UNIT 1: ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

 e.g.: for example  DUMP: Disposal of Unused

 i.e. : that is Medicines and Pills
 NB: note well  NOW: National Organisation of
 AD: the year of Our Lord Women
 Bedsit: one room which is a  UNITE: Union of National Income
bedroom and a sitting room Tax Employees
 Sitcom: short for situational  CALL: Computer Assisted
comedy Language Learning
 Sci-fi: science fiction  AAAA: American Association for
 WHO: World Health Organisation the Abolition of Abbreviations and
 UNESCO: United Nations Acronyms
Educational, Scientific and  EU: European Union
Cultural Organisation  BC: before Christ
 OBE: Order of the British Empire  ID: identity document
 GMT: Greenwich Mean Time  Asap: as soon as possible
 IOC: International Olympic  AIDS: acquired immune deficiency
Committee syndrome
 RSPCA: Royal Society for the  NATO: North Atlantic Treaty
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Organisation
 EST: Eastern Standard Time  VAT: value-added tax
 UFO: unidentified flying object

- Abbreviations which have more than one meaning

 AA: Alcoholics Anonymous/Automobile Association (a UK motorist’s club)

 PC: personal computer/Police Constable (lowest rank of police officer in UK)/ politically correct
 m: metre, mile, million, male, married
 p: per, pence, page

-Abbreviations particularly common in writing

 RSVP: reply please  R: are

 PTO: please turn over  C: see
 FAQ: frequently asked questions  U: you
 FYI: for your information  EZ: easy
 AFK: away from keyboard  4: for
 LOL: laughing out loud  2: to, too, two
 BTW: by the way
- Abbreviations used in newspaper small ads for accommodation

 £300 pcm excl: rent is £300 per calendar

 month excluding payment for gas,  s/c: self-contained (has all it needs within
electricity, etc. itself)
 £60 pw inc: rent is £60 per week including  suit n/s prof female: would suit a non-
gas, electricity, etc. smoking woman in a professional job
 f/f: fully furnished  all mod cons: all modern conveniences
 ch: central heating
 d/g: double garage
 o.n.o.: or nearest offer
UNIT 2: PREFIXES, CREATING NEW WORDS
-Preposition-based prefixes: different
meanings
 OVER- :
(a) Excess: overrate, overprice,
overstate
(b) Cover: overwrite (replace an
old text with a new one),
overshadow,overbearing
(c) Cross: overstep,
overnight,overleaf, overboard
 UNDER-:
(a) Less: underestimate,
understaffed, underfunded
(b) Below: underfoot,
underlying,undercarriage
(c)Negative: undermine,
underhand (secretly and possibly
dishonest)
 UP-: suggests a change of some
kind, often positive
Upgrade, upturn (sudden change
for the better)
 CROSS-: indicates a link
between two separated things
Cross-border, cross-cultural
-Less frequent prefixes
 CON-/COM- : mixing things
together
Converse, commiserate,
condolences, congeal,
contaminate
 E-: sth coming out of something
Eject, emit
 A(d)- : adding sth to something
Adjacent to/adjoin, annotated
(with noted added), adverse,
affix, admission, appertain,
administer
 PRO-: pushing sth forward or
increasing it
Promote, proliferate,
procrastinate, procreate
 AB- : something taken away
from sth
Abdicate, abscond (run away
from prison), abduct
 A- : similar to the –ing form with
the verbs
Ablaze (burning vigorously),
afloat, adrift (drifting out of
control)
 EXTRA- : outside of
Extraterrestrial, extraneous
(something of the important),
extracurricular
 INTER-: connected or linked one
with another
Interrelated, interdepartmental,
Internet
 INTRA-: within sth
Intravenous, intranet,
intradepartmental
UNIT 3: SUFFIXES, PRODUCTIVE SUFFIXES
AND WORD CLASSES
-Productive suffixes
 -able: washable, disposable,
predictable, avoidable,
manageable, identifiable, dry-
cleanable
  -conscious: health-conscious,
safety-conscious, time-
conscious, class-conscious,
clothes-conscious
 -esque: Picassoesque,
Byronesque, Lincolnesque
 -free: stress-free, tax-free,
additive-free, meat-free
 -rich: fibre-rich, calcium-rich,
nutrient-rich, oil-rich
 -led: community-led, student-
led, worker-led, government-led
 -minded: career-minded,
money-minded, like-minded,
high-minded
 -proof: ovenproof, waterproof,
soundproof, idiot-proof, vandal-
proof
 -related: stress-related, age-
related, tobacco-related
 -ridden: guilt-ridden, crime-
ridden, bedridden (sb who has to
stay in bed because he/she is ill),
terror-ridden
 -worthy: newsworthy,
praiseworthy, creditworthy
- Different word classes
 -ly: forms quite a few adjectives
lively, costly, leisurely, miserly
 -ant: make nouns form verbs
applicant, claimant, informant,
contestant, occupant
 -en: verbs form adjectives
moisten, sweeten, worsen, redden
 Unit 4 – Word-building and
word-blending
 Auto- = self
 Autobiographical = based on the
writer’s own life
 Autobiography
 Autograph
 Autonomous = self-ruling
 Autopilot = fly automatically (planes)
 Auto-suggestion = you can cure
yourself by telling yourself you are
cured
 Bio- = life, living things
 Biodegradable = able to decay
naturally
 Biography
 Breathalyser = device to find out
how much alcohol a person has
drunk (breath + analyse)
 Brunch = meal that is a combination
of breakfast and lunch
 Chunnel = tunnel linking Britain and
France (channel + tunnel)
 Congress = a conference, i.e., a
meeting where people come
together
 Criminology = the study of crime
 Cyber- = relating to computers and
robots
 Cybercafé = café where customers
can use computers with the Internet
 Cybercrime = crime committed
through the Internet
 Cyberpet = electronic toy that works
as a pet
 Cybrary = library that can be
accessed through the Internet
(cyberspace + library)
 De- = opposite action
 Decolonise = remove colonists from
 De-industrialise = to become less
industrial
 Destabilise = to make something
unstable
 Docusoap = TV series about real
people using hidden cameras
(documentary + soap opera)
 Edutainment = education +
entertainment
 Funtastic = fantastically good fun
(fun + fantastic)
 -gram = writing
 -graph = writing
 Graphology = study of writing
 -gress- = step, walk, go
 Guesstimate = approximate
calculation (guess + estimate)
 Heliport = place where helicopters
can land and take off (helicopter +
airport)
 -ics = an area of study or knowledge
 Infomercial = television advert that
gives information about something
instead of trying to sell it
 Monograph = long article or short
book on a subject that the writer has
studied for a long time
 Motel = roadside hotel for people
travelling by car (motor + hotel)
 Obstetrics = the study of childbirth
 -ology = study
 -phon- = sound
 Phonetics = the study of human
speech
 Phonology = the study of sounds
 Post- = after
 Post-date = date later than today’s
date
 Pre- = before
 Pre-conference = special event
taking place just before a conference
 Prepaid = paid for in advance
 Put off = postpone
 Retro- = back, backwards
 Retroactive = taking effect from a
date in the past
 Retrogress = to go backwards
 Retrospective = exhibition looking
back at something
 Smog = polluted fog (smoke + fog)
 Swimathon = event in which people
attempt to swim a long distance
(swimming + marathon)
 Techno- = relating to advanced
machines
 Technophobia = fear of using
technological machines
 Techno-wizard = someone brilliant
at technical things
 Tele- = over a distance
 Telegram = a message written and
sent from a distance
 Telepathic = feeling something from
a distance
 Telephone
 Teleworking = working at home and
keeping in contact with the office
 Vegeburger = vegetarian hamburger
(vegetable + hamburger)
 Unit 5 – Global contact and
language enrichment
 Amber = yellowy-orange precious
stone (Arabic)
 Borrowing = word taken from
another language
 Classical origin = from ancient Latin
or Greek
 Cot = child’s bed with high vertical
sides (Hindi)
 Enrich = make richer
 False friends = look like words in
your language but have a different
meaning
 Gift = birthday present (English)
 Gift = poison (German)
 Gimmick = frivolous way of
attracting attention (German)
 Hammock = net hung and used as a
bed (Spanish)
 Hara-kiri = type of ceremonial
suicide (Japanese)
 Intelligentsia = social class of
intellectuals (Russian)
 Lexicon = vocabulary
 Linguistic consequences = results
affecting language
 Loan word = word taken from
another language
 Mumps = a childhood illness
(Icelandic)
 Palaver = unnecessary trouble
(Portuguese)
 Roster = list of people’s turns for
jobs (Dutch)
 Source = where something comes
from
 Sympathetic = nice (European
language)
 Sympathetic = understanding and
caring about someone else’s
suffering (English)
 Tabby = female or stripy cat (Farsi)
 Tonic = medicine to make you feel
more lively (Greek)
 Turban = type of men’s headwear
(Turkish)
 Word stock = set of words
 Unit 6 – Similar but
different: words easily
confused
 Intervene = step in; neutral in
meaning
 Interfere= involve; negative and
critical
 Continually = very frequently; often
negative
 Continuously = without stopping
 Series = set of related programmes
(TV)
 Serial = set of programmes where
the story continues over different
episodes (TV)
 In the shade of = out of the sun;
pleasant connotation
 Shadows = dark areas or shapes
 In the shadow of = in a place
dominated by; negative connotation
 Moist = slightly wet
 Damp = slightly wet in an unpleasant
way
 Theme = the main idea that
everything followed
 Topic = what the people talked about
at any given moment
 Security = concerned with protection
of property, etc.
 Safety = concerned with prevention
of accidents, etc.
 Break out (verb) = to spread
(diseases)
 Break out (verb) = to escape
 Breakout = escape
 Outbreak = sudden occurrence of
 Look out (verb) = to look for
 Look out (verb) = to be alert
 Outlook = attitude to life and the
world
 Lookout = person or thing controlling
or monitoring while another person
is doing something
 End up = finish
 Upend = move into a vertical
position
 Hold up = delay
 Uphold = confirm, support
 Do out = decorate
 Outdo = do better than
 Stationary = fixed
 Stationery = paper items, for office
 Compliment = praise (cumplido)
 Complement = something that
complements a thing (complemento)
 Evade = evadir
 Avoid = evitar
 Signal = señal
 Sign = signo
 Upset = malestar
 Setup = someone made a situation
look like another
 Rehearse = practice
 Revise = study for an exam
 Change = cambiar
 Alter = adjust, modify
 Pick up = collect in vehicle
 Pick = choose or recollect
 Rouse = wake up or wake someone
 Arouse = levantar (sospechas)
 Unit 7: At work: Colleages and
routines
 (to) be stuck behind a desk: (infml)
sitting in an office all day long
 (to) be stuck in a rut: stuck in a job
they cannot escape from
 (to) be your opposite number: to
have the same position/do the same
job as me
 (to) be/work freelance
 (to) clock in/out: electronic card to
record the time sb arrives and leaves
 (to) do a job-share: we each have
50% contract for the same job
 (to) do shift work/be a shift worker:
employment practice designed to
make use of, or provide service
across 24/7.
 (to) knock off at a tree: (infml)
finishing work
 (to) meet a deadline: to have
something finished by a fixed day or
time
 (to) talk shop: to talk about work
 (to) work/be on flexi-time: opposite
of fixed hours
 A nine-to-five job: full time
 Day shift: turno de día
 Dead-end job: job with no prospect
of promotion
 Fixed hours: horario fijo
 Glamorous work: a job that everyone
admires
 Hierarchical: structure with powerful
and less powerful people
 Irregular and antisocial hours: do not
enable one to have a normal social
life
 Manual work: hard and physical
 Mechanical: you don’t have to think
what you’re doing
 Monotonous: never changes
 Paperwork: letters, reports to write;
forms to complete
 Pecking-order: a system where some
people have the right to get
benefits/promotions before others
 Repetitive: repetitive
 Routine tasks: tareas de rutina
 Self employed: not to answer to a
superior
 Stress level: niveles de estrés
 Teleworker: trabajar a distancia
 Vocational work: which helps people
 Workload: amount of work to do
(light/heavy workload)
 Workmates: (infml) colleagues,
especially in non-professional works
 Unit 8: At work: career and
promotion
 (to) be a highflyer: ambitious person
who succeeds without much effort
 (to) be demoted: reduce in rank
 (to) be passed over for promotion: to
ignore or not give attention to sb or
sth.
 (to) be short-listed for a job: to be
within a selected group for a position
 (to) be snowed under: overworked
 (to) get turned down for a job: to not
be called back
 (to) hit/reach a glass ceiling: reach a
level where you cannot further
promotion, even if you deserve it
 (to) seek a career in/look to work in
(hope, not look for)
 Achiever: people determined to
succeed and achieve great things
 Basic: guaranteed minimum salary
without overtime or bonuses
 Close-knit: working on a close
relationship / loosely organized team
(opp)
 Description: have these qualities
 Diverse: of different types
 Drive: strong motivation / low
motivation (opp)
 Dynamic and fast moving: for
industries / static and slow-moving
(opp)
 Holiday entitlement: number of days
you have the right to take as holidays
 Increments (salary): (fml) increases,
rises / drop (opp)
 IT: Information Technology
 Job satisfaction: the feeling that your
job is worth doing and fulfills you /
frustrating job (opp)
 Lucrative: producing a lot of money
 Maternity/Paternity leave: licencia
por maternidad/paternidad
 Motivated and eager: for persons
 Overworked and underpaid:
humorous fixed phrase (careful with
word order)
 Perks (infml) = (Extra) benefits (fml)
 Rewarding: giving you a lot back
 Sales experience: experience selling
things
 Unit 9: Business I
 (to) buy sth on approval: you have
the right to return it if it’s not
satisfactory
 (to) come/go under the hammer:
sold at an auction
 (to) hammer out a deal: talk
seriously on detail until a business
agreement is made
 (to) have first refusal on sth: seller
promises to sell sth to you first and
only if you refuse it, he’ll offer it to
sb else
 (to) reach a compromise: to come to
an agreement where both parties
give in a little
 (to) swallow up: to take over a
smaller company
 Bids: offers of money
 Brand loyalty: confidence in a
specific brand
 Capital assets: buildings and
machines owned by a company
 Cold-calling: phoning people who
have not requested a call in order to
try to sell them sth
 Confusion marketing: selling
products and services in a package,
making difficult to find the cheapest
company
 Entrepreneurship: involvement in
business and taking financial risks
 Hard sell: attempt to try to sell by
being very forceful
 Intertia selling: when a company
behaves as if you agreed to buy sth
because you didn’t actually refuse it
 Loss leader: item sold at a very
cheap price in order to attract
customers at a supermarket
 Merging: join together a new
company
 Niche market: market destined for a
selected group of people
 Red tape: bureaucracy (negative
connotation)
 Shop around: try different shops
looking for best value
 Telesales: selling or marketing goods
and services by phone
Unit 10: Business 2
 To put in/submit a tender: to
supply a written offer to do a job
for an agreed price.
 To win a tender: to be given a job,
after submitting a tender.
 To meet/miss a deadline: to
supply / to fail to supply something
by the agreed time.
 A penalty clause: part of a
contract specifying what will
happen if an agreement is
broken.
 An outstanding account: an
account that has not been paid
yet.
 To default on a payment: to fail to
pay something that had been
agreed.
 To acknowledge receipt: to inform
the sender when something is
received.
 To ship an order: to send out
goods that have been ordered
(what is sent is the shipment).
 To expire: to end – of something
that was agreed for a fixed
period; the noun is expiry.
 To communicate: to suggest that
listeners understand what the
speaker is trying to convey
(context: “If you’re talking, you’re
communicating”)
 Morale: amount of confidence felt
by a person or a group.
 Flaws: weaknesses
 Teamwork: working together for a
common purpose.
 Project: plan, scheme
 Resources: something useful, a
source of something.
 Lack: shortage
 A chief executive: a high-ranking
official
 A personal gesture: any action
performed by a person intended
for effect.
 A square deal: a fair and honest
transaction.
 The survival of the fittest: the idea
that the most able or fit will survive
(while the less able and less fit will
perish).
 An award for achievement: prize
because of merit.
 To turn your hand to: If you say
that someone could turn their
hand to an activity or skill, you
mean they could do it well,
despite having no experience of
it.
 The human factor: people
 A amass a fortune: to accumulate
a lot of money
 To conduct business: to manage
business affairs
Unit 11: Cramming for
success: study and
academic work
 To cram: to study intensively for a
short time.
 Past papers: exam papers from
previous years.
 To memorise: to learn purely by
repetition.
 To learn off by heart: to learn
purely by repetition.
 Rote-learning: learning purely by
repetition.
 Mnemonics: tricks that help you
remember something.
 To bury yourself in books: to spend
the maximum time studying.
 To know the subject inside out: to
know it completely.
 Composition: written work that
could be just 50-100 words, often
used to refer to children’s work.
 Essay: written work longer than a
composition, more serious,
hundreds or even thousands of
words.
 Assignment: a long essay, often
part of a course, usually thousands
of words.
 Project: like an assignment, but
emphasis on student’s own
material and topic.
 Portfolio: a collection of individual
pieces of work, not necessarily
written.
 Dissertation: a long, research-
based work, perhaps 10-15,000
words, for a degree or diploma.
 Thesis: a very long, original,
research-based work, perhaps 80-
100,000 words, for a higher degree
(e.g. PhD)
 Mind-map: diagram that lays out
ideas for the topic and how they
are connected to one another.
 First draft: first, rough version.
 Plagiarism: using other people’s
work as if it was yours.
 Deadline: date by which you must
hand in the work.
 To submit: to hand in (formal)
 To assess: to evaluate and give a
grade.
 Feedback: comments from the
teacher/tutor.
 To carry out research: to research
(less formal “do”)
 Academic journal:
 Papers:
 Articles:
 Inter-library loan: system where
libraries exchange books/journals
with one another.
 To drop out: to leave the course
before the end because they
cannot cope.
 Finals: the last exams before
receiving a degree.
 To fall behind with: to find yourself
far behind other students.
 To breeze through the exams: to
do them calmly and efficiently.
 To get the hang of: to understand.
 To go blank: to become empty.
Unit 12: Education: debates
and issues
 Equality of opportunity: when
everyone has the same chances.
 Selective schooling: pupils take
exams for entry.
 Comprehensive schooling:
everyone enters without exams.
 Schooling: education received at
school.
 Elitism: when you favour a small,
privileged group.
 Inherent in: existing as a basic part
of something.
 League tables: lists of schools or
colleges from the best down to
the worst.
 To perpetuate: to make something
continue forever.
 Two-tier system: a system with two
separate levels, one of which is
better than the other.
 To perceive: to see, consider.
 Better-off: richer
 Well-endowed: receiving a lot of
money in grants, gifts from rich
people, etc.
 Depressing: reducing.
 Less well-off: poorer.
 To excel: to achieve an excellent
standard.
 The three Rs: reading, writing and
arithmetic, the traditional, basic
skills.
 Literacy: ability to read.
 Numeracy: the ability to count/do
basic maths.
 Curriculum reform: changes to the
educational programme, e.g. the
national syllabus.
 Lifelong/continuing education:
education for all ages.
 Mature students: adult students
older than the average student.
 Special needs education:
education for children who
cannot learn in the normal way,
because they have some
disability.
A born leader
Affectionate: readily feeling or showing
fondness or tenderness
Altruistic: thinking of others rather than
oneself – unselfish
 One-to-one: one teacher and
one pupil, not a group.
 Bullying: frightening or
threatening.
 PTA: group consisting of teachers
and parents who meet regularly.
 School governors: group of
oversees all the business of the
school.
 Supply teacher: teacher who
works in a school when needed
(e.g. if someone is sick).
 Peripatetic teacher: teacher who
works in different schools and
travels between them.
Unit 13
Characteristics
Cunning: having or showing skill in
achieving one’s ends by deceit or
evasión/Ingenious
Decisive
Desire for material goods

Always ready to complain Diligent: hard-working

Artistic Distrustful: feeling or showing distrust of

someone or something
Astute
Dogged: having or showing tenacity and
Broad-minded grim persistence
Charming Downfall: cause of destruction
Chauvinistic: too patriotic Down-to-earth
Cheerful: opposite morose Elegant
Conscientious Emotional
Conservative Extravagant

Fault-finder: critical person

Flashy: expensive or impressive Obliging: ready to help

Flexible: opposite stubborn Opportunistic: using situations for own

benefit
Friendly
Parsimonious: mean, tight-fisted
Frugal: sparing or economical as regards
money or food Perfectionist

Fun-loving: light-hearted and lively Pithy: terse and vigorously expressive

Gallant: (of man) polite to women, Placid: calm, does not easily become
chivalrous excited or angry, easy-going

Generous: opposite stingy Plagued by sth: troubled or distressed by

Gifted Popular

Imaginative Quick-tempered: opposite placid

Immoderate: Rebellious
not sensible or restrained; excessive
Resolute: admirably purposeful,
Inclined to procrastinate: delay doing determined, and unwavering
something
Sagacious: wise
Independent
Selfish: opposite altruistic
Industrious: hard-working
Self-seeking: wanting to gain advantage
Intellectual for oneself

Intuitive: understanding instinctively Sensitive

Lazy: opposite diligent Sentimental

Low-brow: opposite intellectual Serious

Magnetic personality: personality that Sharp-tongued: inclined to speak in a

attracts people severe and critical way

Methodical: systematic, careful Shrewd: having good judgment

Morose: gloomy, miserable Sly: having or showing a cunning and

deceitful nature
Mulish: resembling or likened to a mule in
being stubborn Sober

Naïve: without enough experience of life, Stingy

trusting too easily
Stubborn
Sullen: bad-tempered and sulky Tolerant

Superficial: not caring about serious Unhelpful: opposite obliging

things
Unprincipled
Tactless: inclined to say things that upset
or offend people Unscrupulous: dishonest

Tend to get carried away: become too Unstinting: given or giving

excited and lose control without restraint; unsparing

Terse: abrupt, brusque Unsystematic: opposite methodical

Thick-skinned: opposite sensitive Witty: showing or characterized by quick

and inventive verbal humour
Thrifty: using money and other resources
carefully and not wastefully Workaholic

Work-obsessed

Abstract nouns Parsimonious: parsimony

Altruistic: altruism Sagacious: sagacity

Diligent: diligence Terse: terseness

Gallant: gallantry Unscrupulous: unscrupulousness/lack of

scruples
Industrious: industriousness/industry
Opposites
Morose: moroseness
Altruistic – selfish Obliging – unhelpful

Diligent – lazy Quick-tempered – placid

Intellectual – low-brow Sensitive – thick-skinned

Methodical – unsystematic Stingy – generous

Morose – cheerful Stubborn – flexible

Unit 14 To be besotted with sb: to be almost

stupidly or blindly in love with sb
Love and romance
To be infatuated with sb: to be
Love at first sight: love began the first romantically obsessed with sb
moment they saw each other
To feel head over heels in love: to feel
Platonic relationship: affectionate deeply and madly in love
relationship between people of the
opposite sex that is not sexual
To only have eyes for sb: to be only To be inseparable: always want to be
attracted to sb together, very close

Friendship and other positive To get on like a house on fire: to have a

relationships very good, enjoyable relationship

Bond: relationship or feeling of To hit it off: to like each other the moment
togetherness they met

Lifelong companion: friend who was with General social relationships:

sb all his or her life collocations

Man after sb’s own heart: someone you
admire because they do or think the
same as you; can also be woman after’
one’s own heart
Soulmates: people who feel close to
each other in spirit and who understand
each other deeply
Family ties: relationship between
relatives
To be kindred spirits: to be very similar to
sb; to think and look at life similarly
Well-matched coupled: to be perfect for
each other

To be bosom friends/buddies/pals: to be Adjectives and nouns

very close, good friends
Affectionate: affection Loyal: loyalty

Amiable: amiability Passionate: passion

Considerate: consideration Respectful: respect

Devoted: devotion Romantic: romance

Faithful: faithfulness/faith Supportive: support

Fond: fondness Trusting/trustworthy: trust

Collocations

A person after tour own heart Real soulmate

Close bond Respect FOR sb

Devoted TO sb Supportive OF sb

Fond OF sb Trust IN sb

Loyal TO sb

Unit 15 Friendship
Allies: people/countries which are on the
same side
Bitter rivals: people in competition with
each other in an aggressive and negative
way
Business partners: people who own the
same business
Casual acquaintance: person you know,
but not very well
Colleagues: a person with whom one
works in a profession or business
Loyalty: support for us in good and bad
times
Partners: a person who takes part in an
undertaking with another or others,
especially in a business or firm with
shared risks and profits
Critical OF sb
Dishonest WITH sb
Disloyal TO sb
Bitter rivals
Complete and unswerving loyalty
Breakdowns: expressions and
collocations
A broken home: family split up by a
divorce
A bumpy relationship: up and down like a
car on a road with bumps
A family feud: quarrel in a family causing
bad feeling for many years
Discord: disagreement and discontent
Genuine misunderstandings
To talk behind sb’s back: say bad things
about us when we are not there
True friends
Opposites
Contented – discontented
Honest – dishonest
Honest, truthful – dishonest, untruthful
Loyal – Loyalty – Disloyal – Disloyalty
Supportive (always supports you) –
unsupportive, critical
Warm-hearted – cold-hearted/heartless
Collocations
Deeply critical
Scrupulously/scrupulous honest
Staunchest/to staunch ally
True friend
Not to see eye to eye: have different
opinions
Rift: serious disagreement that divides
people
To be turned sour: to become bad
To break down
To have its ups and downs: to have good
and bad moments
To split up: to separate
Expressions  Placate stop smn feeling angry
 Conciliate end a disagreement
To be on bad terms with someone: to have a
between two people or groups by acting
bad relationship with someone
in a friendly way towards both sides
To die of a broken heart: to die because of  Appease end a disagreement by
sadness resulting from a love affair which the giving the other side an advantage that
other person ended, or you have lost the one they are demanding (normally in a
you love or some other, similar, personal disapproving way)
tragedy  Implacable (adj) about smn's
To hate someone’s guts: to hate someone opinions and feelings and means that
very much. This is a very informal expression. they cannot be changed
Formally we might use to dislike someone
intensely
Words which refer to being extremely happy
To have it in for someone: to take advantage
of every opportunity to speak badly of  To rejoice be extremely happy
someone and/or to be looking for
 Exultant feeling great pleasure and
opportunities to create problems for them
happiness, usually because of a success
 Jubilant expressing great
happiness especially at a victory
 Rapture extreme pleasure or
happiness (adj. Rapturous)
 Bliss perfect happiness (adj. Blissful
UNIT 16 collocates with happy, ignorant,
unaware)
Verbs which refer to having a strong desire that
is hard to control

 Crave/have a craving for Expressions which mean to be very happy

 Hanker after/have a hankering for
 full of the joys of spring
specially used about sth you
cannot have  to be thrilled to bits
 To thirst/have a thirst for To hunger  to feel on top of the world
for can also be used in the same way  to be floating/walking on air
 Yearns to be/yearn to do/yearn for/have  to be over the moon
a yearning for sth You want sth thst
you do not have and, often, can never
had UNIT 17
 To covet To want to possess it very
Antipathies and aversions
much (desire)
 Antipathy feeling strong, often
active, dislike or opposition towards sth
Verbs describing ways of reacting to other or smn (adj. Hostile or unsympathetic)
people's emotions  Aversion a feeling of intense dislike
or an unwillingness to do sth or to the
 Defuse make a dangerous or tense
person or thing which causes that feeling
situation calmer
(have/feel an aversion to)
  Pet aversion the thing I dislike most of  Pompous too formal and showing
all that you think that you are more
 Averse to opposed to, usually used important than other people
with not (not averse to)  Pretentious trying to appear more
serious or important that you are
 Puerile too silly and childish
More words for intense negative feelings  Sloppy not taking care in the way you
work
 Loathing (n) - Loathsome (adj) - loathe (v)  Squalid very dirty and unpleasant
intense hatred  Trite lacking in originality; banal
 Abhorrence (n) - abhorrent (adj) - abhor
(v) intense disgust
 Scorn (n) - scornful (adj) - scorn (v)
UNIT 18
lack of respect for sth or smn felt
to be worthless Words connected with size, weight and general
 Revulsion (n) - revolting (adj) - revolt (v) appearance
strong disgust
 Repulsion (n) - repulsive (adj) - repulse  Scarwny unattractive thin and
bony-looking
(v) opposite of strong attraction
 Lanky very tall and thin, and usually
moving awkwardly
 Gangling/gangly with long, thin
Ajectives with negative associations
arms and legs and rather awkward
 Bland lacking taste, character or movements; often used of men and boys
interest  Portly with fat stomach and chest; often
 Brash too confident; too bright used humorously about older men
 Dowdy dull in appearance or lacking style  Stout with a quite fat, solid body; used
(clothes, person, especially of women) of men and women
 Fickle changing opinions suddenly  Corpulent fat (formal, literary word)
without reason
 Fuddy-duddy old-fashioned
 Grasping always wanting more  Aspect of facial appearance and
money complexion
 Nit-picking too concerned about  Double chin fat around the chin
unimportant details  Unkempt untidy; scruffy
 Obnoxious unpleasant and rude  Never a hair out of place with the
 Obsequious too eager to praise or hair always neat and tidy
obey people  Swarthy dark-coloured, used
 Off-hand showing rude lack of about skin
interest in others  Sallow yellowish and unhealthy-looking
 Officious too eager to tell others  Haggard the face show tiredness
what to do and age, with the skin hanging in folds
 Ostemtatious displaying wealth or
possessions in a vulgar way
Facial expression
  Pouting positioning their lips in a  Shrugged the shoulders lifted the
sexually attractive way shoulders up and down to show you
 Pouts position the lips in a look of didn't know or couldn't answer
annoyance  Folded the arms crossed one arm
 To grimace to make an expression of over the other close to the body
pain or strong dislike  Crossed the legs crossed one leg
 Scowled gave a bad-temepred, over the other while sitting
angry look  Bite your nails/pick your nose
 Leering looking in an unpleasant, sexually  Clenched your fist close your hand as
interested way if to hit smn
 Tapped your fingers made quick, light
hitting movements, e.g. on a table
Mannerism and actions with the hand
Unit 19: CHARACTER TRAITS
Word Meaning
Aloof unfriendly and not sociable.
conceited thinks herself wonderful
Conscientious sb who takes his work seriously
Diffident Sb who lacks confidence, low opinion of himself.
Disdainful Sb who does not believe others deserve respect
Effusive Give exagerated expression of pleasire, praise or gratitude
Excitable Easily excited by things
Extrovert outward-looking ans sociable.
flirt - FLIRTATIOUS (adj) sb who makes constant romantic approaches
Garrulous Talk too much, esp about unimportant things.
Gullible easily deceived
Haughty Unfriendly and thinks of himself better than others
Impetuous Act on a sudden idea without thinking first (negative connotation)
Impulsive Similar to Impetuous, used with a positive connotation
Introvert inward-looking and quiet
modest Sb who prefers not to exaggerate her own qualities
Naïve willing to believe simple things because of unexperience
obstinate unwilling to change, despite persuasion
pig-headed similar to obstinate, but stronger (more disapproving)
Pushy selfishly promoting one's own position or interests
Reserved Not immediately sociable
self-important sb who has an exaggerated sense of her importance
Taciturn Reserved or sb who says very little (negative)
unapproachable Not easy to be sociable with or start a conversation with
unscrupulous sb who lacks moral principles - CORRUPT

Unit 20: BIRTH AND DEATH

(BE) at death's door, on one's last legs close to death
(HAVE) all her wits about sb able to think and react quickly
(MAKE) medical history to do sth medically very unusual
ashes remains of your body after cremation
 operation in which mother's stomach and womb are cut to allow baby
Caesarean section to be born
Conceive become pregnant
conception
cremation service where a dead body is burned
deliver help mother to give birth
ectopic pregnancy when the egg develops outside the womb, in the fallopian tubes
fallopian tubes
fatalities dead people
fertilisation
foetus
intestate without having made a will
labour
late now dead
Miscarriage Early unintentional end of pregnancy
mourning expressing sadness after sb's death
obituaries newspaper articles giving details about the lives of deceased people.
ovaries
Pass away / pass on euphemisms for "to die"
perished died
placenta tissue joining the foetus
pregnancy
Ripe old age (TO LIVE TO A RIPE OLD
AGE) living well into old age
scattered thrown
sheltered accommodation special housing for old people, where care staff also live
slaughtered violently killed
Termination Intentional ending to a pregnancy by a medical operation (abortion)
the deceased the dead person
to bequath to leave sth in a will ( A BEQUEAST)
to inherit to receive sth from sb who has died (AN INHERITANCE)
uterus medical word for "WOMB"
legal document saying what is to happen to your possessions after
will death
womb woman's organ where egg develops into a baby

UNIT 21: RELAXATION AND LEISURE

(BE) heavily into sth to be very involved/ interested in sth
automation/mechanisation getting machines to do work for us
couch potato physically very inactive person
culture vulture big fan of anything cultural
dabbler person who never keeps doing one activity for long
fruitful produces good results
full diary a lot of commitments/ activities.
get up to do (informal)
go off stop liking / lose interest in
hooked on addicted to
labour-saving sth that reduces the amount of work needed
locks (herself) away isolates herself from the world
lucrative makes a lot of money
mass production make many articles/ goods at once
real doer person who believes in acting and doing things, not just thinking
relaxing/ calming reduces stress, gives peaceful feeling
rewarding give you a lot of positive experiences
shopaholic person addicted to shopping
split 50/50 divide equally
theraoeutic makes you healthy in body and mind
time-consuming takes a long time to do

UNIT 22: All the rage: clothes and fashion

Types of clothes
-SCRUFF: dirty and untidy person.
-PASTEL: in pale colours.
-POWER OUTFITS: formal clothes to make you seem powerful.
-FRUMPY: old-fashioned and boring.
-OUTFIT: set of clothes for a particular occasion.
-DRESS CODES: accepted way of dressing in particular social group.

Words and expressions relating to clothes

-DRESS DOWN: to wear less formal clothes.
-SMART-CASUAL (CLOTHES): clothes that are informal but clean, tidy and stylish.
-DRESSY: suitable for formal occasions.
-SKIMPY: close-fitting, using little material.
-BAGGY: loose.
-SNAZZY: modern, stylish.
-TO BE DRESSED TO KILL: to wear clothes intended to attract people’s attention
(sexually).
-DESIGNER (LABEL) CLOTHES: clothes made by fashionable companies.
-OFF THE PEG (BrE)/RACK (AmE): ready to wear; clothes you buy in a shop rather than
having it specially made.
-ON THE HIGH STREET: clothes you buy in a shop (NOT designer clothes).
-UNIFORM:

Words and expressions relating to fashion

-ALL THE RAGE: very fashionable.
-THE HEIGHT OF FASHION: an extremely fashionable way.
-UP-TO-THE-MINUTE: dealing with the most recent trends.
-TO HAVE SET A NEW TREND: started a new fashion.
-AHEAD OF YOUR TIME: before they (ideas/opinions) are fashionable.
-CATCH ON: to become popular.
-SLAVE OF/TO FASHION: someone who is strongly influenced by fashion.

Words and expressions used metaphorically

-OFF THE CUFF: to speak without having prepared anything.
-TO BE HAND IN GLOVE WITH SOMEONE: to have a close working relationship with
someone.
-CLOAK-AND-DAGGER: involving secrecy and mystery.
-TO HAVE/TAKE THE SHIRT OFF SOMEONE’S BACK: someone’s last possession.
-ON A SHOESTRING: to do something spending as little as possible.
-WITHOUT FRILLS: simple and plain.
-TO PUT SOMEONE IN A STRAITJACKET: to restrict someone’s freedom.
-TO WEAR THE TROUSARS (usually used of a woman): to be the dominant partner in a
marriage.
-TO BE HEMMED IN: to be enclosed, confined (by someone).
-TO BE BURSTING AT THE SEAMS: to be so full that nothing else can fit inside.
-TO HAVE SOMETHING CLOAKED IN (SECRECY): to hide something so that people do
not see or understand it.
-A FEATHER IN YOUR CAP: something you have done that you should be proud of.

UNIT 23: Homestyles, lifestyles

Homestyles
-SQUAT: an empty building where people start living without the owner’s permission.
-HOVEL: a very poor, dirty house or flat in a bad condition.
-PIED À TERRE: a small flat or house in a city owned or rented by people in addition to
their main home and used when they are visiting the city.
-PENTHOUSE: a luxury flat at the top of a building.
-COUNSIL HOUSING: provided by the state for people who cannot afford to buy their own
homes.
-HIGH-RISE FLATS: flats in a tall, modern building with a lot of floors.
-GRANNY FLAT: a set of rooms for an elderly person, connected to a relative’s house.

Modern lifestyles
-THE RAT RACE: unpleasant way in which people struggle competitively for wealth and
power.
-FENG SHUI: a Chinese philosophy which states that the position of buildings and the
arrangements of objects in the homes affects the health and well-being of people living
there.
-MINIMALISM: a style which involves using the smallest possible range of materials,
colours, etc. and only the most simple shapes or designs.
-POST-MODERNISM: a style of architecture, the arts, etc. popular in the late 1980s and
1990s which includes features from several different periods.
-NEW AGE: a way of life and thinking that includes a wide range of beliefs and activities
(astrology, alternative medicine) that are not accepted by most people and are a reaction
against modern scientific and economic developments.
-SUBSISTENCE FARMING: where people live by growing just enough food for their own
family.

Idioms and metaphors relating to homes and lifestyles

-A HOUSEHOLD WORD/NAME: something everyone knows.
-A DRINK ON THE HOUSE: a free drink.
-HOME TRUTHS: information that is true but not pleasant or welcome.
-NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT: nothing special.
-HIT HOME: to become fully understood or fully felt. (“The difficulty of managing without a
regular salary is hitting home now.”)
-THAT’S THE STORY OF MY LIFE: that’s what always happens to me (used humorously).
-HAVE THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE: to have a wonderful time.
-GET A NEW LEASE OF LIFE: become more energetic and active than before.
-A DOG’S LIFE: a very unhappy and difficult life.

UNIT 24: Socialising and networking

Socialising
-TO SOCIALISE: to spend leisure time with other people.
-HOUSEWARMING (PARTY): a party to celebrate moving to a new house or flat.
-LAUNCH (PARTY): a party to celebrate the publication of a new book or product.
-FANCY DRESS PARTY: a party where everyone dresses up in costume as other people.
-STAG PARTY: a party before a wedding for the future husband and his male friends.
-GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT: an evening just for female friends spent at a restaurant, theatre or
club.
-HEN PARTY: a party just before a girl gets married.
-RECEPTION: a formal party, e.g. after a wedding or to meet an important visitor.
-THE WEDDING PARTY: usually refers to the main group of close family and friends at a
wedding, rather than to the reception after the wedding.
-BLACK TIE/WHITE TIE (EVENT): a formal party at which men have to wear black bow ties
or white bow ties respectively.

Networking
-TO NETWORK: to make contacts that will be useful to one’s business or career.
-OLD SCHOOL TIE/OLD BOY NETWORK: contacts made by the children of a traditional
ruling class while at expensive private schools.
-PRO-ACTIVE: to take action yourself rather than wait for something to happen.
-TO PUT YOURSELF ABOUT: (informal) to make yourself visible in the hope of being
noticed by someone important.
-TO CLIMB THE CAREER LADDER: to move to a better position in your social or
professional life.
-TO EXCHANGE (BUSINESS) CARDS: to exchange personal business data.
-TO DO LUNCH: (informal) to have lunch with someone.
-TO HOBNOB: usually used with rather negative associations meaning to be friendly with
someone who is important or famous.
TO RUB SHOULDERS WITH: an informal expression meaning to mix socially with people
who are famous.

Informal expressions
-TO HANG OUT WITH/KNOCK AROUND WITH: to spend social time with.
-A BASH/DO/GET-TOGETHER/BOOZE-UP: a party; the last expression is very colloquial
and suggests that a lot of alcohol will be drunk.
-TO OUTSTAY YOUR WELCOME: to stay too long.
-PARTY ANIMAL: someone who loves going to parties.
-PARTY POOPER: someone who spoils parties by being disapproving or miserable.
-CLUBBING: to go to one or more nightclubs.
-ON THE TOWN: to enjoy the entertainments in a town, e.g. bars, pubs, clubs. (“Let’s go
out on the town.”)
-CHUMMY/PALLY: friendly.
-CLIQUE: a disapproving word for a small group of people who spend time together and do
not allow others to join them.
-AN ITEM: to have a romantic relationship/to be going out together. (“They really are an
item.”)
-TO BE STOOD UP: when someone failed to turn up for a date.
-TO DROP SOMEONE: to end the relationship.
-TO GO ON A PUB CRAWL: to spend an evening going to several different pubs.

U28. We are what we eat

 Synthetic : made from artificial substances

 Wholesome: good for you, physically or morally
 Wholemeal: containing all the natural substances in the grain
 Fair trade: products such as coffee marketed in such way that the small farmers in
developing countries get the profits rather than large multinational companies.
 Free-range: related to farm animals not kept in cages
 GM: genetically modified
 Loopholes: ways of getting round regulations
 Derivatives: things produced from

Food metaphors
 Recipe for disaster (situation sure to lead to)
 To have all the ingredients (all the necessay characteristics)
 To dilute (make less dominant)
 (To let someone) stew (worry or suffer for something
 To grill (ask a lot of questions)
 Half-baked ( unrealistic or not thought through properly)
 To Spice up (make more lively)
 Unsavoury (unpleasant, morally offensive)
 Turned sou1101r (went wrong)
 Juicy (exciting and interesting)
 Fresh egg pasta
 Organic
 Vegetarian
 Cereal bars
 Fish fingers
 Vegetable burgers
 Jelly
 Low-fat
 Reduced fat
 Strawberry flavoured yoghurt
 Strawberry flavor yoghurt
 Raspberry jam
 Raspberry flavoured jam

Light metaphors

 Light coloured
 Light wind
  Light comedy
 Light sleeper
 To light a fire
 Light aircraft
 The light of my life
 Got a light?
 To light on the solution
 In the light of the reports

U29 Dinner´s on me: entertaining and eating out

Paying the bill

 Split the bill (each person pay for himself)

 (lunch) is on me (I am paying for you)
 ( will you ) join us ( come with us ) for dinner
 (we´d like you to ) be our guest (we will pay)
 (let me ) get this (pay the bill this time)
 ( to be )wined and dined (invited out to restaurants)

Describing service

 Impeccable (perfect)
 Sluggish (rather slow)
 Courteous (polite)
 Overbearing (too confident, too inclined to tell people what to do)
 Brusque (quick and rude)
 Sullen ( bad tempered/ unwilling to smile)
 off-putting (makes you feel you do not want to go there again)
 Go out of their way (do everything possible)

Food preferences

 To have a sweet tooth (love sweet things)

 Calorie-conscious ( be careful how many calories I eat)
 Count the calories
 Savoury (salty in flavor or with herbs)
 Teetotal (abstemio)
 Dietary requirements ( special needs or things someone cannot eat)
 Overdo it (eat or drink too much)

Entertaining at home

 To take pot luck (eat what we are eating, nothing special)

 To bring a bottle (bring wine)
 Dinner party (formal dinner with guests)
 Informal get-together (informal group of people meeting for meal/ drink)
 Seconds (a second serving of a dish)
 Say when (tell me when I have served enough)
 When (enough)
 Nibbles (nuts, crisp, etc tipo picada )
  Grab a bite to eat (have a quick meal)
 Takeaway (ready-cooked meal bought to take home)

U 30 On the road: traffic and driving

 Give way ( dar paso)

 Give-way sign
 To have the right of way (derecho a pasar primero)
 Sounding/ hooting/ tooting your horn (tocar bocina)
 Jumping a red light ( not stopping at all)
 Reckless driving ( very dangerous careless driving)
 Drink-driving (manejar alcoholizado)
 Breathalyzer (instrument you breath into to measure your alcohol level)
 Hit-and-run (running over or into someone and not stopping)
 Penalty points (negative points on your driving licence)
 On-the-spot-fines (given at the scene of the offence)
 Exhaust emissions ( waste gases produced by the vehicle)
 Roadworthy (in a condition that it can be driven safely)
 Tyre tread (the depth of the grooves in the tyre rubber)

Traffic problems

 Tailback (long line of traffic)

 Pile-up (crash between several or many cars)
 Diverted (directed away from the road)
 Towaway zone ( area donde está prohibido estacionar y te llevan el auto)
 Clamped ( cuando te ponen el cepo en la rueda)
 skidded (lost control of the steering)
 head-on collision (choque de frente)
 total gridlock (congestionamiento)
 to be behind the wheel (estar manejando)
 pull over ( cuando te para la policía)
 to have a minor bump (choque menor, un golpe al auto)
 (the car) conked out (se paró, se rompió)
 back-seat driver ( te dirige mientras manejás)

UNIT 31: TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION

All-in packages: Include acommodation and transfers.
Apex fare: Advance purchase excursion fare. International non-cancelable
return airfare ticket offered at a heavy discount for extended
stays that are booked in advance.
Bed and breakfast: Often called B and B.
Berth: A fixed bunk on a ship, train, or other means of transport.
Budget fare: Normal fare of a budget airline, or heavily restricted discounted
fare of a regular airline.
Cancellation fee:
Chalet: Small cottage or cabin specially built for holiday-makers.
Charter flight: Special flight taking a group of people, usually to the same
 holiday destination
Crossing: A journey across water in a ship.
Deluxe cabin: Luxurious cabin.
Full board: All meals included.
Get away from it all: Escape your daily life and routines.
Getting around: Travelling to different places.(inf)
Go as you please: Go where you want when you want to.
Go on a cruise: Take a holiday on a ship or boat following a predetermined
course, usually calling in at several places
Guest houses: Private homes offering high standard accommodation.
Half board: Usually breakfast and one other meal.
Holiday of a lifetime: One you will always remember.
Inn: Similar to pubs, but also offerinf accommodation ; usually
beautiful old buildings.
Non-refundable: That may not be returned for cash or credit, but may be
changeable for a fee.
Restrictions: Limitations which cannot be exceeded or rules which cannot be
broken.
Scheduled flight: Normal, regular flight.
Self-catering: Where you do your own cooking.
Shared cabin: Cabin used by more than one person.
Stopover: Deliberate and planned interruption of a journey for 24 or more
hours. A stopover shorter than 24 hours is generally called 'via.'
To be out in the wilds: Be away from civilisation.
To just drift along: Not drive fast, no particular plan.// To go along with the pace and
rythm of the ship.
To lounge around: To sit and lie or relax for long periods.
To rough it: To live in very basic conditions, without any extra comforts.
To sleep under the stars: To sleep out in the open, without a roof under your head.
Transfers: Bus or coach to and from the tourist's hotel.
Unlimited mileage: You can travel as many miles as you like for the same price.
Upper deck: The higher part of the ship, which is often bigger and more
comfortable.
Value for money (VFM): A utility derived from every purchase or
every sum of money spent. Value for money is based not only on
the minimum purchase price (economy) but also on the
maximum efficiency and effectiveness of the purchase.

UNIT 32 : TOURISM
4x4 (vehicles): Vehicles with driving power on all four wheels.
Awe-inspiring: It fills you with a sense of power and beauty of what you are
looking at.
Boast: List the good qualities of a place (f).
Bush: A term for the wild, tree-or grass-covered areas of Africa or
Australia.
Discerning (traveller): Who knows what she/he wants in terms of good quality.
Eco-tourism: Holidays that respect the environment.
Escape the crowd: Go where there are not many people.
Flights subject to The flights are not guaranteed, but depend on seats being
availability: available for the airline.
Flora and fauna: Plants and animals.
Fly-drive option: Package that includes a flight and car hire.
Get back to nature: Live a natural, rural style of life.
Heartland: The inland areas furthest away from the sea or from broders with
other countries.
Hike: More demanding walk in a more difficult terrain.
Hordes: Crowds, in a negative sense.
Instant bookings: Make a booking immediately.
Nights at sea: Nights travelling by sea.
Promising choice: A choice which could be a very good one.
Quotations: Be given a price you can think about.
Ramble: Long, pleasant walk, not too demanding.
Rambles, hikes and treks: Scale of lenght and difficulty.
Recharge: Get back your energy.
Savour: A word typically used in advertisements meaning enjoy-
Seeking something out of Looking for something different/unusual.
the ordinary:
Shore excursions: Trips to places on land.
Stunning (location): Extremely beautiful.
Supplement…per night: An extra…per night shall be paid for the room.
Tourism sector: Tourist industry (f).
Tracts: Areas of lands.
Trek: A walk that is usually of several days over wild country.
Unbeatable prices: No other company can offer cheaper ones for the same service.
Unrivalled: No other holiday programme can match this.
Unwind: Relax, reduce your general level of stress.
Virgin: Original and natural.
Wander off the beaten Go to places tourists don't normally go.
track:
Waterfront: On the edge of the sea or of a river.
Wealth of: Large amount of (f).

UNIT 33: DESCRIBING THE WORLD

Ancestors: Relatives from earlier times.
Arid: Dry.
At the forefront: In an important position.
Be descended from: Be related to.
Cereals: Type of grass cultivated to produce a grain.
Coniferous: Trees that are evergreen and produce cones.
Deciduous trees: Trees that lose their leaves in winter.
Drought: Period without rain.
Emigrant: Someone who leaves a country.
Evergreen: Green all year round.
Generate: Produce.
Grain: Food plant like rice, wheat or maize.
Immigrant: Someone who moves to live in a country.
Manufacturing: Producing goods in lage numbers.
Migrants: People who move to live in another country.
Paddy fields: Fields planted with rice growing in water.
Prairies: Flat grasslands in Canada and northern USA (similar to steppes
in Asia or pampas in South America.
Prone to: Tending to have a particular negative characteristic.
Settled: Make a place one's home.
Tend (sheep and cattle): Take care of animals.
Tundra: Area in north with no trees and permanently frozen ground.
Vegetation: Plant life.

Unit 34 weather and climate

Chilly
Oppresive/sultry
Freezing/nippy
Stifling/heavy/close
Downpour/deluge
Boiling/sweltering/roasting
Chucking it down/pouring
Blowy/breezy
Muggy/clammy
(hot;windy;humid)
Metaphors:
Climate of distrust: clima de desconfianza
Climate of change: clima de cambios/vientos de cambio
Cultural/economic/financial/moral/political/social ALL COLOCATE WITH climate (in a social sense)
To have a Sunny disposition: tener buena predisposición
Prospects are sunny: las perspectivas son buenas
A frosty reception: le dió una recepción fría
She said something icily: decir algo friamente/ coldness
to be snowed under: to be covered with a great amount of something
to be left under a cloud of suspicion: bajo un manto de sospecha/ not bright; something hidden
to cloud someone´s judgement: nublar el pensamiento
hail of bullets: lluvia de balas (balacera)
to be greeted with a hail/storm of abuse: lots of hard things that one cannot escape from
to be in a haze: lack of clearness
to have a hazy idea:
in the mists of something:
to look at someone misty-eyed:
a whirlwind of speculation:
to have a whirlwind romance: rapid romance
thunderous applause: loud noise
winds of change/discontent/ democracy: vientos de...
Average=mean
Dry=arid
Height above sea level=elevation
Distance from the equator=latitude
Rain and snow=precipitation
Rays from the sun=solar radiation
Make less extreme=moderate
Situated very far from the sea=continental
Differing weather conditions at different times of the year=seasonality
UNIT 35 BUILDINGS IN METAPHORS
Cement: se usa como cemento en una construcción o como “cimentar una relación” (consolidar)
To come up against a brick wall: barrier
Ceiling: suggest a limit to something
Glass ceiling: refers to an invisible barrier that stops people from rising to top positions at work
Roof: e.g. the roof fell in on my world on the day he died (se te viene el techo encima)
Go through the roof/hit the roof: 1. Prices increase 2. A person loses his temper
Ivory tower: this expression conveys the idea of distance from ordinary people
Tower of strength: a person extremely strong (emotional rather than physical sense)
Towers above(something or someone else): to be outstandingly tall or outstanding in some positive
way
Gateway: provide access
Door: .knowing several languages opens doors/to do something through or by the back door
means to do it unofficially/ close the door on our past (cerrarle la puerta al pasado)/
Key: suggests the importance of something
Key to success/provide or hold the key to…/key figures
Collocations with key:
Key role
Key decision
Key reason
Key difference
Key element
Key factor
Key feature
Key issue
Key moment
Key part
Key player
Key point
Key question
Key area
Other expressions:
Locked in: to be involved
A wall of silence: to met total silence
Lay the foundations: provide the starting point for something in the future
Locked on: eyes fixed
In ruins: something completely broken down
Clean up its own back yard: put things right before criticizing others
UNIT 36 TREES, PLANTS AND METAPHORS
Seed: seeds of success/ seeds of discontent/ seeds of revolution
Root: it is used to suggest the origins of something
Going back to the roots: return to the place where your family came from
The root of a problem/ the roots of a tradition
Putting down roots: means settling down
Take root: when an idea becomes known or accepted
Origins Deeply and firmly rooted
Grass roots: (in a society) ordinary people, not the leaders
Stem: (as a verb) means that something originates in something else
Branch: implies that something grows off. Branches of a shop
Bud(capullo): nip in the bud: stop before it develops into something
Budding: promise of future development (a budding young actress)
Weed out: get rid of
Prune back: cut/limit
To reap the reward of: to get results from
Dug up: discover (some facts for example)
Germinate: begin to develop (an idea for example)
To sprout: to appear quickly in large numbers
To flourish: to do very well
To shed: to lose (weight, traditions, employees)
To fade: to become smaller
To shrivel: to become less (inflation for example)
To wilt: to lose energy
A glance/look/remark can be withering: make the recipient feel scorned
Other expressions
The apple of your eye (es la luz de sus ojos)
Mushrooming: something growing rapidly
To live in clover: to live luxuriously
Couch potato: someone not very active
Fruitful: something that produces positive results

UNIT 37: ANIMALS AND BIRDS

Describing animals and birds

mammal: animal that gives birth to live babies, not eggs, and feeds them on with its own milk (e.g.
cat, cow, kangaroo)

rodent: e.g. mouse, rat

reptile: e.g. snake, lizard

carnivore: animal that eats meat (e.g. lion, tiger)

herbivore: animal that eats grass/vegetation (e.g. deer, cow)

predator: animal that hunts/eats other animals (e.g. eagle, lion, shark)

Describing typical animal behaviour

docile: behaves very gently

tame: not afraid of humans

domesticated: lives with or is used to humans

wild: opposite of domesticated

savage: extremely violent or wild

fierce: behaves aggressively

Where animals and birds live

natural habitat: preferred natural place for living and breeding

game reserves/game parks: areas of land where animals are protected from hunting, etc

bird sanctuary: protected area where birds can live and breed

animal shelter: place where cats, dogs, horses, etc. which have no home are given food and a
place to live

Human exploitation of animals and birds

blood sports: sports whose purpose is to kill or injure animals

fur trade: the hunting and selling of animals furs for coats, jackets, etc.

poachers: people who hunt animals illegally

ivory trade: the buying and selling of ivory from elephants’ tusks

animal rights activists: people who actively campaign for the protection and rights of animals

UNIT 38: ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION

Threats and potential threats to the environment

shrinking habitats: places where animals live and breed which are decreasing in size

endangered species: types of animals/plants which are in danger of no longer existing

global warming: steady rise in average world temperatures

climatic changes: changes in the weather/climate

carbon dioxide emissions: carbon dioxide gas from factories, cars, etc.

fossils fuels: coal, oil, etc.

greenhouse effect: warming of the Earth’s surface caused by pollution

exerts severe pressure on: formal: puts pressure on

finite resources: limited resources

ecological balance: balance of natural relationships in the environment

deforestation: destruction/clearing of forests

demographic projections: forecast about the population

the worst case scenario: the worst possibilities for the future

pristine environments: perfectly clean/untouched/unspoilt areas

Responses to environmental issues and problems

green credentials: reputation for positive support of the environment

sustainable development: development of industry, etc. which does not threaten the environment
or social and economic stability

prophets of doom and gloom: people who always make the most depressing or pessimistic
forecasts for the future

piecemeal conservation: carrying out conversation one bit at a time, with no overall plan

UNIT 39: HERE TO HELP: SERVICE ENCOUNTERS

Good service

prompt: quick, without delay

query: question or enquiry about service

responsive to complaints: they listen, take them seriously and act

accommodating: willing to understand and help

got back to me: called me with an answer to my query

impeccable: 100% perfect

obliging: wiling and happy too things for you

Bad service

incompetent: failing through insufficient skill, knowledge or training

impersonal: lacking a personal element

shoddy: poor quality (of service or of goods)

substandard: below the standard expected (often used about actions)

uncooperative: not supportive, unwilling to work together

backlog: number which are waiting to be dealt with

sense of urgency: feeling that your request is important or urgent

helpline: telephone number where you can get help if you have problems

put you on hold: make you wait

under guarantee/warranty: having a written promise by a company to repair or replace a faulty

product

Service encounters on the Internet

secure site: web address where no outside person can read your details

privacy policy guaranteeing safe transactions: business exchanges which protect, e.g. your credit
card from use by someone else

FAQ: pronounced as initials, frequently asked questions

browse: look at the list of goods/services offered before buying

immediate dispatch: goods will be sent at once

nationwide: covering the whole country

Unit 40: Authorities- customs and police

A-
Entering and leaving: customs.
Landing card: form with your personal details and date of arrival.
Customs declaration form: form showing how much money and what goods yo
u are carrying.
Vaccination certificate: paper proving you have had the necessary health i
njections.
Entry restrictions: rules about who can enter a country and for how long.
Spot checks/ random checks: checks done without warning.
Sniffer dogs: specially trained dogs who can smell drugs and bombs.
Clear customs: take your bags through customs.
Port of entry: the port or airport where you first enter a country.
Political asylum: permission to stay in another country to avoid po
litical persecution back home.
Economic migrants: people who try to enter from poorer countries just t
o get work.
B-
Police, traffic wardens, etc.
Offences: (formal) illegal action.
Fixed penalty: Fixed sum payable for a particular offence.
On
-the-spot fine: Fine payable at the time and place that you commit th
e offence.
Parking ticket: papers placed on driver
’
s windscreen fining them for illegal parking.
Breathalyser: an instrument which you blow into that shows if you have c
onsumed alcohol
recently.
Make a statement: say what happened and sign a copy of it.
Stop-and-search: power to stop people and search them in the street.
Surveillance cameras: cameras that record everything that happens.
Search warrant: official permission from a judge or magistrate to search your
house.
C-
Other types of policing
Security forces: often a name for the army and police together enforcing the l
aw.
Plain clothes/ undercover police: police who do not wear uniform.
Paramilitary police: police who are more like soldiers than civilian polic
e officers.
Drug squad: police specially trained to fight the illegal drug trade.
Anti-corruption squad: police specially trained to discover and fight
bribery/ corruption.