Showing posts with label vocabulary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vocabulary. Show all posts

Saturday 21 October 2017

VOCABULARY: Vague Language (C1)

To sound as natural as native speakers there are certain expressions and phrases we can use as fillers to gain time to think and to be vague, in case we need to.

Have a look at all the possibilities the language holds for us.


VOCABULARY: Personality Idioms (C1)








Saturday 7 October 2017

VOCABULARY: Personality Adjectives (B2)

Personality Adjectives




What do yo call a person who...?


  • doesn't say what they really think
  • feels sure about their ability to do things
  • keeps their head in a crisis
  • acts without thinking
  • thinks is better and more important than others
  • has a lot of knowledge because their experience
  • never changes their opinion even when they are wrong
  • is determined to be successful
  • takes care to do things carefully and correctly
  • is different and unusual
  • has a great sense of humour
  • is always in a bad mood
  • is emotionally in control
  • is not very good at expressing their feelings or opinions
  • is fairly relaxed about things



ANSWER KEY:

  • insincere, hypocrite
  • confident, secure
  • calm
  • impulsive
  • arrogant
  • wise
  • stubborn
  • ambitious
  • conscientious
  • eccentric
  • funny
  • bad-tempered, moody
  • well-balanced
  • reserved, shy
  • easy-going, laid-back

Wednesday 17 February 2016

VOCABULARY: Phrasal Verbs with "look" (B2/C1)



1. Match the phrasal verbs with the definitions.

1. Look for
2. Look after
3. Look forward to
4. Look up
5. Look up to
6. Look down on
7. Look like
8. Look into

A. to regard with a feeling of superiority
B. to investigate
C. to resemble OR to be probable
D. to take care of
E. to look for information in a reference book
F. to regard with admiration or respect
G. to seek 
H. to wait or hope for something with excitement


ANSWER KEY:
1.G
2.D
3.H
4.E
5.F
6.A
7.C
8.B

2. Now complete the sentences with the correct phrasal verb. Put the verbs in the correct form.

1. I'm __________ to my holidays, I've already made all the necessary arrangements.
2. I don't want to have children, but I don't mind __________ my nephew.
3. I can't be bothered to __________ the new words when I'm watching my favourite TV series in English.
4. Thank you for the present! It's exactly what I was __________.
5. It __________ it's gonna rain tomorrow.
6. He's so arrogant I can't stand him. He's the kind of person who's always __________ others.
7. You should be proud of your achievements, a lot of people __________ you!

8. I can't come up with an answer now, but I'll __________ it and I'll call you back later.



ANSWER KEY:
1. I'm looking forward to my holidays, I've already made all the necessary arrangements.
2. I don't want to have children, but I don't mind looking after my nephew.
3. I can't be bothered to look up the new words when I'm watching my favourite TV series in English.
4. Thank you for the present! It's exactly what I was looking for.
5. It looks like it's gonna rain tomorrow.
6. He's so arrogant I can't stand him. He's the kind of person who's always looking down on others.
7. You should be proud of your achievements, a lot of people look up to you!
8. I can't come up with an answer now, but I'll look into it and I'll call you back later.


Saturday 28 November 2015

VOCABULARY : Idioms (B1)








Now complete the sentences with the idioms. In some cases you will need to put the verb in the correct form.

A. hold your breath
B. kiss someone goodbye
C. hit the roof
D. think twice (about something)
E. kick the habit

F. drop someone a line



1. The best way to stop hiccups is to _____________________ and count to ten.
2. My parents _____________________ when I said I'd been to an all-night party.
3. I've tried so many times to stop biting my nails, but I just can't ______________________.
4. I almost bought a new sports car, but then I _______________________ about it and realised it wasn't such a great idea.
5. A: I lost my purse with 2000$ in it.
    B: Well you can _________ that money ________!
6. _______ me ___________ when you know what time you're coming, and I'll meet you at the station.



ANSWER KEY:
1. A
2. C
3. E
4. D
5. B
6. F

Monday 23 November 2015

Strategies for Learning Vocabulary



Put the words and their definitions and a picture on individual cards

Say the words aloud or write them over and over again as you study

Compose sentences with the words you are studying

Read a series of texts on a related topic to see the new words in different contexts

Try to guess the meaning of words from context

Record the words and their definition and listen to the recording over and over again as you study

Colour-code words by parts of speech
nouns, adjectives, verbs, prepositions

Group words by grammar class
         nouns: husband, wife
         verbs: get married, divorce

Use rhyming
         door > floor

Use alliteration
         what, when, where

Associate words with the physical world
cat     >

Associate words with the context in which it is used

Associate words with their functions
         sofa, chair, armchair > they are used for sitting

Associate opposites
         tall - short

Learn classes or families of words
         vegetables: carrot, lettuce, tomato…

Learn related words
         white, whiten, whitish

Back up the word into components
         revalidator > re-validat-or


Rubin & Thompson (1994: 79-82)

Friday 13 November 2015

Personality idiomatic expressions (C2)


In English there are many colourful idioms connected with aspects of people's personality such as a couch potato (a lazy person who spends very long time on the sofa watching television).

Match the expressions with their explanations.

1. a new broom

2. a wet blanket

3. a stuffed shirt

4. a party pooper 

5. an armchair critic

6. a fair weather friend

7. a nosy parker

8. a rolling stone


A. someone who expresses opinions about things they know very little about

B. someone who doesn't like to stay in one place

C. a pompous, self-opinionated person

D. a gossip who wants to know everything that happens to other people

E. someone who stands by you only when things are going well

F. someone who spoils other people's enjoyment

G. a new person in charge who makes changes

H. a person whose low spirits or lack of enthusiasm have a depressing effect on others






ANSWER KEY:
1. G
2. H
3. C
4. F
5. A
6. E
7. D
8. B




Wednesday 28 October 2015

VOCABULARY: Personality Adjectives (B1 / B2)

Have a look at the adjectives to describe personality.






What do yo call a person who...?



  1. doesn't say what they really think
  2. feels sure about their ability to do things
  3. keeps their head in a crisis
  4. acts without thinking
  5. thinks is better and more important than others
  6. has a lot of knowledge because their experience
  7. never changes their opinion even when they are wrong
  8. is determined to be successful
  9. takes care to do things carefully and correctly
  10. is different and unusual
  11. has a great sense of humour
  12. is always in a bad mood
  13. is emotionally in control
  14. is not very good at expressing their feelings or opinions
  15. is fairly relaxed about things






ANSWER KEY:

1. insincere
2. self-confident
3. calm
4. impulsive
5. arrogant
6. wise
7. stubborn
8. ambitious
9. conscientious
10. eccentric
11. funny
12. bad-tempered
13. well-balanced
14. reserved
15. easy-going

VOCABULARY: Crime and Punishment (B2 / C1)


Below you will find a mindmap with the most common vocabulary related with the topic of "Crime and Punishment". Have a look at all the words there and do the activity below.










1. Match the crimes with the examples.
1. BLACKMAIL
2. BRIBERY
3. BURGLARY
4. DRUG DEALING
5. FRAUD
6. HIJACKING
7. KIDNAPPING
8. MUGGING
9. MURDER
10. RAPE
11. ROBBERY
12. SMUGGLING
13. TERRORISM
14. THEFT
15. VANDALISM

A. A gang took a rich man's son and asked the family for money.
B. She went to her ex-husband's house and shot him dead.
C. A passenger on a flight made the pilot land in the desert.
D. After the party the man made the woman have sex against her will.
E. We came home from holiday and found that our TV had gone.
F. Someone tried to sell me some marijuana during a concert.
G. When the border police searched his car, it was full of cigarettes.
H. Someone threw pain on the statue in the park.
I. He said he'd send the photos to a newspaper if the actress didn't pay him a lot of money.
J. An armed man walked into a bank and shouted, "Hands up!"
K. A man transferred company money into his own bank account.
L. A builder offered the mayor a free flat in return for a favour.
M. Two men left a bomb in the supermarket car park.
N. Somebody stole my car last night outside my house.
O. A man held out a knife and make me give him my wallet.



2. Read the following text and choose the correct alternative in each pair.



Last year my house was broken into and 1 robbed/stolen. I immediately informed the police. A police officer came to the house and asked me to make a list of what had been 2 robbed/stolen. I told him my neighbours had seen someone suspicious at the time of the 3 forgery/burglary, so they had to go to the police station and 4 make/do a statement. About a month later the police contacted me to say they had arrested a 5 defendant/suspect. When the case came to court, I went to 6 give/tell evidence. Of course, the man 7 admitted/pleaded not guilty. The 8 jury/lawyer decided there was not enough proof to 9 try/convict him,and he was 10 let off/let go.











ANSWER KEY:


1)
1.I
2.L
3.E
4.F
5.K
6.C
7.A
8.O
9.B
10.D
11.J
12.G
13.M
14.N
15.H


2)
1. robbed
2. stolen
3. burglary
4. make
5. suspect
6. give
7. pleaded
8. jury
9. convict
10. let off

Monday 26 October 2015

VOCABULARY: Weather Idioms (C1 / C2)



Match the idioms with their definitions:

1.         A: Why does she have a face like thunder??
B: She’s very upset because she didn’t get the promotion.

2.         It’s so unfair! It never rains, but it pours! I didn’t get the promotion and what is more I didn’t even get a pay rise!!

3.         A: I think I’m chasing rainbows. I will never get that promotion…
B: Oh! Don’t be so pessimistic!

4.         A: I just don’t know what I can do… I think I’m going to quit my job!
B: Don’t be silly! That all sounds like a storm in a teacup to me.

5.         Don’t forget he told you he was pleased with your job and gave you the afternoon off. Every cloud has a silver lining!



A.     To make your problems sound worse than what they really are
B.     To be very angry
C.     Even bad situations have positive aspects
D.    To wait for something that will never happen
E.     To have very big problems.







ANSWER KEY: 1. B , 2. E, 3. D, 4. A, 5. C 

Friday 23 October 2015

VOCABULARY: Expressions with "care" (B2)

Match the expressions with their meaning.

1. Take good care of
2. Couldn’t care less about
3. Well care for
4. Longer than I care to
5. Take great care with
6. Have a care in the world

A. Look after well
B. A very long time
C. Not be at all interested in
D. Be more careful
E. Look after well
F. Not be worried about anything


ANSWER KEY:
1.A / E
2.C
3.E / A
4.B
5.D
6.F

A.