /bdt/ the amount of money a person or organization has to spend on
something
Two-thirds of their budget goes on labour costs.
building site n C /bld sat/ a place where something is being built Proper safety procedures must be observed at
all times on the building site.
calendar ** n C /klnd(r)/ a set of pages showing the days, weeks, and months of a
particular year
Theres a calendar on the wall.
candle ** n C /knd()l/ a stick of wax with a string in it called a wick that you burn to give
light
Blow out the candle.
catch up with phr /kt p w/ to improve in order to reach the same standard or rate as someone
or something
This country is simply catching up with other
countries like France.
charm ** n U /t(r)m/ the quality of being pleasant or attractive It has a certain charm.
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Unit 5 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
cloth ** n C /kl/ a piece of cloth used for a particular purpose such as cleaning or
covering a table
The table was covered with a yellow cloth.
clove n C /klv/ a brown dried ower bud used as a spice for adding avour to food Add oil of cloves to improve the avour.
colossal adj /kls()l/ extremely great or large It was a colossal achievement.
commission *** n C /km()n/ a group of people that is ofcially put in charge of something or
asked to nd out about something
They set up a special parliamentary commission.
commit suicide phr /kmt susad/ to deliberately kill yourself She was sufering from depression and tried to
commit suicide.
comply v /kmpla/ to obey a rule or law, or to do what someone asks you to do You are legally obliged to comply fully with any
investigations.
controversy ** n C /kntrv(r)si/
/kntrv(r)si/
a disagreement, especially about a public policy or a moral issue
that a lot of people have strong feelings about
The election ended in controversy, with
allegations of widespread vote-rigging.
conviction ** n C/U /knvk()n/ a strong belief or opinion about something She holds deep religious convictions.
cover *** n C /kv(r)/ the outside page at the front or back of a book or magazine The Oprah Winfrey Book Club logo on the front
cover of a novel is now enough to ensure huge
sales.
crawl * v /krl/ if an insect crawls, it moves forward using its legs His works include live maggots crawling over a
dead animal.
craze n C /krez/ something that suddenly becomes very popular, but for only a
short time
The band is very popular at the moment because
of the craze for Irish music.
depression ** n U /dpre()n/ a feeling of being extremely unhappy Some children show signs of anxiety and
depression at exam time.
detention centre n C /dten()n sent(r)/ a special prison for young people Oprah ran away from her home and, at the age
of thirteen, was sent to a juvenile detention
centre.
disbelief n U /dsblif/ the feeling of not believing someone or something, especially
something shocking or unexpected
Public reaction to the announcement has been
one of shock and disbelief.
dot * n C /dt/ a very small spot of ink or colour The female sh is yellow, with tiny orange dots
on the tail.
faint * v /fent/ to suddenly become unconscious for a short time, and usually fall
to the ground
Many people in the crowd fainted in the heat.
falter v /flt(r)/ to stop speaking, or to speak with pauses between the words,
because you are nervous or upset
But my other ear is not pierced, I faltered.
farce n C /f(r)s/ a situation or event that is silly because it is very badly organized,
unsuccessful, or unfair
The trial has been a complete farce, from
beginning to end.
focal point n C /fk()l pnt/ the most important, interesting, or attractive part of something,
that you concentrate on or pay particular attention to
Many environments could be improved, made
more attractive with well-chosen works of art as
a focal point.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
fuel v /fjul/ to make something increase or become worse, especially
something unpleasant
The appointment of the new curator has fuelled
the debate.
get away with phr /et we w/ to manage to do something bad without being punished or
criticized for it
They have repeatedly broken the law and got
away with it.
glance *** v /lns/ to look somewhere quickly and then look away I glanced up to see Britta watching me from the
window.
godsend n s /dsend/ something that you are very grateful for because it helps you in a
difcult situation
For the publishing world, it was a godsend.
greet ** v /rit/ to react to an action or news in a particular way The unveiling of the sculpture was greeted with
disbelief by the popular press.
have an afair phr /hv n fe(r)/ to have a sexual relationship with someone, especially when you
are married to someone else
Both of them had afairs with other people.
intimate adj /ntmt/ relating to very private or personal things Drawn into the intimate world of her masters
art.
jug * n C /d/ a container from which you pour liquids such as water or milk. The
usual American word is pitcher
Fill a measuring jug with water.
juvenile * adj /duvnal/ relating to young people who have committed a crime or who are
accused of committing a crime
Oprah ran away from her home and, at the age
of thirteen, was sent to a juvenile detention
centre.
logo * n C /l/ a symbol that represents an organization or company, used for
example in its advertisements or on its products
The company has redesigned their logo.
maggot n C /mt/ a small soft creature with no arms or legs that later changes into a
y. Maggots are found in old meat and dead bodies.
The our was crawling with maggots.
maid n C /med/ a woman whose job is to clean rooms, serve meals, wash clothes
etc in a house
She summoned her maid.
melt ** v /melt/ to change a solid substance into a liquid Melt the butter in a small saucepan.
mortuary n C /m(r)tjuri/ a place where a dead body is kept He works at the hospital mortuary.
needle ** n C /nid()l/ a small thin metal tool that is used for sewing. It has a sharp point
at one end and a hole at the other
I got out a needle and clove oil and pierced my
other ear.
network *** n C /netw(r)k/ a group of companies that broadcast the same television or radio
programs throughout a large area, or a company that produces or
sells the rights to such broadcasts
She is also the co-founder of a successful cable
TV network.
nominate * v /nmnet/ to ofcially suggest that someone should be given a job, or that
someone or something should receive a prize
Anyone can nominate a team for an award.
overly adv /v(r)li/ very much, or too much It is a problem, but were not overly worried
about it.
overpowering adj /v(r)par/ an overpowering smell or taste is very strong The smell of paint was so overpowering.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
pearl * n C /p(r)l/ a small round jewel that is white and shiny and that grows inside
the shell of an oyster
She was wearing a pearl necklace.
perfectionist n C /p(r)feknst/ someone who always wants things to be done perfectly He can be a bit of a perfectionist.
phenomenon ** n C /fnmnn/ an event or situation that can be seen to happen or exist The book club phenomenon grew and grew.
pill * n C /pl/ a small piece of solid medicine that you swallow with water I take a vitamin pill every morning.
pregnant ** adj /prennt/ if a woman is pregnant, she has a baby developing inside her body I was eight months pregnant at the time.
put forward v /pt f(r)w(r)d/ to ofer an idea, opinion, reason, etc, especially so that people can
discuss it and make a decision
Oprah put forward a book which she had
read and enjoyed and discussed it on the
programme.
quote * n C /kwt/ the price that someone says they will charge you for doing a
particular piece of work
Can you give us a quote for the whole job?
rate *** n C /ret/ the speed at which something happens within a particular period
of time
The population was growing at an alarming rate.
recover *** v /rkv(r)/ to become t and healthy again after an illness or an injury It was while she was recovering from the bus
accident that she began painting.
regime ** n C /reim/ a program of medical treatment, exercise, or special food for
improving your health or appearance
As part of the regime, Oprah had to learn ve
new words every day.
reputation *** n U /repjte()n/ the opinion that people have about how good or how bad
someone or something is
Franzen was afraid that it might afect his
reputation in literary circles.
retire ** v /rta(r)/ to stop working, especially when you reach the age when you are
ofcially too old to work
The managing director is going to retire next
year.
sabre n C /seb(r)/ a heavy sword with a slightly curved blade, used in the past The men drew their sabres.
set about v /set bat/ to begin doing something, especially in a determined or
enthusiastic way
She set about the problem with her usual
energy.
shark * n C /(r)k/ a large sh with sharp teeth that lives in the sea. Some types of
shark attack people
Not all species of shark are dangerous to
swimmers.
single (sth/sb) out v /s()l at/ to choose one person from a group for special attention Katie was often singled out for punishment.
skull ** n C /skl/ the bones of the head His skull was fractured in the accident.
slight *** adj /slat/ small in size, amount, or degree There has been a slight increase in temperature.
slip *** v /slp/ to go somewhere, especially quickly and quietly without people
noticing you or stopping you
He was looking at a book and did not notice as I
slipped into my chair.
slot * n C /slt/ a time during a series of events when it is arranged that something
will happen
Oprah came up with the idea of a book club, of
introducing a regular book slot on her show.
smarten (sth/sb)
up
v /sm(r)t()n p/ to improve the appearance of something or someone I got the commission because they wanted to
smarten the place up.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
stain * n C /sten/ a mark left accidentally on clothes or surfaces The place was absolutely awful, cofee stains
on the carpets, broken-down vending machines
everywhere, no redeeming features at all.
sting * v /st/ to have or cause a sudden pain or uncomfortable feeling My eyes were stinging with the salt in the water.
strict ** adj /strkt/ someone who is strict has denite rules that they expect people to
obey completely
Her father, Vernon, was strict.
suspend v /sspend/ to ofcially stop something for a short time The writers were less impressed when Oprah
suspended her book club in 2002.
tactic ** n C /tktk/ a particular method or plan for achieving something The governors tactics involved accusing his
opponent of being too liberal.
talented * adj /tlntd/ someone who is talented is very good at something Hes a highly talented young designer.
tireless adj /ta(r)ls/ working very hard without stopping Shes a tireless worker.
unveil v /nvel/ to remove the cover from something such as a statue as part of an
ofcial ceremony
She cut the ribbon to unveil the plaque.
vending machine n C /vend min/ a machine that you can buy things from, for example cigarettes,
sweets, or drinks
The vending machine swallowed my last pound
coin.
viewer ** n C /vju(r)/ someone who is watching, or who watches, television programmes Her own TV talk show is the most successful in
television history and is watched by over thirty
million viewers.
warden n C /w(r)d()n/ someone whose job is to be responsible for a particular place or
thing, and who checks that rules are obeyed
A trafc warden gave us a parking ticket.
worldwide * adj /w(r)ldwad/ happening or existing all over the world Our company employs 1,500 staf worldwide.
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Unit 6 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Elections
ballot paper n C /blt pep(r)/ a ballot that you write your vote on The ballot paper lists every candidate standing
for election in alphabetical order.
candidate *** n C /knddet/ /
knddt/
one of the people competing in an election He will be the Conservative candidate at the next
election.
constituency ** n C /knsttjnsi/ a division of a country that elects a representative to a parliament MPs have a duty to represent the views of their
constituency.
democracy *** n C / U /dmkrsi/ a system of government in which people vote in elections to
choose the people who will govern them
It can be seen as a threat to democracy.
democrat * n C /demkrt/ someone who supports democracy as a political system This bill will be welcomed by democrats
everywhere.
democratic *** adj /demkrtk/ involving elections in which people vote for their political
representatives
We wouldnt have a democratic system if people
hadnt fought for the right to vote.
elect *** v /lekt/ to choose someone by voting so that they represent you or hold an
ofcial position
The council is elected by popular vote.
electorate n C /lekt()rt/ all the people who are allowed to vote in an election Its a policy designed to appeal to all sections of
the electorate.
general election n /den()rl
lek()n/
an election in which every adult in the country can vote for the
people who will represent them in parliament
He announced that a general election will be
held in the spring.
head of state n C /hed v stet/ the leader of a country, for example a king, queen, or president Heads of state gathered to mark the
organizations 65th anniversary.
Member of
Parliament
* n C /memb(r) v
p(r)lmnt/
someone who people have elected to represent them in a
parliament. Members of Parliament are usually called MPs
Hes the Member of Parliament for Bethnal
Green.
parliament *** n U /p(r)lmnt/ the main law-making institution in some countries. In the
UK, Parliament consists of politicians elected to the House of
Commons and members of the House of Lords
Most of the seats in Parliament are won by the
main political parties.
parliamentary ** adj /p(r)lment()ri/ relating to a parliament or suitable for a parliament They took part in a parliamentary debate.
polling station n C /pl ste()n/ a building where people go to vote in an election The local school is being used as a polling
station.
representative *** n C /reprzenttv/ someone who has been chosen or elected by a person or group to
vote, give opinions, or make decisions for them
Shes an elected representative.
stand for v /stnd f(r)/ to try to get chosen in an election for a particular position or as a
member of a particular institution. In American English, you say
that someone runs for ofce
She is intending to stand for Parliament.
turnout n C /t(r)nat/ the number of voters in an election Were expecting quite a low turnout for the local
elections.
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Unit 6 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Embarrassment
acutely adv /kjutli/ used for emphasizing that a feeling, often an unpleasant one, is
very strong
The situation brought back memories that were
acutely painful.
ashamed ** adj /emd/ feeling guilty or embarrassed because you have done something
wrong, or think that you have not reached a standard that people
expect
Hes extremely ashamed of his behaviour last
night.
bright *** adj /brat/ bright colours are strong but not dark He went bright red.
blush * v /bl/ if you blush, your cheeks become red because you feel
embarrassed or ashamed
A few of the girls were after me, he recalled,
blushing slightly.
humiliating adj /hjumliet/ making you feel very embarrassed and ashamed It was a humiliating mistake.
self-conscious adj /self kns/ embarrassed or worried about how you look or what other people
think of you
Knowing they were watching me made me feel
very self-conscious.
squirm v /skw(r)m/ to look or feel embarrassed and uncomfortable He squirmed under the journalists questioning.
-isms
ageism n U /edz()m/ the practice of treating older people in an unfair or insulting way,
for example by not giving them jobs
Veteran presenters have attacked what they see
as ageism by TV bosses.
elitism n U /litz()m/ the belief that a small group of people who have a lot of
advantages should keep the most power and inuence
The older universities were accused of elitism.
idealism n U /adlz()m/ a very strong belief in something which is good but probably
impossible to achieve
She was always letting her idealism get in the
way of practicalities.
nationalism * n U /n()nlz()m/ the wish for political independence of a group of people with the
same language, culture, history, etc.
Some people in Scotland support Scottish
nationalism.
optimism * n U /ptmzm/ a tendency to be hopeful and to expect that good things will
probably happen
Theres still a degree of optimism that the
leaders will deliver something.
pacism n U /psfz()m/ the belief that violence is wrong and that people should refuse to
ght in wars
My pacism is an instinctive feeling.
pessimism n U /pesmz()m/ the attitude of someone who thinks that the worst thing will
happen in every situation
I share your pessimism about the situation.
racism * n U /resz()m/ a way of behaving or thinking that shows that you do not like or
respect people who belong to races that are diferent from your
own and that you believe your race is better than others
There have been allegations of racism against
the police.
realism * n U /rlz()m/ the ability to accept events and situations as they really are and to
deal with them in a practical way
Though a romantic at heart, she had a strong
streak of realism.
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Unit 6 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
sexism n U /seksz()m/ the belief that men and women should be treated in a diferent way
and are suited to diferent types of jobs and diferent positions in
society
The interview concluded with a discussion of
what can be done to combat sexism in society.
socialism ** n U /slz()m/ a political system that aims to create a society in which everyone
has equal opportunities and in which the most important
industries are owned or controlled by the whole community
The country is moving towards socialism.
Other words & phrases
ad n C /d/ an advertisement He put an ad in the local paper.
alienate v /elinet/ to make someone feel that they do not belong in a place or group Quotas will simply alienate an awful lot of
people.
apathy n U /pi/ a feeling of having no interest in or enthusiasm about anything, or
of not being willing to make any efort to change things
We need to solve the problem of public apathy
towards politics.
approachable adj /prtb()l/ someone who is approachable is friendly and easy to talk to The staf are all very friendly and approachable.
articulate adj /(r)tkjlt/ able to express your thoughts, arguments, and ideas clearly and
efectively
She is a highly articulate woman.
assailant n C /selnt/ someone who violently attacks another person She was able to ght of her assailant.
blank ** adj /blk/ blank paper or a blank space is empty and contains no writing or
other marks
Write your name in the blank space at the top of
the page.
bribe v /brab/ to give money or presents to someone so that they will help you by
doing something dishonest or illegal
They were found guilty of trying to bribe ofcials.
brush (sth) of v /br f/ to refuse to listen to someone, or to accept that something might
be true or important
The Foreign Secretary brushed of suggestions
that he had considered resigning.
centre-right adj /sent(r)rat/ if a party is centre-right it is right-wing but not very strongly The presidents centre-right party has won 97%
of the constituencies.
chancellor n C /tnsl(r)/ the leader of the government in some countries, for example
Germany and Austria
The Germans elected a woman Chancellor.
childcare n U /taldke(r)/ the job of looking after children, especially while their parents are
working
She thinks that politicians should talk about
equal pay and childcare.
close range phr /kls rend/ only a short distance away, or separated by only a short distance Craig Evans, threw an egg at him from close
range.
commit to v /kmt tu/ to promise to do something Encourage your client to commit to their goals.
competent ** adj /kmptnt/ capable of doing something in a satisfactory or efective way Shes a very competent worker.
compulsory ** adj /kmplsri/ something that is compulsory must be done because of a rule or
law
School uniform is no longer compulsory in many
British schools.
condescending adj /kndsend/ showing that you think you are more important or more intelligent
than other people
She spoke to me in a very condescending
manner.
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Unit 6 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
cruise * v /kruz/ to sail in a ship for pleasure, especially to a series of places The rst week was spent cruising around the
Baltic.
deputy leader n C /depjti lid(r)/ someone whose job is the second most important in a department
or organization, and who takes the responsibilities of the most
important person in some situations
Peter Gloystein, the deputy leader of the German
state of Bremen, caused acute embarrassment
to the centre-right Christian Democrat party.
determine ** v /dt(r)mn/ to control what something will be She claims that most human behaviour is
socially determined.
discrimination ** n U /dskrmne()n/ unfair treatment of someone because of their religion, race, or
other personal features
Ms Howell claimed she had been the victim of
sexual discrimination.
discussion forum n C /dsk()n frm/ a website where people can express their ideas and opinions Read the postings on a discussion forum.
dismissal ** n C /dsms()l/ an act of making someone leave their job Those were not fair grounds for dismissal.
engineer *** n C /endn(r)/ someone who designs or builds things such as roads, railroads,
bridges, or machines
Hes an excellent engineer.
fair *** adj /fe(r)/ if a situation is fair, everyone is treated equally and in a reasonable
way
The country will hold its rst free and fair
elections in the summer.
foot and mouth
disease
n U /ft n ma
dziz/
a very infectious disease of sheep, cows, and pigs There has been an outbreak of foot and mouth
disease.
fuss * n U /fs/ a lot of unnecessary worry or excitement about something What is all the fuss about?
get the sack /et sk/ to lose your job, especially for doing something wrong Have you heard the news about Frank getting
the sack?
graduate ** n C /rdut/ someone who has a degree from a university There are many possible careers for philosophy
graduates.
grant *** v /rnt/ to allow someone to have or do what they want The Board has refused to grant your request.
grounds n pl /randz/ a reason for what you say or do, or for being allowed to say or do
something
Those were not grounds for dismissal.
candidate ** n C /hil/ one of the people competing for a job The ideal candidate will have excellent
secretarial skills, a good phone manner and a
smart appearance.
horried adj /hrfad/ very shocked or frightened Police were horried to discover a childs body
in the empty building.
humiliating adj /hjumliet/ making you feel very embarrassed and ashamed Theyve mad a humiliating mistake.
issue *** n C /u/ /sju/ a subject that people discuss or argue about, especially relating to
society, politics etc
Its a website devoted to environmental issues.
launch ** n C /lnt/ an occasion when a company starts selling a new product or
service to the public
He attended the launch of the German wine
week.
liability ** n U /lablti/ someone or something that causes problems for someone The mans a liability!
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Unit 6 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
macho adj /mt/ behaving in a way traditionally considered typical of a man, for
example by being strong and willing to ght, and by hiding your
feelings
Colin likes to kid everyone hes the big macho
tough guy.
magnum n C /mnm/ a large bottle that holds 1.5 litres The group of us shared a magnum of
champagne.
make matters
worse
phr /mek mt(r)z
w(r)s/
to make a situation worse A red-faced Gloystein made matters worse by
attempting to be friends with Mr Oelschlager.
memo n C /mem/ a short note that you send to someone who you work with She sent a memo to her staf telling them about
the change.
mess (sth) up phr /mes p/ to make something dirty or untidy They had managed to mess up the whole ofce.
moderate ** adj /md()rt/ reasonable and avoiding extreme opinions or actions She was on the moderate wing of the party.
object to (sth) * v /bdekt tu/ to be opposed to something, or to express your opposition to it in
words
Local residents objected to the proposed
development.
ofend * v /fend/ to make someone upset and angry by doing or saying something They avoided saying anything that might ofend
their audience.
ofensive * adj /fensv/ unpleasant or insulting, and likely to make people upset or
embarrassed
Theyve banned books containing ofensive
language.
on purpose adv /n p(r)ps/ deliberately Did you do that on purpose?
outbreak * n C /atbrek/ the sudden start of war, disease, violence etc An outbreak of food poisoning led to the deaths
of ve people.
outcome *** n C /atkm/ the nal result of a process, meeting, activity, etc So were not really arguing about the end, the
outcome, its about how we get there.
oversee v /v(r)si/ to watch something in order to check that it works or happens in
the way that it should
Its one of the government agencies that oversee
the airline industry.
own up to (sth) phr /n p tu/ to admit that you have done something bad or embarrassing Two local students later owned up to the prank.
philosophical ** adj /flsfk()l/ relating to philosophy We spent the evening discussing philosophical
problems.
philosophy *** n U /flsfi/ the study of theories about the meaning of things such as life,
knowledge, and beliefs
Hes a professor of philosophy.
posting n C /pst/ a message sent over the Internet to a newsgroup etc I read a posting in the comments section of the
article.
pour *** v /p(r)/ to make a liquid or substance ow out of a container that you are
holding
He poured the last of his drink down the sink.
press charges phr /pres t(r)d/ to ofcially accuse someone of committing a crime The police asked him if he wanted to press
charges.
proceedings ** n pl /prsidz/ an event or series of related events Martin kicked of the proceedings with a
stunning performance of his new hit single.
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Unit 6 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
promptly * adv /prmptli/ used for saying that someone does something immediately after
doing another thing when this is surprising
He ofered to help, then promptly forgot.
provoke ** v /prvk/ to deliberately try to make someone angry Hes just trying to provoke you.
punch * v /pnt/ to hit someone or something with your st (=closed hand), usually
as hard as you can
Two men punched him, knocking him to the
ground.
quota system n C /kwt sstm/ a system in which someone has to do or have a certain amount of
something
The quota system, sometimes referred to as
positive discrimination, is not popular with
everyone.
red-faced adj /redfest/ with a red face, because of being embarrassed, angry, or hot The star was left red-faced by the revelations.
refer to (sth) *** v /rf(r) tu/ to describe something, or to be about something The term groupware refers to software
designed to be used by several computer users
at once.
resign *** v /rzan/ to state formally that you are leaving a job permanently It now seems clear that she will resign her
directorship immediately.
respect ** v /rspekt/ a feeling of admiration that you have for someone because of their
personal qualities, their achievements, or their status, and that you
show by treating them in a polite and kind way
She has worked hard to gain the respect of her
colleagues.
right *** n C /rat/ something that you are morally or legally allowed to do or have You have no right to come barging in here like
that.
scribble v /skrb()l/ to write something quickly and carelessly He scribbles something down.
secretarial adj /sekrteril/ relating to the work or skills of a secretary We need to hire more secretarial staf.
spark n C /sp(r)k/ the quality of being lively and original The performance was short on spark and
creativity.
spin doctor n C /spn dkt(r)/ someone whose job is to give journalists information that makes a
politician or an organization seem as good as possible
The government relies too heavily on spin
doctors.
sufragette n C /sfrdet/ in the UK and US, a woman who took part in public protests about
giving women the right to vote in the early 1900s
The importance of the sufragette movement
should not be underestimated.
supervise ** v /sup(r)vaz/ to be in charge of an activity or a place and to check that things are
done correctly
Hes supposed to be supervising other peoples
work, not having his work supervised!
sure as hell phr /(r) z hel/ used for saying that something is very certain Sure as hell should be!
tackle * v /tk()l/ to make an organized and determined attempt to deal with a
problem, often a social problem such as crime or unemployment
Successive governments have failed to tackle
the question of homelessness.
tearful adj /t(r)f()l/ crying, or feeling as if you want to cry A tearful Oelschlager refused the ofer.
union *** n C /junjn/ an organization that represents the workers in a particular industry
and tries to improve pay, conditions etc
We encourage all employees to join a union.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
un-PC adj /n pisi/ not politically correct. Politically correct language or behaviour is
not ofensive, especially to people who have often been afected
by discrimination (=unfair treatment)
He was sacked for being totally un-PC.
wheel around v /wil rand/ to turn around quickly where you are standing She wheeled around and glared at me.
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Unit 7 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
The environment
climate change n U /klamt tend/ the changes that are thought to be afecting the worlds weather so
that it is becoming warmer
The conference will address the problems of
climate change.
exhaust fume n C /zst fjum/ gases or steam produced by an engine as it works Prolonged exposure to diesel exhaust fumes
may cause chronic asthma.
fossil fuel n C /fs()l fjul/ a fuel such as coal or oil, made from decayed material from
animals or plants that lived many thousands of years ago
We are still totally reliant on fossil fuels.
global warming * n U /lb()l
w(r)m/
the slow increase in the temperature of the Earth caused partly by
the greenhouse efect increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere
The country is trying to help prevent man-made
global warming.
greenhouse gas n C /rinhas s/ a gas that stops heat from escaping from the atmosphere and
causes the greenhouse efect. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas
the release of greenhouse gases into the
atmosphere
organic food n U /(r)nk fud/ organic food or drink is produced using only a small number of
articial chemicals
The interest in healthier food will also mean that
we will be eating more and more organic food.
solar energy n C /sl(r)
en(r)di/
energy that uses the power of the Suns light and heat to produce
electricity
The company is a pioneer in solar energy and
solar heating installations.
wind farm n C /wnd f(r)m/ a place where wind turbines are used for producing electricity from
the power of the wind
Several wind farms have been built in the area.
Expressions with make
make a diference phr /mek dfrns/ to have an important efect on something, especially a good efect This scheme will certainly make a diference to
the way I do my job.
make a point of
(doing) (sth)
phr /mek pnt v
du/
to be certain that you do something, usually in an obvious way From then on he made a point of avoiding her.
make it easier phr /mek t iz(r)/ to make something less difcult to do, or need less work How do they make it easier to decide what to
do?
make sense phr /mek sens/ to be practical and sensible It makes sense to keep such information on
disk.
make the most of
(sth)
phr /mek mst v/ to use a good situation to get the best possible result Its a beautiful day today. Lets make the most
of it.
make time for (sth) phr /mek tam f(r)/ to nd time to do something or be with someone in spite of being
busy
Hes nding it difcult to make time for his
children.
make or break phr /mek (r) brek/ bringing either total success or total failure, and therefore very
important
Its a make-or-break decision for the manager.
Nouns & Prepositions
advances in phr /dvnsz n/ progress or an instance of progress in science, technology, human
knowledge etc
In recent years there have been major advances
in computer technology.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
consumption of phr /knsmp()n v/ the amount that someone eats, drinks, or smokes Watch out for a huge increase in the
consumption of seafoods.
demand for phr /dmnd f(r)/ the amount of a product or service that people want, or the fact
that they want it
Demand for organic food is increasing.
drive for phr /drav f(r)/ a big efort to achieve something, especially by a company or
government
The turn of the century was marked by the drive
for super sizes.
increase in phr /nkris n/ to become larger in amount or number The club has been increasing in popularity.
interest in phr /ntrst n/ a feeling of wanting to know about or take part in something The interest in healthier food will also mean that
we will be eating more and more organic food.
shortage of phr /(r)td v/ a lack of something that you need or want Some countries are experiencing a shortage of
clean water.
taste for phr /test f(r)/ if you have a taste for something, you like it Children will develop a taste for more and more
complicated computer games.
Other words & phrases
account for v /kant f(r)/ to form, use, or produce a particular amount or part of a group of
people or things
Electronic goods account for over 30% of our
exports.
all the rage phr /l red/ very popular Internet shopping is now all the rage.
appliance * n C /plans/ a machine or piece of equipment that you have in your home, for
example a washing machine or refrigerator
We stock a wide range of kitchen appliances.
approve *** v /pruv/ to have a positive feeling towards someone or something that you
consider to be good or suitable
He seemed to approve of my choice.
asthma * n U /sm/ a medical condition that makes it difcult to breathe She had an attack of asthma.
backpack n C /bkpk/ a rucksack He put his sleeping bag at the bottom of his
backpack.
bare bones phr /be(r) bnz/ the most basic features or details Anderson outlined the bare bones of his
strategy.
barrier ** n C /bri(r)/ anything that prevents progress or makes it difcult for someone to
achieve something
Disability need not be a barrier to a successful
career.
beachwear n U /bitwe(r)/ light summer clothes that you wear on the beach We need to nd a shop that sells beachwear and
swimwear.
blanket ** n C /blkt/ a thick cover made of wool or another material that you use to keep
warm in bed
Soft furnishings, like blankets and cushions, will
be particularly useful for the elderly.
bleach v /blit/ to remove the colour from something with a chemical or through
the action of sunlight
Raw cloth is bleached and then dyed.
bleed * v /blid/ to have blood owing from your body, for example from a cut Youre bleeding!
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
block ** v /blk/ to stop someone from going forward or making progress Explore the problems and barriers blocking the
clients way.
breeze ** n C /briz/ a light wind It was a warm day but there was a gentle breeze.
bring up v /br p/ to take care of a child until he or she becomes an adult Millions of Americans look to her to tell them
how to bring up their children.
carbon ** n U /k(r)bn/ a chemical element that is found in all living things, and can also
exist as diamonds or coal
The black carbon powder is rened from pure
oil.
carrier bag n C /kri(r) b/ a cheap bag that a shop gives you for carrying your goods home Ive got a carrier bag full of shopping.
charger n C /t(r)d(r)/ a piece of equipment used for providing a battery with electricity Have you seen my phone charger?
chronic * adj /krnk/ a chronic illness or chronic pain is serious and lasts for a long time.
A serious illness or pain that lasts only for a short time is described
as acute
She sufers from chronic back pain.
compatible * adj /kmptb()l/ if one piece of computer equipment or software is compatible with
another, they can be used together
It is compatible with all the major phone
manufacturers.
cooperative n C /kp()rtv/ a business or other organization owned by the people who work in
it who also share the prots
Were part of a housing cooperative.
cut down on v /kt dan n/ to reduce an amount of something These improvements will cut down on trafc
noise.
damp ** adj /dmp/ something that is damp is slightly wet, often in an unpleasant way
or when it should be dry
The wood wont burn if its damp.
decorate ** v /dekret/ to put paint or paper on the walls of a room We decorated the kitchen last weekend.
devastating * adj /devstet/ causing a lot of harm or damage Many people have had to leave their homes due
to a devastating ood.
diesel * n U /diz()l/ heavy oil used as fuel instead of petrol in some engines Fill the tank with diesel.
double glazing n U /db()l lez/ windows or doors that have two layers of glass, so that the building
will be warmer and quieter
Theyve tted new double glazing.
drill * n C /drl/ a tool used for making a hole in something. A drill that uses
electricity is called an electric drill and a drill that works when you
turn a handle is called a hand drill
Theres something wrong with that drill.
dump ** v /dmp/ to get rid of someone or something that you no longer want or need Over 150,000 tonnes of waste are dumped
annually along the coastline.
dust ** n U /dst/ very small pieces of dirt that cover surfaces inside buildings like a
powder
The dictionaries were covered in dust.
dye n C / v /da/ a substance used for changing the colour of something such as
clothing or your hair
Ive bought a bottle of hair dye.
emission ** n C /m()n/ the act of sending gas, light, or heat into the air Many countries are trying to limit the emission of
greenhouse gases.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
end product n C /end prdkt/ the thing that is produced at the end of a process What are the end products of fermentation?
erect * v /rekt/ to build something such as a statue or bridge A memorial to her was erected after her death.
extension *** n C /ksten()n/ an extra room or rooms added to a building We are building an extension on the back of our
house.
extract ** v /kstrkt/ to remove a substance from another substance Its a method of extracting sulphur from copper
ore.
fabric ** n C /fbrk/ cloth, especially when it is used for making things such as clothes
or curtains
She was wearing a dress made of a oral fabric.
fancy ** v /fnsi/ to want to have or do something Do you fancy going to the cinema?
fertiliser n C /f(r)tlaz(r)/ a natural or chemical substance added to soil in order to help
plants grow
The farm uses a lot of sacks of fertiliser.
lter ** n C /flt(r)/ an object or piece of equipment that allows you to remove solid
parts that are not wanted from a liquid or gas
Weve started using a water lter.
ttings * n pl /ftz/ a small part that you connect to something We really need new bathroom ttings.
oorboard n C /fl(r)b(r)d/ a long wooden board that is part of a wooden oor Im going to sand the oorboards at the
weekend.
ush * v /fl/ to make water pass through a toilet If any medicine is left over, ush it down the
toilet.
fold ** v /fld/ if something folds, or if you can fold it, you can bend part of it so
that it becomes smaller and easier to carry or store
The bed folds away conveniently for storage.
four wheeler n C /f(r) wil(r)/ a vehicle with four wheels, for example a car or truck More and more of these gas-guzzling four-
wheelers are nding themselves out on the
streets with a For Sale sign in their windows.
frustrated * adj /frstretd/ feeling annoyed and impatient because you are prevented from
achieving something
Frustrated passengers have started to use other
forms of transport.
furnishings n pl /f(r)nz/ such things as furniture, carpets, and curtains The wallpaper should match the furnishings.
genetically
modied food
n U /dnetkli
mdfad fud/
food from a plant or animal that has had its genetic structure
changed in order to make it more suited to a particular purpose
Advances in genetically-modied food will
revolutionize our diet.
germ n C /d(r)m/ a form of bacteria that spreads disease among people or animals Its a germ that causes sore throats.
get in shape phr /et n ep/ to improve your physical condition Ever tried to get in shape?
glove ** n C /lv/ a piece of clothing that covers your ngers and hands Well be able to read the football results on the
palm of our gloves.
greywater tank n C /rewt(r) tk/ a large metal container for waste water which has been used for
domestic activities
We dont know when the greywater tank is
coming.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
guided tour n C /add t(r)/ a short journey around a building or place with a person who tells
you about what you are seeing or with a pair of headphones on
which you can listen to a recorded description of what you are
seeing
They gave us a guided tour of the city.
gas-guzzling adj /s z()l/ a gas-guzzling vehicle uses a lot of fuel More and more of these gas-guzzling four-
wheelers are nding themselves out on the
streets with a For Sale sign in their windows.
heat-sensitive adj /hitsenstv/ reacting quickly or strongly to being hot or cold Heat-sensitive fabrics will also be coming into
their own with a hundred and one diferent uses.
helmet * n C /helmt/ a hard hat that you wear to protect your head Hes wearing a motorcycle helmet.
hire ** v /ha(r)/ if you hire something, such as a car, room, or piece of equipment,
you pay the owner so that you can use it, especially for a short
time. The usual American word is rent
You can hire a car at the airport.
icon * n C /akn/ someone who is very famous and who people think represents a
particular idea
He was one of the best-known pop icons of the
1980s.
ink * n C /k/ a black or coloured liquid used for writing, drawing, or printing The price of ink cartridges is outrageous.
insulation n U /nsjle()n/ material used for preventing heat, cold, noise, or electricity from
passing through something
Make sure that you have adequate loft
insulation.
integrate ** v /ntret/ to connect or combine two or more things so that together they
form an efective unit or system
A whole range of clothes will be developed that
can integrate electronics with fabrics.
invariably * adv /nveribli/ always, or almost always Victoria was invariably late.
kilt n C /klt/ a type of traditional Scottish clothing, similar to a skirt, worn by
men. Kilts are made of woollen cloth in a pattern called tartan
He wore a kilt in MacIntosh tartan.
layer *** n C /le(r)/ a piece of clothing that you wear underneath or over another piece
of clothing
Sweatshirts will change colour to show its time
to put on another layer.
life coach n C /laf kt/ someone who provides advice and support to people who want
to improve their lives, helping them to make decisions, solve
problems, and achieve their goals
She approached a life coach.
lifestyle ** n U /lafstal/ the type of life that you have, for example the type of job or house
you have or the type of activity you like doing
I try to live a healthy, outdoor lifestyle.
merchandise n U /m(r)t()ndaz/ goods that people buy and sell The band sells a lot of merchandise at their
concerts.
mosaic n C / U /mzek/ a pattern or picture made of many small colored pieces of stone,
glass, etc
Im going to build a mosaic wall in the kitchen!
mutual ** adj /mjutul/ belonging to or true of two or more people They were introduced by a mutual friend.
neighbouring * adj /nebr/ near each other A lot of people from neighbouring towns came to
the festival.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
packaging * n U /pkd/ the activity of putting products into containers so that they can be
sold in shops
There have been big advances in packaging
technology.
palm ** n C /pm/ the inside part of your hand, between your ngers and your wrist Well be able to read the football results on the
palm of our gloves.
solar panel *** n C /solr pn()l/ a piece of equipment that uses energy from the Sun to create
power for a building
These polycarbonate plastic bricks contain solar
panels and a light source.
pathway n C /pwe/ a path that you can walk on Theres a lovely pathway across the park.
pesticide n C /pestsad/ a chemical used for killing insects, especially those that damage
crops
The trees have been sprayed with pesticides.
pinpoint v /pnpnt/ to discover or explain exactly what something is Weve been unable to pinpoint the source of the
problem.
plumbing n U /plm/ the system of pipes, water tanks, and other equipment used for
supplying and storing water in a building
I spent all day trying to x a leak in the
plumbing.
plummet v /plmt/ if something such as an amount, rate, or value plummets, it
suddenly becomes much lower
Share prices plummeted today to a three-month
low.
polluter n C /plut(r)/ a person or company responsible for causing pollution The polluter will pay compensation to the
farmers whose land they have polluted.
pop in v /pp n/ to go somewhere quickly or for a short time I was just passing and I thought Id pop in and
see how the works going.
powder ** n U /pad(r)/ a soft dry substance that looks like dust or sand The detergent is sold in both liquid and powder
forms.
power up v /pa(r) p/ to switch a computer on in the correct way Power up your computer and well start.
produce * n U /prdjus/ fruit, vegetables, and other things that farmers grow The shop sells only organic produce.
PVC n U /pi vi si/ polyvinyl chloride: a type of plastic used for making clothes, shoes,
water pipes etc
Shes wearing a black PVC raincoat.
query * n C /kwri/ a question that you ask because you want information or because
you are not certain about something
One of our staf will be available to answer your
queries.
razor * n C /rez(r)/ a small tool or piece of electrical equipment used for shaving
(=removing hair from your skin)
I normally use an electric razor.
recycle * v /risak()l/ to change waste materials such as newspapers and bottles so that
they can be used again
Japan recycles 40% of its waste.
rene v /rfan/ to remove things from a natural substance in order to make it pure The powder is rened from pure oil.
renovation n C / U /renve()n/ the process of making something old to look new again by
repairing and improving it, especially a building
The government has announced new laws to
encourage eco renovations.
retardant n C /rt(r)d()nt/ a re retardant is a mixture of chemicals which makes something
difcult to burn
The nal fabric is bleached, dyed and sprayed
with a re retardant.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
rubble n U /rb()l/ broken pieces of stone and brick from buildings, walls etc that
have been destroyed
A bomb reduced the houses to rubble.
sanding machine n C /snd min/ a piece of equipment that makes something such as wood very
smooth by rubbing it with sandpaper
Winstons hired one of those sanding machines.
sarong n C /sr/ a long wide piece of cloth that is tied around the waist to make
a skirt or at the shoulder to make a dress. It is worn by men and
women in Malaysia and some other countries
They showed me how to tie a sarong.
seaweed n C /siwid/ a green or brown plant that grows in the sea At low tide the rocks are covered in seaweed.
self-cleaning adj /selfklin/ if something is self-cleaning it can remove dirt from itself Its possible to buy self-cleaning ovens.
shave * v /ev/ to make a part of your body smooth by cutting of the hair using a
razor or shaver
I cut myself while I was shaving.
sledgehammer n C /sledhm(r)/ a long heavy hammer that you swing with both hands Dan knocked down the wall with a
sledgehammer.
smash up v /sm p/ to destroy something completely by violently breaking it into many
pieces
She got angry and started smashing things up.
spray * v /spre/ to cover crops or a large area of land with a chemical spray in order
to kill insects or prevent diseases
In developing countries, more than 50% of all
pesticides used in agriculture are sprayed onto
cotton elds.
step-by-step adj /step ba step/ a step-by-step plan or set of instructions is easy to follow and
explains each stage of a process in a clear and simple way
Read our step-by-step guide to home
improvement.
strip ** v /strp/ if you strip something down, you take something such as a
machine apart
First of all were stripping the house down to its
bare bones.
subsidize v /sbsdaz/ to pay some of the cost of goods or services so that they can be
sold to other people at a lower price
Meals in the cafeteria are subsidized by the
company.
substance *** n C /sbstns/ a particular type of liquid, solid, or gas The wood is coated with a special substance
that protects it from the sun.
supplement ** n C /splment/ a pill or special food that you take or eat when your food does not
contain everything that you need
Well be eating seaweed supplements along
with most of our meals.
SUV n C /es ju vi/ a sports utility vehicle: a vehicle which has a system that provides
power to all four wheels
The much-loved American SUV (sports utility
vehicle) is quickly losing its appeal.
take (sth) to pieces v /tek t pisz/ to separate something into its individual parts It looks like youre taking the whole house to
pieces!
tank *** n C /tk/ a large metal container for liquid or gas The SUV has a large fuel tank.
tarnish v /t(r)n/ if something tarnishes your reputation or image, it makes people
have a worse opinion of you than they did before
The revelations tarnished her image.
tasty * adj /testi/ tasty food has a nice avour We will be able to keep food fresh and tasty out
of the fridge for much longer.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
thermos bag n C /(r)ms b/ a container that keeps liquids hot or cold Thanks to new ultra-light materials, thermos
bags and bottles will be lighter, smaller and
easier to carry.
throw a party phr /r p(r)ti/ to organize a party, especially in your own home Lets throw a dinner party for him.
tile n C /tal/ a at square piece of baked clay or another substance used for
covering a wall or a oor
The oor was made from ceramic tiles.
tunnel ** n C /tn()l/ an underground passage through which vehicles travel Theyre building a tunnel under the river.
tyre ** n C /ta(r)/ a thick rubber cover that ts round the wheel of a bicycle, car, or
other vehicle
I need to change the tyres on my car.
vintage adj /vntd/ vintage wine is excellent in quality and was made several years ago She bought a bottle of vintage champagne.
watch out for v /wt at f(r)/ to pay attention so that you will see something when it arrives or
happens
Watch out for cyclists.
willpower n U /wlpa(r)/ the ability to control your thoughts and behaviour in order to
achieve something
Dieting is just a matter of willpower.
wiring n U /war/ the electric wires in a building, vehicle, or machine Faulty wiring may have caused the re.
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Unit 8 | Main vocabulary Straightforward | Upper-Intermediate
Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Symptoms
ache * v /ek/ if part of your body aches, you feel a continuous pain there that is
unpleasant, but not very strong
Philips head began to ache.
backache n C /bkek/ pain in your back She often sufers from backache.
hacking cough n C /hk kf/ a cough that makes a loud rough sound I developed a dry, hacking cough.
high temperature n C /ha temprt(r)/ if you have a high temperature, your body is hotter than normal
because you are ill
I woke up with a high temperature.
rash n C /r/ an area of small red spots on your skin, caused by an illness or an
allergic reaction to something that you have touched, eaten etc
I was out in the sun for so long that I got heat
rash.
run-down adj /rndan/ so tired that you do not feel well Evie had been working too hard and was feeling
run-down.
runny nose n C /rninz/ a runny nose has liquid coming out of it To have a truly heavy cold you need more than
just a runny nose.
sore throat n C /s(r) rt/ a painful and uncomfortable area at the back of your mouth and
inside your neck, usually as a result of an infection
Have we got any medicine for a sore throat?
stif muscles n C /stf ms()lz/ if you have stif muscles, the muscles in your body are painful, for
example because you have done a lot of exercise
I have really stif muscles.
swelling n C /swel/ an area of your body that has increased in size as a result of an
injury or an illness
A large swelling had come up on my ankle.
throbbing
headache
n C /rb hedek/ if you have a throbbing headache, you have a pain in your head
which comes and goes again and again in a regular pattern
I woke up with a high temperature and a
throbbing headache.
upset stomach n C /pset stmk/ if your stomach is upset, you have an illness that is afecting your
stomach, usually caused by something that you have eaten or
drunk
Ive had an upset stomach.
Health idioms
at deaths door phr /t des d(r)/ very ill and likely to die I felt like I was at deaths door.
theres a bug going
around
phr /e(r)z b
rand/
if theres a bug going around, a lot of people in an area or
community are having the same illness at the same time
I know theres a bug going around at college.
give (sb) a clean
bill of health
phr /v klin bl v
hel/
to tell somebody that they are healthy after examining them The doctor gives you a clean bill of health.
go down with (sth) phr / dan w/ to become ill with a particular illness Three people in my ofce have gone down with
the u.
in good shape phr /n d ep/ in good physical condition Medical experts warn that such websites can
lead to people who are in perfectly good shape
worrying over nothing.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
my back was killing
me
phr /ma bk wz kl
mi/
used to say that you were experiencing a lot of pain in your back My back was also killing me, so I went back to
the doctors.
under the weather phr /nd(r) we(r)/ if a person is under the weather, they do not feel well Ive been feeling a bit under the weather this
week.
Phrasal verbs with objects
bring (sth) up phr /br p/ to start discussing a subject I hate to bring this up but you still owe me 50.
fall for (sth) phr /fl f(r)/ to believe that a trick or a joke is true How could you fall for such an obvious trick?
get back to (sb) phr /et bk t/ to phone, write, or speak to someone at a later time because you
were busy or could not answer their question earlier
Can you get back to me on those gures by the
end of the day?
make (sth) up phr /mek p/ to invent a story, poem, etc. He made up a story for his children.
put (sth) of phr /pt f/ to delay doing something, especially because you do not want to
do it
You cant put the decision of any longer.
run into (sb) phr /rn nt/ to meet someone when you did not expect to Guess who I ran into this morning?
sort (sth) out phr /s(r)t at/ to do what is necessary to deal with a problem, disagreement, or
difcult situation successfully
This matter could be sorted out if they would
just sit down and talk.
Other words & phrases
absenteeism n U /bs()ntiz()m/ the habit of not being at school or work when you should be,
usually without a good reason
Absenteeism is increasingly becoming a
problem at the school.
access *** n U /kses/ the right or opportunity to have or use something that will bring
you benets
Some groups still have difculty gaining access
to health care.
achiness n U /ekins/ a feeling of pain that is continuous and unpleasant, but usually not
very strong
Loud, repeated snifng is good on the
phone, but dont try to communicate general
achiness or you may come across as a bit too
melodramatic.
acupuncture n U /kjpkt(r)/ a medical treatment from China that involves putting special
needles into particular parts of the body
Have you tried acupuncture?
acute adj /kjut/ an acute illness is one that becomes very bad very quickly Hes got an acute ear infection.
anti-smoker n C /ntismk(r)/ someone who is opposed to smoking The anti-smokers want to ban smoking in all
public places.
appetite ** n C / U /ptat/ the natural feeling of wanting to eat The symptoms include fever and loss of
appetite.
aromatherapist n C /rmerpst/ someone who is trained to practise a health treatment in which
oils with a nice smell are rubbed into your skin to make you feel
relaxed
Next came the aromatherapist, Jules.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
aromatherapy n U /rmerpi/ a health treatment in which oils with a nice smell are rubbed into
your skin to make you feel relaxed. Someone who is trained to do
aromatherapy is called an aromatherapist
She used a combination of aromatherapy oils.
benet *** n C /benft/ an advantage you get from a situation Consider the potential benets of the deal for
the company.
bergamot n U /b(r)mt/ a herb with a slighly lemony smell and taste He chose a blend of lemon, bergamot and
lavender for the central difusion system.
bin * n C /bn/ a container for putting rubbish in. A bin without a lid for paper or
other dry rubbish is also called a waste paper basket and a large
bin that is kept outside is also called a dustbin
Its time you threw those shoes in the bin.
blend n C /blend/ a combination of diferent tastes, styles, qualities etc that
produces an attractive or efective result
The dish is a delicious blend of sharp and
sweet avours.
blender n C /blend(r)/ a piece of electrical equipment that mixes foods or turns soft food
into a liquid
Put the ingredients in a blender.
bone *** n C /bn/ one of the hard parts that form a frame inside the body of a human
or animal. This frame is called a skeleton
She fell and broke a bone in her foot.
boost ** v /bust/ to help something to increase, improve, or become more
successful
Its a drug that boosts serotonin levels in the
body.
calm ** v /km/ to make someone feel more relaxed and less emotional Blue is a particularly calming colour and ideal
in counterbalancing high levels of stress.
chain smoker n C /ten smk(r)/ someone who often smokes one cigarette immediately after
another
Shes a chain smoker.
chronic * adj /krnk/ a chronic illness or chronic pain is serious and lasts for a long time.
A serious illness or pain that lasts only for a short time is described
as acute
She sufers from chronic back pain.
claim *** n C /klem/ to say that something is true, even though there is no denite
proof
The report claimed that hundreds of civilians
had crossed the border to escape the ghting.
clinical ** adj /klnk()l/ involving working with people who are ill Earlier this year, a judge ruled that the doctor
was guilty of clinical negligence.
collapse ** v /klps/ to suddenly fall down and become very ill or unconscious I ended up collapsing with exhaustion.
colour therapy n U /kl(r) erpi/ a form of alternative medicine method in which the therapist uses
colour and light to treat patients
Hes having colour therapy to treat his
depression.
concern *** n C /kns(r)n/ something that you think is important My only concern is to nd my daughter.
compensation ** n U /kmpnse()n/ money that someone receives because something bad has
happened to them
She was awarded 2,000 compensation for her
injuries.
consultation ** n C /kns()lte()n/ a meeting with an expert or a professional person to get advice or
discuss a problem, especially a meeting with a doctor
She has a consultation with the psychologist at
3.00 pm today.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
cordless adj /k(r)dls/ a cordless tool or piece of equipment works without being
connected to the electricity supply
Ive just bought a cordless telephone.
couch potato n C /kat ptet/ someone who spends a lot of time sitting at home watching
television
Watching too much TV will turn you into a couch
potato.
counter-argument n C /kant(r)
(r)jmnt/
a reason or set of reasons that you use for persuading other people
to support your views, opinions, etc used to oppose another
argument
Her counter-argument was very convincing.
counterbalance v /kant(r)blns/ to have an efect that is equal and opposite to something else The risk is counterbalanced by the potential
rewards.
cure * v /kj(r)/ a treatment that makes someone who is ill become healthy The doctors cured her of her illness.
dairy adj /deri/ dairy products include milk and foods that are made from milk, for
example butter and cheese
Dairy products are usually high in calcium.
database ** n C /detbes/ a large amount of information stored in a computer in an organized
way that allows individual pieces of information to be found
quickly
The database contains information about all
our customers.
deathbed n C /debed/ a bed in which someone dies or is about to die He wrote her a letter when he was on his
deathbed.
deliver a baby phr /dlv(r) bebi/ to help a woman to give birth to a baby One in seven doctors are now refusing to
deliver babies.
diagnosis ** n C /danss/ a statement about what disease someone has, based on
examining them
Early diagnosis and treatment can prevent
serious problems.
difusion n U /dfju()n/ the process of a gas or liquid spreading through a substance or
through the air
He chose a blend of lemon, bergamot and
lavender for the central difusion system.
disabled ** adj /dseb()ld/ someone who is disabled is unable to use part of their body or
brain properly because of injury or disease
Mr Bowe collapsed, the victim of a stroke that
has left him permanently disabled.
disrupt * v /dsrpt/ to interrupt something and prevent it from continuing by creating
a problem
Protesters tried to disrupt the meeting.
energize v /en(r)daz/ to make someone feel full of energy or enthusiasm Her speech energized the protesters.
entitled adj /ntat()ld/ if someone is entitled to something, they have a right to have it Mr Bowe is now entitled to compensation.
ergonomics n pl /(r)nmks/ the study of the way that furniture, equipment etc can be designed
so that it is easy and comfortable to use and produces the most
benets and the best working or living conditions for the user
Ergonomics play an important role in the design
of monitors and keyboards.
essential oil n C /sen()l l/ an oil that contains the qualities of the plant that it is taken from,
used for making perfume and in aromatherapy
Essential oils can lower stress.
tness freak n C /ftns frik/ someone who is extremely interested in keeping t Weve become complete tness freaks.
u * n U /flu/ a very common infectious disease that lasts a short time and
makes you feel hot or cold, weak, and tired
Hes in bed with u.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
uorescent adj /flres()nt/ a uorescent light is a very bright light that consists of a long glass
tube containing a gas that reects light
Liz installed full spectrum uorescent lights
instead.
go of (your) food phr / f fud/ to stop wanting to eat, usually because you are ill You normally lose your appetite and go of your
food when you are ill.
GP n C /di pi/ General Practitioner: a doctor who deals with general medical
problems and treats the families in a particular area
Ive made an appointment to see my GP.
happy medium n s /hpi midim/ a way of doing something that is between two extreme positions or
is satisfactory to everyone
Well see if we can nd a happy medium.
healing adj /hil/ making someone feel better after they have been ill or unhappy It has a healing efect on the body.
heighten v /hat()n/ if something heightens a feeling or emotion, or if a feeling or
emotion heightens, it becomes stronger
An educational efort to heighten awareness
about global warming is currently underway.
hot toddy n C /ht tdi/ an alcoholic drink made of whisky with hot water and sugar Let me make you a hot toddy.
hypnosis n U /hpnss/ a very relaxed state in which you seem to be sleeping but can still
react to someone elses suggestions
He put her under hypnosis.
hypochondria n U /hapkndri/ a mental condition in which someone worries a lot about their
health and thinks that they are ill when they are not
Im afraid youre sufering from hypochondria.
hypochondriac n C /hapkndrik/ a person who worries a lot about their health and thinks that they
are ill when they are not
Hes a terrible hypochondriac.
immunity n U /mjunti/ the protection that someones body gives them against a
particular disease
It is possible to develop an immunity to many
illnesses.
inevitable ** adj /nevtb()l/ impossible to avoid or prevent War now seems almost inevitable.
infection ** n C / U /nfek()n/ a disease or other medical condition that is caused by bacteria or
by a virus or a parasite
Most throat infections are caused by viruses.
insurance policy n C /nrns plsi/ an ofcial document containing the details of the agreement
between you and an insurance company
Its always important to read the small print in
your insurance policy.
irritable adj /rtb()l/ likely to become easily annoyed or impatient Im usually quite irritable until Ive had my rst
cup of cofee.
junk food addict n C /dk fud dkt/ someone who eats a lot of junk food that is not healthy because it
contains a lot of fat, salt, and sugar
Shes a real junk food addict.
lavatory n C /lvtri/ a toilet I need to go to the lavatory.
lavender n C / U /lvnd(r)/ a plant with small purple owers that smell nice I love the smell of a sprig of lavender.
leak * n C / v /lik/ an amount of liquid or gas that comes out of a hole or crack in
something
Can you smell gas? There must be a leak
somewhere.
leftover adj /leftv(r)/ remaining after you have nished using the amount that you want
or need
What should we do with the leftover food?
lung ** n C /l/ one of the two organs in your chest that ll with air when you
breathe
Breathe in deeply and let the fresh air ll your
lungs.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
maintenance ** n U /mentnns/ work that is done to keep something such as a building, machine,
or piece of equipment repaired and in good condition
I give my car regular maintenance.
massage * n C /ms/ the action of pressing, squeezing, and rubbing someones body in
order to reduce pain in their muscles or to make them relax
I went for a back and shoulder massage at the
spa.
melodramatic adj /meldrmtk/ behaving in a way that is too emotional or too serious Theres no need to be so melodramatic.
migraine n C /miren/
/maren/
a very bad headache that often makes you unable to bear strong
light
He sufers from migraines.
morale * n U /mrl/ the amount of enthusiasm that a person or group of people feel
about their situation at a particular time
Morale is low, and many people are
disillusioned.
negligence n U /neld()ns/ failure to give care or attention, especially when this causes harm
or damage
His former employers accused him of gross
negligence.
pampering n U /pmp(r)/ the process of taking care of someone very well, especially by
making them feel very comfortable or by giving them nice things
Use this time to get maximum attention and
pampering from your loved ones.
paracetamol n C/U /prsitml/
/prsetml/
a drug, usually in the form of pills, that you take to cure minor
pains. The American word is acetaminophen
Take two paracetamol with a glass of water.
prescribe ** v /prskrab/ if a doctor prescribes a drug or treatment, they say you should
have it
The drug should not be taken unless prescribed
by a doctor.
propaganda * n U /prpnd/ information, especially false information, that a government or
organization spreads in order to inuence peoples opinions and
beliefs
Its just a piece of pro-war propaganda.
raging fever n U /red fiv(r)/ a medical condition in which the temperature of your body is very
high and you feel ill
Youve got to have a raging fever of 45.
rate ** v /ret/ the speed at which something happens within a particular period
of time
The population was growing at an alarming
rate.
reexology n U /rifleksldi/ a type of massage in which a persons hands or feet are rubbed
and pressed in order to make other parts of their body more
healthy or to help them to relax
In a reexology chart each zone corresponds to
a part of the body.
remedy ** n C /remdi/ a cure for pain or a minor illness Have you ever tried herbal remedies?
renewed adj /rnjud/ happening again after a pause, and with more energy, strength, or
enthusiasm than before
Graham returned to the sport with renewed
vigour after injury problems.
revitalize v /rivatlaz/ to make someone feel healthy again The hot shower revitalized me.
sickness ** n U /skns/ a feeling that you are going to bring up food from your stomach The standard supplementary symptoms are a
headache, sore throat, temperature, sickness,
achiness and a cough.
sneeze v /sniz/ to loudly blow air out of your nose in a sudden uncontrolled way She sneezed violently.
snif * v /snf/ to breathe in noisily through your nose, for example because you
have been crying
Amanda snifed and wiped her nose.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
spectrum ** n C /spektrm/ a range of radio waves or light waves Full spectrum lights have all the colours and
wavelengths of natural light.
splitting headache n C /splt hedek/ a very bad pain in your head She went home because she had a splitting
headache.
squash n U /skw/ a game in which two players use rackets to hit a small ball against
a wall. You play squash on an indoor area called a court
You preferred dancing to running or squash.
staggering adj /str/ extremely surprising Nobody expected the staggering success of the
books.
starve * v /st(r)v/ to make someone sufer or die by preventing them from having
enough food
They were accused of deliberately starving the
prisoners.
stimulate ** v /stmjlet/ to make plants, cells, or a part of someones body grow or become
more active
She decided to use colours that stimulate and
energize.
stress-related adj /stresrletd/ connected to a worried or nervous feeling that stops you relaxing,
caused, for example, by pressure at work or nancial or personal
problems
With stress-related illness on the increase.
stroke ** n C /strk/ a medical condition in which blood is suddenly blocked and
cannot reach the brain, or in which a blood vessel in the brain
breaks, often causing a loss of the ability to speak or to move
particular muscles
Leni sufered a stroke last year, and is unable
to walk.
sue ** v /su/ /sju/ to make a legal claim against someone, usually to get money from
them because they have done something bad to you. The legal
claim is called a lawsuit
We intend to sue for damages.
Tai-chi n U /tai/ a Chinese martial art which involves doing slow physical exercises Ive started learning Tai-Chi.
the bush n U / b/ areas in hot countries like Australia and Africa that are not used for
growing crops. They are usually far from cities and very few people
live there
Dirt roads are the only ways across the bush.
the outback n U /i atbk/ the large areas of land in Australia that are not used for growing
crops and are far away from any city or town
The threat of snake bites is one of the most
common fears for people planning to travel in
the outback.
tissue n C /tu/ /tsju/ a piece of soft thin paper used especially for wiping your nose Do you have a box of tissues?
trace n C /tres/ a very small amount of a substance, especially when it is too small
to see clearly or measure accurately
Traces of blood were found in the bathroom.
track *** n C /trk/ a path or road with a rough surface I walked along a track to the mountain village.
trick ** n C /trk/ something that you do in order to annoy someone or to make
people laugh at them, often by making them believe something
that is not true
I thought he was playing a trick on me.
unpaved adj /npevd/ an area of ground that is unpaved does not have a hard, at
surface such as bricks, blocks of stone or concrete
The pilots sometimes have to land on roads or
unpaved tracks.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
vegan n C /vin/ someone who chooses not to eat anything derived (=made) from
animals or sh, including eggs, milk, and cheese
Apparently shes become a vegan.
vital *** adj /vat()l/ very important, necessary, or essential To be able to cope with change is vital for
survival.
vomit * v /vmt/ if you vomit, food comes up from your stomach and out through
your mouth because you are ill. The usual British expression is be
sick
The smell made her want to vomit.
wavelength n C /wevle/ the distance between two waves of sound or light that are next to
each other
Violet light has the shortest wavelength.
wheelchair n C /wilte(r)/ a chair with large wheels that someone who cannot walk uses for
moving around
After the crash he was conned to a wheelchair.
workload * n U /w(r)kld/ the amount of work that a person or organization has to do She was sufering from stress caused by her
heavy workload.
work-related adj /w(r)krletd/ connected to a job that someone is paid to do The Ofce Doctors is one of a growing number
of companies which claim they can reduce
work-related stress.
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Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Adjectives with prepositions
aware of adj /we(r) v/ knowing about a situation or a fact Theyre aware of the dangers.
connected to adj /knektd tu/ used about people who have a social, business, or family
relationship
Local people do not think he is connected to the
man in the orange suit.
devoted to adj /dvtd tu/ to use a particular amount of time or space for dealing with
something
The newspaper has begun devoting more review
space to childrens books.
familiar with adj /fmli(r) w/ if you are familiar with something, you know about it because you
have learnt about it or experienced it before
The author assumes that his readers are familiar
with certain basic concepts.
free from adj /fri frm/ not containing or involving something unpleasant The world of men and elves will never be
completely free from his evil.
intent on adj /ntent n/ determined to do something. This expression sometimes means
that you do not approve of the thing that someone is determined
to do
National newspapers were so intent on
publishing the story.
involved in adj /nvlvd n/ someone who is involved in something takes part in it The orange-suited Monkey Man has been
involved in a number of incidents.
responsible for adj /rspnsb()l f(r)/ if something or someone is responsible for a situation or event,
they are the cause of it
Phone companies are sometimes responsible
for cold-calling.
restricted to adj /rstrktd tu/ only for the use of or only including particular people or purposes Monkey Mans acts of goodness had been
restricted to the kind of thing that any good
citizen is expected to do.
sympathetic to adj /smpetk tu/ supporting a plan, action, or person A spokesman for the local police said they were
always sympathetic to acts of good citizenship.
Crimes
armed robbery n C /(r)md rbri/ the crime of taking money or property illegally using a weapon He spent ten years in prison for armed robbery.
assault ** n C /slt/ a physical attack on someone, or the crime of physically attacking
someone
He was charged with assault.
hijacking n U /hadk/ an occasion when someone illegally takes control of a vehicle,
especially a plane, using violence or threats
In a hijacking situation it is important to remain
calm.
kidnapping n U /kdnp/ the act of kidnapping someone Police said the group might have been
responsible for the kidnapping.
mugging n U /m/ an attack on someone in a public place in order to steal their
money, jewellery, or other possessions
Mugging is on the increase.
murder *** n U /m(r)d(r)/ the crime of killing someone deliberately She is being charged with attempted murder.
smuggling n U /sm()l/ the practice of secretly and illegally taking goods or people into or
out of a country, especially as a way of earning money
The tunnels were part of a huge smuggling
operation.
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Part of
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Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
vandalism n U /vndlz()m/ the act of deliberately damaging or destroying things, especially
public property
He committed several acts of vandalism.
Compound nouns (jobs)
disc jockey n C /dsk dki/ someone who plays CDs and records in a club etc Shes a disc jockey on Radio 1.
estate agent n C /stet ed()nt/ someone whose job is to help people buy and sell or rent property.
The American word is real estate agent
Were going to contact an estate agent about
putting the house on the market.
reghter n C /fa(r)fat(r)/ someone whose job is to make res stop burning and help people
to escape from other dangerous situations
Fireghters struglled for hours to control the
blaze.
motorcycle courier n C /mt(r)sak()l
kri(r)/
someone whose job is to deliver documents or packages on a
motorcycle
Motorcycle couriers are very familiar with all the
short-cuts in their city.
nightclub bouncer n C /natklb bans(r)/ someone whose job is to make certain that no one causes trouble
in a bar or club, for example by not allowing particular people to
come in
I dont suppose anyones going to stand up and
defend nightclub bouncers.
rescue worker n C /reskju
w(r)k(r)/
someone whose job is to save people from dangerous or
unpleasant situations
The most respected professionals are members
of the armed forces, followed by rescue workers.
tax inspector n C /tks nspekt(r)/ a government worker whose job is to check that people or
companies are paying the right amount of tax
Businesses are being warned to prepare for a
call from the tax inspector.
telesales rep n C /teliselz rep/ someone whose job is to sell the products or services of a
particular company on the telephone
She got a job last week as a telesales rep.
trafc warden n C /trfk
w(r)d()n/
someone whose job is to check that vehicles are legally parked A trafc warden gave me a parking ticket.
Other words & phrases
absorb ** v /bz(r)b/ to learn and understand new facts, so that they become part of
your knowledge
Smiths real power comes from his ability to
absorb memories and power from his victims.
an all-time low phr /n ltam l/ the lowest level that something has ever been at Members of the armed forces are highly
respected but recruitment is at an all-time low.
anthropologist n C /nrpldst/ someone who studies human societies, customs and beliefs It is, say the anthropologists, natural for us to
evaluate people in terms of the success they
have achieved.
avatar n C /vt(r)/ a picture on a computer screen that represents a particular
computer user, especially one of several users who are having a
conversation with each other on the Internet
My avatar is a picture of a parrot.
baddy n C /bdi/ someone in a lm or book who does unkind or illegal things The hero kills the baddies and escapes in a
speedboat.
bikini n C /bkini/ a swimming suit for women, with separate parts to cover the
breasts and the lower part of the body
The bikini was invented in 1946.
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Part of
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Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
book (sth) ** v /bk/ to buy tickets, or to arrange to have or use something at a
particular time in the future
Ill book a table for 8 oclock.
brutality n U /brutlti/ extreme violence, especially when it is deliberately cruel Nobody was prepared for the brutality of the
attack.
bullet ** n C /blt/ a small piece of metal that is shot from a gun and causes serious
damage to the person or thing it hits
He was taken to hospital with a bullet wound.
cape n C /kep/ a loose piece of clothing without sleeves that hangs from your
shoulders
A masked man in an orange suit, brown
underpants and cape.
caped adj /kept/ wearing a loose piece of clothing without sleeves that hangs from
your shoulders
We can now reveal that the identity of the caped
crusader.
cast * n C /kst/ all the performers in a lm, play etc She was a member of the cast of The Sound of
Music for years.
cast a spell phr /kst spel/ to use magic to make something happen He casts powerful spells with his magic staf.
citizenship * n U /stz()np/ the legal right to be a citizen of a particular country Im applying for Canadian citizenship.
cold caller n C /kld kl(r)/ someone who phones or visits unexpecedly to try to sell
something
I absolutely hate being disturbed at home by
cold callers.
cold-calling n U /kldkl/ making unexpected telephone calls or visits to try to sell
something
Phone companies are sometimes responsible
for cold-calling.
community-minded adj /kmjunti mandd/ interested in the welfare of the people who live in your area Stanley Ward, also supported Monkey Mans
acts so long as they remained community-
minded.
concrete ** n U / adj /kkrit/ a hard substance used in building made by mixing cement, sand,
small stones, and water
The oors were made of concrete.
confessional adj /knfe()nl/ admitting to bad or embarrassing things that you have done The criminal wrote a confessional letter.
crusader n C /krused(r)/ someone who works hard for a long time to achieve something
that they strongly believe is morally right
We can now reveal that the identity of the caped
crusader.
cutting adj /kt/ a cutting remark is cruel and intended to upset someone In an all-American cast, the Sherifs cutting
British accent marks him out as the perfect
villain.
cynical * adj /snk()l/ someone who is cynical believes that people care only about
themselves and are not sincere or honest
Do you have to be so cynical about everything?
dashing adj /d/ attractive and fashionable in an exciting way She was saved by the dashing young ofcer.
dazzling adj /dzl/ extremely impressive Despite your own dazzling performance
despise v /dspaz/ to hate someone or something and have no respect for them I despised him for the way he treated his
children.
dodge v /dd/ to avoid someone or something by moving quickly, especially so
that something does not hit you or someone does not see you
Shoppers had to dodge ying glass when the
bomb exploded.
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Part of
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Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
dungeon n C /dnd()n/ a dark underground room in a castle that was used as a prison in
the past
They were held prisoner in the castle dungeons.
dutifully adv /djutf()li/ in a way that shows you are being careful to do things that other
people ask or expect you to do
Picking up litter and dutifully putting it in the
rubbish bins.
elf/elves n C /elf/ /elvz/ a small imaginary person with magic powers He inhabits the world of men and elves.
emulate v /emjlet/ to try to be like someone or something else, usually because you
admire them
It is a legal system that has been emulated all
over the world.
evil ** n U / adj /iv()l/ a power that makes people do very bad and cruel things The story is about the struggle between good
and evil.
fabulous * adj /fbjls/ extremely good You look fabulous.
ip side n U /flp sad/ the negative aspects of an idea, plan, or situation The ip side of the governments economic
growth policy is high ination.
fuel v /fjul/ a substance such as oil, gas, coal, or wood that produces heat or
power when it is burned. Coal and wood are sometimes called
solid fuel
What will you do if there is a shortage of food
and fuel?
glory ** n U /lri/ admiration and praise that you get because you have done
something impressive
He dreams of destroying Potter by any means
possible and returning to his full, former glory.
gorgeous * adj /(r)ds/ very beautiful She wore a gorgeous red and gold silk sari to the
party.
gossip n U /sp/ conversation about unimportant subjects, especially peoples
private lives
I never listen to ofce gossip.
grotesque adj /rtesk/ extremely ugly and strange He created a grotesque statue of the devil.
gullible adj /lb()l/ a gullible person is easy to trick because they trust and believe
people too easily
They take advantage of gullible tourists.
handful n C /hn(d)fl/ a very small number of people or things The game was dominated by a handful of
players.
harmless * adj /h(r)mls/ not causing any harm Their wrestling was just harmless fun.
hatred * n U /hetrd/ a very strong feeling that you dislike someone or something very
much
Some people have a hatred of anything new.
have egg on (sbs)
face
phr /hv e n fes/ to be embarrassed or appear stupid because something that you
tried to do has gone wrong
They found themselves out of pocket and with
egg on their faces.
headdress n C /heddres/ a decorated piece of clothing that someone wears on their head Hes wearing a tribal headdress.
henchman n C /hentmn/ a supporter of a powerful person, especially one who is willing to
behave in an immoral or violent way
Two of his henchmen carried out the killing.
hero worship n U /hr w(r)p/ strong admiration for someone, especially when this is extreme or
unreasonable
His hero worship turned into an all-consuming
passion.
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Part of
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Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
highlight * n C /halat/ the most exciting, impressive, or interesting part of an event The highlight of the trip was visiting the Great
Wall of China.
immortality n U /m(r)tlti/ the fact of being immortal or being famous enough to be
remembered for a long time
Immortality is usually associated with vampires,
gods and fairies.
impressionable adj /mpre()nb()l/ someone who is impressionable is easily impressed and
inuenced by other people, usually because they are young and
lack experience in life
You worry about teenagers because theyre at
such an impressionable age.
inconvenience n C /nknvinins/ an annoying problem or situation, especially one that forces you to
make an extra efort to do something
We apologize for the inconvenience caused to
passengers.
instalment n C /nstlmnt/ one of several parts of a story or article that are published at
diferent times in a magazine or newspaper
Tonight theyre publishing the nal instalment
of the series.
know no bounds phr /n n bandz/ to have no limits that afect and control what can happen or what
people are able to do
The sherifs cruelty knows no bounds.
liar n C /la(r)/ someone who tells lies The best way to spot a liar is to look them in the
eyes.
like-minded adj /lakmandd/ like-minded people, groups etc have similar tastes, interests, and
opinions
The conference is a chance to meet like-minded
individuals.
litter * n U /lt(r)/ things such as pieces of paper that people have dropped on the
ground in a public place, making it messy
Picking up litter and dutifully putting it in the
rubbish bins.
look up to v /lk p t/ to admire and respect someone Hes a role model for other players to look up to.
masked adj /mskt/ wearing a mask The store was held up by a masked gunman.
meaningless * adj /minls/ without any clear purpose or importance My life seems meaningless since Eddie died.
menace n C /mens/ someone or something that is dangerous and likely to cause harm The escaped prisoners are a menace to society.
minute ** adj /manjut/ very careful and detailed Our lawyer went over the contract in minute
detail.
moped n C /mped/ a type of motorcycle with an engine that is not powerful and pedals
like a bicycle
She goes everywhere on her moped.
nastiness n U /nstins/ saying or doing unkind things to other people The villains are ranked in order of nastiness.
obnoxious adj /bnks/ very rude, ofensive, or unpleasant My son is an obnoxious child.
obsessed * adj /bsest/ considering someone or something as so important that you are
always thinking about them, in a way that seems extreme to other
people
This is a sign of a government obsessed with
secrecy.
on the rampage phr /n rmped/ behaving in an uncontrolled way, especially when this involves
damaging or destroying property over a wide area
Alex and his gang go on the rampage, beating
and murdering.
parade v /pred/ to publicly show something that you are proud of Gossip magazines and TV shows parade the
stars before us.
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Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
parking ticket n C /p(r)k tkt/ an ofcial document put on your car telling you that you have
broken a rule about parking and must pay a ne
Youll get a parking ticket if you stop here.
patrol * v /ptrl/ to move regularly around a place in order to prevent trouble or
crime
He patrols the town, sorting out lifes little
inconveniences.
pedestrian * n C /pdestrin/ someone who is walking, especially in a town or city, instead of
driving or riding
The area is open to cyclists and pedestrians.
power-mad adj /pa(r) md/ if you are power-mad, you strongly desire the ability to inuence or
control other people
Powerful, power-mad and extremely dangerous
primitive ** adj /prmtv/ at a very simple stage of development, before modern technology She spent time living with a primitive tribe.
purse * n C /p(r)s/ a small bag in which a woman carries money The man had tapped her on the shoulder and
returned the purse that she had lost earlier.
random ** adj /rndm/ chosen or happening without any particular method, pattern, or
purpose
They interviewed a random sample of voters.
resist *** v /rzst/ to not be afected or harmed by something The shelters are designed to resist heat and
toxic fumes.
role model * n C /rl md()l/ someone whose behaviour is considered to be a good example for
other people to copy
Shes a good role model for the kids.
satin adj /stn/ a very smooth shiny cloth that is used for making expensive
clothes
Shes wearing a satin dress.
screensaver n C /skrinsev(r)/ a computer program that makes the screen black or that shows a
picture when the computer is on but not being used. It is designed
to protect the screen from damage
I downloaded a new screensaver.
sight v /sat/ to see something suddenly or in the distance Monkey Man, as he is known, was sighted
earlier this week.
sighting n C /sat/ an occasion when you see something, especially something
unusual or something that you have been looking for
There are many sightings of UFOs every year.
simulate v /smjlet/ to produce the features of something in a way that seems real but
is not
The delegates were shown computer models
used for simulating battle conditions.
sophisticated ** adj /sfstketd/ complicated and advanced in design The police used highly sophisticated
surveillance equipment.
soulmate n C /slmet/ someone who you have a special relationship with because you
share the same feelings, attitudes, and beliefs
Im looking for my soulmate.
spine-chilling adj /spantl/ a spine-chilling story, book, lm etc is very frightening She told us a spine-chilling ghost story.
spit * v /spt/ to force some of the clear liquid called saliva out from your mouth They often behave like pigs: swearing, spitting,
starting ghts.
staf n C /stf/ a long stick used for making walking easier, used mainly in the
past
He does spells with a wooden staf.
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Part of
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Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
superhero n C sup(r)hr/ a character in a comic strip (=story told in pictures), lm etc who
has special powers that can be used for saving people and ghting
against evil
Who is your favourite superhero?
superhuman adj /sup(r)hjumn/ superhuman qualities are much greater and more impressive than
those of an ordinary person
He seems to have superhuman strength.
tax declaration n C /tks
deklre()n/
an ofcial written statement that you sign to show how much
money you have earned and how much tax you have to pay
You are one day late with your annual tax
declaration.
thug n C // a man who is violent, especially a criminal They were just a group of mindless thugs.
underpants n pl /nd(r)pnts/ underwear for men worn on the lower half of the body He put on a pair of underpants.
unquestionably adv /nkwest()nb()li/ used for emphasizing how true something is, or for saying that
most people believe it
The syndrome is unquestionably fuelled by the
medias own obsession with celebrities.
vengeance n U /vend()ns/ the act of harming or killing someone because they have done
something bad to you
Both sides were locked in a cycle of violence
and vengeance.
villain * n C /vln/ the main bad character in a story, play, lm etc. The main good
character is the hero or heroine
Hes just like the villain out of a James Bond
lm.
vindictive adj /vndktv/ someone who is vindictive is cruel to anyone who hurts them and
will not forgive them
Divorced couples often become quite vindictive
towards each other.
vow v /va/ to promise that you will do something I vowed that I would never gamble again.
wicked * adj /wkd/ morally wrong and deliberately intending to hurt people I knew that it was a wicked thing to do.
witness ** n C /wtns/ someone who sees a crime, accident, or other event happen Witnesses reported hearing two gunshots.
wizard n C /wz(r)d/ a man in stories who has magic powers He is a powerful wizard.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Reexive verbs
adapt yourself v /dpt j(r)self/ to change your ideas or behaviour so that you can deal with a new
situation
At some point in their life, everybody has to
adapt themselves to new circumstances.
content yourself v /kntent
j(r)self/
to be willing to accept what you have, although you would prefer to
have something else
Initially, she contented herself with simply
looking after her family.
deceive yourself v /dsiv j(r)self/ to refuse to believe something because you do not want to Youre just deceiving yourself if you think hell
come back to you.
destroy yourself v /dstr j(r)self/ to damage yourself so severely that you no longer exist or can
never return to your normal state
Selsh groups destroy themselves.
distinguish yourself v /dstw
j(r)self/
to do something very well so that people notice and respect you He distinguished himself during the war.
endanger yourself v /ndend(r)
j(r)self/
to put yourself in a situation where you might be harmed or
destroyed
They endanger themselves in the process.
express yourself v /kspres
j(r)self/
to show your feelings in a particular way People express themselves through their actions
more than their words.
pride yourself v /prad j(r)self/ to feel proud about an achievement, skill, or special quality that
you have
Margaret prided herself on being fair and honest
with all of her students.
remind yourself v /rmand
j(r)self/
to tell yourself again about an event from the past or about a fact
that you used to know
Its a good idea to remind yourself from time to
time that life is short.
sacrice yourself v /skrfas
j(r)self/
to allow yourself to die in order to save other people Many animals, including humans, are prepared
to sacrice themselves for their family.
Collocations with give
give (sb) a call phr /v kl/ to telephone someone I may give him a call.
give (sth) a clean phr /v klin/ to remove the dirt from something Ill give the car a clean before we leave.
give a damn phr /v dm/ to care about someone or something I dont give a damn.
give (sb) a hand phr /v hnd/ to help someone People often ask me to give them a hand.
give (sb) a
headache
phr /v hedek/ to cause someone to have a pain in their head Hard work often gives me a headache.
give (sb) problems phr /v prblmz/ to cause trouble or difculty My colleague is giving me some problems at the
moment.
give a lecture phr /v lekt(r)/ to talk to a group of people about a particular subject, especially at
a college or university
He gave a really interesting lecture last week.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
give a lot of thought phr /v lt v t/ to think carefully about something I dont give a lot of thought to my future.
give (sb) a piece of
your mind
phr /v pis v j(r)
mand/
to criticize someone very strongly Im going to give him a piece of my mind when I
see him.
give (sb) a second phr /v seknd/ to wait for someone for a short period of time Hang on, give me a second.
give a speech phr /v spit/ to speak to an audience on a formal occasion I have to give a speech today in front of 100
people.
give (sth) a try phr /v tra/ to do something in order to nd out what happens or to nd out
whether something is good, appropriate, efective etc
I like new experiences and Ill give anything a try
once.
give a warning phr /v w(r)n/ to tell someone that they will be punished or that something bad
will happen if they do something
Im going to give you a warning, but dont do it
again.
give consideration phr /v
knsdre()n/
to think about something carefully before making a decision or
developing an opinion
I think we need to give consideration to Daves
idea before we make a nal decision.
give permission phr /v
p(r)m()n/
to allow someone to do or have something Ive given her permission to go out for the
evening.
give priority phr /v prarti/ to decide that something is important and must be done rst or
needs more attention than anything else
We need to give priority to nishing last weeks
work.
give (sb) the benet
of the doubt
phr /v benft v
dat/
to treat someone as if their behaviour is honest or correct, even
though you are not certain that it is
I think we should probably give her the benet
of the doubt.
give the impression phr /v i
mpre()n/
to behave in a way that makes people believe something about
you
He gives the impression that he really doesnt
care.
Job responsibilities
coordinate * v /k(r)dnet/ to organize the diferent parts of a job or plan so that the people
involved work together efectively
I had to coordinate the work of small groups of
volunteer workers.
facilitate * v /fsltet/ to make it possible or easier for something to happen The counsellor may be able to facilitate
communication between the couple.
liaise v /liez/ if one person liaises with another, or if people liaise, they talk to
each other and tell each other what they are doing, so that they can
work together efectively
In my current job I write press releases and liaise
with volunteers.
oversee v /v(r)si/ to watch something in order to check that it works or happens in
the way that it should
Its the responsibility of the government
agencies that oversee the airline industry.
participate ** v /p(r)tspet/ to take part in something The rebels have agreed to participate in the
peace talks.
promote *** v /prmt/ to support or encourage something The Government is committed to promoting the
development and use of public transport.
seek out v /sik at/ to nd someone or something by looking for them in a determined
way
Corbett resolved to seek out the truth.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
track * v /trk/ to follow the development or progress of something They visit local projects periodically to track
developments.
Other words & phrases
access v /kses/ to get information, especially from a computer The database allows you to access the sales
gures in a number of ways.
administer v /dmnst(r)/ to be responsible for making certain that something is done
according to the rules
It takes a lot of time to prepare, administer, and
mark the tests.
aid ** n U /ed/ money, food, or other help that an organization or government
gives to a country or area where people need it, for example
because of a war or ood
The UN provided emergency economic aid to the
refugees.
altruism n U /ltruz()m/ a way of thinking or behaving that shows you care about other
people and their interests more than you care about yourself
Animals may also sometimes exhibit altruism.
altruistic adj /ltrustk/ thinking or behaving in a way that shows you care about other
people and their interests more than you care about yourself
He was well known for his altruistic behaviour.
ambassador ** n C /mbsd(r)/ a senior ofcial who lives in a foreign country and represents his or
her own country there. An ambassador is responsible for an ofce
called an embassy
The statement was made by the Egyptian
ambassador to London.
attach importance
to (sth)
phr /tt
mp(r)t()ns tu/
to think that something is important or true and that it should be
considered seriously
Unlike other animals, we attach great
importance to moral values.
back up v /bk p/ to show that an explanation or belief is probably true All the evidence backs up her story.
bean ** n C /bin/ a dried bean that you grind (=make into a powder) and use to
make drinks such as cofee and cocoa
Have you ground the cofee beans yet?
blood transfusion n C /bld
trnsfju()n/
a medical treatment in which blood from another person is put into
someones body, for example if they have lost a lot of blood from
an injury
He was rushed to hospital and given a blood
transfusion.
bracelet n C /breslt/ a piece of jewellery that you wear around your wrist Hes wearing a copper bracelet.
charity shop n C /trti p/ a shop belonging to a charity that sells things that people have
given to it
They donated the clothes to the charity shop.
chimpanzee n C /tmpnzi/ an African animal with black or brown fur that lives and hunts in
groups. It belongs to the ape family, which is the most similar to
humans.
The number of chimpanzees in the wild is
steadily decreasing.
city adj /sti/ used to describe someone who lives and works in a city, especially
in the nance industry
Hes a city type, merchant banker.
conict *** n C / U /knflkt/ a situation in which it is difcult for two things to exist together or
be true at the same time
The puzzle shows that there is a conict
between what is good for the individual and
what is good for the group.
count on (sb) v /kant n/ to depend on someone to do what you want or expect them to do
for you
The whole team was counting on me, and I let
them down.
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of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
countless * adj /kantls/ very many, especially more than you think is reasonable The occupying forces committed countless
atrocities.
dedicated to ** v /dedketd tu/ to spend your time and efort doing something He dedicated himself to academic work.
delegation ** n C /dele()n/ a group of people who represent a country, government, or
organization
They agreed to send a delegation to the African
summit meeting.
detriment n C /detrmnt/ harm caused to something as a result of something else Starting formal education too early can be of
serious detriment to the child.
dilemma ** n C /dlem/ a situation in which you have to make a difcult decision The company is facing a moral dilemma.
disrupt * v /dsrpt/ to interrupt something and prevent it from continuing by creating a
problem
Protesters tried to disrupt the meeting.
do good deeds v /du d didz/ to do things that are good or helpful Humans and other animals are capable of doing
good deeds.
donate * v /dnet/ to give something such as money or goods to an organization,
especially to a school, hospital, political party, or charity
Many big corporations donate to political
parties.
donor * n C /dn(r)/ someone who gives blood, sperm, eggs, or a part of their body to
be used in the medical treatment of someone else
Ive registered as a blood donor.
ecosystem n C /iksstm/ all the plants and animals in a particular area, considered as a
system with parts that depend on one another
Its easy to damage the fragile rainforest
ecosystem.
elders n pl /eld(r)z/ an older and more experienced member of a group or organization
who gives advice and makes decisions
The decision was taken by a council of village
elders.
faithful * adj /fef()l/ continuing to support someone or be their friend, even in a difcult
situation
He had always been a faithful friend.
lm crew n C /flm kru/ a group of people who work together to make a lm After a few minutes, you are stopped by a man
with a microphone and a lm crew.
foreseeable adj /f(r)sib()l/ a foreseeable event or time is one that can easily be imagined or
known about before it happens
The increased demand for organic produce was
not foreseeable ten years ago.
fund *** v / n C /fnd/ to provide the money for something that costs a lot The National Asthma Campaign is funding
research into allergy and air pollution.
fur * n C / U /f(r)/ an animal skin covered with soft hair, used for making clothes Hes wearing a black cloak trimmed with fur.
gene ** n C /din/ a pattern of chemicals within a cell that carries information about
the qualities passed to a living thing from its parents
He believes that shyness is in the genes.
geranium n C /drenim/ a plant with soft round leaves and bright owers that are usually
pink, red, or white
Theres a pot of geraniums on the windowsill.
grant *** n C /rnt/ an amount of money that the government or an organization gives
you for a specic purpose and does not ask you to pay back.
Money that you have to pay back is called a loan
Theyve applied for a grant from the lottery.
grassroots n pl /rsruts/ the ordinary people in a community, country, society, or
organization rather than its leaders
They have a lot of support from grassroots
activists.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
grower n C /r(r)/ a person, company, or place that grows a type of plant or crop There are a lot of organic apple growers in the
area.
hang up v /h p/ to stop using a telephone at the end of a conversation Greg hung up and sat back in his chair.
homeless * adj /hmls/ without a place to live Ive been working as a press ofcer for a local
homeless charity.
honour ** v /n(r)/ to show your respect or admiration for someone, especially by
giving them a prize or a title, or by praising them publicly
She will be honoured for her work in promoting
friendship between the two countries.
immorality n U /mrlti/ behaviour that people think is morally wrong The protesters spoke out against the immorality
of multinational corporations.
knock over v /nk v(r)/ to hit someone with a vehicle so that they are injured or killed Sue was knocked down just yards from her
home.
light up v /lat p/ to light a cigarette Is it okay to light up in here?
limousine n C /lmzin/ a large expensive comfortable car in which a screen separates the
driver from the passengers
I go to work in a chaufeur-driven limousine.
make-up * n U /mekp/ the individual qualities and attitudes that combine to form
someones basic character
They analysed the strengths and weaknesses of
his psychological make-up.
merchant banker n C /m(r)t()nt
bk(r)/
someone who has an important position in a bank that provides
nancial services to companies, not people
Hes a City type, merchant banker.
microphone * n C /makrfn/ a piece of equipment for making someones voice louder when
they are speaking, performing, or recording something
Speak into the microphone.
nest ** n C /nest/ a structure that birds make to keep their eggs and babies in Some birds will help other birds to feed their
young and to protect the nest.
non-prot * adj /nnprft/ a non-prot organization works to help people in some way rather
than to make a prot
The charity is a strictly non-prot organization.
partial ** adj /p(r)()l/ not complete Its helpful but its only a partial explanation.
philanthropist n C /flnrpst/ someone who believes in helping people, especially by giving
money to those who need it
Wealthy philanthropists and private foundations
are supporting biomedical research.
poppy n C /ppi/ an articial poppy that people in the UK wear for Remembrance
Day (=a day when people remember the soldiers who died in wars)
Theyre all wearing red poppy badges.
press release n C /pres rlis/ an ofcial statement or report that an organization gives to
journalists, for example about a new product or an important
achievement
The company issued a press release earlier
today.
puzzle * n C /pz()l/ someone or something that you cannot understand In an attempt to provide answers to this
question, scientists have turned to a puzzle
known as The Prisoners Dilemma.
quid * n C /kwd/ a pound in money Heres the six quid I owe you.
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of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
rainforest * n C /renfrst/ a forest in a tropical region of the world where it rains a lot.
Rainforests are considered to be important environmental areas
and many people want them to be protected by law
Many areas of rainforest have been destroyed.
raise money v /rez mni/ to collect money for a particular purpose More than 30 million red poppy badges are sold
in Britain every year to raise money for people
who have been injured or lost their lives serving
the country.
ribbon * n C /rbn/ a narrow piece of coloured cloth folded over itself, worn to show
support for an organization, principle, or aim
Shes wearing a ribbon.
rollerblades n pl /rl(r)bledz/ a type of boot with a single row of small wheels along the bottom,
used for moving quickly along, especially for fun or as a sport
Ive just bought a new pair of rollerblades.
sector *** n C /sekt(r)/ a part of a countrys economic or business activity The countrys industrial sector continues to grow.
seed *** n C /sid/ a small hard part produced by a plant that can grow into a new
plant of the same type
Ive ordered a packet of seeds.
self-help n U /selfhelp/ things that you do to solve your own problems instead of
depending on other people. A self-help group consists of people
who discuss their problems and nd ways to deal with them. A
self-help book is designed to help you to solve your own problems
Shes written a self-help book about diet and
exercise.
set (sb) apart from /set p(r)t frm/ to make someone diferent or special We pride ourselves on those aspects of our
behaviour and culture that set us apart from the
rest of the animal kingdom.
shiver * v /v(r)/ if you shiver, your body shakes slightly, for example because you
are cold or frightened
We stood shivering in the icy wind.
single-handed adv /s()l hndd/ done by one person without help from anyone else She sailed across the Atlantic single-handed.
species *** n C /spiiz/ a plant or animal group whose members all have similar general
features and are able to produce young plants or animals together
Over 120 species of birds have been recorded in
this National Park.
tear ** v /te(r)/ to pull something so that it separates into pieces or gets a hole in
it, or to become damaged in this way
Its made of very thin material that tears easily.
troop *** n C /trup/ a group of animals We saw a troop of monkeys in the jungle.
tropical ** adj /trpk()l/ in or from the hottest parts of the world It isnt possible to grow many tropical plants in
England.
veranda n C /vrnd/ a covered area along the outside of a house, often enclosed by a
low wall
We had afternoon tea on the veranda.
volunteer ** n C /vlnt(r)/ someone who is not paid for the work that they do The organization is appealing for volunteers.
well-supported adj /welsp(r)td/ provided with plenty of money Charities that rescue or look after animals are
also well supported.
worried sick adj /wrid sk/ very worried Where have you been? Weve been worried sick.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Geographical features
bay ** n C /be/ an area of the coast where the land curves inwards The harbour lights were visible across the bay.
canal ** n C /knl/ an articial river Canals were dug to connect Englands
industrial cities with the sea.
cape n C /kep/ a large area of land that continues further out into the sea than
the land it is part of. This word is often used in the names of
places.
They sailed around the cape.
desert ** n C /dez(r)t/ a large area of land with few plants and little water and where the
weather is always dry
We drove across the Gobi Desert.
falls *** n pl /flz/ a waterfall Have you ever been to the Niagara Falls?
gulf n C /lf/ a large area of sea that is almost surrounded by land We visited the Persian Gulf last year.
mount n C /mant/ a mountain: used in names Hes going to attempt to climb Mount Everest?
ocean ** n C /()n/ one of the large areas of salt water that cover most of the Earth We ew over the Atlantic ocean.
peninsula n C /pnnsjl/ a long piece of land that is mostly surrounded by water, but is
joined at one end to a larger area of land
Its a narrow peninsula.
strait n C /stret/ a narrow area of water that joins two larger areas of water Where is the Strait of Hormuz?
Binomials
bits and pieces phr /bts n pisz/ small individual things With a couple of bits and pieces that Ive
added.
black and white phr /blk n wat/ in a written or printed form, and therefore more likely to be true
or denite
I want it written down here in black and white.
born and bred phr /b(r)n n bred/ used for saying where someone was born and grew up Jane was born and bred in Seattle.
down and out phr /dan n at/ very poor, with nowhere to live and no job He was down-and-out, and with nowhere to
go.
esh and blood phr /fle n bld/ someones relative Shes your own esh and blood how can you
treat her like that?
forgive and forget phr /f(r)v n f(r)et/ to decide not to continue being angry about something that
someone has done, and not to allow your memory of it to
inuence your future relationship
I might forgive and forget, but Im more likely
to get mad and get even.
here and now phr /h(r) n na/ at this moment Do I have to make up my mind here and now?
long and hard phr /l n h(r)d/ if you think about something long and hard, you think about it
carefully and thoroughly
Ive thought about it long and hard and my
mind is made up.
pick and choose phr /pk n tuz/ to have the chance to choose the things that you prefer, rather
than simply accepting what someone gives you
We cannot pick and choose which laws to
obey.
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of Use
Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
short and sweet phr /(r)t n swit/ not too long or complicated Time is limited, so please keep your remarks
short and sweet.
sick and tired phr /sk n ta(r)d/ very unhappy about something I am sick and tired of listening to your
complaints.
to and fro phr /tu n fr/ in one direction and then back again The swing rocked to and fro.
tried and tested phr /trad n testd/ known to be good or efective Its a tried and tested way of getting food
stains out of clothing.
Describing landscape
a bare rocky ridge phr / be(r) rki rd/ the long narrow top of a mountain or group of mountains which is
covered in stones and has no plants on it
We climbed along a bare, rocky ridge.
a deep narrow
gorge
phr / dip nr
(r)d/
a deep valley with high straight sides where a river has cut
through rock that is not very wide
The river runs through a deep, narrow gorge.
a fertile wooded
valley
phr / f(r)tal wdd vli/ a low area of land between mountains or hills, usually with a river
owing through it which has trees in it and where the soil is rich
so plants can grow easily
The house is located in a fertile, wooded
valley.
gentle rolling hills phr /dent()l rl hlz/ a group of areas of land that are higher than the land surrounding
them but smaller and lower than mountains which gently slope
up and down over a long distance
The landscape is made up of gentle, rolling
hills.
a jagged snowy
peak
phr / dd sni pik/ the top of a mountain covered in snow, the edge of which has a
lot of rough pointed parts that make it look broken or torn
We could see a jagged, snowy peak in the
distance.
a sheltered sandy
cove
phr / elt(r)d sndi
kv/
a small area of ocean that is partly surrounded by land which is
covered in sand and is not afected by bad weather
We spent the day swimming in a sheltered,
sandy cove.
a tall steep clif phr / tl stip klf/ the steep side of an area of high land When they looked up they could see a tall,
steep clif.
Other words & phrases
adamant adj /dmnt/ determined not to change your belief or decision about
something
We tried to persuade her but she was
adamant.
afuent adj /flunt/ rich enough to buy things for pleasure Hes an afuent businessman.
ambiguity * n C / U /mbjuti/ a lack of clear and exact use of words, so that more than one
meaning is possible
Try to avoid ambiguity and keep your
comments brief.
artefact * n C /(r)tfkt/ a tool or other object that was made a very long time ago Chinese artefacts and settlements in Sri Lanka
and the east coast of Africa support claims that
he sailed across the Indian Ocean.
a tall order phr / tl (r)d(r)/ something very difcult that someone expects you to do To score four goals in one game is a tall order,
even for him.
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Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
breed ** v /brid/ to produce new plants or animals from existing ones,
especially in order to produce plants or animals with particular
characteristics
She breeds sheep.
circumnavigate v /s(rkmnvet/ to sail or y completely around something, especially the world
or an island
Magellan was the rst person to
circumnavigate the globe.
colony ** n C /klni/ a group of animals or birds of the same type that live in the same
area
The farm keeps a colony of bees.
commander ** n C /kmnd(r)/ an ofcer of high rank in the British navy The order was given by the commander of the
submarine.
controversial ** adj /kntrv(r)()l/ a controversial subject, opinion, or decision is one that people
disagree about or do not approve of
We tried to stay away from controversial topics
at the dinner party.
correlation * n C /krle()n/ a connection or relationship between two or more things that
is not caused by chance. A positive correlation means that two
things are likely to exist together, a negative correlation means
that they are not
the correlation between personal wealth and
health
counterpart ** n C /kant(r)p(r)t/ someone or something that has the same job or purpose
as another person or thing, but in a diferent country, time,
situation, or organization
The prime minister is meeting his German
counterpart.
craftsman n C /krftsmn/ a man who makes beautiful or practical objects using his hands The cabinet had obviously been built by a
master craftsman.
crawling adj /krl/ if a place is crawling with people, it is full of people in a way that
is unpleasant
The area is probably crawling with tourists by
now.
crucial *** adj /kru()l/ something that is crucial is extremely important because it has a
major efect on the result of something
We believe the question being investigated by
the Commission is one of crucial importance to
the country.
cruise * v / n C /kruz/ a journey on a ship for pleasure, especially one that involves
visiting a series of places
I met her on a summer cruise.
Dane n C /den/ someone from Denmark Richard married a Dane and now lives in
Copenhagen.
deter v /dt(r)/ to make someone decide not to do something The rain didnt deter people from coming to
the game.
dispute * n C /dspjut/ a serious disagreement, especially one between groups of
people that lasts for a long time
The workers are involved in a dispute over pay.
down under n U /dan nd(r)/ a way of referring to Australia or New Zealand He got sick and tired of them going on and on
about how he came from down under.
dragon n C /drn/ a large imaginary creature in old stories that has wings and a long
pointed tail and breathes out re
The legend tells of a re-breathing dragon.
epic n C /epk/ a long poem that tells a story about ancient people and gods Its a real epic.
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Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
estuary n C /estjuri/ the part of a large river where it becomes wide and ows into the
sea
We took a boat down the estuary.
euphoric adj /jufrk/ feeling extremely happy, usually for a short time only The euphoric crowd had begun cheering even
before the teams reached the stadium.
fortnight ** n C /f(r)tnat/ a period of two weeks The children spent a fortnight away from
home.
fjord n C /fi(r)d/ /fj(r)d/ a narrow section of sea between high rocks, especially on the
coast of Norway
The ship sailed up the fjord.
eet ** n C /flit/ a group of ships, or all the ships in a nations navy Menzies describes how Zheng Hes eet
rounded the Cape of Good Hope.
ood ** v /fld/ to become covered or lled with water Parts of the ship could be ooded to create
giant sh tanks.
footage n U /ftd/ lm of a particular subject or event I get as much footage as I can of the locations
Im interested in.
glossy * adj /lsi/ printed on shiny paper with a lot of bright pictures They found the holiday in a glossy travel
brochure.
harbour ** n C /h(r)b(r)/ an area of water near the land where it is safe for boats to stay. A
port is a harbour where passengers and goods can be taken on
and of
The landscape provides a splendid natural
harbour.
interpreter * n C /nt(r)prt(r)/ someone whose job is to translate what a speaker is saying in
one language into another language so that someone else can
understand it
She works as an interpreter at the UN.
itinerary n C /atnrri/ a plan of a journey that you are going to make, including
information about when and where you will travel
Take a look at our suggested three-day
itinerary.
league table n C /li teb()l/ a list of institutions or organizations put in order according to
how well they are performing in comparison with each other
Her school is at the top of the league table for
this area.
magnify v /mnfa/ to make something appear bigger than it really is Thick spectacles magnied his eyes.
mainland adj /menlnd/ part of a large mass of land that forms the main part of a country
but does not include any islands belonging to the country
Enjoy open sea-sailing across the Atlantic from
San Miguel to mainland Europe.
navigate v /nvet/ to choose a path so that a ship, plane, or car can go in a
particular direction, especially by using maps or instruments
By law a harbour pilot must be on board to
navigate the ship into port.
ocean-going adj /()n/ designed for sailing across the sea Shes the captain of an ocean-going liner.
paramount adj /prmant/ more important than all other things Passenger safety is of paramount importance.
perception ** n C /p(r)sep()n/ a particular way of understanding or thinking about something The publics perception of him is slowly
changing.
populate v /ppjlet/ if a group of people or animals populate an area, they live there These open areas of central Australia are
mainly populated by farmers.
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Part of
Speech
Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
round ** v /rand/ to go round something The van had just rounded the corner when it
was hit by a lorry.
rural *** adj /rrl/ relating to the countryside, or in the countryside People who live in remote rural areas rarely
visit cities.
scout * n C / v /skat/ someone who searches or examines a place, area or situation to
get information about it
It is more stressful to be a location manager
than a location scout.
set foot v /set ft/ to go to a place, especially when there is something special or
unusual about you doing this
It was the rst time I had set foot on French
soil.
set sail v /set sel/ to begin a journey across water The ship set sail on Wednesday.
settlement ** n C /set()lmnt/ a place where people have come to live permanently, usually
when there were very few people living there before
They discovered the remains of an early Anglo-
Saxon settlement.
shape v /ep/ to inuence the way that a person, idea, or situation develops His generation rmly believed they could
shape the future.
submarine * n C /sbmrin/ a ship that can travel both on the surface of the water and under
water
Hes serving on a nuclear submarine.
supply *** v /spla/ an amount or quantity of something that is available to use Aquarium sh need a constant supply of
oxygen.
temporary *** adj /temp()rri/ existing, done, or used for only a limited period of time These measures are only temporary.
turtle n C /t(r)t()l/ an animal with a shell and four short legs that lives on the land,
in the ocean, or in rivers and lakes. The animal that lives on the
land is usually called a tortoise
This is a beach on Koh Tao, Turtle Island.
unspoilt adj /nsplt/ /nspld/ an unspoiled place has not been changed in ways that make it
less beautiful or enjoyable
I really love to see beautiful unspoilt
countryside.
upside down * adv /psad dan/ with the top part at the bottom or lower than the bottom part The car landed upside down in a ditch.
vessel ** n C /ves()l/ a large boat or ship She owns a small shing vessel.
veteran adj /vet()rn/ very experienced and skilled in a particular activity Hes a veteran location scout.
warship n C /w(r)p/ a large ship with a lot of weapons, used for ghting in wars The ships of the past were very diferent to
modern warships.
wash away v /w we/ if something such as rain or a river washes something away, it
carries it away
Heavy rains have washed away the bridge.
well-earned adj /wel (r)nd/ earned or deserved because of hard work or a difcult experience James is taking a well-earned rest.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
Idioms (money)
be hard up phr /bi h(r)d p/ to have very little money I was pretty hard up when I was a student.
be in the red phr /bi n red/ if a bank account is in the red, more money has been spent from
the account than there is available
Their bank account was in the red again.
be on the breadline phr /bi n bredlan/ to be very poor Many families are on the breadline.
be without a penny
to your name
phr /bi wat peni t
j(r) nem/
to have no money He died without a penny to his name.
be worth a fortune phr /bi w(r)
f(r)tn/
if someone is worth a fortune, they have a lot of money and
property
I dont know exactly how much money he has,
but he must be worth a fortune.
have money to
burn
phr /hv mni t
b(r)n/
used for saying that you think someone is spending too much
money on things they do not need
I dont know why you need a new car, unless
youve got money to burn.
live hand to mouth phr /lv hnd t ma/ to have just enough money or food to live on We will have to live hand to mouth until I can get
a steady job.
live in the lap of
luxury
phr /lv n lp v
lkri/
to live in very comfortable and expensive conditions They live together in the lap of luxury in a
beautiful Victorian mansion.
Phrasal verbs 2
fall for phr /fl f(r)/ to believe that a trick or a joke is true How could you fall for such an obvious trick?
get away with phr /et we w/ to manage to do something bad without being punished or
criticized for it
They have repeatedly broken the law and got
away with it.
get your own back
on (sb)
phr /et j(r) n bk
n/
to do something bad to someone because they did something bad
to you
He was bitter, determined to get his own back.
give (sth) away phr /v we/ to tell information or facts that you should keep secret If captured, they might give away vital military
secrets.
hand (sth) back phr /hnd bk/ to give something back to someone The ofcer handed me my passport back.
make (sth) up phr /mek p/ to invent a story, poem, etc. I dont believe that story I think you made it up!
rip (sb) of phr /rp f/ to cheat someone, especially by charging them too much money
for something
Tourists are worried theyll get ripped of.
turn (sb) away phr /t(r)n we/ to refuse to let someone come into a place Reporters who visited the teams training ground
were turned away.
US & UK English
bathroom ** n C /brum/ a room with a toilet in it I need to go to the bathroom.
toilet ** n C /tlt/ a room with a toilet in it I need to go to the toilet.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
check ** n C /tek/ a piece of paper that shows how much money you owe after eating
in a restaurant.
Can we have the check, please?
bill *** n C /bl/ a piece of paper that shows how much money you owe after eating
in a restaurant.
Can we have the bill, please?
eggplant n C / U /eplnt/ a vegetable with a smooth dark purple skin and white esh Add sliced eggplant to the pot.
aubergine n C / U /b(r)in/ a vegetable with a smooth dark purple skin and white esh Add sliced aubergine to the pot.
faucet * n C /fst/ an object used for controlling how much water, gas, or liquid
comes out from a pipe or container
Turn on the faucet.
tap ** n C /tp/ an object used for controlling how much water, gas, or liquid
comes out from a pipe or container
Turn on the tap.
fries n pl /fraz/ long thin pieces of potato cooked in hot oil Im going to order a cheeseburger and fries.
chips ** n pl /tps/ long thin pieces of potato cooked in hot oil Im going to order a cheeseburger and chips.
garbage can n C /(r)bd kn/ a container that you keep outside and use for putting rubbish in Throw it in the garbage can.
dustbin * n C /ds(t)bn/ a container that you keep outside and use for putting rubbish in Throw it in the dustbin.
gas station * n C /s ste()n/ a garage that sells petrol for your car We need to nd a gas station soon.
petrol station n C /petrl ste()n/ a garage that sells petrol for your car We need to nd a petrol station soon.
pants * n pl /pnts/ a piece of clothing covering the body from the waist to the feet,
divided into separate parts for each leg and worn by both men and
women
Ive bought a suit with two pairs of pants.
trousers ** n pl /traz(r)z/ a piece of clothing covering the body from the waist to the feet,
divided into separate parts for each leg and worn by both men and
women
Ive bought a suit with two pairs of trousers.
sidewalk ** n C /sadwk/ a path with a hard surface beside a road Dont park your car on the sidewalk.
pavement ** n C /pevmnt/ a path with a hard surface beside a road Dont park your car on the pavement.
soccer * n U /sk(r)/ a game in which two teams of eleven players kick a round ball and
try to score goals
Ive never been to a soccer match.
football *** n U /ftbl/ a game in which two teams of eleven players kick a round ball and
try to score goals
Ive never been to a football match.
stove * n C /stv/ a large piece of kitchen equipment that is used for cooking The kitchen is equipped with an electric stove.
cooker * n C /kk(r)/ a large piece of kitchen equipment that is used for cooking Do you have an electric cooker?
subway ** n C /sbwe/ a system of public transport consisting of trains that travel in
tunnels below a city
She dislikes travelling on the subway.
underground n U /nd(r)rand/ a system of public transport consisting of trains that travel in
tunnels below a city
I hate travelling on the underground.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
underpass n C /nd(r)ps/ part of a road or path that goes under another road or under a
railway
We walked through the underpass.
subway ** n C /sbwe/ part of a road or path that goes under another road or under a
railway
We walked through the subway.
undershirt n C /nd(r)(r)t/ a piece of underwear for the top half of your body He stripped down to his undershirt.
vest n C /vest/ a piece of underwear for the top half of your body He stripped down to his vest.
Other words & phrases
alive and well phr /lav n wel/ still existing and not gone or forgotten, especially when this is
surprising
In twenty-rst Century America, bounty hunters
are still alive and well.
all-seeing adj /lsi/ able to see everything that happens The all-seeing eye is the Eye of Fortune.
axe * n C /ks/ tool used for cutting down trees and cutting up large pieces of
wood, consisting of a long wooden handle and a heavy metal blade
He used an axe to chop wood for the re.
and the like phr /nd lak/ used for including other similar people or things in what you are
saying
The bar is frequented by pop stars, lm stars,
models, and the like.
bail * n C /bel/ money that is given to a court when someone is allowed to stay out
of prison until their trial. If they do not return for the trial, the court
keeps the money
You can remain free, until the time of your trial, if
you pay bail or a sum of money to the court.
bait n C /bet/ something that is ofered in order to persuade someone to do
something or buy something
Interest-free credit is on ofer and customers are
taking the bait.
bankrupt * adj /bkrpt/ a person or business that is bankrupt has ofcially admitted that
they have no money and cannot pay what they owe
Many of the companies that they had invested in
went bankrupt.
billfold n C /blfld/ a wallet She found a billfold containing $500.
bondsman n C /bndzmn/ someone who is responsible for paying money that is owed or for
making certain that someone goes to court when they should
The bondsman will employ a bounty hunter to
nd the person and get the money back.
bounty hunter n C /banti hnt(r)/ someone who tries to catch criminals in order to receive a reward He was persued by bounty hunters.
cargo * n C/U /k(r)/ things that are being sent by ship, plane, train, or truck The ship and all its cargo sank.
clasp * v /klsp/ to hold someone or something tightly with your hand He clasped Lindsays hand tightly.
codeword n C /kdw(r)d/ a word used for sending a secret message He asked the would-be conman to write a
codeword on a piece of card.
conman/conmen n C /knmn/,
/knmen/
a man who tricks other people, especially in order to get their
money
A conman tricked them out of a lot of money.
counterfeit adj /kant(r)ft/ counterfeit bank notes, products, tickets etc are illegal copies
made in order to trick people
They tried to produce counterfeit 50 notes.
deactivate v /diktvet/ to prevent something such as a bomb or an alarm from being able
to work
You need a key to deactivate the alarm.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
deathbed n C /debed/ a bed in which someone dies or is about to die I cant come to work. Im practically on my
deathbed.
decode v /dikd/ to succeed in understanding the meaning of a message written in
code
We were unable to decode the message.
deface v /dfes/ to deliberately damage something valuable by writing on it or
breaking it
The painting was defaced by vandals.
denomination n C /dnmne()n/ the value of a particular coin or banknote The police found notes of various
denominations.
desperado n C /desprd/ an extremely dangerous and violent criminal In reality they were a gang of dangerous
desperados.
dig ** v /d/ to make a hole in earth or sand using your hands, a machine, or a
tool, especially a spade
The children like to dig in the sand.
doubloon n C /dblun/ a Spanish gold coin used in the past All he found was one single doubloon (a
Spanish gold coin), and he died in poverty.
embark on v /mb(r)k n/ to start a new project or activity, usually one that will be difcult
and will take time
After leaving college, Lucy embarked on an
acting career.
enforce ** v /nf(r)s/ to make sure that a law or rule is obeyed by people. The law is enforced by the American secret
service.
excess ** n U /kses/ more than is usual or necessary. After a lifetime of excess, she was arrested.
expel v /kspel/ to ofcially force someone to leave a place or organization because
of their bad behavior.
She was expelled from four schools.
face value n U /fes vlju/ the value of a stamp or coin that is shown on the front of it The coin is not worth much more than its face
value.
fake adj / n C /fek/ made to look like something real in order to trick people He tried to leave the country using a fake
passport.
fall apart v /fl p(r)t/ to break because of being old or badly made. They can change hands hundreds of times and
they can be folded eight thousand times before
they begin to fall apart.
fall into the hands
of (sb)
phr /fl nt hndz
v/
if something falls into someones hands, they get it, usually by
chance
Bonitos map fell into the hands of a German
sailor.
shpond n C /fpnd/ an area of water that is similar to a lake but smaller and contains
sh
They have a shpond in their garden.
fool * v /ful/ to trick someone by making them believe something that is not
true
I was completely fooled by her.
forward v /f(r)w(r)d/ to send a letter, parcel, email etc that has been sent to your
address to someone else at another address
Your enquiry has been forwarded to our head
ofce.
fugitive n C /fjudtv/ someone who has done something illegal and is trying to avoid
being caught by the police
He spent 5 years as a fugitive from justice.
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Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
give (sb) more
teeth
phr /v m(r) ti/ to give a person or organization more power or authority These have given the police more teeth.
grab ** v /rb/ To get something, especially by being quick or by being the best at
something
We got there early and grabbed seats at the
front.
haul n C /hl/ a large amount of something illegal such as drugs or weapons that
is found by the police
Ofcials found the cocaine haul hidden in the
wheels of the truck.
head for v /hed f(r)/ if you head for something, you go towards it He too headed for Cocos Island, hiding his
treasure in an area known as Wafer Bay.
hoard n C /h(r)d/ a large amount of something that someone has saved or hidden
somewhere
They discovered a hoard of treasure.
inscription n C /nskrp()n/ a piece of writing written or cut on or in something, especially as a
record of an achievement or in order to honour someone
The watch has an inscription on the back.
life savings n pl /laf sevz/ all the money that you have saved in a bank or invested during
your life, so that you can use it later
Winnie Mitchell lost her life savings when she
gave away her bank details after falling for one
email scam.
jet set n U /det set/ rich people who travel to a lot of diferent parts of the world and
have exciting lives
Hes a member of the jet set.
linen n U /lnn/ light cloth made from a plant called ax. Dollar bills are a mixture of 75% cotton and 25%
linen.
loot n U /lut/ stolen money or goods They stashed the loot on a desert island.
magnet n C /mnt/ someone or something that attracts and interests many people
very strongly
The mountains remain a magnet for all kinds of
fugitives.
make of with v /mek f w/ to escape with something, especially something stolen They made of with our television and our stereo.
metal detector n C /met()l dtekt(r)/ a piece of equipment that is used for nding metal objects buried
in the ground
Chris went over the area with a metal detector,
but didnt nd anything.
numeral n C /njumrl/ a symbol that represents a number This is the Arabic numeral 7.
on the trail of phr /n trel v/ very close to nding someone or to discovering something Ask most people what they know about bounty
hunters and theyll probably think of a hardened
cowboy, on the trail of a bank robber.
overboard adj /v(r)b(r)d/ of a boat or ship and into the water Two sailors were swept overboard by the wave.
overdose n C /v(r)ds/ too much of a drug that somone takes at one time. Domino Harvey was found dead in her bath of a
drug overdose.
play (sb) at their
own game
phr /ple t e(r) n
em/
to take part in an activity with someone who has a reputation for
being very good at it
The sport of scam baiting is to play the
scammers at their own game.
provider * n C /prvad(r)/ an organization or company that makes a service available to the
public
Whos your Internet service provider?
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of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
put up a ght phr /pt p fat/ to try to stop something from happening Paloma was not prepared to see her mother
ripped of without putting up a ght.
raid ** n C / v /red/ a sudden short military attack Soldiers carried out raids on enemy targets in
the area.
ranch hand n C /rnt hnd/ someone who does physical work on a very large farm in the
western US or Canada, where cows, horses, or sheep are kept
She is rumoured to have worked rst as a ranch
hand.
recall *** v /rkl/ to remember something None of the staf there could recall ever having
come across anyone with the name of Domino
Harvey.
rumour ** n C / U /rum(r)/ unofcial information that may or may not be true Hed heard rumours about some big nancial
deal.
Saxon adj /sk()n/ a member of a group of German people who came to live in
England in the 5th and 6th centuries AD
The museum has recreated a Saxon village.
scam n C /skm/ a dishonest plan, especially for getting money I was the victim of an Internet phishing scam.
scam baiter n C /skm bet(r)/ someone who deliberately falls victim to a scam (dishonest plan,
especially for getting money) in order to catch the criminal
Amazingly, many of the conmen fall for the scam
baiters tricks.
scour v /ska(r)/ to search a place or document thoroughly for something Jake scoured auction sales for the furniture they
needed.
seal ** n C /sil/ a special mark that you put on something, for example a
document, to show that it is legal or ofcial
The queen of England has an ofcial seal.
serial number n C /sril nmb(r)/ a number that is printed on things such as electrical goods or
paper money so that each one can be recognized
Make a note of the bikes serial number in case
it is stolen.
set in v /set n/ to write or produce a play, book, lm etc that happens in a
particular time or place
The lm is set in 18th-century New England.
shame ** n U /em/ a reason for feeling sad or disappointed It was a shame that you couldnt come with us.
shield ** n C /ild/ a design shaped like a soldiers shield, especially one used on a
badge or a coat of arms
The thirteen stars, arrows and bars on the shield
all represent the thirteen original colonies.
single out v /s()l at/ to choose one person from a group for special attention Katie was often singled out for punishment.
skeleton * n C /skelt()n/ the set of bones that supports a human or animal body, or a model
of this
He dug up some bones from a human skeleton.
spam n U /spm/ emails that are sent to large numbers of people on the Internet,
especially when these are not wanted
My inbox is full of spam again.
spammer n C /spm(r)/ someone who sends e-mails to large numbers of people on the
Internet, especially when these are not wanted
Spammers send out millions of emails every
day.
speculate * v /spekjlet/ to take the risk of investing your money in a company in the hope
that you can make a big prot later by selling the shares that you
buy
Its a bad time to start speculating on the stock
exchange.
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Word Frequency
of Use
Part of Speech Phonetic Spelling Denition Sample Sentence
string *** n C /str/ a group of similar or connected things A string of cars travelled up the narrow mountain
road.
the chances are phr / tnsz (r)/ used for saying that something is likely to happen but is not certain The chances are that I will be looking for a new
job soon.
to the tune of phr /t tjun v/ used for emphasizing how large an amount is The company is in debt to the tune of 1.2
billion.
trace ** v /tres/ to use electronic equipment to nd out where a telephone call was
made
Cavans call was traced to a call box in Brighton.
track down v /trk dan/ to nd someone or something after a long search I nally managed to track him down in
Manchester.
transaction ** n C /trnzk()n/ the action or process of buying or selling something The sale of goods is the most common form of
commercial transaction.
trickery n U /trkri/ the use of tricks to get what you want He obtained her credit card details through
trickery.
turn up v /t(r)n p/ to come somewhere, especially unexpectedly or without making a
rm arrangement
There is no need to book just turn up on the
night.
ungirly adj /n(r)li/ not girly (suitable for girls and women rather than boys or men) She was described as aggressive and ungirly,
preferring to ght with the boys, rather than play
with dolls.
whaling adj /wel/ the activity of hunting whales She spent 2 years working on a whaling ship.
wooded adj /wdd/ lled with trees All around us we could see wooded hillsides.
would-be * adj /wdbi/ hoping or trying to do something The would-be thieves smashed a glass panel in
the front door.
yield up v /jild p/ to nally allow people to see something that has been hidden This latest dig has yielded up over a hundred
pieces of ne Roman silverware.