ENGLISH B2 TO C1:

VOCABULARY

ENGLISH VOCABULARY B2 TO C1
Nuria Herrera Cepero

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 ENGLISH B2 TO C1: VOCABULARY

Table of Contents
1. Cities ........................................................................................................................ 3
1.1 Vocabulary .................................................................................................................. 3
1.2 TYPE OF VOCABULARY ................................................................................................. 3
1.2.1 Word building .................................................................................................................... 3
1.2.2 Collocations ....................................................................................................................... 4
1.2.3 Compound nouns .............................................................................................................. 5
1.2.4 Dependent prepositions.................................................................................................... 5
1.2.5 Idioms ................................................................................................................................ 5
1.2.6 Phrasal verbs ..................................................................................................................... 5
1.2.7 Two – part expressions ..................................................................................................... 5
1.3 SENTENCES/TOPIC CONVERSATION .............................................................................. 5

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1. Cities
1.1 Vocabulary

An important commercial centre

A vibrant cultural centre
A major tourist attraction
A sprawling metropolis /ˈsprɔːlɪŋ/: Una ciudad en crecimiento
Gridlocked rush-hour traffic /ˈgrɪdlɒkt/: Tráfico congestionado en hora punta
Accesible open spaces: Espacios abiertos accesibles
Run-down estates: Area en decadencia / Lugar marginal
Affluent suburbs /ˈsʌb3ːrb/: Barrio pudiente/ Barrio adinerado
Steeped in history /stiːp/ : Plagado de historia/Impregnado de historia
Seriously polluted: Seriamente contaminado
Densely populated: Densamente poblado
Friendly and welcoming: Gente amistosa que te integra
The only downside is the cost of living: El único inconveniente es el coste de vida
The incredible range of entertainment on offer.
I just love all the hustle and bustle
It was really convenient, just being able to hop on a bus or take the underground
Crime rates are higher in cities than in rural areas.

Outskirts: Alrededores / Afueras

Related to towns and cities: Urban
Related to trade or business: Commercial
Particular part of a place: Area
Not previously built on: Undeveloped
People who live in a place: Residents

1.2 TYPE OF VOCABULARY

1.2.1 Word building

We can build adjectives adding –ed at the end of the verb in infinive.
We can build adjectives from nouns by adding -ial at the end of the noun.
We can build nouns related to places or activities by adding the suffix –ment to the end of
the verb in infinitive
We can build nouns related to persons or companies by adding the suffix –er or -list to the
end of the verb in infinitive

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We can also build adjectives adding suffixes such as –free, – mad, -friendly at the end of
the noun. For example:
Crime-free: Sin crímenes
Car-free: Sin coches
Cyclist-friendly: Adaptado a cilistas
Pets-friendly: Admite mascotas
Car-mad: Obsesionado de coches
Work-mad: Obsesionado del trabajo

Noun Verb Adjective

Demolition Demolish Demolished
Development (place, activity) Develop Undeveloped
Developer (Company, person) Developed
Resident (person) Reside Residential
Residence (place)
Environment x Environmental
Environmentalist (person,
activist)
Pollution (problem) Pollute Polluted
Pollutant (substance)

1.2.2 Collocations

Collocations: Words frequently used together

Densely populated
Leafy suburbs = Barrios frondosos/ arbolados
Open spaces
Violent Crime
Local environment
Traffic congestion
Traffic jams
Rush hours
Public transport
City centre
Pedestrian area
Exhaust fumes : Gases de tubos de escape
Air pollution

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1.2.3 Compound nouns

Compound nouns: Nouns made up of two or more words

Tourist attraction
Skyscraper: Rascacielos
Cost of living

1.2.4 Dependent prepositions

Dependent prepositions : Some adjectives, nouns and verbs are followed by particular
prepositions

Steeped in history
Plagued by crime

1.2.5 Idioms

Idioms: phrases with special meaning that cannot be understood from the individual
words

Go to town on something: Tirar la casa por la ventana

Hit the road: Ponerse en marcha/ Ponerse en camino
Cut and dried: Claro y simple
1.2.6 Phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs: two or three part verbs with idiomatic meanings

Break down: Estropearse

Get around: Viajar con frecuencia
Look forward to: Tengo ganas de…
1.2.7 Two – part expressions
Hustle and bustle = Bullicio/Ruido
Peace and quiet = Ambiente tranquilo
Pros and cons = Ventajas e inconvenientes
Up and downs = Altibajos
Give and take = Toma y daca/ Compromiso

1.3 SENTENCES/TOPIC CONVERSATION

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2. Planificación

 Tormenta de ideas: piensa en vocabulario relacionado con este tema:public transport,

environmentally-friendly products...
 Organiza las ideas: medidas para reducir la contaminación en las ciudades.
 Comienza presentando el tema del que vas a escribir y por qué es importante reducir la
contaminación
 Conclusión: incluye una predicción acerca del futuro o tu opinión personal sobre el tema.
 Divide las ideas en párrafos.
 Utiliza expresiones para organizar, relacionar o añadir ideas: therefore, to sum up...

What’s your ideal city like? Could you describe your city? What are the advantages and
disadvantages of living in a big city or countryside?

PLANNING

INTRODUCTION
 Important cities
 Cities where I’ve lived
BODY
 Metion interesting places in the city: A vibrant cultural centre, steeped in history, A
major tourist attraction
 Things that I value of a city: cyclist-friendy, pets-friendly, car-free, smoke-free, crime-
free, An important commercial centre, Accesible open spaces, Pedestrian area
 Examples of places where I wouldn’t like to live: run-down estates, Plagued by crime,
high crime rate, seriuously polluted, densely polluted, Gridlocked rush-hour traffic.
CONCLUSION
 Friendly and welcoming, affluent suburbs

WRITING

It is well known that cities like New York or London have a wide variety of alternatives for
entertainment and leisure to enjoy life. Also, they have a strong economic-legal environment
conducive to development of global services ideal to build your own business.

I’ve lived in different cities such as London, Amsterdam or Madrid and I could think about my
ideal place to live, the advantages or disadvantages to live in a big city or living in a
countryside.

I’m currently living in Badajoz which is located in Extremadura. Badajoz is a steeped in history
city with a vibrant cultural city centre. I’m concerned about Badajoz has not an impressive
tourist attraction such as the London Eye located in London or many interesting museums such
as the Prado Museum in Madrid. However, I can say that the town’s special charm is in its
beautiful fortifications of muslim origin where you can appreciate the amazing landscape of
the entire city.

On the other hand, the most important aspect to consider to take a decision about where to live
is your lifestyle. I love the calm and I like to practice sports therefore a pedestrian area to walk
or a cyclist-friendly roads are points in favor of living in Badajoz. In addition, Extremadura

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offers a great selection of wellness with accessible open spaces where you can enjoy the nature,
the spectacular gastronomy and their cultural events. Shopping is another activity that I love to
do in my free time so an important commercial centre close to my house is a must.

In contrast, the typical city with a gridlocked rush- hour traffic, seriously polluted, densely
populated and plagued by crime like New York is not the best option for me. Of course, run
down estates are everywhere but I prefer another options.

In conclusion, my ideal place to live is located in the outskirts of a city where I enjoyed the
nature, practiced sports and avoided wasting my time in commuting to my work. In my opinion,
Badajoz is a good option for me with affluent suburbs, friendly and welcoming people.

CORRECTION

It is well known that cities like New York or London have a wide variety of alternatives for
entertainment and leisure to enjoy life. An incredible range of entertainment on offer. Also,
they have a strong economic-legal environment conducive to development of global services
ideal to build your own business.

I’ve lived in different cities such as London, Amsterdam or Madrid and I could think about my
ideal place to live I think I’ve acquired enough experience which has made me able to
differenciate the advantages or disadvantages to live of living in a big city or living in a
countryside.

I’m currently living in Badajoz which is a rural county located in Extremadura. Badajoz is a
steeped in history city with a vibrant cultural city centre. I’m concerned about Badajoz has not
an impressive tourist attraction such as the London Eye located in London or many interesting
museums such as the Prado Museum in Madrid. However, I can say that the town’s special
charm is in its beautiful fortifications of muslim origin where you can appreciate the amazing
landscape of the entire city.

On the other hand,In my opinion, the most important aspect to consider to take a decision
about where to live is your lifestyle. I love the calm living in peace and quiet and I like to
practice sports therefore a pedestrian area to walk or a cyclist-friendly roads are points in favor
of living in Badajoz. In addition, Extremadura offers a great selection of wellness with
accessible open spaces where you can enjoy the nature, the spectacular gastronomy of the city
and their cultural events. Shopping is another activity that I love to do in my free time so an
important commercial centre close to my house is a must.

In contrast, the typical city with a gridlocked rush- hour traffic, seriously polluted, densely
populated and plagued by crime like New York is not the best option for me. Of course, run
down estates are everywhere but I prefer another options.

In conclusion, my ideal place to live is located in the outskirts of a city where I enjoyed the
nature, practiced sports and avoided wasting my time in commuting to my work. In my opinion
Therefore, Badajoz is a good option for me with affluent suburbs, friendly and welcoming
people.

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