Proficiency.masterclass Teaching.vocabulary 2013 34p

Cambridge English

Proficiency MASTE�LASS Ruth Gairns

Stuart Redman

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CartoonStock Ltd pp.5 (I'm going to be late/ Roy Delgado), 7 (Harry is nice/Ron Coleman), 9 ('Why didn't you throw in the towel?'/Stephen Hutchinson), 13 (You mean your big smile/S. Harris), 17 ('Stop talking rubbish'/Mike Flanagan), 23 (In the futurefDave Carpenter), 25 (We're on the move(Tim Cordell).

Cambridge English

Proficiency MASTE�LASS

Teaching Vocabulary to High-Level Learners

Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman

Introduction - - - -

Worksheet 1: Affixes 1


Worksheet 3: Idioms 1 -- --- --

Worksheet 4: Idioms 2

Worksheet 5: Phrasal verbs

Wor!s_sh�e!_ 6:_Phras.91 i:i_ouns and �dJectives

Worksheet 7: Collocation 1

Worksheet 8: Collocation 2 ------- --- - - - --

Worksheet 9: Choose the right word 1 _Worksheet 10: Choose the right word 2

Wor��hee!__l 1: �e�p�or

Worksheet 12: Adverbs and adverb_phrases

Answer key __________ _

-----

- --- -

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28


Introduction

It goes without saying that candidates preparing for exams at the top end of the CEF framework (Cl -C2), such as Cambridge

English: Advanced (CAE) and Cambridge English.· Proficiency (CPE), need to increase and broaden their vocabulary. This booklet supplements the course book by teaching approximately 400 items of vocabulary, but perhaps more importantly, it explores aspects of vocabulary in a way that, we hope, will help students to be more knowledgeable about vocabulary and more effective autonomous learners. These aspects include:

• Word building: learning derivatives of new words oftenprovides an enormous opportunity for students to expandtheir vocabulary quickly and relatively easily. There are alsodiscernible patterns in word building that may help studentsto guess what a particular derivative might be. (Worksheets

1 and 2)

• Idioms: presenting a range of idioms, and giving students aclearer understanding of what they are, so that they mightbecome more proficient at noticing and identifying them intheir own reading. (Worksheets 3 and 4)

• Phrasal verbs, phrasal nouns and phrasal adjectives: atthis level students need to be more aware of when phrasalverbs, nouns and adjectives are especially informal, and theyneed a greater knowledge of the multiple meanings of manyphrasal verbs, nouns and adjectives (Worksheets 5 and 6)

• Collocation: introducing students to a wide range ofdifferent collocations (verb+ noun, adjective+ noun, verb+preposition, adjective+ adverb, etc), but also illustrating theirimportance, and encouraging students to notice collocationsand keep a record of them. (Worksheets 7 and 8)

• Overlapping meaning: being able to recognize the nuancesof meaning that separate one word from another is a lexicalproblem that Proficiency students are often faced with in different elements of the exam. Students need to be awareof the part played by factors such as style, connotation andcollocation in making correct lexical choices. (Worksheets 9and 10)

• Metaphor: at this level, students need to have a greaterunderstanding of how metaphor operates in a text, and howcertain thoughts and ideas are commonly expressed throughthe metaphorical use of particular words and phrases.(Worksheet 11)

• Adverbials: there are many important adverbials (e.g.apparently, simply, by and large) that Proficiency studentsrarely seem to use, and in some cases do not even know.We hope the final worksheet in this booklet will help toaddress this neglected area. (Worksheet 12)

2

WORKSHEETS

Each worksheet contains ,1_5 exercises. These usually include three different sec ions o inpu - practice (perhaps 10-15 new items in each one), wi h a ina exercise consolidating various items from all three sec ions. Some of the exercise types are similar to those found in the C E and CPE exams, but other exercise types are included for variety and interest. If you encourage your students to do the exercises in pencil, they can rub out their answers afterwards, and do the exercises again, at a later date, either in class or at home.

You do not have to use the whole worksheet in one session. If you do, you should probably allow at least an hour (the timing will depend on how much additional information from the Teaching notes you provide), but you could also break the worksheet down into two or even three parts, and use it for about 20 minutes at the beginning or end of a lesson, or perhaps to give a change of pace or focus in the middle of a longer lesson.

When students do the exercises in class, it is a good idea to vary the procedure so that they have opportunities to work individually, in pairs, or in small groups. We often recommend that students have an opportunity to discuss their answers with a partner/small group, as this not only provides valuable speaking practice for the students, but also an opportunity for you to monitor their discussion and assess how well they have understood the target language. This might then determine how much additional explanation is necessary in feedback.

TEACHING NOTES

Alongside the worksheets, you will find Teaching notes, which

provide some guidance on using the exercises in class, but also

quite detailed glossaries for the new vocabulary. We hope these

will assist you in providing clear and accurate explanations of

lexical items, which, at this level, are often complex.

The notes and glossaries also provide information about

additional meanings of target items, plus derivatives, common

collocations, synonyms or opposites, and a number of related

lexical items which are not included in the worksheet We have

kept this information in the Teaching notes because you know

your students better than anyone, and therefore you are in the

best position to judge how much input they can absorb at any

one time. You may decide, for example, that there is too much

input to include in one lesson, but you could return to the

worksheet in a different lesson to add some of the additional

input in the notes, as well as consolidating what you did

previously. You could also use the glossaries as a kind of model

for how students can keep a record of the vocabulary they

learn, i.e. a definition of the item, followed by an example where

necessary, and additional information such as derivatives or

common collocations.

Each worksheet concludes with a FOLLOW-UP, which is a

short section of ideas for you to provide further input and/or

practice of the specific aspect of vocabulary which features in

the worksheet In addition, we would always recommend that

you encourage your students to listen to as much English as

possible and read as widely as possible in order to develop their

vocabulary even further. The internet is now the most obvious

and accessible source for both reading and listening.

ANSWER KEY

An answer key for all the exercises is included at the back of

this booklet

REFERENCE and FURTHER PRACTICE

Vocabulary teaching at this level is complex and challenging.

You will need to have a battery of sources that you can use as

reference material, and we would recommend that you have

access to at least two of these dictionaries (all of which are

available online)

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Macmillan Dictionary for Advanced Learners

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

These are extremely good dictionaries, with each one having

its own individual features, so access to at least two of them

is an advantage. And we would recommend checking a definition in at least two dictionaries as well: you will find that

one dictionary definition is sometimes more accurate than

another, or sometimes more approachable and user-friendly

than another. Cross-referencing one dictionary with another is

also a good way of seeing in which contexts a word or phrase

most frequently appears, and which words it most frequently

collocates with.

Other useful, but more specialized, reference sources are:

Oxford Learner's Thesaurus: A dictionary of synonyms

Oxford Collocation Dictionary for Students of English

Oxford Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs

Oxford Dictionary of Idioms

Practical English Usage by Michael Swan (OUP)

For additional vocabulary input and practice material in the

classroom, your students could use:

Oxford Word Skills Advanced by Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman

Oxford Word Skills: Idioms and Phrasal Verbs Advanced by Ruth

Gairns and Stuart Redman

Useful and accessible reference sources for your students are:

Oxford Learner's Pocket Word Skills by Ruth Gairns and Stuart

Redman

Oxford Learner's Pocket Phrasal Verbs and Idioms by Ruth Gairns

and Stuart Redman

3

Teaching notes: Affixes 1

The aims of this worksheet are:

• to check that students understand some important classroomlanguage for vocabulary learning at this level

• to show that systematic attention to affixes (prefixes and suffixes) is a quick and easy way for students to expand their vocabulary, evenusing short, simple texts

• to make learners more aware of common productive affixes in different parts of speech

• to develop a greater awareness of certain predictable patterns in word building.

You could ask students to read and discuss the meaning ofthe words in bold in pairs or small groups. After students have completed Exercise 1, elicit answers from the group and clarify where necessary. Make sure you highlight the derivatives below. If students understand all these words, you can use them freely in your classroom teaching and save valuable time.

GLOSSARY

literal (of words) the literal meaning is the basic or original meaning, literally adv. (Literally is now more commonly used to emphasize the truth of what you are saying: There were literally hundreds of people there.)

figuratively (of words) not used with a literal meaning, but a more abstract meaning that often makes a description more interesting, figurative ad}.; metaphorical is used in a similar way.

ambiguous not clear; able to be explained in different ways, ambiguity n., OPP unambiguous

context the words surrounding a particular word that help to give it meaning, contextualize v. contextual ad}.: contextual clues. (The more common meaning of context is the general situation in which something happens: In the context of the 1960s!the war/the operation, etc.)

synonym a word that has the same meaning as another word, synonymous adj.

co/location a combination of words that are frequently used together, e.g. conduct an experiment, a close friend, highly unlikely, collocate (with sth) v.

2 Monitor the students while they complete Exercise 2, and help where necessary. Check answers and explain any new words (see below).

These are some of the most likely problems:

simplicity the quality of being easy to understand: I like the simplicity of the new phone.

simplification the process of making something easier to understand: a simplification of the rules. (You could add over-simplified, over-simplification.)

simplistic (disapproving) making sth complicated sound easier than it is, often by omitting important information: I was quite annoyed; it was such a simplistic explanation.

answerable you are answerable to sb, i.e. you have to explain your actions to them, and answerable for sth, i.e. responsible for sth and prepared to accept criticism for it.

determine 1 influence or decide sth (see text in Exercise 1 ); 2 discover the facts about sth: They are trying to determine the cause of the fire.

4

explanatory intended to help you understand: an explanatory note. (You could also add self-explanatory The instructions are self-explanatory.)

explicable (often negative) easy to explain: For some inexplicable reason, he left.

conceptualize FML form an idea of sth in your mind: The idea is difficult to conceptualize.

conceive 1 form an idea, plan, etc: He conceived the whole thing while he was in prison. 2 if a woman conceives a child, she becomes pregnant.

As you go through the exercise, you can point out the following features of affixation:

• some highly productive affixes: prefixes un-, in-; noun suffixes-ation, -ness, -ity; adjective suffixes -able, -ous, -ate, -ic(a0; verbsuffixes -ize,-ify; adverb suffix -/y.

• some internal spelling changes may be required, e.g. changing'y'to 'i'. Sometimes this change may involve part of the word,e.g. explain and explicable.

• it is not uncommon for there to be two or more derived adjectivesor nouns.

• sometimes the meaning is the same across the derivatives withina word family, but there may be a shift in meaning, e.g. determine,which is different from the most common sense of determined anddetermination.

• although there are few rules of affixation, there are some fairlypredictable patterns:

- adjectives ending in -ful often form opposites with -Jess

- adjectives ending in -able often form opposites with -un or

-in (-un is much more likely)

- adjectives ending in -ate (and also -ible) may have opposites

with in-

- verbs ending in -ify often form nouns with -ation.

-t See answers on page 28.

3 This exercise is an opportunity for students to test out the last point above. It is important they understand that these are not rules, but just patterns, which may help them. Students can work alone, then discuss their answers before feedback.


4 This exercise gives students a chance to review the vocabulary in earlier exercises and gives them practice in word building, which is the testing focus in Part 3 of the Reading and Use of English paper.


FOLLOW-UP

The most important follow-up is for you to add relevant derivatives in a systematic way throughout your vocabulary teaching, as we have done in the glossaries above. In addition, you could have a specific focus on a single affix at regular intervals, e.g. give students six nouns ending in -ance/-ence, e.g. relevance, dominance, significance; independence, obedience, existence, and elicit derivatives from the group. Add any they don't know, then see if they can detect a recognizable pattern emerging. Check they are adding derivatives and keeping a clear record of them in their own notebooks. Example sentences, as shown in the glossaries, will also help them to remember items and know how they are used.


1 Read the text. What is the meaning of the words in bold?

'What does this word mean? How do you use it?' These may seem

like simple questions, but they do not always have simple answers.

One reason for this is that many words have multiple meanings. The

literal meaning of crawl is to move along the ground on your hands

and knees, but in the sentence, Traffic was crawling along the main

road, crawl is being used more figuratively to describe a vehicle

moving very slowly. Or take the sentence, Paul's very smart. This is

ambiguous because smart can mean 'well dressed'. but it can also

mean 'intelligent'. In other words, you may need the context for the

meaning to become clear.

Context might also determine whether a word is appropriate and

being used correctly. Extinguish and put out are synonyms when

talking about fire and cigarettes, but extinguish would be considered

rather formal in most forms of spoken English, and put out would

seem rather too informal for a written notice like this: PLEASE Ptff

et:ff EXTINGUISH ALL CIGARETTES HERE.

Collocation also inAuences usage: you can be extremely

disappointed and bitterly disappointed; you can be extremely anxious,

but not bitterly anxious. There is no easy way to explain this; it is just

the way different languages choose to describe particular concepts:

"l/. ,,\·��11

" I'm going to be late. Traffic is at a crawl. "

2 Complete the table. Use a dictionary to help you.

VERB(S) NOUN(S)

mean

'

answer

determine

-

consider

explain

' concept

'

3 Answer questions 1-5. Be careful: not all of the answers

fit the same pattern.

1 What is the opposite of these adjectives?

available avoidable bearable excusable

2 What is the opposite of these adjectives?

adequate accurate compatible edible

3 What is the opposite of these adjectives 7

tactless harmless thoughtless tasteless

4 What nouns can you form from these verbs?

modify identify continue abbreviate

5 What verbs can you form from these adjectives7

And what nouns can you form from those verbs?

modern familiar political characteristic

4 Complete sentences 1-10 with the correct form of the

word in capital letters.

1 Some of Matthew's behaviour was _ _ __ _ ; I hope he

apologized. EXCUSE

2 They still have to make slight ____ to the building.

MODIFY

3 l am only ____ to the chairperson. ANSWER

4 Nobody knew what happened to Steve - his disappearance was EXPLAIN

5 I caught my arm in the door; the pain was absolutely

----· BEAR

6 It was such a _ ___ thing to say; I was very upset. TACT

7 This word has a meaning. FIGURE

8 I need to myself with all the new equipment. FAMILIAR

9 It was very of her not to tell us that the party had been cancelled. CONSIDER

10 The plan was originally to assist poorer families.

CONCEPT

ADJECTIVE(S)

I OPP

simple, '

appropriate I OPP

considerable, I OPP

' I OPP

clear I OPP

Teaching Vocabulary to High-Level Learners Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 5

Teaching notes: Affixes 2


• to improve students' understanding of prefixes (mostly negativeprefixes) and to encourage greater accuracy in their use

• to make students more aware of certain prefixes they might usewith particular words

• to extend students'vocabulary through new items in theworksheet and extension activities

• to provide practice that will help students with Part 3 in theReading and Use of English paper.

Unlike suffixes which usually denote the grammatical forms ofwords, prefixes generally carry meaning: un-, non-, in-, etc. mean 'not'; over- means'too much'. etc. Some prefixes are more common with verb forms (or nouns formed from verbs) e.g. disappear, disappearance; distrust (n., v.); misinform; mispronounce. Some nationalities may be able to see certain similarities with prefixes in their own language.

You can check with the group that they understand the adjectives in the lists before they begin matching them with the prefixes (see glossary below). Alternatively, encourage them to work in pairs, explaining words to each other and using dictionaries.

We use ii- before certain adjectives beginning with I-; we use irbefore certain adjectives beginning with r -; we use im- before certain adjectives beginning with p- or m-.

GLOSSARY

deniable (often negative) possible to say that sth is not true, deny v.,

denial n.

valid a valid ticket, passport, etc. is legally acceptable, validate v. OPP invalidate v. (Students may confuse in'valid adj. and 'invalid n. = a sick person who cannot look after themselves.)

retrievable if a damaged situation, relationship, etc. is retrievable, it can be saved or improved, retrieve v.

intelligible clear or simple to understand, intelligibility n.

mortal 1 not able to live forever; 2 very serious or causing death: mortal danger

sincere showing what you really think or feel, SYN genuine, sincerity n.

literate able to read and write, literacy n.

legible clear enough to read, legibility n.

flattering 1 making you look more attractive; 2 making you feel important or special: a flattering job offer

rational based on reason rather than emotions. If you rationalize sth, you try to find a logical reason to explain behaviour that does not seem reasonable.

practical suitable or useful for a particular situation: a practical hairstyle I practical clothing. A practical person is either skilful with their hands or good at organizing things.

eligible allowed by rules or laws to receive sth, eligibility n.

-+ See answers on page 28.

2 This exercise consolidates students' understanding of the adjectives with prefixes from Exercise 1 . When you have gone over the answers, they can practise the dialogues orally in pairs, with Student A reading the question, and Student B providing the correct answer without looking at their worksheet.


6

3 It is sometimes said that woros ·en :a -e the prefix un- tend to be of Germanic origin, e.g. unfla erng ..,-ui able, whereas words of Latin origin tend to take he pre"x ·r- a so·-, ir- and im- which are variations of in-), e.g. invalid, insi ce'e e:c. -;owever, these are only tendencies, and you will fino Oler o' exarnples that break the rule.

As well as checking the ans ver :o Exerc·se 3, make sure that students understand these use� aa�ec"c° .es.

GLOSSARY

conventional of the usua or accep able oe, rather than being new and different: conven iono, co· .es

eventful with a lot of exc;ti g ings napperiing: an eventful evening

responsive reacting quic ly, ·n a pos; •ve ay or with enthusiasm

appealing attractive and in eres ing: on appealing design

hygienic clean and nm Ii ely o soread disease, hygiene n.

conceivable possible, or possible o imagine

convincing sth tha is con incing ma es you believe that it is true: a convincing argumen s ory

offensive very rude or insulting, and likely to upset people

palatable a palatable idea is an acceptable one. Palatable food has a pleasant or acceptable as e


4 Students now work wi h other productive prefixes. In this exercise, they have the opportunity to extend the sets with their own examples; this they can do using dictionaries or by brainstorming in small groups.


5 The final exercise tests some of the adjectives and prefixes from the worksheet as well as some suffixes, which are often tested in Reading and Use of English, Part 3. You could point out in sentence 10 that vastly(= very much) commonly collocates with overrated/ underrated and different/improved.

FOLLOW-UP

As with the previous worksheet on affixes, it is important for students to keep a record of derivatives whenever they learn new vocabulary items.

Warm-up activities are a useful way to focus briefly on further prefixes. Ask students to brainstorm and/or use dictionaries to find words combining with non-, self-, ma/-. semi-, out-, etc. With self-, you could ask them to find eight items in the dictionary and see how many of them are labelled negative or disapproving: self-important, self-indulgent, self-opinionated and self-satisfied are, whereas self-help, self-improvement, self-explanatory and self-imposed are not.


1 The prefixes below all mean 'not: Match the prefixes in

list A with the adjectives in list B below. What do you notice about words beginning with ii-, im-, and ir-?

A: un- im- in- dis- ii- ir-

B: deniable valid retrievable intelligible mortal sincere

literate legible flattering rational practical eligible

"HARRY IS NICE, BUT HIS GIFTS ARE SO IMPRACTICAL. "

2 Complete the dialogues with a word from Exercise 1.

1 A: Can those ten-year-aids read?

B: No, most of them are ___ _

2 A: Can you use this old ticket? 8: No, it's ___ _

3 A: Did it sound as if he meant his apology? B: No, it sounded ___ _

4 A: Was it a sensible decision7

B: No, it was completely _ __ _

5 A: Has their relationship completely broken down?

B: Yes, it's ___ _

6 A: Can you read his handwriting?

B: No, it's _ __ _

7 A: Can you understand the technical explanation7

B: No, it's ___ _

8 A: This white carpet is always dirty.

B: Yes, it's completely ___ _

9 A: Can you get a grant for your studies?

B: No, I'm ___ _

1 O A: The facts of the case are pretty clear.

B: Yes, they're ___ _

11 A: That colour doesn't suit her.

B: No, it's rather ___ _

12 A: He thinks he's going to live forever. B: Yes, he believes he's ___ _

3 The prefix un- is one of the most common. Which three

words below do not form their opposites with un-?

conventional eventful responsive appealing hygienic

organic obtainable coordinated conceivable convincing

offensive palatable

4 The answers in each group below have the same prefix. Write the correct word for each definition, and/or its

opposite. Add your own examples of words to each group.

DO SOMETHING WRONGLY /BADLY

not hear correctly: _ __ _

2 put sth in the wrong place and lose it ___ _

3 make sb believe sth that is not true: ___ _

Your example(s): ___ _

TOO MUCH/NOT ENOUGH

4 cooked for too long:--- -, OPP ___ _

5 getting more money for work than you deserve: ___ _ OPP ___ _

6 not as good as some people believe: OPP

Your example(s): ----,OPP ___ _

ACTIONS

7 do your buttons up: OPP ____ them

8 wrap up the parcel: OPP it

9 fasten your seat belt: OPP ____ it

Your example(s): , OPP ___ _

MEANING'NOT' I OPPOSITE

1 O connect, e.g. two wires: OPP ____ them

11 believe sb/sth: OPP _ __ _

12 approve of sth: OPP ___ _

Your example(s): ___ _

5 Complete sentences 1-10 using the word in capitals in the correct form.

1 Two witnesses gave answers to the court. LEAD

2 His is sometimes so obvious, it's actually

embarrassing. SINCERE

3 I thought the journey would be exciting, but in the end, it

was . EVENT

4 He is _ __ _ the most successful athlete in the country. DENY

5 Her methods are----· She doesn't work like the rest of us. CONVENTION

6 I think he's grossly ____ for the job that he does. PAY

7 Critics said the film would shock audiences, but I found it fairly . OFFENCE

8 People sometimes behave ____ where money is

concerned. RATIONAL

9 After all the work she's done, it's _ ___ that she'll fail

the test. CONCEP T

1 O To my mind, the book is vastly _ _ __ . Why has it sold so well? RATE


Teaching notes: Idioms 1


• to give students a clearer understanding of idioms

• to help them find the meaning of idioms in dictionaries

• to develop a greater awareness of stylistic features

• to help them identify new idioms in a text.

1 For this exercise encourage students to work together, but not to use a dictionary at this point. Learners at an advanced+ level will be familiar with idioms, but some believe them to be largely colourful and opaque expressions such as kick the bucket or barking up the wrong tree (both infrequent). This represents a very partial understanding of idioms, so when you go through the phrases, explaining items where necessary (see glossary below), you should also mention the following:

• idioms are fixed or semi-fixed phrases (e.g. the idiom by all meansbecomes meaningless or ridiculous if you say by every means, or in all means.);

• the meaning of an idiom is often different from the individualwords, and may be difficult to understand, especially out ofcontext, e.g. out of the blue, under the weather;

• many idioms are more mundane and transparent than the idiomsabove; so although the meaning may not be obvious, it is oftenguessable, e.g. the sooner the better, I thought as much, (don't) take itpersonally, on the surface, use your head, behind closed doors.

Dictionaries do not always agree on what constitutes an idiom: hand in your notice is an idiom in some dictionaries but a collocation in others; a lame duck is an idiom in some dictionaries but a compound noun in others; etc.

GLOSSARY

up to a (certain) point to some degree, but not completely, SYN to some/a certain extent

turn a blind eye (to sth) pretend not to see or notice sth, usually sth bad

by all means used to give permission politely;= of course

(be) out of the question used to say that sth is impossible or not allowed

you'll be lucky INF used to tell sb that what they want will probably not happen. (You'll is stressed in this idiom.)

get a move on INF hurry up

no wonder 1NF used to emphasize the fact that sth is not surprising

(it's) not the end of the world INF (it's) not the worst thing that could happen to sb

throw in the towel 1NF admit that you cannot do sth and stop trying. (This idiom comes from boxing; if a boxer throws in the towel, he is admitting defeat.)

so far, so good= sth or sb has been successful up to now


2 This exercise consolidates students' understanding of the idioms from Exercise 1. When you go through the answers, highlight the items which are informal ('1NF' in the glossary above); some dictionaries might indicate 'spoken' instead of 'informal'.


3 Students need to be able to find the meaning of an idiom in a dictionary. See if they can do the exercise without dictionaries.

8

Explain that most dictionaries list idioms at the end of a headword entry, under a heading such as '10M' or 'PHRASE'. As a rule, idioms are explained at the first meaningful word of the idiom (mainly nouns, verbs and adjectives, e.g. point in up to a point). The most common exception is when the first meaningful word is a very high frequency verb, e.g. be (you'll be lucky); in these cases the idiom is often listed at the next meaningful word.


4 Idioms are generally neutral or informal in style; formal idioms, e.g. with (all due) respect are far less common. Students need to be aware of stylistic differences at an advanced+ level, and dictionariesare a vital tool in this respect as they label items as '1NF'/'informal'(or possibly 'spoken'), 'FML'/'formal'. 'humorous; etc. This exerciseprovides a brief focus on style, and gives students an opportunity tounderstand some new input before they read the text. Please bear inmind that dictionaries do not always agree on the style of an item.

GLOSSARY

a nasty piece of work INF sb who is unkind, dishonest, or likely to cause trouble

to say the least used to say that sth is worse or more serious than you are actually saying

get your act together INF organize yourself and your work in a more effective way

bide your time wait for the right opportunity to do sth

a matter of days/weeks/months, etc. only a few days/weeks/months, etc. (This is used to emphasize how short a period of time is.)

have (got) it in for sb INF not like sb and want to cause trouble for them

5 Students could work alone and then compare with a partner. Check that they have identified the idioms correctly and underlined the whole of each one before you move on to the next exercise. Underlining is important to see if students are able to identify the whole idiom, e.g. make a go of sth, not just make a go.

GLOSSARY

at the best of times used to say that sth is fairly bad, difficult, etc. in normal circumstances, but it is often worse than this

for the time being for a short time but not permanently; until a situation changes

keep your head down 1NF try to avoid being noticed or getting involved in sth

make a go of sth 1NF do sth successfully

get on sb's nerves v. annoy sb

fly off the handle 1NF suddenly become very angry

6 This activity practises some of the idioms from the worksheet. Check the answers before moving on to the personalized practice.

FOLLOW-UP

Encourage your students to keep a record of new idioms: they should note down the idiom, any stylistic features, the meaning, and an example sentence. For a homework assignment, ask students to research different idioms in a dictionary, e.g. idioms under eye (keep an eye on sb, etc). Make sure it's a fairly productive headword, and ask them to choose two or three useful idioms to explain to a partner in the next lesson.


1 Look at the phrases in the list below. Do you know what

they mean? How many are idioms?

up to a point turn a blind eye (to sth) by all means

out of the question you'll be lucky get a move on no wonder

it's not the end of the world throw in the towel so far, so good

2 Complete 1-10 using idioms from Exercise 1 in the

correct form.

A: How's your course going7 B: ___ _

2 I think Alex's mother _ ___ some of his bad behaviour.

3 · A: Could I take a day off work tomorrow7 B: No, I'm afraid that's ___ _

4 Emily, or we'll be late.

5 A: I'm hoping to get tickets for the 100 metres final at the Olympics. B: ____ _

6 A: Do you agree with me about the need for more practice7

B:Hmm, ___ _

7 A: Could I borrow your grammar notes? B:Yes, _ __ _

8 Matt's been working all day, so ____ he's tired

9 A: I didn't get that job after all. B:Well, ___ _

1 O I may not win, but I have no intention of _ _ ___ yet.

3 If you wanted to find the meaning of the above idioms

in a dictionary, which word in each idiom in Exercise 1

would you look up?

4 Look up the idioms in the list below to check their

meaning. Are any informal?

a nasty piece of work bide your time

to say the least a matter of days/weeks/months

get your act together have it in for someone

5 Read the text below and underline the idioms from

Exercise 4. Then try to find six more idioms and

underline them. You could try looking up the key word

to see if your idiom exists, and to check the meaning.

I used to lecture at Wallchester College, and my boss was, to say the least, quite a nasty piece of work. He was friendly enough at the interview, and on the first couple of days at work everything seemed al right. But I soon realized that he was just biding his time, and sure enough it was only a matter of weeks before I was called into his office. He then produced a great long list of things I 'd done wrong, and ended up saying, 'Come on, Ben, get your act together.' Well, I'm not very good at taking criticism at the best of times, so I was pretty angry. But I decided that, for the time being at least, I would just keep my head down and try to make a go of things. Eventually though, the constant carping and criticism really got on my nerves. It was obvious he really had it in for me - even more than the other teachers in my department - and one day when he was being particularly unpleasant, I just Aew off the handle and then handed in my notice.

6 Complete sentences 1-10 with one word. Are they true

for you? If not, change them so that they are true.

1 The thing that on my nerves most is people being late.

2 I fly off the easily.

3 I'm not very patient at the best of _ _ __ _

4 I'd like to move overseas, but that's out of the at the moment.

5 I find learning English idioms a bit challenging, to say the

6 My next-door neighbour is a nasty of work.

7 I'm off on holiday in a of weeks, now.

8 I've never had a teacher who had it for me; they've all been supportive.

9 My current dictionary is OK for my level, for the time

1 O If I saw someone stealing in a supermarket, I might turn a _____ eye to it.


Teaching notes: Idioms 2


• to give learners an overview of different types of idioms, which willboth help them to make sense of idioms as a whole, and provide aframework for learning idioms in the future

• to encourage contextual guesswork (an important skill for theProficiency exam)

• to practise transformations using idioms.

1 The table highlighting categories of idioms in Exercise 2 provides the main focus of this worksheet, but before that, Exercise 1 encourages students to try to guess the meaning from context of a range of idioms. You could look at the first example together. Ask students 'What would shoppers do if service was poor in a shop7 Continue going there, or stop going?'The idiom vote with your feet seen in isolation seems a little obscure, but in context, students should be able to work out that it means 'stay away from somewhere/something'. Students can work in pairs on the rest of the exercise. A few examples are less easy to guess (these are included to make the activity more realistic), but some contain clues within the words themselves (e.g. the image of water sliding off a duck's back, i.e. not sticking), and some may have parallels with the students'own language.

When you go over the answers, highlight any stylistic features, e.g. informal/spoken. The suggestions in the answer key are guidelines only; accept students' own clear and accurate explanations.

-+ See answers on pages 28 and 29.

2 For this exercise, spend a little time going through the table together, and point out the examples given to illustrate the category type, e.g. hit the roof. These are all useful idioms to learn, and one or two occur in the final exercise. Students should now be able to complete the table; they could compare answers in pairs. This activity gives them another chance to revisit the idioms from Exercise 1, and also provides a framework for their understanding of idioms. It is important to say, however, that this table does not include all types of idiom, e.g. it does not include adverbial phrases (all too often), or idiomatic phrasal verbs (take sb in= deceive sb).

Fixed phrases with two words Joined by and are often called binomials. They can also be joined by or, e.g. heads or tails, give or take. In many examples, the first or last sound in the two words is similar, e.g. cheap and cheerful, wear and tear. You will find further activities onspoken phrases, binomials, sayings and similes in Oxford Word SkillsAdvanced: Idioms and Phrasal Verbs and in the Proficiency Masterclasswith Online Skills and Language Practice.


10

3 This text gives students the ask o rying to identify idioms, and then guess the meaning. Given that many idioms are made up of strings of common words, e.g. behind he scenes, I for one, it is important that when reading, they learn to recognize and interpret non-literal meanings. Do the first example together, and then students can work together. Encourage hem to guess the meaning, and if you like, they can use dictionaries to check. Remember that in Worksheet 3, Exercise 3, they focussed on which word to look up in a dictionary. When you go through the answers, focus on stress and intonation (see answer key).


4 This activity brings together idioms from the worksheet and practises them in an exam-style transformation exercise. In some examples, students are required to make considerable changes to sentence structure, as well as recognizing a key word from which to construct an idiom. Do the first example together, then students can work alone or in pairs.


FOLLOW-UP

As suggested in Worksheet 3, students should continue to note idioms as they learn them, recording any stylistic features and an example. You could continue introducing idioms as warmer activities, using the categories in Exercise 2. For instance, noun phrases which describe people: a creature of habit, a bright spark, an unknown quantity the salt of the earth, a cold fish, a dark horse. Alternatively, teach some binomials, e.g. hit and miss, short and sweet, part and parcel of sth, fair and square, cheap and cheerful, born and bred


The meaning of many idioms is not obvious, but you can sometimes use the context to guess the general sense. Can you guess the meaning of the idioms in bold below?

Service is shocking in this store, and shoppers are voting with their feet.

2 A: 'Do you fancy some cake?' B: 'I wouldn't say no:

3 My baby just won't go to sleep - I'm at my wits' end at night time.

4 All the criticism Pete got was like water off a duck's back.

5 Anyone can make a pizza - there's nothing to it.

6 I can't make head nor tail of these directions, can you?

7 She was sacked on the spot. Can you believe it? Incredible !

8 Don't talk to him about the situation at work: it's a bit of a sore point at the moment.

9 The children's behaviour has become a bone of contention between us.

10 It's touch and go whether he'll be fit enough to play on Saturday.

11 You know what they say: blood is thicker than water.

12 I'm going to the shops to pick up a few bits and pieces.

2 Put the phrases in bold in Exercise 1 into the correct column below.

TYPE OF IDIOM EXAMPLES

Verb-based idioms, e.g. hit the roof= become very angry JNF.

Noun phrases, e.g. a piece of cake= sth that is very easy to do JNF.

Prepositional phrases, e.g. under the weather= not feeling well 1NF.

Fixed phrases with two words, joined by and, e.g. dos and don'ts = rules that you should follow in a particular situation 1NF.

Exclamations/spoken phrases, e.g. Hang on!= wait JNF; very muchso used to emphasize agreement

Sayings, e.g. Strike while the iron is hot= make use of an opportunity immediately

Similes with as/like: (as) blind as a bat= with bad eyesight; sleep like a log= sleep very well 1NF.

3 Read the extract from a chat page, then underline nine idioms. With a partner, try to explain what they mean. Which type of idiom is each one?

Laars: Just heard that MP Alison Marks is on the lats:sGpml verge of resigning.

Boris22: You're kidding! Well, something was !ats:57pml obviously going on behind the scenes.

Adele-UK: Boris: Remember that she's got a young family. (.it 8:S9pml Maybe the stresses and strains of the job were

just too much - all that time away from the family takes its toll.

Janie55: Ade,e: You can say that again! 1 /omen 'lave to lat901pmi bear the brunt of family respon 'biiities, ar-d

Jeing an MP 1s a tough job. It's .eally , ard for them to strike a happy medium. Well I for one will be sorry to see her go

4 Rewrite the sentences using the word in capitals. The meaning must stay the same.

1 We're not sure if he'll come. TOUCH

2 We disagree strongly about money. BONE

3 She's not feeling too well. WEATHER

4 Sam's got terrible eyesight. BLIND

5 The illness has affected her badly. TOLL

6 Do it now: don't wait! IRON

7 I find these instructions impossible to follow. HEAD

8 It's very easy. NOTHING

9 The economy has almost collapsed. VERGE

10 The exam was incredibly easy. CAKE


Teaching notes: Phrasal verbs


• to highlight features of phrasal verbs such as style and synonymy(often with Latinate verbs)

• to make students more aware of multiple meaning with phrasalverbs

• to make students more aware of phrasal verbs which collocatewith particular nouns.

1 Students could work on this first exercise individually, then compare their answers with a partner. You can clarify the meaning of any verbs they do not know, although we would expect advanced+ students to be familiar with most of these. You should be able to elicit the answer about the effect of these changes on the text.


There are two important points to make about phrasal verbs here:

• Many phrasal verbs have a one-word equivalent with a similarmeaning (often a verb with a Latin origin), although this verbmay only correspond with one sense of the phrasal verb, e.g. if you bring down inflation, you lower it, but if you bring down agovernment, you defeat it (and remove it from power).

• Phrasal verbs are generally more informal than their one-wordequivalents, but they are still commonly found in neutral, andeven some formal contexts, e.g. you can propose or put forwardan idea/plan.

2 When students meet a familiar verb, e.g. go on or pick up, they need to consider whether it is being used with a familiar meaning or a new meaning. When you go through the answers, you can clarify any meanings where necessary, but also add some useful one-word equivalents (to back up what they have just done in Exercise 1 ), e.g. 1 b = tolerate, 3a = emerge, 4a = undergo sth (experience sthunpleasant), 4b = search, 6b = accept/assume.


You should explain that when stand for sth means tolerate sth, it is only used in negatives and questions; that distinguishes it from put up with sth, which also means tolerate sth.

You can also point out that the first five phrasal verbs are grammatically the same in both examples, whereas the sixth verb is different: take on sth (transitive + inseparable) but take sth on (transitive+ separable). Furthermore, in this case the object is a thing, but the likely third meaning (take sb on) is transitive but with an object that is a person, not a thing.


3 You may need to move round and monitor while students work on this activity.


4 A number of phrasal verbs commonly collocate with particular nouns, as both subject, e.g. the bomb went off, or object, e.g. fix up a meeting. You should encourage students to record common verb + noun combinations in their notebooks, as it will help them toremember the meaning of the verb, and use it correctly.

As you go through the exercise, you may need to elaborate on some of these verbs to pin down the meaning more precisely.


12

GLOSSARY

flick through sth turn the pages of a book, magazine, etc. quickly without reading very much

resort to sth use sth, especially sth bad or unpleasant, to achieve sth, often because it is the only course of action possible

catch up on sth spend extra time doing sth that you should have done earlier

sail through sth (usually an exam) pass an exam, a test, easily; scrape through an exam= pass an exam, but with difficulty

bottle sth up not tell other people how you are feeling

stir sth up cause trouble, especially by making people feel strong emotions

get at sth do everything you can to find out sth

build sth up develop sth such as a business or reputation, often over a period of time

break sth off end sth, such as talks, negotiations, or a relationship

brush sth up practise or study sth in order to get back the knowledge you had in the past but have not used for some time

5 The final exercise consolidates some of the phrasal verbs from the worksheet, and shows certain verbs with closely related collocates, e.g. get at the truth/facts; bottle up your feelings/emotions; catch up on work/sleep


FOLLOW-UP

Two useful reference sources are Oxford Pocket Learner's Phrasal Verbs and Idioms, and Oxford Phrasal Verbs Dictionary for Learners of English. Using either of these sources, you could select a group of verbs with multiple meanings and construct further exercises similar to Exercise 2 above.

You could also introduce another group of common collocations/ phrasal verb idioms through a matching exercise, and then test them as in Exercise 5 above. For example:

I will soon need to renew my car insurance.

ANSWER: My car insurance is coming up for renewal.

Other collocations/idioms that would lend themselves to this kind of transformation are: sort out a problem, fall into disrepair, get across a message, get away from it all, rule out the possibility of sth happening, cut out the need for sth, throw your money around, stick your neck out, go to a lot of trouble, break with the past, etc.

\NorksheetS:Phrasalverbs

1 Replace eight verbs in the text with the correct form of

a phrasal verb from the list below, as in the example.

What effect do these changes have on the text?

keep back look for cut back on go ahead back up

look on bring up make up for bring down

The government is still

'��=r ways to reduce

numbers in the armed forces

as a way of lowering the

defence budget, although

they have promised to

increase spending on

equipment. Many in the

forces just consider this as

a token gesture, and several

high-ranking officers are

already claiming that an

increase in spending on

equipment will in no way

is sure to be supported

by opposition politicians,

who also believe that the

government has withheld

details of the cuts, making

it extremely difficult for

a worthwhile debate to

take place. The Shadow

Defence Minister announced

yesterday that he would

raise the issue in Parliament

at the earliest opportunity,

though it is yet to be decided

whether the government

compensate for the loss of will try to proceed with its

manpower. Their position plans before the autumn.

2 Many phrasal verbs have more than one meaning.

Complete each pair of sentences in 1-6 using the same

phrasal verb.

1 a It's an environmental issue; that's what we in the Green Party _________ _

b The boss is quite strict; she won't _____ ____ _ careless mistakes.

2 a Sarah tried but she just couldn't _______ _ a size 10.

b If those boys a fight again, I'll be

furious.

3 a They've tried to hide it, but the truth will ___ _

____ eventually.

b I'm not expecting the new book to ___ _ _____ before the summer.

4 a The climbers had to ________ quite an ordeal during the expedition.

b The security guard started to ______ ____ my

pockets and found my mobile.

5 a I couldn't see you; I didn't ____ my glasses

b Do you ____ _ anything _____ this evening?

6 a The new website will ________ a completely different appearance.

b We think that Freddie is ready to _ __ __ ____ _

more responsibility.

3 Write six more sentences showing each of the verbs

in Exercise 2 being used with a third meaning. Use a

dictionary to help you.

4 Match a verb from list A to a noun from list B to form

common collocations.

A: flick through resort to catch up on sail through

bottle up stir up get at build up break off brush up

B: your English work your feelings hatred negotiations

a reputation a magazine an exam violence the truth

5 Rewrite sentences 1-10 using a suitable phrasal verb,

without changing the meaning. Try to do this without

looking back at previous exercises.

The boy wasn't wearing anything.

2 The men suffered a lot during the war.

3 Charles got involved in an argument.

4 I just looked at the book quickly.

5 Lucy passed the exam easily.

6 Mrs Forbes won't tolerate laziness.

7 They just want to discover the facts.

8 He doesn't show his emotions.

9 They finally decided to use tanks and artillery.

10 I need to get some sleep; I haven't slept well for days.

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Teaching notes: Phrasal nouns and adjectives


• to help students identify phrasal nouns and phrasal adjectives andto broaden their vocabulary, relating them where appropriate tophrasal verbs

• to focus on different forms of phrasal nouns, and to infer rules forhyphenation and word stress

• to learn some useful collocations for phrasal adjectives.

1 Phrasal nouns, e.g. warm-up, onset, and phrasal adjectives, e.g. off-putting, outspoken, are quite common compounds in English. They are very often formed from phrasal verbs, but this is not always the case. For instance, warm up and put sb off produce warm-up and off-putting, but onset does not relate to a phrasal verb. Phrasal nouns are generally either neutral or informal in style.

Most phrasal nouns and adjectives follow the pattern verb+ particle, e.g. build-up, live-in; some, however, are formed with particle + verb,e.g. upbringing, forthcoming. A common problem for native speakersand learners of English alike is the question of when to use hyphens,and some simple guidelines are provided below.

When dealing with phrasal verbs in class, it is extremely useful to teach associated phrasal nouns and adjectives - and vice versa - as a way of extending students' vocabulary.

For Exercise 1, you could look at the first example together. Then ask students to do the rest of the headlines together, writing the meaning of the nouns. Avoid dealing with associated phrasal verbs at this stage, or you will pre-empt Exercise 2. Check the answers.

-+ See answers on pages 29 and 30.

2 This exercise focuses on a range of issues to do with phrasal nouns. Students could work together here, or you could discuss the answers as a class, but allow them time to think about their answers first. The word stress rule, that phrasal nouns are stressed on the first syllable, is straightforward and easy to learn. Students could read the headlines to each other to practise the stress.


3 The words in the list are explained in the glossary below: they are all useful and worth teaching in their own right, but they will also help students to work out the rules for hyphenating phrasal nouns.

A couple of points to note:

• In the headline, build-up refers to the time before a big event; therelated phrasal verb is build up to sth. Build-up can also mean agradual increase in sth over time, e.g. traffic, pollution; the relatedphrasal verb is build up (intransitive).

• Countable phrasal nouns usually take -sin the plural form at theend of the word, e.g. break-ins, bystanders, flare-ups.

GLOSSARY

check-in a place where you report your arrival, e.g. at a hotel, an airport, check in (at sth) v. Also, you can check sth in, e.g. baggage

outcry a reaction of great anger or protest by people in public. (no phrasal verb with the same meaning)

bystander sb who sees sth happening, but is not involved, stand by v.

break-up 1 the ending of a relationship, break up (with sb) v.; 2 the division of a large organization into smaller parts, break (sth) up v.

write-off a car that has been so badly damaged it is not worth repairing, write sth offv.

14

phone-in a radio or TV programme which people can phone with their questions or comments, phone in v.

upbringing the way parents care for their children and teach them to behave, bring sb up v.

outcome (of sth) the final result of a meeting, discussion, etc., come out of sth v.

flare-up 1 a sudden show of angry or violent feeling; 2 a sudden, painful attack of a disease, flare up v.


4 The phrasal adjectives are presented here in an exercise which highlights common collocations, which is a useful way for students to record and remember the vocabulary. After going through the answers, you can introduce a short pair activity where students test each other. Student A looks at the worksheet and gives a phrasal adjective; Student B (who cannot see it) has to give the noun, e.g. A: A drop-down .. . 7 B: . .. menu.

GLOSSARY

drop-down a drop-down menu is a list of choices on a computer screen

knock-down (of prices) much lower than usual

go-ahead willing to try new ideas and likely to succeed

outgoing soon to leave a position of power

runaway increasing faster than expected, and not under control

built-in included as part of sth, and not separate from it

leftover leftover food is food that has not been eaten at the end of a meal

outspoken saying exactly what you think, even if other people do not like it

ongoing still happening or being done: ongoing negotiations/ discussion/investigation

breakaway consisting of people who have decided to separate from a larger group: a breakaway group/faction/section


5 The final exercise tests both phrasal nouns and phrasal adjectives from the worksheet. When students have completed it and you have checked the answers, students could also test each other orally, as in Exercise 4, e.g. A reads A's part of the dialogue, and B has to remember the response. They can then swap roles. Give them time to study the dialogues first so that they can memorize the responses.


FOLLOW-UP

Dictionaries can be helpful in highlighting phrasal nouns and adjectives alongside the related phrasal verbs, particularly the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Raising students' awareness of this will broaden their syntactic range, essential at an advanced+ level. You could devise your own exercise, similar to Exercise 5, to teach and practise phrasal nouns or adjectives. Student A's prompts need to paraphrase Student B's response, e.g. A: He didn't finish college, did he? B: No, he's a drop-out. Here are some possible nouns: drop-out, grown-up, mark-up, passer-by, stand-in, lie-in, letdown, backup, input, warm-up, workout, backup, downturn, downpour, turnover, summing-up, show-off, stopover, outset, stand-off, comeback, toss-up. And adjectives: a knockout (competition), a live-in (nanny), a foldaway (bed/chair), worn-out (clothing).

Worksheet 6: Phrasal nouns and adjectives

1 Phrasal nouns and adjectives are sometimes formed

from phrasal verbs. Underline the phrasal nouns in these

headlines and write the meaning of the phrasal nouns at

the end of each headline, as in the first example.

FLAT OWNERS FACE HUGE BILLS FOR BUILDING {WJ'KffP-the cost of repatr

TOURISTS DECLARE MUSEUM 'A RIP-OFF'

Bank bailout fail s to ease fears

President faces backlash from allies

Government backs speed limit clampdown

OFFICIALS CONFIRM TYPH US OUTBREAK

SETBACK IN NUCLEAR PROGRAMME TALKS

TROOPS ON STANDBY FOR CONFLICT ZONE

Hotel rates rise in build-up to Olympics

TENNIS STAR FINED FOR ANGRY OUTBURSTS

2 Answer questions 1-3.

Which of the nouns you underlined in Exercise 1 has a

particle at the beginning of the word, e.g. upkeep (not

kttpttp)?

2 Which syllable in the nouns you underlined in Exercise 1 is

stressed?

3 Which of the underlined nouns have a related phrasal verb7

What is the phrasal verb7

3 Look at the underlined nouns in Exercise 1 again, and

some more examples in the list below. Can you work out

a general rule for the use of a hyphen(-)?

check-in outcry bystander break-up write-off phone-in

upbringing outcome flare-up

4 Some adjectives are formed from phrasal verbs, e.g. an

outstanding gymnast (from stand out (as sth) = be much

better than sb else). Match the phrasal adjectives in list A

below with a suitable noun from list B.

A: a drop-down knock-down a go-ahead the outgoing

a runaway a built-in leftover an outspoken ongoing a breakaway

B: company president menu prices cupboard food negotiations critic group success

5 Complete dialogues 1-10 using a phrasal noun or

adjective from this worksheet.

1 A: Mr Ellis says what he thinks about his boss.

B: I know he's very ___ _

2 A: Are the discussions continuing7

B: Yes, they're still ___ _

3 A: Is the house sale proceeding smoothly?

B: No, we've had several _ __ _

4 A: It's an exciting new business, isn't it7

B: Yes, they're a very group.

5 A: Have the police solved the crime7

B: Not yet, but they've had a major ___ _

6 A: What will the new government be like?

B: It can only be better than the lot.

7 A: Is the restaurant good value for money7

B: No, it's an absolute ___ _

8 A: Was the car badly damaged in the accident?

B: Yes, it was a ___ _

9 A: People are furious about the hospital closure.

B: Yes, there's been a huge _ __ _

1 O A: I hear they've sold the old villa.

B: That's right. They couldn't afford the ___ _


Teaching notes: Collocation 1


• to give students a better understanding of different types ofcollocation

• to show the importance of collocation in sounding more naturaland being more precise

• to give them the opportunity to extend their range of collocations.

1 When you go through the exercise, point out that the answers would be fairly predictable to a native speaker, as the preceding or following word forms such a strong and obvious collocation with the missing word. Some words have a very restricted number of collocates, e.g. torrential is almost always used with rain or downpour (we do not say torrential snow), others are used with a much wider range of collocates, e.g. disease, news, rumours, fires, and fighting can all spread.


2 There are many types of collocation, but these represent some of the most common. One difficulty with collocation is that it can overlap with other aspects of language: noun+ noun combinations may be entered in dictionaries either as collocations or as compound nouns, e.g. scheduled flight; prepositional phrases may be listed either as collocations or as idioms, e.g. on time is a collocation in the OALD, while at random is an idiom.


3 When students think about collocation in their own language and compare examples with English, they often begin to realize its importance. And seeing which collocates are different in their language will highlight the phrases that may present the most problems. Students should get into the habit of writing down common collocations in their notebooks; they are just as important as new items of lexis.

4 When you go through the answers, you may want to make some of these points about the different questions. (The amount of detail will depend on the level of your students.)

1 You sign up for a course, but enlist in the army or enlist as a soldier.

2 Common collocations with intense are: intense heat, intense pain and intense pressure.

3 You can only talk about continuous assessment, but constant is similar in meaning and has a range of common collocates: constant noise, constant use, cunstant interruptions, constant attention, and a constant stream of sth, e.g. visitors.

4 Submit and hand in are both possible here; submit is more formal. You can also submit an application/a claim for sth, e.g. damages.

5 Common collocations are: final whistle (sport), final outcome (= result), and final offer.

6 Large can be used with a wide range of nouns, but not usually relief You could also say a big relief a tremendous relief or an enormous relief

7 You can be presented with a certificate (but not presented a certificate). You can be awarded a certificate/a prize, or awarded points.

8 The whole point (of doing sth) means 'the overwhelming reason (for doing sth)'. Complete is also used in a number of common collocations, e.g. a complete mess/surprise/change.

16

9 Terribly can mean 'very badly' (I played terribly today), but here it means very, and it is common in British English. It applies to both positive and negative situations. Common collocations are: terribly sorry/important. Tremendously collocates with certain positive adjectives, e.g. tremendously successful/exciting


5 The sentences as they stand in 1-10 are all correct in terms of grammar and vocabulary, but the correct use of the words in the list will make each sentence more precise and sophisticated, which is important at an advanced+ level. As you go through the answers, you can extend students' knowledge by adding further collocations. Here are some common ones, though we would not recommend that you try to cover them all.

widespread support! criticism

deploy forces/weapons! missiles

wildly exaggerated/enthusiastic/optimistic

a classic easel mistake; classic symptoms

fully booked; fully accept/understand sth

break a monopoly/the monotony of sth; break a cycle of violence! crime/poverty

entirely is often used in negative sentences, e.g. not entirely happy/ satisfied; in positive sentences, entirely possible/different are both common.

remarkably similar/well

utter nonsense/chaos/confusion

settle an argument/the matter/a conflict


FOLLOW-UP

A very useful reference is the Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English, which also contains a study section of exercises. ELT dictionaries include common collocations in example sentences and often highlight them in bold, or sometimes as a special feature in a table, as part of the headword entry.

You should encourage your students to record collocations consistently as they meet them, and you can also devise exercises of your own, perhaps based on Exercise 1 (predicting common collocations through gap fill) or Exercise 5 (broadening students' vocabulary by substituting simple words and phrases with more precise and sophisticated items). You can use a dictionary which highlights collocations to prepare 'odd-one-out' exercises, or show students how to prepare similar examples with which to test each other, e.g.

a bad/annoying/disgusting/wrong habit

bitterly! deeply/fiercely! genuinely regret

etc.


Complete sentences 1-12 with a suitable word.

Last night we had some torrential ___ _

2 We a glimpse of the president as the procession

passed by.

3 When we got to the hospital, he was in a critical _ __ _

4 Please don't slam the ___ _

5 It's perfectly ____ to feel nervous before an exam.

6 He her a hug, and left without looking back.

7 The snow didn't ____ on the ground because it was

too wet and warm.

8 The entrance is in constant----, so please don't park

in front of it.

9 Everyone ____ strongly that the rules should be

changed.

1 O The disease ____ rapidly amongst the children.

11 The restaurant was ridiculously __ _ _ , but it was a very

special occasion.

12 My brother promised me __ _ _ that he would come;

I'm sure he will.

2 Complete the table with the five types of collocation in Exercise 1 and the examples of each type.

adjective+ noun e.g. torrential rain

+ noune.g.

+ e.g.

+ e.g.

+ e.g.

3 Would you use the same combinations of words to express these ideas in your own language? If possible, discuss your answers with someone who speaks the same language.

4 Underline the correct option(s) in italics in 1-9 to complete the text. Be careful: both answers may be

correct.

I've always been interested in history, and quite recently I

decided to 1 sign up for/enlist in a fairly 2intenselintensive course

in archaeology at my local college. It's quite demanding -

there's 3continuous/constant assessment and you have to 4submit/hand in three essays during the course - but at least

there's no 5final/finishing exam, which is a 6large/huge relief for

me. You are 7 awarded/presented a certificate at the end, but in

my case, the 8complete/whole point of the course isn't a piece

of paper, but simply acquiring knowledge in a subject that interests me. Anyway, the course starts next week, and I'm 9terribly/tremendously excited about it

5 Replace the words in italics in sentences 1-10 with a

more precise word from the list below.

deploy entirely widespread fully utter break wildly classic settle remarkably

1 I've heard there's been a lot of damage to housing because of the storm. ____ _

2 The government is planning to use more troops in the area.

3 I had a guess, but it was very inaccurate. ____ _

4 She's a very good example of someone who says one thing

and does another. _ ___ _

5 I'm sure the doctor is very aware of Matilda's problems.

6 The government hopes it will be able to end the deadlock in the talks this week. _ _ __ _

7 I'm not very sure that we'll get an answer today.

8 Most of the students thought the exam was very easy.

9 Everyone is hoping we can end the dispute soon.

1 O They were both talking a lot of rubbish. ____ _

folATo f'EEL..S, OLI) T1ssu1=.s, f'LA�Ttc.. �A<;--s., EMPTY TIN

CANS ....

�TOP TA1.K1r,JG,

�uB&t SH '·

I


Teaching notes: Collocation 2


• to help students with a range of collocations involving prepositions

• to show learners that some related nouns and verbs are followedby the same preposition

• to help to prepare students for open cloze tasks in the CAE andCPE exam, where prepositions given may determine word choice.

1 For some learners, there may be equivalent collocations in their own language, although direct translations can cause errors: e.g. divide sth into sth, not dio,de sth il'l sth; afraid of sth, not afraid forsth; accustomed to sth, not eccusrel'l�ed at sth, etc. Equally, nouns, verbs and adjectives may be followed by a preposition in English, but not in the student's own language, and vice versa. There is also the complication that words can be followed by different prepositions, sometimes with a different meaning, e.g. throw sth at sb and throw sth to sb. This is an area where exposure, careful record keeping, rote learning and revision can pay dividends.

For this exercise, check that students understand the items in italics (see glossary). They can discuss their answers in pairs, use dictionaries, or you can deal with the meanings of items as a whole class. As you check the meaning, clarify the appropriate preposition.

GLOSSARY

aversion to sth!sb a very strong dislike of sth/sb

prone to sth likely to do sth, or suffer sth, especially sth bad or unpleasant, accident-prone adj.

affinity for/with sth!sb a strong feeling that you understand sth/sb and like them

immune to sth not affected by sth (If you are immune to a disease, you cannot catch it. If you are immune from sth, e.g. from arrest or prosecution, you are protected from it.), immunity n.

admiration for sb/sth a feeling of great respect or liking for sb/sth: be full of admiration for sb/sth, admire sth!sb v.

struggle with/against sth fight against sth that you find very difficult; struggle for breath= try hard to breathe, struggle n.

deter sb from (doing) sth make sb decide not to do sth, by making them understand that the consequences of doing it will be unpleasant

aptitude for sth a natural ability or skill that makes it easy for you to do sth well

useless at sth INF very bad at sth; not able to do sth well

Jong for sth want to do sth very much, especially sth that is not likely to happen soon, svN yearn for sth

� See answers on page 30.

2 Before you move on to the personalized practice in Exercise 2, you could ask students to look again at all the items in italics in the survey. What categories of words come before the prepositions? (There are nouns in 1, 3, 5 and 8; verbs in 6, 7 and 1 O; and adjectives in 2, 4 and 9.) Then give them an example of what to do in pairs for Exercise 2: take the first example and personalize it yourself, e.g./ have an aversion to people who spread rumours/sit too close to me. Monitor the pairwork to check that students are working along the right lines and are using the collocations accurately.

3 This exercise is linked to Exercise 4. A useful learning point about some nouns with related verbs is that they are often followed

18

by the same preposition, e.g. search for sth and a search for sth. Firstly, however, the exercise concentrates on verb+ preposition collocations. The aim is for students to use the correct preposition.

GLOSSARY

object to sth feel or say that you do not like or approve of sth/sb, objection n.

quote from sth repeat the words that sb else has said or written, quotation n.

consent to sth!consent to do sth agree to sth, or give your permission for sth, consent n.

subscribe to sth pay an amount of money to receive or use sth, e.g. a magazine, TV channels, subscription n.

sympathize with sth approve of and support a point of view, a person, a group, etc., sympathy n. (You can also have sympathy for a person= feel sorry for them and show you care about their problems.)


4 This exercise emphasizes the point that the same preposition is often used with different derivatives of a particular word. The exercise also requires students to provide appropriate verbs which collocate with the nouns, e.g. refer to sth/make a reference to sth; subscribe to sth!take out a subscription to sth, and gives some practice in transformations. Do a couple of examples together before students complete the exercise.


5 This exercise consists of a range of collocations, and is a test of both meaning and form. You could either do this as an informal test, or let students work in pairs.

GLOSSARY

participate (in sth) take part in an activity (common adverbial collocations: participate fully/actively in sth)

distinguish between (A and B) recognize the difference between A and B, (also, distinguish A from 8, distinguish A and 8) make/draw a distinction between A and B

thirst for sth a strong desire for sth (similar meanings sometimes take the same preposition: compare hunger for sth, appetite for sth, desire for sth)

lacking in sth not having enough of sth or any of it (notice a lack of sth)

awareness of sth knowing sth; knowing that sth exists and is important, aware of sth adj.

impress sth on/upon sb FML make sb realize how important sth is (the use of'upon' makes it slightly more formal than 'on')

dealings with sb professional/business activities and relationships with sb; have dealings with sb. (this is a plural noun with this sense)

apply yourself to sth work hard at sth or study sth very hard


FOLLOW-UP

As a quick revision activity, ask the students to look through their vocabulary notebooks to find examples of noun/verb/adjective + preposition and note them down. (You could open this up toany kind of collocation.) Student A then tests their partner, e.g.A: Participate? B: Participate in something. A: That's right. B: Now you -prone? A: Prone to something. etc.


1 Check your understanding of the words in italics in

sentences 1-10. Then complete the questionnaire with

the correct prepositions.

SURVEY: THE REAL YOU! YES NO

I have an aversion romantic songs. D D

2 I am prone minor accidents. D D

3 I have a close affinity dogs. D D

4 I am not immune criticism. D D

5 I have tremendous admiration D D people in the armed services.

6 I constantly struggle laziness and D D procrastination.

7 Nothing will deter me reaching my D D goals in life.

8 I have no aptitude drawing or painting. D D

9 I'm completely useless making things. D D

101 long _____ more excitement in my life OD and my work.

2 Do the survey. Are the sentences true for you? If they are

not true, change them to make them true.

3 Underline the correct preposition in italics in

sentences 1-10.

Nobody has objected at/to the council's proposals.

2 She referred to/in the problem in her letter.

3 She quoted for/from the book in her talk.

4 Dad contributed generously with/ro the charity.

5 We rely increasingly in/on government funding.

6 The parents would not consent for/to the operation.

7 They invested $10,000 in/for the project.

8 I've recently subscribed with/to a sailing magazine.

9 Do you sympathize for/with her point of view?

10 As a result of the scandal, he resigned for/from the post.

4 Rewrite the sentences in Exercise 3 so that they include

the noun form of the verb. Make any other necessary changes.

Example: They are appealing m/to the public for witnesses. They are making an appeal to the public for witnesses.

5 Complete gaps 1-12 in the extracts from these end-of

term reports using the correct form of words from the

list below.

participate distinguish devoted thirst lacking

resistant awareness role model impress unaccustomed

dealings apply

TEACHER'S COMMENT

STUDENT: Jeremy Handley

I have 1 upon him the need to 2 ____ _

himself to his studies, but he seems to be completely

____ in any enthusiasm for learning.

TEACHER'S COMMENT

STUDENT: Aliona Rowde

Aliona moved into my class last month, and my impression

is that she is 4 to proper discipline. She chats

throughout the lessons and is extremely disruptive; I feel she

is not able to 5 _____ between right and wrong.

TEACHER'S COMMENT

STUDENT: Joseph Rowde

Joseph is a kind, gentle boy who is 6 to his sister,

Aliona. In all my 7 with him, he has, like his sister,

shown little 8 of the need for serious study. For so

young a child, he also seems highly 9 to change,

which is worrying.

TEACHERS COMMENT

STUDENT: Rebecca Jackson

Rebecca is an outstanding pupil, who has a real 10 ____ _

for knowledge. She 11 fully in all class activities

and is a positive 12 for the rest of the class.


eaching notes: Choose the right word

The a·ms of this worksheet are:

• o give a brief overview of the problems students encounter withexical selection

• ::: encourage students to think about synonym scales as a means:.:= distinguishing between lexical items

• :o explore the differences between items which share a core'Tleaning

• to consider words which are easily confused.

1 This exercise introduces students to different types of problems which occur when they have to choose the correct word in a given context. Sentences 1-3 deal with issues of form and denotation (the actual meaning of a word, not the feelings or ideas associated with it), which are then developed in the remaining exercises on this worksheet. Sentences 4-6 deal with collocation, style and connotation, which are explored further in Worksheet 10. You may wish to use the two worksheets in consecutive lessons.

These issues are tested particularly in Reading and Use of English, Part 1, in the multiple choice cloze task. Distractors can sometimes be eliminated for reasons of syntax and/or collocation; but quite often, nuances of meaning are factors in choosing the correct word.

In Exercise 1, students can work alone, using dictionaries, and then compare their answers with a partner or in small groups. Make it clear when you go over the answers what type of problem each example demonstrates, highlighting the categories on the board. (See answer key for categories.)

GLOSSARY

inflated (of prices) higher than acceptable or reasonable

exorbitant (of prices) much too high

agenda a list of things to be discussed at a meeting

schedule a plan of activities/events, and when they will take place

proceed (with sth) continue doing sth that has already started

precede sth!sb happen before sth, or come before sth/sb in a series

weather permitting used for saying that sth will happen if the weather is good enough

spouse FML husband or wife

kid INF a child or young person

brat INF (disapproving) an annoying child who behaves badly


2 You may find it easier to demonstrate this concept of clines on the board. Write 'cool; and an arrow to show conditions gening colder, and see if you can elicit words to add to the cline:

cool chilly/crisp cold perishing/freezing

When you go over the answers, check the differences in meaning.

GLOSSARY

distressed very upset; if you are distraught, you are extremely upset to the point where you cannot think clearly

startled surprised or frightened by something that happens suddenly; if you are petrified, you are so frightened that you can hardly move

moist slightly wet, often in a pleasant way, e.g. warm, moist air. !Compare with damp= slightly wet, often in an unpleasant way, e.g.-his towel still feels damp.); soaking= very wet

20

crippling caus·rg .::" :"' ,ere damage or rc�e"""".: .:-� g pain/debt

lose your temper ::e:::::=e very angry; if you go , ou become extreTe 2-g and may become • :::. ::-- 2- - - _:.::>'control

� See answers c- ::::g:: 31.

3 This exercise - ;:- g-:s words which ha e 2: - 2· -e::- g, but are not always ·-:::•:::-2-;;eable. Some items --2 ::o:: -::·2 ;:e eral in meaning, e.g.:-.:. -ere others are usec -- .: e --e: = :::2 , in a particular cor:e:. ;:_g escort. Mostly, howe.;:· ---e,-'° : .:-e .vord which fits eacr s:::2:;:

� See answers:::- :::2;:e 31.

4 Exercise 4 cor--s ::: ::: :ems which are ofte- :::- -_ _:;:::: ::e::a se they look or so1.,-::: :-;: sa-ne as another wore.-.: :-_:::e-:.: :or the incorrect wo·:::: 2-- :::orrections, eliciting c·::: ::..:: - -;, : e differences. Here a·:: :-e ::ommon confusio!"s:

GLOSSARY

comprehensible 2::: = ::: c-e understood

comprehensive·-=_::-;: all the facts, detai1s e::. --=- -:::::: be dealt with

compliment sb :e :::: ::� ike or admire wha: :-;: -= e ::::::-e, rhe way they look, e:c..

complement sth c:::- _ -e well with sth, ofte have different qua : e:

?" :--;; : _ : ings

childish (disappro. -,g :::.C"laving in a silly, st1.,c::: _

childlike having t .... e :::-" : es of a child, espec·2

economic connece-::: :- :he economy of a c:::_ --

economical usea c::::: _-: ::-;:- that is not ex pens·. e :.: "· e ::: _ or use

notable importar: ::· -:e·e ing enough to ce -;:-- :-e-:::

noticeable easy o -::: :::e see, feel, etc.

negligible very smc ::· _..., mportant

negligent failing tc;: e so enough care or a .e-: .:- ;:.::::-::-:::::: when this is harmf1., ::· :::;;'Tlaging

worthwhile wor h ::::e::-::: "9 ime, money or er:::� --

worthy having qua ·: es :-a: deserve respec o· ;;:::- --=: -- c :1orthy cause/winner

comfortable maki-;: =- :ee1 physically relaxec

comforting making __ ::::: calmer or less wor· e:::

� See answers on ocg:: .3 - _

5 Give students a fe: --::-,ents to review the ke_ x;;:::_c'J ·n previous exercises, rhe- see'' they can do Exercise: :-:::_: ooking back.

� See answers on a;:e 3 ·

FOLLOW-UP

A good thesaurus cal" :::·o. ide an invaluable resov::e ::::· ess n preparation in terms d c arifying differences from :>u-· :::, ..... oointof view, as well as find--g e s of items which are eas :::::-'used, e.g. persuade vs convi ce· e1idence vs proof,· persister� . s -:>e'!Je ual;continual vs continuous. Some, such as the Oxford Lec·-e·s 0esaurus,provide many examples of clines - a useful resource :o· s: dyingoverlapping meaning.

Worksheet 9: Choose the right word 1

1 Underline the correct option in italics in sentences 1-6.

Decide why the other word is not correct.

Rents have always been high in this area, but they've reached

a point where they're now really inflated/exorbitant.

2 Housing is top of the agenda/schedule for tonight's council

meeting.

3 The awards ceremony was proceeded/preceded by a superb

display of drumming.

4 We're planning a picnic in the park tomorrow, weather

permitting/allowing.

5 Gerry said he'd check with his wife/spouse whether they were

free on Sunday.

6 I spent the afternoon with Howard's kids/brats, they're really

good fun.

2 The words in a-f below express a similar meaning, but

to a different degree. Order the words in each group:

weakest (1 ), medium (2), extreme (3).

Example: chilly 2 freezing 3 cool 1

a distraught_ distressed_ upset_

b scared_ startled_ petrified_

c moist_ soaking_ wet_

d crippling_ serious_ severe_

e plain_ hideous_ ugly_

f lose your temper_ go berserk_ lose patience_

3 The words in italics share a core meaning but they are

used in different contexts. Complete sentences 1-12

using each word in italics once only in the correct form.

What does each set of words have in common?

device utensil tool instrument

1 We need a set of garden ___ _

2 They manufacture surgical __ __

3 I've got loads of kitchen ___ _

4 It's a _ _ __ that measures earthquakes.

competitor participant rival contestant

5 There are 15 on the course.

6 I was a in a TV quiz once.

7 He is likely to be the president's main ____ for the

presidency.

8 How many _ _ __ are there in the race?

lead show escort guide

9 The bodyguards ____ him throughout the visit.

1 O John ____ the way, and we followed in silence.

11 They us through the maze of narrow streets.

12 We were into the waiting room.

4 One word in each sentence 1-8 is incorrect. Write the

correct word. The correct word will start the same as the

incorrect word.

The employment agency provided a comprehensible list of

typical interview questions. ___ _

2 They play doubles together. With their different skills, they

compliment each other well. ___ _

3 Silvia has this wonderful, childish enthusiasm which is so rare

in the over-sixties. ___ _

4 What is the most economic way to heat your home?

5 The suspect had a notable limp; he can't have got very far.

6 The parents were accused of being negligible, and the child

was taken into care. _ __ _

7 Brian Brodie was a worthwhile winner of this year's golf

championship. ___ _

8 It's comfortable to know that I can call the nurse whenever I

need her. ___ _

5 Complete sentences 1-10 using the vocabulary you

looked at in Exercises 1-4.

1 Work on the new house is smoothly.

2 The sudden movement in the bushes me

slightly.

3 The rescuers used a special which can sense

movement in dense woodland.

4 We need him to make a speech which will be clear and

____ to everyone.

5 The gold medal winner the rest of the team into

the stadium.

6 I'm afraid Mr Ross has a very busy this week and won't be available.

7 The amount of damage to the car was----, so

nothing needed to be done.

8 The new drug is said to combat the truly __ __ pain of

arthritis.

9 Some of her behaviour is so and irritating. You

wouldn't believe she was a grown woman.

10 Martin paid me a very nice last night. He said my

apple tart was the best he'd ever eaten.


Teaching notes: Choose the righ word2

-ne aims of this worksheet are:

• to improve your students' ability to select the correct word in agiven context by developing their awareness of connotation,style and collocation

• to extend their knowledge of a wide range of lexical items.

This exercise focuses on connotation. Two words may be similarin meaning but have different associations: a word may have a positive connotation, or it may have a negative connotation. For example, a slim person is thin in an attractive way, whereas a skinny person is very thin in a way that is not attractive. Words with clear connotations are sometimes indicated in the dictionary: approving= a positive connotation; disapproving= a negative connotation. Draw your students' attention to these markers when they look up new words. The first exercise includes five pairs of words that have similar meanings but different connotations. This may be a difference between positive and negative, or between negative and neutral, i.e. neither a positive nor negative connotation unless something in the context suggests otherwise. See if your students can complete the exercise and recognize some of these differences, perhaps in pairs, then go through the answers and clarify where necessary.


2 This exercise focuses on differences in style: two words may be similar in meaning but one may be more formal or more informal than the other. Once again, you could let students work in pairs on this exercise, using a dictionary to help them. At the end, you can go through the answers, and you will probably need to reinforce the meaning of some of the more formal words. As you do so, add the derivatives as well.

GLOSSARY

elapse FML if time elapses, it passes or goes by

disclose sth FML If you disclose information, you reveal it, especially secret information, disclosure n.

prevail FML 1 exist at a particular time or in a particular situation (see sentence 7); 2 be the strongest influence or element in a situation: Le 's hope common sense will prevail in this situation.

inhabit sth FML live in a particular place, inhabitant n.

resolve sth FML find a solution to a problem, resolution n.

refrain from (doing sth) FML stop yourself from doing sth, especially sth you want to do

dispose of sth FML get rid of sth that you do not want or cannot keep, disposal n.

commence FML start (more commonly used in written English, e.g. a notice, or formal spoken English, e.g. announcements)

address sth FML try to deal with a problem or question

address sb FML 1 speak publicly to a group of people (see sentence 8); 2 speak directly to a person you are with: I was surprised when he addressed me in English.

In this exercise, the words in the list are all formal and more commonly found in written English or formal spoken English, and they are replacing words that are either neutral in style, e.g. reveal sth, or more informal, e.g. get rid of sth


22

3 This exercise loc-.:: a-=

_::s of words that are similar in meaning but have differe t c -::: �'"'s. As you go through the answers, you could mention so�e ::: __ e:o owing:

GLOSSARY

state also commc- :: ::a:es with these adjectives ano nouns: sb's mental state, sb's s,:;-e _: � -0 so in a state of shock, sth in a bad state of repair, the curren15,:;-;: ::--:'economy), etc.

condition is corr--:- _:e:: to alk about the appearance or quality of sth: in perfec e.>::' �- ;x,orair/poor condition

situation is ofter _::: -:- aojectives such as econo ic, �·nancial, political, etc.

clear, obvious a1:c a parent all basically mean 'easy to ee or understand; bu, c ==· s ;;-: in patterns of use; in the exoressions a clear majority, 'or - -_: •_:.,sons, and for no apparen rea. , none of the other woros : e ::::: ::e used by a native spea e'

burst, smash anc fra re a mean 'break; but we burs: a oalloon, smash a windo ·• 2-- ::...:,c.,re an arm/a leg

announce, declare 2- state all mean to 'say sth, ofte'"' ca-c·ally; but we announce ,,..e · --er .... own or policy!sb's engage e,..� aeclarewar/a state of e_,..e·;e-: -o rhe winner; and state a 'ac c� ·,... · n

business or pleas re : a common expression

artificial, false a-:: synthetic are all used to talk abot..: :-·-gs that are not real or ge- _ -e n we talk about artificial fig,..: : c:.ers, false teeth/eye/as e 2-::: -:,..e ic material

-+ See answe•s ::::- ::.:::;;e 31.

4 The final exe·: :e :::'"'solidates some of the vocab� c) :·om the workshee:. S:-::e-:· could work on this indi id a 1 :J€' re comparing t e·· 2-s,·.e•s.

-+ See answers�,.., cage 31.

FOLLOW-UP

You could alsc ::e. ·se y ur own exercises similar o :-e ::-es above for students "-::; rie ral/informal equivalents, f , ex::-:::i e: be good at(exce c:rs·aer(be deemed to be),put s r rqr: re-c('y), improve the IOC· o: something (enhance), start agoir ·e:---e , ell the authori .·es ,.., (' ), consist of (comprise), try hara:- J: ::- s rive),etc. Alterna · .e, , u could get students to subs ·ru:e : Mas in a newspaper reoor:. magazine article, or web biog to --,he - more or less forma suojective (using words with positi e • -ega i e connotations, or objective (neither positive nor nega:·. e


1 Read sentences 1-10. What is your impression of the

person mentioned? Write: a (positive), b (negative), or

c (neither positive nor negative).

Leyla is very determined. _

2 James can be very headstrong. _

3 My new supervisor seems very authoritative.

4 My old supervisor was rather bossy.

5 Felix is very self-assured. _

6 Simon is rather brash. _

7 My mother decided to hide the truth.

8 The head teacher tried to cover up the facts.

9 Marie complained about the food. _

1 O Camilla moaned about the weather. _

2 Replace words in sentences 1-10 with the correct form

of words from the list below. What effect do these

changes have?

elapse disclose prevail inhabit resolve refrain from

dispose commence address (x 2)

1 Many rare species live in this area.

2 The programme will start in five minutes.

3 The unions have been urged to sort out their differences.

4 The candidate failed to deal with the important issues in her

essay.

5 Please do not smoke in this area.

6 How do they intend to get rid of the nuclear waste?

7 These were the conditions that existed at that time.

8 I was surprised when Monsieur Pascale spoke to the audience

in English.

9 Several months went by before they were able to leave the

country.

1 O The police may be forced to reveal the facts of the case.

" ... IN TuE Fu1VRE, PLEASE f<EFR!\IN FROM ANSWERING- 'OuH' ON Ti-It E:A51!�R. (j)UE5T/ONS, '1

3 Underline the correct option in italics in sentences 1-8.

Why are they correct?

He's not in a fit condition/state/situation to drive.

2 The cyclist is still in a critical condition/state/situation after the

accident.

3 She won with a clear/an obvious/an apparent majority.

4 For clear/obvious/apparent reasons, I'll wait to see what happens first.

5 I don't know how she managed to burst/smash/fracture that

balloon.

6 The government could still announce/declare/state war

before spring.

7 Are you here on business or enjoyment!pleasure/entertainment7

8 I don't like working under artificial/false/synthetic light.

4 Complete gaps 1-10 in the text with suitable words from

Exercises 1, 2 and 3.

Local man awaits drink-drive sentence

After a night out with

friends, Martin Wainwright

was driving home when his

car left the road and hit two

teenage girls on Hebdon

High Street. 18-year-old

Ellen Barker 1 ___ _

her right arm and leg, while

her younger sister, Lisa,

remained in hospital in a

condition for

almost a week. Four months

have since

then, but Lisa believes she

is still in a 4 of

shock following the accident

and unable to leave her

home. Visibility on the high

street is very good, even

at night, and the weather

reason why Wainwright

failed to see the girls, but

the court heard today

that Wainwright had been

drinking quite heavily and

was in no 6 state

to drive. Friends had warned

him of this on the night and

begged him to take a taxi,

but Wainwright is said to be

a 7 ___ _ young man

who rarely listens to advice,

and sadly common sense

did not 8 on this

occasion. After the jury's

verdict was 9 in

court, it was 10 ____ _

that Wainwright had

committed several similar

offences in the past. He will

was fine that evening, so be sentenced tomorrow.

there is no 5 ___ _


Teaching notes: Metaphor

The aims of this worksheet are: • to develop the students' understanding of what metaphor is and

how it operates in text• to illustrate how metaphors are commonly used to express certain

thoughts and ideas• to expand students' knowledge of the metaphorical meaning of a

range of words and phrases.1 With a metaphor, you are comparing two things which are different, but which have similar characteristics. So, for example, if you say, 'The journey was a nightmare'. you are suggesting that the journey was like a bad dream, i.e. a very unpleasant experience. Language is full of everyday metaphors like this, and while native speakers might not even be aware that they are using metaphors, a student learning the language might only recognize the literal meaning of a word and not its metaphorical use. Sometimes, metaphors will transfer to other languages with a similar meaning, but often they don't. Your students will probably know the literal/basic meaning of all the words in Exercise 1, and should be able to explain most of them without difficulty. The only ones that may need clarification are: attach sth fasten or join one thing to another, attachment n.

(often used with email) tear sth to pieces pull sth so that it separates into small pieces remedy a cure for a pain or minor illness blow a hard hit from sb's hand or an object 2 You can elicit the answers but may have to clarify some of the students' explanations. As you go through the answers, you can add the following: (be) out of your depth is usually listed as an idiom in most dictionaries a recipe for disaster and tear sb!sth to pieces are both common collocations, which might also be listed as idioms; tear sth!sb apartand tear to shreds are synonyms a blow can also describe an event that causes you sadness: Her mother's death was a real blow to her.

With this metaphorical use of warm, you could add the verb warmto sb/sth (= begin to like sb/sth very much) � See answers on pages 31 and 32. Afterwards you can explain that these words are all being used metaphorically in the texts, and in most cases they should be able to see how the metaphorical meaning has developed from the literal meaning and shares some of its features. You can point out that metaphors are a very common feature of English, and something that they should be thinking about when they are reading. 3 This exercise gives students an opportunity to study the literal and metaphorical meaning of a new group of words and see the connection between the two. In some cases that connection is very clear, e.g. hurt, while in others it is more tenuous, e.g. swallow. You can point out that we use words and phrases as metaphors, and many of these phrases have solidified into idioms, e.g. miss the boatand in the driving seat, or common collocations, e.g. hurt sb's feelingsand a dirty trick.


24

4 Somet" "9 - C" "lay help students is tha . = :�� ,.., y use certain me:zc-- s: -alk about particular topics c· e c·;:ss oarticular feelings. txe•- Se� s a example. � See ans,·.;,·: :- c;;;ie 32. 5 This exe·: == ::-so ·dates some of the vocac_ ::' -=-:- :"e workshee. � See ans1·,=·s :- ::;.age 32.

FOLLOW-UP

You coulo see:-::::-:: \x:Js on other meta about cer a·r :::: :s c· 'eelings. For exa ::: connected with'war' o :c · ::_:::_: ness: fight off a colc = _ 0c--:? --r "Sf Cancer, sth attacking :-e -e s system, part o

-

illness or infe--: :- ::;- , atigue, guara a':!::;-:- : _s: on, etc. Anger is o e ::::-· ::,ec as being 'hot' or·or. =·= " -.:-: ... c•gument, a blazing ro ,.,_. �=� -:; -c� ..,nder the collar oe ='2.- -: e-:_

Newspaper arc -2;;:::: '"'e articles on ce-:2 - : a number o re-5:c ·e :i:ec metaphors pv _:;-: _-::::--:::-=::"Sor the entire ar ice :=:: ;;-: c es about the e,c ---� __ : :c...,oareit to a sick perscr -�-;;a number of re a:::-::-=-"- -- _ -_-sing,recovering, oiling :::::_ -..., s s i<nown as ·e -e---:-= -e-.=:::": o could ask stude-:: :::: -- 'or newspac-:::· a� -:: -=-- - :::: "or use of extended metac-:::· :: c··ng I class = ·:: :-__ : --

-

Worksheet 11: Metaphor

1 What do the words in bold in the list below mean?

Tell a partner.

I've got a headache.

I had a nightmare last night

Attach it to the letter

It's a remedy for flu A blow to the head

It's a delicious recipe.

It's a warm room

I tore the letter to pieces.

She swam out of her depth.

2 Find the bold words from Exercise 1 in the texts below

and underline them. What do these words mean now?

Many feared that building a new school so close to the main road

would be a recipe for disaster. The council, however, hoped that the

new bypass would divert much of the traffic and provide a remedy for

this potential problem. Unfortunately, there is now serious opposition

to the bypass, and it is proving to be a real headache for the planners.

United were torn to pieces in the second half, and were fortunate to

concede only two goals. Their cause was not helped by their young

goalkeeper. In only his second game for the team, he had a nightmare

of a match, and looked out of his depth at this level. The loss will be a

real blow to United's title chances.

Mrs Franks is such a warm person. When I stayed at her house last

summer, I became quite attached to her.

3 What do the words in italics in sentences 1-8 mean?

What is their literal meaning?

He hurt my feelings.

2 I was glued to that programme.

3 It was a very dirty trick.

4 That defeat was hard to swallow.

5 She laid the foundations for their success.

6 It was a great chance, but she missed the boat

7 She has a very fertile imagination.

8 I take the decisions; I'm in the driving seat now

WE'RE ON THE MOVE

4 Underline the metaphors in A (sentences 1-5) and B

below (sentences 6-10). What is the central metaphorical

idea in each group of sentences?

A

1 The trouble with my brother is that he spends money like water.

2 The government is pouring more and more money into the health service.

3 If you carry on renting, it's just money down the drain.

4 I hadn't spent any money in ages, so I decided to splash out on a new outfit

5 The loans have started to dry up; I don't know how they'll keep the company afloat

B

6 I was over the moon when I got my results.

7 I'm feeling on top of the world right now

8 Just seeing Julie again really lifted everyone's spirits.

9 My heart sank when I saw that flat

10 Carol has been really down in the dumps since she got her results.

5 Complete sentences 1-1 O with the correct word, in the

correct form.

1 The minister got to pieces in that TV interview; it was embarrassing to watch.

2 I don't know why he drives that ridiculous big car; it's money down the ___ _

3 Putting Darren in charge of the wedding arrangements is a _____ for disaster.

4 Karen is really struggling at the moment; I'm afraid she's out of her in this job.

5 It's our wedding anniversary, so we're going to ____ _ out on a trip to Venice.

6 My heart when I saw how small our hotel room was.

7 I'm worried the government will lose interest in sport, and funding will just up.

8 I was over the ____ when we won that gold medal.

9 The owners a lot of money into restoring the house to its former glory.

10 What's the matter? You look like you're really down in the


Teaching notes: Adverbs and adver ses


• to develop students' knowledge and understanding of differentadverbs and adverb phrases, with a particular focus on adverbialsexpressing attitude, adverbials stating a field of reference orviewpoint, and linking adverbials

• to help and encourage students to activate this area of vocabularyin their spoken and written language.

1 Exercise 1 brings together a wide range of adverbs and adverb phrases (also referred to as 'adverbials' or 'adjuncts'), which are used to say more about the fact or event being described, and perhaps the speaker's attitude/reaction to it.

Students could work in pairs or groups, so that they can discuss their answers fully.

GLOSSARY

in retrospect thinking about a past event or situation, often with a different opinion from the one you had at the time because you now have more understanding of the situation; with hindsight is very similar, and usually emphasizes the fact that your opinion has changed

inevitably as is certain to happen: This decision will inevitably cause conflict.

relatively to a fairly large degree, especially in comparison with sth else: The exam was relatively easy

initially at the beginning: Initially, I found the course very challenging, but after a while it was fine.

presumably used to say that sth is true based on what you know, although you are not certain

on the whole used to say that sth is generally true, but not always true SYNS broadly speaking, by and large, in general

ultimately finally, after a process or activity has ended: Ultimately, I will have to make a decision.

invariably always, or almost always

essentially used to emphasize what is the most important feature or fact about sth: The barrier is there essentially to prevent flooding. SYN basically

purely completely and only: purely by chance SYN simply, solely

virtually almost completely SYN practically

chiefly mainly or mostly, but not completely SYNS predominantly, primarily

apparently based on what you have heard or read, SYN evidently


2 When you want to make it clear that you are speaking from a particular viewpoint, you can use sentence adverbs formed from classifying adjectives. Your students will be familiar with some of these words as adjectives, but may be unfamiliar with the way they are used here as adverbs. They do not always come at the beginning of a clause or sentence, but it is a common pattern of use.

Students should be able to complete the exercise from their knowledge of the adjectives, a bit of contextual guesswork, and perhaps a process of elimination, but you may need to explain some of the items in more detail. You may wish to focus on the word stress and the pronunciation of -ally.

26

GLOSSARY

outwardly in appearance or e a --a-::- �- -�: 'lot always the way that it really is

superficially used to describe :r;: • a -- 0- -- =-- Ea': a :hough it is not really like this. (It is often use:: -i:':" _:;:s: - at sth/sb lacks depth and is not serious: S..,=:� - -entertaining, but it didn't have an, ·e-:; :;-_

morally relating to right and wro-;: a- - --: behave

aesthetically relating to beauty

statistically relating to the use describe situations

At the end, you can also poin ot..:: to some of these adverbs. Techfl c:; financially speaking, it was a disan?'.


3 Your students will have alreao, :::e- -� adverbials; this exercise looks a are less common but still extreme

GLOSSARY

alternatively used to introduce a s..,>:;:-or possibility

:e. ent;

as it happens INF (mostly spoken ... se-:: -: -= though it is surprising

_ - _e even

subsequently FML afterwards; late'· a-':e· ::-- i: Sc - =- -.:;-�-=-,:d

as regards sb/sth FML in connec ·a,., -- -- s.::: ding, concerning

mind you INF (mostly spoken) usec :: a-:: ::-- -: :-said, to make it less strong, or o ·-:·:c :'= a :_

St

by the way used to introduce a 0e :_:: i:':- a,.,,-vf�...-t,,11y also used to add related but less im r.a-: -=--�.:;- :books, incidentally, were publishea c:-1 ;:-:;·

on top of that INF (mostly spoke .;s_a _ ·-=-- -- - -- 0 =-_ � er negative piece of information

even so used to introduce a stateme-: :-a::::-::_·::•: "9 after what you said before, SYN despite that -::>·;: ": r.a


4 The final exercise is an oppor n·:1

=- ::_::-;;-:: :: '= :::,e··rnent with these adverbials in order to see-: :-.,, a=i:':::: :--;; �eaning of a sentence. They could work on :,.,e e•e·:·.sc a -:: a-c: :rien get a partner to look at their differen - =: each onemeans (as in the example). � See answers on page 32.

FOLLOW-UP

You could extend Exercise 4 by as ing s;:_::e-:s :: ::;;:: :- a ·nking adverbial to one of the answers, and trer =,.., s- :-;: :e:c.,d sentence logically. For example: The books are pr""'c'· 1 =� ::r. Mind you, that still leaves quite a few factual books o recc cs :. e . ::v :c:L d also construct your own exercises, similar to i:xe-c·s:: · a-o ·'le u e many of the same adverbials (for revision purposes c..,;: ea:r :·rne adding a few new target items or distractors, e.g. s r-:e:. "G�. ·. e:. ·se, frankly, admittedly, strangely enough, in effec , plainiy, on re·"eci'or obviously.

Worksheet 12: Adverbs and adverb phrases

1 Underline the correct option(s) in italics in sentences

1-8. Be careful: one, two, or all three answers may be

correct.

I stayed with my last company for ten years. In retrospect/

Inevitably/With hindsight, I probably should've left sooner.

2 The army have deployed more troops, so relatively/initially/

presumably they are expecting trouble.

3 On the whole/By and large/Broadly speaking, the emphasis is on recruiting younger people.

4 It ultimately/invariably/essentially rains when we go there.

5 Caroline is doing the job purely/solely/simply to get marketing experience.

6 The film has had great reviews, but the cinema was ultimately/virtually/practically empty.

7 The plan looked rather risky to me, but chiefly/apparently/

evidently it's been successful.

8 The book is targeted primarily/predominantly/chiefly at teenagers.

2 Complete sentences 1-10 using words from the list below.

technically outwardly superficially morally realistically

aesthetically racially commercially traditionally statistically

1 , they will never sell their flat until the housing

market improves.

2 , the shopping centre has been a disaster; several shops have closed down.

3 , the films are similar, but Hitchcock's is much more menacing.

4 , there is a huge mix of people in London.

5 , I couldn't fault his performance, but I felt it lacked imagination.

6 , men used to stand up for women on buses; I'm

not sure that's true now.

7 , women live longer than men, but my grandfathers both outlived their wi'1es.

8 , she seemed quite happy, but I knew there was

something wrong.

9 , the house is wonderful, but I'd hate to live there;

it's all looks so uncomfortable.

1 O I think euthanasia is ____ wrong.

3 Complete sentences 1-8 with a suitable adverb or

adverb phrase. The first letter of each word has been

given to help you.

We could take the Eurostar to Paris. A, ____ , we could fly there.

2 I thought the rain might damage the harvest. A ___ _

i h , it didn't make any difference.

3 There were complaints from candidates that they were not given sufficient information about the syllabus. 5, ___ _

new guidelines have been issued to all candidates.

4 A r payment, we will reimburse everyone fully by the end of the month.

5 The food is always good in that place. M _ __ _

y , it's not cheap.

6 I'm planning to meet up with Clare next week. 8, _ __ _ t w , have you heard about her latest job offer7

7 The tuition fees are high, and o _ __ _ o t , the students have to pay for

their accommodation and living expenses. It's not easy for them.

8 Petrol prices have come down slightly in recent months;

e s , it still makes sense to take the

train in my view.

4 Rewrite sentences 1-6 two or three times using different

adverbs or adverb phrases. How does the meaning

change?

Example: The books are fiction. Apparently the books are fiction.

(= I have heard/read that they are fiction.) The books are primarily fiction.

(= Most of the books are fiction.) On the whole the books are fiction.

(= It is generally true that the books are fiction.)

What he did was wrong.

2 The plan worked well.

3 The winner's an American.

4 They had to go back.

5 The interior is perfect.

6 They seemed content.


Answer Key


1

see page 4)

2

'Tlean v.; meaning n.; meaningful adj./oPP 'Tleaningless

s;mplify v.; simplification/simplicity n.;

s;mple, simplified, simplistic ad}.

answer v.; answer n.; answerable ad).

determine v.; determination n.; determined ad}.

no verb); appropriateness n.; appropriate adj./OPP inappropriate

consider v.; consideration n.; considerable, ::onsiderate adj./oPP inconsiderate

explain v.; explanation n.; explanatory, explicable adj./oPP inexplicable

conceptualize, conceive v.; concept n.;

conceptual ad}.

clarify v.; clarification, clarity n.;

lear adj./oPP unclear

3

unavailable, unavoidable, unbearable, inexcusable (one of the exceptions)

2 inadequate, inaccurate, incompatible, inedible

3 tactful, harmful, thoughtful, tasteful (of style) but tasty (of food)

4 modification, identification and identity, continuation, abbreviation

5 verbs: modernize, familiarize, politicize, characterize (-ise is given as an alternative spelling in some dictionaries); nouns: modernization, familiarization, politicization, characterization

4

inexcusable

2 modifications

3 answerable

4 inexplicable

5 unbearable

28

6 tactless

7 figurative

8 familiarize

9 inconsiderate

1 0 conceived


1

undeniable, invalid, irretrievable, unintelligible, immortal, insincere, illiterate, illegible, unflattering, irrational, impractical, ineligible

2

1 illiterate 7 unintelligible

2 invalid 8 impractical

3 insincere 9 ineligible

4 irrational 10 undeniable

5 irretrievable 11 unflattering

6 illegible 12 immortal

3

organic/inorganic; conceivable/ inconceivable; offensive/inoffensive

4

mishear

2 mislay/misplace

3 mislead

Possible answers: misunderstand, mispronounce, misspell, misinform, etc.

4 overcooked/undercooked

5 overpaid/underpaid

6 overrated/underrated

Possible answers: overprivileged/ underprivileged, overcharge/undercharge, overdeveloped/underdeveloped, overpopulated/underpopulated, etc.

7 undo

8 unwrap

9 unfasten

Possible answers: tie up/untie; zip up/ unzip, button up/unbutton; lock/unlock; pack/unpack

10 disconnect

11 disbelieve

12 disapprove

Possible answers: agree/disagree; obey/ disobey, like/dislike

5

1 misleading 7 ino ensive

2 insincerity 8 irrationally

3 uneventful 9 inconceivable

4 undeniably 10 o erra ed

5 unconventional

6 overpaid

Wo

2

4

up -c a _ -

7 by a -;:=--

8 no ·.c--_

3

4

5

at the bes: o: - - ::. keep my ea: :::: (things), gc: :-

notice are a sc dictionaries.

6

1 gets 4 question 7 matter 8 -

Worksheet : I

1

_ =-= as idioms in

- -C<y, move,

-a e it in

blind

2

show · a: :_ -- -. ::.::-_: a 01ace or an org,r .:-a: :- :: e:: -;; ;: or not going ere

2 (spoken -S=-: :: Sc :-2: .:::- , 1ould like sth thar "a: ::-e-e- :=e,=-: :: 1 ou

3 be very ose: :;-: : '=-: :::-e::a se you can't th·..., c: ;;- -:·e a.:: solve a problerr

4 INF use :o sa_. :-a:::·::: s- a'1 insults have no e�e L or sr:;

5 (spoken) it's very easy

6 be unable to understand sth

7 done or happening immediately (it can also mean 'at the exact place where sth is happening', e.g. The fire engine was on

the spot very quickly.)

8 sth that makes you upset or angry when sb else talks about it

9 a subject which causes serious

disagreement or arguments between people

10 not certain, and with a risk that sth bad or unpleasant could happen (It is often followed by whether.)

11 saying used to say that family

relationships are more important than any other kind

(This is quite difficult to guess, unless there is a similar idiom in the students' own language.)

12 INF small things of various kinds

2

Verb-based idioms: vote with your feet, can't make head or/nor tail of sth

Noun phrases: a sore point, a bone of contention

Prepositional phrases: at your wits' end, on the spot

Fixed phrases joined by two words: touch

and go, bits and pieces

Exclamations/spoken phrases: I wouldn't say no, there's nothing to it

Sayings: blood is thicker than water

Similes: (like) water off a duck's back

3 on the verge of (sth) (prepositional phrase) very near to the moment when sth (often sth important) is going to happen

you're kidding (exclamation) INF used to

show surprise, SYN you must be kidding/ joking (Stress: kidding)

behind the scenes (prepositional phrase) secretly, while other things are happening

stresses and strains (fixed phrase with two words joined by 'and') pressure and worry caused by problems in sb's life

take its toll (on sb/sth) (verb-based idiom) damage or harm sb/sth, especially over a period of time

you can say that again (spoken phrase) INF. = I completely agree with you.

bear the brunt of sth verb-based idiom receive the worst part of a bad situation, an attack, etc.

a happy medium noun phrase a way of doing sth that is not extreme, but is somewhere between two possible choices

I for one (spoken phrase) used for emphasizing your opinion.

4

It's touch and go whether he'll come. (Note that ifis not normally used with it's touch and go.)

2 Money is a bone of contention

between us.

3 She's (feeling) under the weather.

4 Sam's as blind as a bat.

5 The illness has taken its toll on her.

6 Strike while the iron is hot.

7 I can't make head or/nor tail of these instructions.

8 There's nothing to it.

9 The economy is on the verge of collapse.

10 The exam was a piece of cake.

Worksheet 5: Phrasal verbs

1 seeking/looking for; reduce/cut back on; lowering/bringing down; consider/look on; compensate for/make up for; supported/ backed up; withheld/kept back; raise/bring up; proceed/go ahead

Replacing the nine verbs with phrasal verbs makes the style of the text more informal.

2

stand for (a = support/represent sth, especially a cause, b = tolerate sth)

2 get into (a= put on a piece of clothing, especially with difficulty, b = get involved in sth)

3 come out (a = emerge, b = be published)

4 go through (a = undergo sth, b = search for sth, often quickly)

5 have ... on (a= be wearing sth, b = have sth arranged)

6 take on (a = start to have a particular quality, appearance, etc., b = agree to do sth and be responsible for it)

3

The most likely answers are:

1 UN stands for United Nations(= is an abbreviation for . . . )

2 How do you get into journalism7 (= start sth as a career) OR I've got into a habit/ routine of ... (= developed a habit/ routine)

3 This stain won't come out(= cannot be removed) OR The sun came out a few minutes ago(= appeared, from behind

a cloud) OR One of my teeth came out (= stopped being fixed in a place)

4 Can we go through that exercise again?

(= study sth carefully, especially by repeating it) OR We went through the woods(= passed from one end/side to the other)

5 I couldn't hear because I had the radio on(= had switched on some electrical equipment)

6 The company took on more workers (= employed) OR The coach stopped to take on more fuel/passengers, etc.)

4

flick through a magazine, resort to violence, catch up on work, sail through an exam, bottle up your feelings, stir up hatred, get at the truth, build up a reputation, break off negotiations, brush up your English

5 1 The boy didn't have anything on.

2 The men went through a lot during the war.

3 Charles got into an argument.

4 I just flicked through the book.

5 Lucy sailed through the exam.

6 Mrs Forbes won't stand for laziness.

7 They just want to get at the facts.

8 He bottles up his emotions.

9 They finally resorted to tanks and artillery.

10 I need to catch up on (some) sleep.

Worksheet 6: Phrasal nouns and adjectives

1 break-in the act of entering a building

illegally with force, usually to steal sth

rip-off when sb is cheated because they are made to pay too much for sth

bailout money that sb gives to a person or organization with financial difficulties

29

backlash a strong, negative reaction to sth, often political or social change

breakthrough an important discovery that comes after a lot of hard work

clampdown sudden action taken to reduce crime

outbreak the sudden start of a disease (also used of war, fighting, etc.)

setback a problem that delays the progress

of sth

standby if sb is on standby, they are ready to be used in a particular situation

build-up the time before an event when people are preparing for it

outburst sth that you say suddenly that

expresses a strong emotion, especially anger

2

1 backlash, outbreak, outburst

2 In all cases, the first syllable is stressed.

3 upkeep/keep sth up

break-in/break in/break into sth

rip-off/rip sb off bailout/bail sb/sth out backlash (no phrasal verb)

breakthrough/break through (though uncommon with this meaning) clampdown/clamp down (on sb/sth) outbreak/break out setback/set sb/sth back

standby/stand by build-up/build up to sth

outburst/burst out

3

Phrasal nouns which begin with the particle, e.g. outburst, are not hyphenated.

Phrasal nouns which end with the particle

-in, -off, or -up are normally hyphenated;most other phrasal nouns are written asone word.

4

a drop-down menu (on a computer), knock-down prices, a go-ahead company,

the outgoing president, a runaway success, a built-in cupboard, leftover food, an outspoken critic, ongoing negotiations, a breakaway group

5

outspoken 6 outgoing

2 ongoing 7 rip-off

3 setbacks 8 write-off

4 go-ahead 9 outcry

5 breakthrough 10 upkeep

30


1

rain

2 caught/got/had

3 condition

4 door/gate

5 natural/normal

6 gave

7 settle

8 use

9 felt/believed

10 spread

11 expensive

12 faithfully

2

adjective+ noun: torrential rain,

critical condition, constant use

verb+ noun: catch a glimpse (of), slam the door, give sb a hug

adverb+ adjective: perfectly natural, ridiculously expensive

noun+ verb: snow didn't settle, disease

spread

verb+ adverb: feel strongly, promise faithfully

3

Students' own answers

4

sign up for

2 intensive

3 continuous

4 both are correct

5 final

6 huge

7 awarded

8 whole

9 both are correct

5

1 widespread

2 deploy

3 wildly

4 classic

5 fully

6 break

7 entirely

8 remarkably

9 settle

10 utter


1

1 to

2 to

3 with/'or

4 to

5 for

2

Studen s'm·.- ;:-.:

3

to

2 to

3 from

4 to

5 on

4

6 :- against

7 �:�

9 --

6

There na.e oee- ___ e,:: :-s o the counci s c·:::-s.:::. ::::: ::: ::i, has

raised ar1 ::::_ e:: :-: -= :-e ::.,uncil's proposa s.

2 She maoe a ·e=e e-:::: -= :-;: oroblem

in her le::e·.

3 She reao vS::::.:: =-=--=- :- �:M the

book i e• :;: ·

4 Dad made a ;;::-e·: _: :::-:· ::v:·on to the char"t . c:: :::;:: : ::-:-::-: n to the

charity was ge-::·:_:.

5 There is (a -::·e::: -;; ·:: .=-::e on

governmer:: _-:; r;;

6 The parent- ;, ;:;_ .: -.:- ;; ::: :::' vide their conse , :o :-:: :::::·::: :-. 0 The

parents re sec:-"· :::r,.sc-:: he operation.

7 They made as·;: - : - ,::::�ent in

the project.

8 I've recent, ,a-e- :_:.:: s_::;5e•'ption to

a sailing maga::·-e

9 Do you have ar: s �::::.=:- .·:th her point of vie\/\ 7

10 The scandal reSv :::c - - s 'eSignation from the post. 0=1 .:..: .:: ·e-_: • he scandal, he tence-ec - : ·::s·gnation

from the pos-.

5

1 impressed G;:a·ngs

2 apply 8 a:.areness

3 lacking 9 res-stant

4 unaccustomed 10 t'lirst

5 distinguish 11 oar icipates

6 devoted 12 role model


1

(See glossary for explanations)

1 exorbitant. This highlights gradable adjectives. An extreme adjective is needed, greater than high to show that

prices have become extremely high.

Inflated is not 'extreme' enough.

2 agenda. This highlights the fact that

words which have a similar meaning may be restricted to certain contexts. A schedule is not used for the list of

things to be covered in a meeting.

3 preceded This highlights items which

look or sound similar, and are easily confused, even by native speakers.

Proceed has a completely different meaning. In addition, proceed would be grammatically incorrect; it is not used in

the passive.

4 permitting. This is an example of collocation. We say weather permitting

but not weather allowing.

5 wife. This highlights appropriate style:

spouse is far too formal and is largely used in written forms, legal matters, etc.

6 kids. This highlights connotation: a brat

is used disapprovingly, and this does not fit with the context, in which the

speaker obviously likes the children.

2

a 1 upset 2 distressed 3 distraught

b startled 2 scared 3 petrified

c 1 moist 2 wet 3 soaking

d serious 2 severe 3 crippling

e 1 plain 2 ugly 3 hideous

f lose patience 2 lose your temper

3 go berserk

3

Group 1: these words are used for things

that help you to do your job or achieve sth:

1 tools= sth you use in your hand for repairing things, gardening, etc.

2 instruments= tools used for delicate/ scientific work, e.g. surgical/precision instruments

3 utensils= used generally about tools

used in your hands in the kitchen, e.g. whisk, spatula

4 device= a piece of equipment (often electrical) used to do a particular job. ('lnstrument' would fit here if the article

were'an'.)

Group 2: these are all words for people who take part in an event, election, a

competition, etc.

5 participants= sb who takes part in an activity, a course, an event

6 contestant= sb who takes part in a

contest, e.g. a quiz

7 rival= sb who competes with another

person in a sport or politics for sth

8 competitors= sb who is competing,

against others, in a sport or game

Group 3: these words all mean to go with

someone from one place to another

9 escorted= go with sb in order to protect

or guard them on the way to a place

10 led= go in front of sb to show them

the way or make them go in the right direction

11 guided= show sb the way, often to

show them a place you know well

12 showed= take sb to a particular place

4

comprehensible comprehensive

2 complin ,ent complement

3 ffiifdi5ft childlike

4 econo1, ,ic economical

5 � noticeable

6 negligible negligent

7 vvorthvvhile worthy

8 comfortable comforting

5

proceeding

2 startled (scared is possible)

3 device

4 comprehensible

5 led

6 schedule

7 negligible

8 crippling

9 childish

1 O compliment


1

a - largely positive (If you are determined, you have made a firm

decision to do sth, and you won't let

anyone stop you.)

2 b (A headstrong person is determined

to do things their own way and refuses

to listen to advice.)

3 c (An authoritative person expects

others to obey and respect them.)

4 b (bossy= always telling people what to

do, in a way that annoys them)

5 a - probably positive (self-assured=

having confidence in your own ability)

6 b (brash= behaving and talking in a loud and confident way that annoys people)

7 c - neither positive nor negative

without more context

8 b (If you cover sth up, you stop people

finding out about sth which is usually a mistake, crime, etc.)

9 c - neither positive nor negative

without more context

1 O b (If you moan about sth, you keep complaining about sth in a way that

annoys people.)

2

+ive-ift inhabit

2 3telff commence

3 � resolve

4 deal vvith address

5 do not smoke refrain from smoking

6 getficl dispose

7 � prevailed

8 spoke to addressed

9 vvent by elapsed

10 fe'o'etlf disclose

The effect of the changes is to make the sentence rather more formal.

3

state 5 burst

2 condition 6 declare

3 a clear 7 pleasure

4 obvious 8 artificial

4

fractured 6 fit

2 critical 7 headstrong

3 elapsed 8 prevail

4 state 9 announced

5 apparent 10 disclosed

Worksheet 11: Metaphor

1

Students' own answers

2

recipe for sth make it very likely that sth

will happen

2 remedy a solution to a particular

problem

3 headache sth that causes a lot of problems

31

4 tear sth!sb to pieces destroy or defeat sb,

or criticize them severely

5 nightmare a very bad experience

6 out of your depth in a situation that

you cannot deal with because it is

too difficult

7 blow an event that damages your

chance of success

8 warm kind and friendly

9 attached liking sb very much

3

hurt sb cause emotional pain to sb (literal: cause physical pain)

2 be glued to sth INF giving all your

attention to sth (literal: join things

together using a sticky substance

called glue)

3 dirty INF unpleasant or dishonest (literal:

.not clean)

4 swallow accept that sth is true: hard to

swallow= hard to accept or believe (literal: make food or drink go down

your throat into your stomach)

5 foundation (usually plural) the process of establishing or creating sth (literal: the

solid underground base of a building)

6 miss (the boat) (idiom) be unable to take advantage of an opportunity because you didn't act quickly enough (literal: be

too late for a boat, train etc.)

7 fertile (of a mind) able to produce lots of ideas (literal: (of soil) able to produce

good crops or plants)

8 in the driving seat (idiom) in control of a

situation (literal: in control of a vehicle)

4

In 1-5 money is described as if it were

a liquid:

1 spend money like water (idiom) spend too much money in a careless way

2 pour money into sth spend lots of money on sth

3 (money) down the drain (idiom) (money)

completely wasted or lost

4 splash out (on sth) buy sth expensive

5 dry up stop being available (usually to

describe money)

afloat able to pay the money that you

owe: keep sth afloat/stay afloat

In 6-10 happiness is described in terms of

things rising; sadness is described in terms of things falling.

6 over the moon (idiom) very happy and

excited, especially after receiving good news

32

7 on top of the world (idiom) very happy

because things are going well for you

8 lift if a bad mood or feeling lifts, you

start feeling happier: lift sb's spirits

9 sb's heart sinks (idiom) used to say that sb feels very sad or disappointed

about sth

10 down in the dumps INF (idiom) feeling

unhappy or depressed

5

1 torn 6 sank

2 drain 7 dry

3 recipe 8 moon

4 depth 9 poured

5 splash 10 dumps

Worksheet 12: Adverbs and adverb phrases

1

In retrospect/With hindsight

2 presumably

3 all three answers are correct

4 invariably


6 virtual ly/practica I ly

7 apparently/evidently


2

Realistically

2 Commercially

3 Superficially

4 Racially

5 Technically

6 Traditionally

7 Statistically

8 Outwardly (Superficially would also be

possible if it hadn't been used before)

9 Aesthetically

10 morally

3

Alternatively

2 As it happens/happened

3 Subsequently

4 As regards

5 Mind you

6 By the way

7 on top of that

8 even so

-- indsight what he

::-:: ·e!atively well.

- -= .::.·- dly speaking/By and

'ed well.

3 ,....::!.,.....,....., --;: winner's an American.

4 c.

5

o- ---=

la·;=

lr:a

a··ably an American.

- ::Tdy, the winner's an

-ad to go back.

--;:_ had to go back.

-ad to go back.

--;: 'lterior is perfect.

_ -:�ally/practically

- :: - erior is perfect.

_ --= ··cially, they seemed

MASTE�LASS Master an exceptional Level of English with confidence

This resource booklet provides ideas for teaching vocabulary to Learners at C I -C2 (CEFR). It includes:

+ 12 photocopiable worksheets which explore different areas of vocabulary,such as metaphor and collocation, with exercises to consolidate Leaming

• teaching notes to accompany the worksheets with glossaries of key vocabulary

+ suggestions for further activities to develop students' vocabulary.

Ruth Gairns and Stuart Redman are Language teaching experts who specialize in writing materials for Learning and teaching vocabulary.

Also by these authors:

Oxford Word Skills Advanced (978 0 19 462011 6) Oxford Word Skills Idioms and Phrasel Verbs (978 0 19 462013 0) Oxford Learner's Pocket Word Skills (978 0 19 462014 7)

• Oxford Ward Skills

Idioms and

.hrasal Verbs

. �·.1,1..


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Oxford Aclvancecl Learner's Dictionary

ISBN 978-0-19-470518-9

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