VOCABOOSTER Level 4

1 Take measures 2 Make preparations for sth

3 Make an attempt to do sth 4 Make an enquiry

5 Make an offer 6 Make a reply to a letter/question

7 Receive a guest 8 Do sb a favour

9 Do sb good 10 Make haste

11 Put/lay the blame on sb 12 Put emphasis/stress on

13 Raise a family 14 Set fire to sth

15 Maintain law and order 16 Achieve a target/goal

1
17 Carry out an investigation 18 Make up one’s mind

19 Remedy a situation 20 Lead a life of luxury

21 Make a proposal 22 Air/voice one’s views/opinions

23 Rule out the possibility of doing sth 24 Play an important role

25 Take pride in sb 26 Respond/Reply to a letter/an email

27 Make recommendations to sb/about/on 28 Refund a deposit

sth

29 Pay/give sb a compliment 30 Live a/an (adjective) life

31 Subscribe to a magazine/newspaper 32 Cope with the difficulties

33 Have the guts to do sth 34 Boost one’s confidence

35 Claim a life 36 Lay the foundation

2
37 Make a fresh start 38 Take sth for granted

39 Take notice of sth 40 Spare a thought for sth

41 Pay tribute to sb 42 Spark off quarrels

43 Mark down prices 44 Oust one’s opponent

45 Fulfil one’s ambition 46 Suffer (a) loss

47 Pose problems for sb 48 Ease the pain

49 Resist (the) temptation 50 Make an impression on sb

51 Tighten control 52 Develop/stretch one’s potential

53 Unearth one’s potential 54 Win a scholarship

55 Act on impulse 56 Invade someone’s privacy

3
No. Phrasal Verbs Meaning Example
1 Advise against Recommend not doing The doctor advised him against carrying
sth heavy loads.

2 Allow for Take into consideration; You’d better leave early to allow for heavy
include in a calculation traffic.

3 Appeal to 1. Plead or make an 1. The organizers appealed to the crowd to

earnest request stay calm.
2. Be attractive or 2. Camping doesn’t appeal to me.
interesting
4 Back up 1. Give support or 1. If I tell the boss we’ve got too much work,
encouragement will you back me up?
2. Make a copy of (file, 2. It is recommended to back up all files.
programme…)
5 Black out Faint; lose When he fell off the horse, he blacked out.
consciousness
6 Brush up Improve, refresh one’s Mary decided to brush up her Spanish before
knowledge of sth going to South-America.

7 Burn out 1. Stop sth working 1. The fuse has burnt out.
2. Become exhausted 2. Tom will burn himself out if he doesn’t slow
from overworking down.

8 Butt in (on) Interrupt impolitely It’s rude to butt in on a conversation.

9 Carry out 1. Do sth as specified 1. The plan was carried out to perfection.
(plan, order, threat…) 2. Tests are carried out to determine the
2. Perform or conduct efficiency of a new drug.
(test, experiment)
10 Clam up Refuse to speak When the teacher arrived, she clammed up.

11 Cut down on Reduce in number or The doctor told him to cut down on cigarettes.
size
12 Do without Manage without The shops are closed so we’ll have to do
without sugar.

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13 Drag on Last longer than We expected a short speech but it dragged on
expected and on!

14 Drop in Visit, usually on the way I sometimes drop in to see my grandparents

somewhere on my way home from school.

15 Drop out Leave school without She decided to go to an art school, then
finishing dropped out after the first term.

16 End up Finally reach a state, If he continues his misconduct, he’ll end up in

place or action prison.

17 Fall apart Break into pieces My new dress fell apart in the washing
machine.

18 Figure out Understand/ find the I’m trying to figure out how to assemble the
answer wardrobe.

19 Get at Imply / suggest without What exactly are you trying to get at?
being direct
20 Get by (on) Manage to cope or to It’s difficult to get by on a low salary.
survive
21 Get over Overcome a problem There are still many hurdles to get over before
the new restaurant can open.

22 Give in Reluctantly stop fighting My boyfriend didn’t want to go to the ballet, but
or arguing he finally gave in.

23 Hold back 1. Hide an emotion 1. James held back his tears at his
2. Stop sb from moving grandfather’s funeral.
forward 2. I had to hold my dog back because there
was a cat in the park.

24 Join in To do an activity with At the end of this verse, we'd like everyone to
people who are already join in with the chorus.
doing it.
25 Let in Allow to enter (a place) Don’t let anybody in. I’ll be back in a minute.

26 Look into Investigate I wrote a letter of complaint. The company has

promised to look into the matter.
27 Look up to Have a lot of respect for Roger Federer is a role model for other tennis
players to look up to.

5
28 Nod off Fall asleep My grandfather often nods off in front of the
TV.

29 Opt out Leave a system or I enjoy tennis but I’m too busy I had to opt out
decide not to participate of the tournament.

30 Put up Accommodate/ give sb a We can put you up if you’d like to come for the
bed weekend.

31 Set up Start a business She set up her own company 10 years ago.

32 Shop around Compare prices It’s always wise to shop around before buying
anything.

33 Show off Brag or want to be There’s David showing off in his new sports
admired car!

34 Show up Appear/ arrive We expected William to come but he didn’t

show up.

35 Sort out Organize, resolve a You need to sort the bills out.
problem
36 Tell off Reprimand/ criticize The teacher told her off for not doing her
severely homework.

37 Turn down Refuse I couldn’t turn down an offer like that!

38 Work out 1. Do physical exercise 1. I work out twice a week at the gym club.
2. Find a solution or 2. It’s expensive but I haven’t worked out the
calculate sth exact cost yet.

6
No. Verbs Usage
1 Aim at sb/ sth

2 Arrive at sth

3 Glance at sb/sth

4 Smile at sb

5 Laugh at sb

6 Point at/ to sth

7 Shoot at sb/ sth

8 Snap at sb

9 Wave at/ to sb

7
10 Adapt to sth

11 Adjust to sth

12 Compare sb/ sth with/to

sb/sth

13 Complain to sb
about/of sth

14 Confess to (doing) sth

15 Consent to sth

16 React to/ against sth

17 Resort to (doing) sth

18 Turn to sb

8
No. Adjectives Usage
1 Addicted to

2 Annoyed about/
with/ at

3 Based on

4 Brilliant at

5 Capable of

6 Content with

7 Critical of

8 Curious about

9 Dissatisfied
with

9
10 Excellent in/ at

11 Experienced in

12 Envious of

13 Fed up with

14 Generous
about/ with

15 Grateful to sb/
for sth

16 Involved with/ in

17 Incapable of

18 Serious about

19 Short of

10
20 Superior to

21 Terrible at

22 Unaware of

11
No. Idioms/ proverbs Explanation and example
1 A blessing in disguise A good thing that you do not notice at first as a good
thing
e.g. Breaking up with John was a blessing in
disguise. You see, you are dating with a much better
guy.

2 A raw deal An unfair treatment

e.g. He didn’t get much for his entire hard work. He
had a raw deal.

3 A dog’s life A difficult life that is full of hard work and worries,
with little happiness.
e.g. He has to work 15 hours a day! It is a dog’s life.

4 A white elephant Something that is expensive but of no use

e.g. This oversized evening gown is a white
elephant.

5 Action speaks louder than words What you do is more important than what you say
e.g. One day, you will understand what a cunning
person he is. After all, action speaks louder than
words.

6 All in the same boat In the same difficult or unpleasant situation

e.g. Many people lost money in the football bet.
They were all in the same boat.

7 An arm and a leg If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very

expensive.
e.g. This branded car costs me an arm and a leg.

8 Apple of sb’s eye Something or someone that is very special to you

e.g. Every child is the apple of their parent’s eye.

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No. Similes Example
1 Like a pig My sister has no table manners. She eats like a pig.

2 Like a cancer The problems she has are eating her up like a cancer.

3 Like a roller coaster Life is like a roller coaster, which has ups and downs.

4 As brave as a lion He saved the lives of the trapped victims. He was as

brave as a lion.

5 As bright as sunshine Her smile is as bright as sunshine.

6 As busy as a bee My mum is always as busy as a bee.

7 As pretty as a picture This actress is as pretty as a picture. It is little wonder she

is famous and popular around the world.

8 As sly as a fox Don’t believe in him. He is as sly as a fox.

9 As silent as the dead/grave He is a shy boy. He is always as silent as the dead/ grave.

10 As white as a sheet Her face is as white as a sheet.

No. Metaphors
1 Life is one big game.

2 You are the sunshine in my life.

3 My best friend is my guiding angel.

4 David is an evil man. He has the heart of a lion.

5 My grandmother is tough. She has a heart of stone.

6 My former class teacher was my compass. She led me to the right path when I was lost.

13
 VOCABOOSTER Level 5

1 Face reality 2 Take over a company

3 Give sb a lift 4 Come to an agreement

5 Burst into laughter 6 Keep pace with sb

7 Take sth into consideration/account 8 Make room for sth

9 Fulfil/meet/satisfy the requirements 10 Lodge a complaint

11 Make a fortune 12 Make a clean breast of doing sth

13 Make do with sth 14 Raise an objection

15 Arouse sb’s suspicions 16 Restate one’s position

14
17 Renew a licence 18 Get into debt

19 Inherit a fortune 20 Minimize (the) disruption

21 Take/bear the blame for sth 22 Take/run the risk of (a danger)

23 Give rise to sth 24 Go on a strike

25 Abuse one’s authority 26 Take pity on sb

27 Strive for success 28 Bend the rules

29 Undergo an operation 30 Infringe copyright

31 Repay a debt 32 Exert one’s influence

33 Erect a statue 34 Settle a dispute

35 Give priority to sb/sth 36 Take on responsibilities

15
37 Prescribe medicine 38 Terminate a contract

39 Breach a contract 40 Rectify an error

41 Keep abreast of time/current affairs 42 Uphold human rights

43 Express regret/disappointment 44 Conform to regulations

45 Guard against (a problem) 46 Take office

47 Shed one’s blood 48 Trigger (off) social unrest

49 Hone a skill 50 Exhibit a skill

51 Dispel/clear doubts 52 Spark fears

53 Hinder progress 54 Revoke a licence

55. Follow suit 56. Get on sb’s nerves

16
No. Phrasal Verbs Meaning Example
1 Account for 1. Explain; give a reason 1. I hope you can account for the money you
2. To form a particular spent!
amount 2. Electronic goods account for over 30% of
our exports.

2 Back away Move backwards, in fear When he saw the dog, he backed away.
or dislike
3 Boil down Be summarized as The problem boils down to a lack of money.

4 Bring down Unseat; topple The revolution brought the government down.

5 Carry over Take sth you earn in a As regards holidays, can we carry over days
period of time into the from one year to the next?
next one
6 Clamp down on Make an attempt to stop The government decided to clamp down on
people doing sth bad or smoking in public areas.
illegal
7 Come up Be faced with or opposed The project came up against a lot of criticism.
against by
8 Cut in Pull in too closely in front The bus driver got angry when that car cut in.
of another vehicle
9 Do over Beat up, ransack 1. He was done over by a gang of kids.
(informal) 2. He’s lucky to be alive. His shop was done
over by a street gang.

10 Do up Fasten, close Do your coat up before you go outside. It’s

snowing.

11 Draw up Write (contract, An agreement was drawn up and signed by

agreement, document) the two parties.

12 Ease off Reduce, become less After Christmas, the workload generally eases
severe or slow down off.
(pain, traffic, work…)

17
13 End in Finish in a certain way/ The marriage ended in divorce.
result in
14 Fall through Fail/ does not happen Our planned boat trip fell through because of
the storm.

15 Fall out 1. Become loose and 1. His hair started to fall out when he was only
unattached (hair, 25.
teeth…) 2. They fell out in a disagreement about
2. Have an argument money.

16 Get back at Retaliate, take revenge My sister got back at me for stealing her
shoes. She stole my favourite hat.

17 Give sb away Betray; reveal hidden His voice gave him away. (showed who he
information about sb really was.)

18 Grow out of Get too big for sth Bernard needs a new pair of shoes because he
has grown out of his old ones.

19 Hand down Give sth that has been I handed my old comics books down to my
used to sb else little cousin.

20 Hit on/upon Think of a good idea She hit on the perfect title for her new novel.
suddenly or by chance
21 Iron out Resolve by discuss/ The meeting tomorrow will be an opportunity to
eliminate differences iron out difficulties.

22 Join up 1. Engage in, become a 1. John was in the army and Tom joined up as
member of soon as he left school.
2. Meet and unite with 2. The two groups of tourists joined up at the
hotel.

23 Rule out Eliminate The police ruled out murder in the death of the
president.

24 Stick to Continue doing sth; limit You will lose weight if you stick to the diet.
yourself to one particular
thing
25 Tear up Rip into pieces I tore up my ex-boyfriend’s letters and gave
them back to him.

18
26 Think back (to Remember When I think back on my youth, I wish I had
or on) studied harder.

27 Think sth over Consider I’ll have to think this job offer over before I
make my final decision.

28 Try sth out Test I am going to try this new brand of detergent
out.

29 Write up Write a report or an Now the experiments are completed, he just

article using the notes has to write up his findings.
you wrote earlier.

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No. Verbs Usage
1 Beg sb for sth

2 Compensate sb for sth

3 Cry out for sth

4 Derive sth from sth

5. Deprive sb of sth

6 Die of/from sth

7 Exchange sth for sth

8 Fight for sth

9 Hunger for/ after sth/sb

20
10 Mourn for

11 Struggle for sth

12 Assist sb with/in sth

13 Bargain with sb about/

over/ for

14 Collide with sth

15 Combine sth with sth

16 Compete with/ against

sth/sb for sth

17 Comply with sth

18 Interfere with/ in sth/sb

19 Plead with sb to do sth

21
20 Proceed with sth

21 Reckon with sth/sb

22
No. Adjectives Usage
1 Accused of

2 Allergic to

3 Astonished at/
by

4 Beneficial to

5 Boastful about /
of

6 Connected with

7 Doubtful about

8 Enthusiastic
about

9 Exposed to

23
10 Faithful to

11 Furnished with

12 Hopeful of/ about

13 Impressed with/
by

14 Independent of

15 Inferior to

16 Limited to

17 Opposed to

18 Puzzled by/
about

19 Qualified for

24
20 Relevant to

21 Safe from

22 Skeptical
/sceptical of/
about

23 Sensitive to

24 Suspicious of

25 Terrified of

26 Vulnerable to

25
No. Idioms/ proverbs Explanation and example
1 Bend over backwards To try very hard
e.g. Everyone bends over backwards to try to help
the little girl walk again.

2 Better late than never Doing something late is better than not doing it
e.g. Send her a birthday blessing though her
birthday has passed. It’s better late than never.

3 Burning the midnight oil Staying late at night to work or to study

e.g. You look tired. Have you been burning up the
midnight oil again?

4 Cross your fingers To wish for good luck

e.g. I really want to pass the examination. I will cross
my fingers.

5 Every cloud has a silver lining Every sad or difficult situation has a positive side
e.g. ‘I found a new job after losing my last one. You
see, every cloud has a silver lining.’

6 Get out of hand If a situation gets out of hand, it cannot be controlled

any more
e.g. The riot is getting out of hand even the police
cannot control it.
7 Have butterflies in sb’s stomach To feel very nervous or excited about sth that you
have to do.
e.g. Do you have butterflies in your stomach when
you have to talk to lots of people.

8 The icing on the cake Something good that is added to another good thing
e.g. He was delighted to have his story published –
getting paid for it was just icing on the cake.

9 Live from hand to mouth To live in poor circumstances

e.g. People lived from hand to mouth during the war.

26
 VOCABOOSTER Level 6

1 Work magic 2 Comply with (the) regulations

3 Bridge/narrow a gap 4 Harbour a criminal

5 Take a glimpse of sth/sb 6 Reap benefits

7 Arouse sb’s sympathy 8 Shed/cast light on sth

9 Take a tough line on (a crime) 10 Have sth in one’s possession

11 Make both ends meet 12 Take bribes

13 Have sth at sb’s fingertips 14 Make believe

15 Defy description / explanation 16 Earmark (a sum of money) for sth

27
17 Take a heavy toll 18 Shirk/shun one’s responsibility

19 Surpass the peak 20 Effect a change

21 Embark on (a new scheme) 22 Take heart (from sth)

23 File a lawsuit against sb 24 Forfeit the right to sth

25 Adhere to one’s beliefs/principles 26 Provoke an outcry

27 Allocate resources 28 Wreak havoc

29 Keep sth at bay 30 Stifle the voices of sb

28
No. Phrasal Verbs Meaning Example
1 Abide by Respect or obey (the law, If you want to stay at this school, you must
a decision, a rule…) abide by the rules.

2 Add up Make sense; seem Her story just doesn’t add up.
reasonable
3 Back down on Withdraw; concede Local authorities backed down on their plans
defeat to demolish the cinema.

4 Bail out 1. Pay money to secure 1. When he was arrested, his family refused to
sb’s release bail him out.
2. Rescue from financial 2. The government bailed out the bank.
difficulties
5 Bank on Base your hopes on sth/ Don’t forget the date. I’m banking on your
sb help.

6 Beef up Improve or improve sth He beefed up his presentation with diagrams

and statistics.

7 Break out in 1. Develop a skin 1. I broke out in a rash after our camping trip.
condition 2. He broke out in a sweat when he heard his
2. Start perspiring due to name called.
circumstances

8 Conk out 1. Stop working 1. The car conked out on the motorway.
2. Stop or fall asleep 2. He was so exhausted that he conked out in
(from exhaustion) front of the TV.

9 Cut in Start operating (of an The air conditioner cuts in when the
engine or electrical temperature gets to 22 degrees Celsius.
device)
10 Do away with 1. Get rid of 1. All the restrictions on imports have been
2. Murder done away with.
2. There were rumours that Stephen had
done away with his wife.

29
11 Even out 1. Eliminate differences 1. After a long discussion they managed to
of opinion even out their differences.
2. Share or divide sth 2. We would like to even out the workload
equally more fairly.

12 Get round to Finally find time to do sth I don’t know when I am going to get round to
(sth or doing writing up the minutes of the meeting.
sth)
13 Own up Admit or confess The boy owned up. He said he kicked the ball
through the window.

14 Pass up Decline/ give up (usually I passed up the job because I am afraid of

sth good) change.

15 Put down 1. Kill an animal using a 1. We will have the cat put down sometime
drug because it is too next week.
old or dangerous or 2. She is always trying to put me down at
terminally sick meetings.
2. Criticize sb (usually to
make him/her look
stupid)
16 Stick up for Defend It’s important to stick up for one’s principles.

17 Take on 1. Employ 1. We are not taking on any new staff at the

2. Decide to do sth/ moment.
agree to be 2. I can’t take on any extra work.
responsible for sth
18 Vouch for Express confidence in, or You can give the keys to Andy. I can vouch for
guarantee sth him.

30
No. Verbs Usage
1 Approve of sth

2 Beware of sth/sb

3 Consist of sth

4 Despair of sth

5 Dream of / about

6 Expect sth of/from sb

7 Inform sb of sth

8 Notify sb of sth

9 Rob sb of sth

31
10 Believe in sb/ sth

11 Indulge sb/ oneself in

(doing) sth

12 Invest in sth

13 Persist in doing sth

14 Succeed in doing sth

15 Evacuate sb from sth

16 Hinder sb from doing sth

17 Prohibit sb from doing sth

18 Aspire to

19 Attribute sth to sb/sth

32
20 Confine sb to sth (be
confined to sth)

21 Object to

22 Tend to

23 Succumb to

33
No. Adjectives Usage
1 Accustomed to

2 Acquainted with

3 Associated with

4 Attributable to

5 Baffled by

6 Characteristic
of

7 Commensurate
with

8 Conscious of

9 Derived from

34
10 Dubious about

11 Eligible for

12 Guilty of/ about

13 Identical with/
to

14 Immune to

15 Incompatible
with

16 Indicative of

17 Indifferent to

18 Irrespective of

19 Liable to/ for

35
20 Notorious for

21 Obsessed with

22 Optimistic
about

23 Pessimistic
about

24 Pertinent to

25 Prone to

26 Susceptible to

27 Sympathetic
with

28 Typical of

36
No. Idiom/ proverb Explanation and example
1 The lesser of the two evils Less unpleasant of two choices, neither of them is
good
e.g. Given the options of going out with someone I
don't like and staying home and watching a boring
television program, I chose the lesser of the two
evils and watched television.

2 Many hands make light work A job is made easier if a lot of people
e.g. Don’t worry! You have all of us to help you, and
many hands make light work.

3 Neck and neck Two competitors are competing evenly

e.g. John and Peter finished the race neck and
neck.

4 Save someone’s bacon To escape from death, injury or punishment

e.g. The quick intervention of the policeman saved
John’s bacon.

5 Talk behind someone’s back To say bad things about somebody when he/ she is
not there
e.g. I hate people talking behind my back.

6 Tie the knot When two people tie the knot, they get married.
e.g. They finally decided to tie the knot.

7 To get the ball rolling To start something

e.g. The company’s been trying to get the ball
rolling on construction of a new playground.

8 Turn over a new leaf To change your life by becoming a better person
e.g. Apparently he's turned over a new leaf and
he's not drinking any more.

37
9 Turn a blind eye to something To ignore something on purpose
e.g. The government turns a blind eye to the
pollution problem.

10 Under the gun Under great pressure

e.g. The students are working under the gun to
prepare for the coming DSE exam.

38